Gabriel (Supernatural)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Gabriel, Loki, The Trickster |
| Occupation: | Angel of the Lord, Trickster God |
| Relationships: | Lucifer, Michael, Castiel, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Kali |
| Fandom: | Supernatural |
| Other: | played by the actor Richard Speight Jr. |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Gabriel is a recurring character on Supernatural.
Despite being a secondary character not appearing in very many episodes, Gabriel is one of the most popular SPN characters, after Sam, Dean, and Castiel. This may be because of the appealing nature of his character—who is both Trickster and Archangel—that is fun to explore in fanworks, or because of the popularity of the actor who played him, Richard Speight Jr., who was a frequent guest at conventions.
Canon Background
Gabriel is the youngest of the four archangels (the others are Raphael, Lucifer, and Michael).
Gabriel first appears as an unnamed Trickster, a class of pagan demigods, in the season 2 episode "Tall Tales"[1] and the season 3 episode "Mystery Spot".[2] He is revealed to be an archangel in the season 5 episode "Changing Channels".[3] He dies in season five, after only four appearances.
He is brought back briefly as an illusion created by Metatron in the season 9 episode "Meta Fiction".
In Season 13, Gabriel returns for five episodes. He travels to the Apocalypse World with the Winchester brothers to rescue his nephew, Jack. It appears that Gabriel is killed during a confrontation with his brother Michael.
In Fandom
Fan Reaction
Gabriel was very well liked from the moment the character was introduced, as a trickster demi-god, and his popularity grew with each of his four appearances in his initial run on the series.
This ep: so much fun! I loved RSJ from the first moment I saw the Trickster, and have loved him ever since. And I was thrilled to find out he was Gabriel also.
So after two episodes, fans were already fond of the Trickster, even with his fixation on killing a certain Winchester. But I think we can all agree that it was his next scheme that really sealed the deal–“Changing Channels”...
So, yeah, he’s a funny guy. But so are so many other characters in Supernatural, why’s Gabriel get a special mention?
Because, oh yeah, he’s an archangel. In a reveal that was a surprise to fans and actor alike, we discover that this fun-loving ladies’ man (creature?) with a sweet tooth is actually an almighty denizen of Heaven. And can I just step back for a moment and point out Richard Speight Jr.’s phenomenal performance as the Trickster-gone-archangel? The switch from slightly murderous goofball to holy warrior upset about his brothers fighting was such a stark contrast that it left me, at least, reeling–and it takes a special sort of talent to pull that off.
There were mixed feelings about his return in season 13, but many still loved him and were upset when he died again near the end of the season.
I loved every episode with Gabriel in it whether he was being the trickster or the archangel. He was my favorite character and I was really sad when they killed him off for good in season 13. I wish they had brought him back for the final season. Every time he appeared on screen I knew I was going to enjoy the episode.
Common Tropes in Fanworks
- Archangel: Gabriel was the first angel that was ever introduced, and once it was revealed that the reoccurring Trickster character was, in fact, an archangel, the fandom latched on and a lot of interesting Meta started to go around. Due to Gabriel's tendency to mess with the boys and his attempts to teach them lessons whenever he encounters them, many fans decided that Gabriel as a character was worth exploring.
- Trickster: some fans prefer Gabriel in his trickster persona, and will focus on that, ignoring, or playing down, the later revelations about he angelic identity
- Actor Popularity: Despite his lack of screentime, Gabriel is a popular character in the Supernatural fandom. This is in part due to actor appeal, with Richard Speight Jr. often appearing at cons. It may also be due to the popularity of ships featuring Gabriel.
- Gabriel Lives: before Gabriel's return to the series, many fics had Gabriel not die in season 5, or he was resurrected somehow, or that he had faked his death (this being the explanation that was later used in canon)
- Return to the Series: When Gabriel returned in Season 13, there was a rise in fics featuring him, including fix it fics.
