Supernatural began with a simple premise: Saving people, hunting things, and the family business. It also began with the hunt for the elusive Yellow-Eyed Demon, who was eventually revealed to actually be Azazel, one of the Princes of Hell. Throughout the show’s 15-season run, many powerful demons from different levels of Hell tried and mostly failed to put an end to the Winchester family business.
Almost every season saw a new demonic nemesis for the brothers and their angelic sidekick to face. Out of all the foes, and occasional friends, from the demon realm that they came up against who is the most formidable?
Who Is Supernatural’s Most Powerful Demon?
There are quite a few contenders for the title of the most powerful demon in the world of Supernatural, so let’s examine the biggest contenders before deciding who comes out on top. To begin, let’s take a look at the original big bad, old yellow eyes Azazel. The demon that started it all for the show, Azazel is arguably responsible for almost everything that happens to the Winchesters.
Azazel caused the death of the boy’s mother Mary when Sam was a baby, whilst also feeding Sam his own blood to imbue him with psychic abilities. This was a test to see who would become the strongest out of a range of chosen children. Of course, it’s Sam who ultimately becomes the true vessel for Lucifer. As a Prince of Hell, Azazel is almost completely untouched by Holy Water and the traditional demon slaying methods and is only taken down by the mythical demon-killing gun, The Colt.
Next up is Lilith, the first demon created by Lucifer after he fell. Lilith was more powerful than all the Knights and Princes of Hell and eluded the Winchesters whilst also tricking Sam into killing her. Why? Because Lilith was the last of the 66 seals keeping Lucifer locked up and her death released him to once again wreak havoc on Earth, Heaven, and Hell.
Abaddon was a Knight of Hell who was trained by The Father of Murder, Cain. Abaddon’s ultimate plan was to become Queen of Hell. Her search for power and immense power made her a formidable match for The Winchesters and the entire Men of Letters organization she single-handedly wiped out. Due to the missing Colt and her strength, the only way to take down Abaddon was to dismember her and scatter her body parts. However, the boys reattached all her parts in order to return her vessel to human form as part of the trials. She escapes and continues creating soulless husks across the land, leading a trail of death and destruction in her wake. The only way she is defeated is by Dean taking on the Mark of Cain and wielding the first blade.
This leads us to Cain. Cain became the Knights of Hell's founder and trainer after killing his brother, Abel. Son of Adam and Eve, Cain has been around for an eternity, not only one of the first humans but one of the first demons. Cain possessed all of the attributes of a normal demon like the ability to possess others, greater strength, and resistance to injuries that would kill a normal human. Along with this Cain can also smite things similarly to angels, teleport, transfer the Mark of Cain to others, and is immune to the demon-killing knife that the Winchesters possess.
While it would be remiss not to mention Crowley, his talents lay in his wits and ability to manipulate more than his power even though it is formidable. However, compared to the big leagues, he’s a moderate-level demon, albeit an entertaining one. Who wins in the battle of the demons? It’s easily Cain. Keep reading to find out why.
What Makes Cain So Powerful?
Cain has power unrivaled by almost all denizens of Heaven and Hell. He can smite his enemies, the only demon able to do this. He has partial resistance to devil traps, while he does get trapped in them he retains his power. This is demonstrated when Dean, who is powered by the Mark of Cain and the First Blade at the time attempts to kill him and is easily overpowered by the ancient demon.
As well as his superior strength and combat skills, Cain can also manipulate the weather, teleport other people, utilize telekinesis, and electrokinesis, and nullify the powers of others. Not only that, the only weapon capable of harming him, let alone killing him is the First Blade. To that end, Cain dies by his own hand, allowing Dean to kill him with the First Blade. Not even the Winchesters, angels, or demons could take him down. He only died because he wanted to.
What Happens To Cain In Supernatural?
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As one of the first demons created, Cain founded the Knights of Hell and also trained all of them. He killed thousands of people before suddenly vanishing. It was revealed that he had grown tired of killing, as he retained much of his humanity and fought against the influence of the Mark. He had hidden to live a human life and had even married, but Abaddon tracked him and possessed his wife, attempting to entice him back. Cain tried to kill Abaddon, but she left his wife’s body first, resulting in Cain accidentally killing his wife.
For 150 years, Cain lived in solitude as a beekeeper in Missouri before Dean and Castiel located him and drew him back into the world of violence. While he agrees to give them First Blade and transfer the Mark to Dean, he is ultimately tempted back to his old ways before a final battle between him and Dean sees him lose a hand and allow himself to be killed.