Supernatural
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General
The American Branch
- "We're preceptors, beholders, chroniclers of all that man does not understand. We share our findings with a few trusted hunters—the very elite. They do the rest."- Henry Winchester in "As Time Goes By" (S08, Ep12)
The Men of Letters are members of a secret organization dedicated to preserving and studying knowledge about the supernatural. Membership is a legacy which is passed down through generations in certain families, but before someone can be initiated into the order, they must prove their level of knowledge and skills. Sam and Dean's grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were Men of Letters. John Winchester never learned about this legacy as his father disappeared when he was a child and the Men of Letters was nearly wiped out in 1958. Sam and Dean only learn about the Men of Letters when their grandfather, Henry Winchester, time-travels from 1958 to 2013 in Normal, Illinois,
in order to keep the key to the Men of Letters' bunker safe from Abaddon, a Knight of Hell who slaughtered almost all of the other Men of Letters. Sam and Dean use the bunker in Lebanon, Kansas, as their Home Base after obtaining the key.
- Abstract Scale: The Men of Letters have a rating system used for demonic possession where The Exorcist would have been a Class 2 Infernal Event and the scale goes up to at least a Class 5.
- Anti-Magic: The bunker is described as "the safest place on earth, warded against any evil ever created."
- Art Deco: The bunker is decorated in this style.
- Badass Bookworm: The Men of Letters in general.
- The Big Board: The main room of the bunker has a map of the United States on the wall which is marked with every city Sam and Dean have visited. The table has a map of the world, which can display lights when a supernatural event (like falling angels) is detected. The table typically has protractors and red and black disks sitting on it.
- Brains and Brawn: The Men of Letters work with hunters, but many seem to have contempt for hunters as Dumb Muscle.
- Character Name Alias: "Albert Magnus" is the name members use when going incognito. Albertus Magnus was a 13th-century German bishop and philosopher who argued for the coexistence of science and religion, and is the patron saint of natural scientists and mentor of Thomas Aquinas.
- Cool Key: In order to enter the Men of Letters bunker, you need a key which is decorated with the Aquarian Star. This key is kept in a wooden box which is also engraved with the Aquarian Star. Henry Winchester traveled through time from 1958 to 2013 to keep this key safe from Abaddon.
- Creature-Hunter Organization: They work with hunters to battle supernatural creatures.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: While women may be initiated as Men of Letters, Dorothy Baum seemed to consider sexist attitudes to be the norm for Men of Letters in 1935. Charlie Bradbury lampshades the exclusionary name.Sam: Let us introduce you to the Men of Letters.Charlie: Holy awesome! Too bad they got wiped out. Though that is what they get for the sexist name.
- Elaborate Underground Base: In 1935, the Men of Letters started to use a secret Bunker located in Lebanon, Kansas.
- Geometric Magic: The symbol of the group is the Aquarian Star. The Aquarian Star is a unicursal hexagram or Star of Solomon, which was also used in Thelema, a spiritual philosophy or religion created by Aleister Crowley.
- Homage:
- The location of the bunker for the Men of Letters is Lebanon, Kansas. This is the geographic center of the United States and an important location in Neil Gaiman's American Gods because of its "negative sacredness."
- Jerry Wanek, the show's production designer, said that the bunker's War Room was inspired by The War Room in Dr. Strangelove.
- The location of the bunker for the Men of Letters is Lebanon, Kansas
- In the Blood: Membership in the Men of Letters is a legacy passed down through families.
- In-Series Nickname: Dean refers to the bunker as the Batcave.
- Lockdown: If a major supernatural event is detected by the computer in the bunker, it can seal off the bunker, which occurred to Kevin after the angels fell.
- Magical Library: The Men of Letters' bunker holds "every object, scroll, spell ever collected for thousands of years under one roof."
- Magitek: The bunker has a computer installed in 1951 that fills a room full of blinking lights and dials and has a magical power source.
- Oh Look, More Rooms!: Besides the War Room surrounded by a balcony and the library, the bunker also has a kitchen, bedrooms, firing range, shower, archives, dungeon and garage. The dungeon is accessed by pulling apart rows of files in room 7b. Room 28, level 2 is a laboratory.
- Only the Knowledgable May Pass: Initiation into the Men of Letters depends on passing through different levels. Each level is associated with specific skills and knowledge.
- Ragnarök Proofing: When Sam and Dean enter the bunker, the electricity and water are still on. Everything is in working order despite the bunker being abandoned since 1958. As "Last Holiday" shows, this trope is doubled as the place was working on limited power the entire time.
- Secret Legacy: Sam and Dean never learned about their legacy as Winchesters, as Henry Winchester disappeared before he could tell his son John Winchester.
- Slobs vs. Snobs: Both branches of the Men of Letters look down on American hunters as disorganized, inefficient thugs.