- Chaos Agent: Gabriel can be portrayed as an agent of chaos in fanworks, he can be easily understood as an explanation for very strange and unusual circumstances that other characters find themselves in
Common Pairings
Gabriel's most popular pairing is with Sam (Sabriel), which is the third most popular slash pairing in the Supernatural fandom overall according to the AO3 rankings in 2019.[7] Some of Gabriel's more minor slash pairings are with Dean (Debriel), or his angelic siblings, including Castiel (Cabriel), Lucifer (Lubriel) and Balthazar, the OT4 pairing of Castiel/Gabriel/Dean/Sam (Team Free Love) is also common.
Het pairings featuring Gabriel are rare, the two most common being with Kali or Rowena, with whom he had canonical relationships. Readerfic and the pairing of Gabriel with Original Female Characters can also be found.
Challenges
Example Fanworks
Fan Art
- Gabriel - Supernatural by Quelchii
- Hello, Archangel? by JuMclia
- Gabriel by Kelshray
- Gabriel by TopHatTurtle
Fanfiction
- Brother by OneOddKitteh
- When Heaven and Hell fell... by IsilmeLasgalen
- Their Wings & His Halo by HueyDeweyLouise
- Angel Blades Hit Too Close by kassshishhhh ; a fix-it combining characters from Gabriel’s past and looking onto his future
Fan Vids
- For Your Entertainment by waywardxnina
- Watch me now by Charleric
ZInes
Meta
- 5.19 Episode Meta: Gabriel Tribute, Self-Sacrifice by rogueslayer452 (April 2010); archive link
- Gabriel’s story arc: Why I don’t think they should bring him back, even though I adore the character by defilerwyrm (September 2012); archive link
- I’m On Their Side by crowleyismyco-pilot (March 2013); archive link
- The Eating Habits of Archangels and Other Fierce Creatures by lysanatt (October 2013); AO3 link
- Meta!Gabriel vs Metatron by yarnyfan (April 2014); archive link
- so it came to my attention that there're some who were unhappy w/ gabriel's return bc it made his "final death" meaningless. i’m here to tell you how that completely contradicts gabriel’s character and everything we learned about him in the time he was around by consulting-cannibal/scoutstiel (March 2018); archive link
- The Writing is on the Wall (13x18) by drsilverfish, neven-ebrez, and mittensmorgul) (April 2018); archive link
Example Art Gallery
podbook cover by cybel for Sam/Gabriel Podfic Anthology (2011)
Art by burdenedbones for the fic Luck, created for the 2014 Gabriel Big Bang
Team Free Will headcanon by Kalicoofdoom, in this piece Gabriel and Castiel fly in the sky above the awaiting Winchester brothers
Art banner by uke-sama-sense, created for the fic Gabriel's Not Dead, as part of the Debriel Minibang
Archives and Links
- Gabriel works on Ao3
- Gabriel works on ff.net
- A Trickster and an Archangel (LiveJournal community)
Resources
- Gabriel's character page at Supernatural Wiki
- Gabriel at Fandom.com Supernatural Wiki
References
- ^ Super-Wiki's Tall Tales page has more details.
- ^ Super-Wiki's Mystery Spot page has many more details.
- ^ Super-Wiki's Changing Channel's page has more details.
- ^ Comment on The Trickster Messes With Sam and Dean for the First Time in Season 2’s ‘Tall Tales’
- ^ [https://honestreviewscorner.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/supernaturals-littlest-archangel-gabriel-appreciation-post/ ‘Supernatural’s’ Littlest Archangel – Gabriel Appreciation Post, by honestreviewscorner, May 1. 2012]
- ^ Comment on Gabriel/Loki/Trickster Episodes, posted to r/Supernatural, June 4, 2024
- ^ As of 5 February 2019, Dean/Castiel had 78008 works, Sam/Dean had 26050 works, and Sam/Gabriel had 12267 works. See the filters on the Supernatural works page.