The Shadow (Supernatural)

Pure Evil
Full Name	The Shadow
Alias	The Empty
Origin	Supernatural
Allies	Billie (formerly) God (possibly formerly)
Powers / Skills	High intelligence Limited omnipotence Limited omniscience Limited cosmic manipulation Vast supernatural weaponry Telekinesis Teleportation Telepathy Power nullification Immortality Chronokinesis Shapeshifting Biokinesis Resurrection Memory manipulation Necromancy
Goals	Make sure no one ever escapes or wakes up in the Empty. Exact revenge on Castiel for waking it up (both ultimately succeeded). Aid Billie in her plan to kill Chuck and Amara and become the new god in order to go back to sleep (failed). Go back to sleep (ongoing).
Moral Event Horizon	Putting every being in the Empty through constant psychological torture of reliving their worst regrets until the end of time. Physically and psychologically torturing Castiel several times out of spite for waking him up unintentionally, even promising to take him to the Empty when he is finally happy just to make him suffer. Invading Heaven, killing several angels, and threatening the over 46 billion souls that inhabit it for Jack's soul. Aiding Billie in her plan to become the new god, including wiping off everyone that ever got a second chance just so it could go back to sleep, killing and torturing several reapers to get Billie's attention.
Kill Count	Dozens Billions to Trillions (attempted)
Worst Crimes	Mass murder Mass torture (inc. physical and psychological) Abuse of power Posession Attempted deicide Attempted kidnapping
Type of Villain	Nihilistic Cosmic Entity

“	STOP INTERUPTING! Start paying attention. I'm taking him. And where I'm taking you is worse than Hell… because at least Hell is something. Oh. Oh God, they look scared. Does that hurt you? Good… because I want it to.	„
	~ The Shadow taunting Castiel and Kelly before it takes Jack to the Empty.

“	I meant what I said. I want you to suffer. I want you to go back to your normal life and then forget about this and forget about me. And then, when you finally give yourself permission to be happy and let the sunshine on your face, that's when I'll come. That's when I'll come to drag you to nothing.	„
	~ The Shadow sadistically promising to take Castiel to the Empty when he finally experiences true happiness in order to make him suffer.

The Shadow, also known as The Empty, is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside God) of the Supernatural franchise.

It is a very powerful primordial entity who lives in and controls the Empty, accustomed to dwelling in a state of slumber within the vast emptiness of the Empty. However, its often disrupted by Castiel, the first supernatural being to ever wake from its dormant state and successfully break free from the clutches of the Empty.

It is portrayed by Misha Collins, Erica Cerra, and Rachel Miner.

What Makes It Pure Evil?

In General

• While if someone enters the void, it is forced to be awake and either has to kill them or send them back, it's not sympathetic as he deserves it for his sadism in torture and his vengeful and egotistical attitude.
• As all angels, demons, and reapers go to the Empty when they die, the Shadow puts all of them in a constant state of psychological torture and despair of reliving their worst regrets forever until the end of time.
  • The Shadow itself seems to take pride in this, claiming the Empty to be "worse than Hell, because at least Hell is something."
  • Even Ruby is willing to help Castiel, Sam, and Dean just to escape the Empty.
• While the Shadow seems charming and witty at first, it's shown to be an obvious facade, as seen when they repeatedly demean Castiel the first time it meets him, calling him a "constant disappointment", or even using childish insults like "dummy".
• Despite not being as heinous as God, Amara, or Lucifer. it still manages to stand out as millions to billions of angels, demons, and reapers are forced to go through mass torture for years is insanely vile, and the Shadow also tried killing all souls in heaven, giving it a very high attempted kill and torture count.

Season 13

• When Castiel ended up in the "Big Empty" on multiple occasions he berated Castiel, eventually painfully torturing him by checking his memories.
  • He would then do this again, but it would be longer, and the memories of physical and psychological pain were worse than before.
  • While after the event he listened to Castiel and brought him back to earth, he stated that if an awake being was in his realm, he couldn't sleep, making it pragmatic.

Season 14

• When Jack died, the Shadow invaded Heaven in search for Jack's soul, killing several angels and knocking out Duma. It threatened to destroy Heaven and the over 46 billion human souls that inhabited it.
• After Possessing the high-ranking angel, Naomi, the Shadow possessed Duma and threatened to take Jack from Castiel and Kelly, taking pleasure in seeing fear on their faces.
• When Castiel tried fighting the Shadow, it threw Castiel across the room and beat him, afterward throwing Kelly, and trying to bring Jack to the Empty by choking him, only being stopped when Castiel made a deal for him to be taken instead.
  • Despite the deal, it said to Castiel that in his happiest moments, he would take him so he could have a painful end and make him suffer.

Season 15

• It teamed up with Billie and aided her in her plan to kill Chuck and Amara and take over as the new god and wipe off everyone that is supposed to be dead, including resurrected being on Earth, everyone from a different dimension, or everyone that Sam and Dean ever saved, just so it can go back to sleep.
• To toy with Castiel, it purposefully transformed into Meg, the demon that Castiel started to fall in love in love with (before her death from Crowley) in season 8.
• After letting Castiel talk to Ruby and Castiel tried to leave, it tortured him and admitted that he was never going to release him from the void anyway.
• When Dean and Sam entered "Deaths reading room" The Shadow, disguised as Meg, was shown torturing and killing several reapers out of frustration, the last one, was told to ask Billy to come to the shadow, but when she didn't listen, The Shadow killed the reaper.
  • Its reason for the anger was not due being endangered, but because it earned trust issues from Castiel teleporting himself to his realm.
• So it could ask Billie to read "Chuck's book" it tortured Sam, hoping for it to summon Billie and save Sam, The Shadow was only stopped when he said that he, Dean, and Billie were trying to kill God.
• After Jack Kline detonates in the Empty's realm, the Shadow brings Jack towards it with its telekinesis and tortures him.
• Knowing that the only way to stop Billie from bringing everyone from the destroyed universes back to their realm, killing all of them, Castiel expressed his love for Dean and experienced a moment of true happiness, The Shadow, staying true to its promise, took him and Billie to The Empty to torture.
• It is ultimately a Karma Houdini due to its status as part of the natural order, with the exception of Castiel who is revived by Jack, all of the angels and demons that have ever died are most likely still trapped in the Empty.

Trivia

• The Shadow is the oldest of all the Supernatural PEs as its existence predates even God and his older sister the Darkness.
• Ironically, both of the overarching antagonists of Supernatural are Pure Evil and both are the only PEs to still be alive by the end of the series.
• The Shadow is a rare example of a PE character that is actually helpful to the protagonists, as it pragmatically allies themselves with them in order to help defeat God, and does not betray them or become an active villain after God is defeated.

External Links

• The Shadow on the Villains Wiki
• The Shadow on the Supernatural Wiki