- The War Room: The door to the bunker opens to a balcony surrounding a large circular room with maps, a wall of gauges and a conference table. The room contains a ham radio, telegraph and switchboard. There is also a collection of weapons.
The London Chapter
Better known simply as the "British Men of Letters", the London Chapter of the organization is still active in the present day, and they're implied to have jurisdiction in multiple other countries. Unlike the American branch which was initially rendered extinct by Abaddon, the London Chapter are extremely militarized, and above all are far more ruthless and immoral in their methods than the American branch was ever shown to be; actively exterminating any monsters or even human psychics that they encounter regardless of whether or not they're a threat, desiring the annihilation of any fellow monster-hunting groups that they can't gain a satisfactory degree of control over, and displaying a horrifying lack of regard for individual humans' lives and human rights that would impress the Third Reich.
- Absolute Xenophobe: They institutionally despise any remotely-supernatural being that isn't under their direct control. They seek to exterminate all monsters indiscriminately, even the ones that are living peacefully and aren't harming anyone, because they're monsters full-stop. What really cements them as this trope is that they don't even consider psychics to be human and have them terminated just for having powers.
- Big Bad Ensemble: The British sect are the main antagonistic force of Season 12, with their attempts to subjugate the American Hunters and later try to have them all killed when they prove to be too much trouble. At the same time, Lucifer is also running amok and causing evil.
- Corrupt Quartermaster: The British Men of Letters as a whole. Mick had come to realize this fact too little too late, not like wackos such as Arthur Ketch and Toni Bevell weren't proof enough.
- He Who Fights Monsters: As Season 12 goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that the British sect aren't any better than the supernatural elements they seem to hate — if anything, they're worse than most monsters, as they're basically supernature-Nazis who care more about absolute control and about exterminating all monsters good and bad than about anything resembling scruples, and they actually have the resources to achieve these aims on an international scale. Brings new light to the whole Humans Are Bastards quality of the show given the unnecessary extremes they go for control.
- Honor Before Reason: They all follow the "Code" no matter what.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: The British Men of Letters initially present as well-intentioned extremist before sliding into outright murderous villains.
- Murder Is the Best Solution: Despite their purpose of helping guard and protect humanity, they have shown repeatedly that they are not above murdering children as a test of loyalty, civilians who accidentally get in their way, hunters who won't follow orders, any human that seems to have a supernatural bent, like psychics, or any member they deem as getting too soft or breaking the code.
- A Nazi by Any Other Name: The British Men of Letters' actions have crossed into this territory. They attempt to commit nationwide genocide of all monsters regardless of whether or not they're causing harm to anyone, they have the likes of Ketch promoted as their ideal enforcers, there's emphasis on their overt use of surveillance to make their territories "safe" from monsters, their leaders such as Dr. Hess (even her name makes you think of concentration camps!) have a very stereotypical-Nazi air of self-superiority and Faux Affably Evil about them, they favor clinical, cold executions of and experiments on monsters compared to the American hunters' more guns-and-machete, kill-'em-outright ways, and it's made clear in the season's last few episodes that they value Killed to Uphold the Masquerade more than they do human lives.
- Not So Extinct: The Men of Letters were thought to be wiped out when Abaddon slaughtered most of the members in 1958 in Normal, Illinois. It is revealed that the London chapter of the Men of Letters is well and active.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: While they say they're all about protecting humanity, most of the members we meet admit to enjoying the kill and seem to have a strong lust for power.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: The arrival of the British Men of Letters highlight this. The things we are asked to hate them for: Working with Crowley, killing other hunters, killing monsters that aren't hurting anyone, lying, cheating, ruthlessness, vengefulness when friends are hurt, creating massive damage without concern for the fallout, are all things Team Free Will has done, but we like Team Free Will because they're the "good guys."
- Repressive, but Efficient: They're ruthless heavy-handed bastards, but their methods are successful enough that the UK hasn't had a monster-related death since the 1960's.
- Secret Test of Character: Dr. Hess puts two young students in a room with a pair of knives. Expects one to kill the other, to show their loyalty and devotion.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: They are determined to rid the world of all monsters, no matter who gets in their way.
- With Us or Against Us: They try to offer the American hunters to work with them. It's implied they had them killed when they refused (and insult them).
- At the end of "The British Invasion", they plan to wipe out all American hunters when they prove to be difficult to work with and convert.
American Men of Letters
Larry Ganem
Larry Ganem (George Touliatos)
- "In the box is the key to every object, scroll, spell ever collected for thousands of years under one roof. It is the supernatural mother lode."
Larry Ganem was an elder who was at the initiation of Henry Winchester and Josie Sands in 1958. He was blinded by Abaddon, who had possessed Josie to slaughter the Men of Letters. Portrayed by Byron Noble and George Touliatos. Appears in "As Time Goes By" (S08, Ep 12).
- Badass Long Robe: He wears a robe during the initiation ceremony where he is brave enough to attempt to exorcise Abaddon.
