When the Angels showed up in Supernatural season 4, they seemed so powerful that only someone like Superman could defeat them. However, since then, these beings have been greatly weakened, and various demons have become even more powerful than them.
In this list, we consider regular angels and seraphs as the baseline for considering demonic power, as archangels are a cut above any other creature. We also consider the powers these demons gain from sources other than their inherent abilities. With that in mind, here are 10 demons who have proven to be more powerful than the angels on Supernatural.
Crowley
You might be tempted to point out that Crowley is always running from angels in fear, but we’re not saying he’s powerful enough to defeat them in strength, since we’re talking about his brain. After all, Crowley is probably the demon who has killed more angels than anyone else.
His tactical mastery means he can bring resources to himself, allowing him to overwhelm the Angels, such as when we see him wield an Angel Blade; he even manages to turn an Angel Blade into a bullet. Crowley also “perfected” the Double Cross to the point where he successfully made Lucifer his prisoner.
Cain
One of the first humans to exist, Cain’s powers came from Lucifer, the devil transferring the mark containing darkness onto him, ultimately turning Cain into the Hell Knight.
This makes him superior to the angels, as Cain claims he could swat Castiel like a fly if he wanted to. This threat was made when Cain didn’t even have an Angel Blade on him, but he did show his power by defeating Castiel with ease. Cain also possesses an advanced attack that allows him to kill just by touching his victim.
Alastair
One strange thing about this demon of hell’s great tormentor is that he doesn’t know how to kill angels, even though angel blades are common knowledge. However, Alastair is so powerful that he has zero fear of angels.
Every time he went head-to-head with them, Alastair came out on top. Castiel, in particular, was knocked down more than once by Alastair, who was completely immune to the angel’s power. He has also mastered a unique spell that can send angels back to heaven, and only Sam’s unique power can defeat him and no other angel can defeat him.
dean winchester
There’s no doubt that even though we saw Castiel subdue Dean when he was still a demon, the latter is still more powerful than him. This is because Dean possesses the Mark of Cain, which contains darkness, making Dean the most powerful demon at the time.
It was only because he was so close to being cured by Sam that Castiel managed to restrain him, otherwise we see how Dean defeated his frenemy even though he was not yet in demon form. With the power of the Hell Knights, only the Archangel can compete with Dean.
Samhain
We saw in Season 15 that the seraph Castiel was unable to defeat ghosts, as opposed to the demon Samhain, who could summon ghosts. In fact, Samhain is the only demon with the power of necromancy.
He is also important enough to be associated with Lucifer, as summoning Samhain from Hell means that one of the 66 seals of Lucifer’s Cage will be broken. The angels seemed to be very wary of Samhain, avoiding direct confrontation with him, and even Samhain’s power almost made it impossible for him to fight Samhain.
Ramil
As the second most powerful Prince of Hell after Azazel (considering that Crowley offered him the Throne of Hell after Azazel’s death), Ramiel found it ridiculous that the angels would dare try to fight him.
Not only does Ramiel find the idea of the heroes trying to kill him amusing, he even enjoys watching them try to take them down. After being stabbed by the Angel Blade, all Ramiel did was shrug and continued to fatally wound Castiel. In the end, Ramil’s death seemed to be caused by his own hubris, as nothing had any effect on him, especially not the angelic powers.
Azazel
The Reapers’ place in Supernatural has been a source of debate, as they have also been revealed to be angels, although this has not been expanded upon. Anyway, we see Tessa the Reaper as an angel here, which means the good yellow-eyed people treat her like a joke.
After John Winchester made a deal with Azazel to resurrect Dean, the latter went on to possess Tessa to prevent her from harvesting him. This is the only instance so far that we’ve seen a demon take over an angel. In addition, as the prince of hell, Azazel is naturally more powerful than angels.
Dagon
Dagon became the angel’s nightmare, and the demon killed the creatures left and right as if they were her common fodder. Fans were excited to see Angel Joshua return after so many years, but Dagon burned him as a cheap joke.
She thinks angels are too lowly for her, so much so that Lucifer ordering her to get rid of Castiel and take Kelly Crane with him is already a sure win. She did win, for it was the unborn Nephilim Jack who authorized Castiel to kill her. Of all the demons we’ve seen so far, Dagon deserves the title “Angel Killer.”
Lilith
Although she’s number one, we don’t actually see Lilith go up against any angels. However, she is definitely more powerful than them, as Lilith is the first demon and is considered superior to the Hell Knights, meaning she surpasses Cain.
The white light ability is thought to belong primarily to angels, but Lilith has used it multiple times despite being a demon. She’s easily the scariest villain in Supernatural , and her four appearances feel like a horror movie told in an episodic format. If she hadn’t been the last seal in the cage, Lilith might have knocked down all the angels herself.
Asmodeus
Dubbed the “dwarf of the whelps” by Lucifer, you might be surprised to see Asmodeus come first, but we’re considering the highest version of the devil here. After successfully capturing Gabriel, Asmodeus became the most powerful demon by infusing himself with Archangel grace.
This made him powerful to the point where even Gabriel cowered in fear of Asmodeus, which is saying something considering Gabriel is in the top ten most powerful beings of all time. With these new abilities, Asmodeus is like a brand new Archangel, meaning no angel can accept him in this form.