- Eye Scream: Abaddon damages his eyes and leaves him blind.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: Larry hands the key to Henry to keep it safe from Abaddon.
- Tears of Blood: During Abaddon's attack at the initiation ceremony.
Josie Sands
Josie Sands (Alaina Huffman)
- "I hate nuns because I went to Catholic school and I have a lot of pent-up anger."
Josie was to be initiated into the Men of Letters at the same time as Henry Winchester, but Abaddon, a Knight of Hell, learned about her from Father Max Thompson, a priest trying to cure demons. Abaddon was able to possess Josie and use her identity to infiltrate and destroy the Men of Letters in 1958. Portrayed by Alaina Huffman. First appears in "Clip Show" (S08, Ep22), but she was previously mentioned and her body was seen as Abaddon's meatsuit in "As Time Goes By" (S08, Ep12). Also appears in "Mother's Little Helper" (S09, Ep17).
- And I Must Scream: Abaddon used Josie's body to kill and torture Josie's friends and mentors in the Men of Letters. She is presumably still trapped in her body when Sam and Dean trap Abaddon and dismember Josie's body.
- Demonic Possession: Abaddon, a Knight of Hell, possesses her.
- Fate Worse than Death: She remains trapped in her body, which is possessed by Abaddon, even after Dean shoots her in the head. The brothers then dismember her body and later sew her head back on the torso, while she is still trapped inside.
- First Law of Resurrection: Abaddon could have easily come back in a new vessel, but Alaina Huffman has been
popular with the viewers so Josie returns as Abaddon's vessel in "Devil May Care" (S09, E02). - "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Henry tried to reach Josie and get her to fight Abaddon.
- In-Universe Camera: She makes a film in Saint Louis on March 8, 1957, of Father Thompson and Father Simon trying to cure a demon, which is placed in file 1138 in room 7b at the Men of Letters bunker. The file is listed in the records with the comment "Weird!!!"
- Killed Off for Real: Along with Abaddon, when Dean stabs them both with the First Blade.
- Kill It with Fire: Sam and Dean assumed Josie's body was destroyed when Sam burnt her with holy oil, but they Never Found the Body.
- Love Martyr: She had a unrequited love for Henry Winchester who was married and only liked her as a sister. She sacrificed herself for him.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only woman we have seen who is a member of the Men of Letters.
- Take Me Instead: She offers herself to Abaddon who was possessing Henry.
James Haggerty
James Haggerty (Gildart Jackson)
- "There's nothing worse than adventure, my boy. Trust me."
One of the first Men of Letters to enter the bunker in 1935. He has a more world-weary attitude than his companion Peter Jenkins, but after Dorothy's disappearance, he works every day to find her. When he realizes the poppies from the field in Oz can be used to stun the Wicked Witch of the West, he makes a deal with a fairy to get the poppy seeds. Portrayed by Gildart Jackson. Appears in "Slumber Party" (S09, Ep 04).
- Awesome by Analysis: He, Dorothy and Peter manage to make digging through old records look cool.
- Benevolent Precursors: He left behind his research on the poppy seeds, which aided Charlie, Dorothy and the Winchesters in 2013.
- Fantastically Indifferent: He calls the brand new bunker a "dump" and is not interested in adventures.
- Garden of Evil: He realizes that the poppy flower seeds from the field in Oz can be used to stun the Wicked Witch.
- Knight in Sour Armor: While he is much more cynical then Peter, he keeps Dorothy's case open and continues to work on it everyday trying to find a way to help her.
- Smart People Play Chess: He plays chess with Peter Jenkins to pass time in the bunker.
- Staking the Loved One: He is forced to kill his young companion, Peter Jenkins, after Peter is possessed by the Wicked Witch.
Peter Jenkins
Peter Jenkins (Andrew Jenkins)
- "This...this dump is the last true beacon of light in a world gone topsy-turvy. This dump is the epicenter of-of the ultimate chess match between good and evil."
Peter Jenkins is one of the first Men of Letters to enter the bunker alongside James Haggerty in 1935. Portrayed by Andrew Jenkins. Appears in "Slumber Party" (S09, Ep 04).
- Character Death: James Haggerty killed him while he was possessed.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: When the Wicked Witch possesses him.
- Jumped at the Call: Excited about the adventure he believes he will have working at the bunker.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: He wants to play a role in fighting evil without yet understanding what that may mean.
- Voice of the Legion: When possessed by the Wicked Witch.
L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
- "They now came upon more and more of the big scarlet poppies, and fewer and fewer of the other flowers; and soon they found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies. Now it is well-known that when there are many of these flowers together their odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. But Dorothy did not know this, nor could she get away from the bright red flowers that were everywhere about; so presently her eyes grew heavy, and she felt she must sit down to rest and to sleep."
L. Frank Baum traveled to Oz as part of his duties as a Man of Letters, but his daughter, Dorothy, stowed away on the trip. After his daughter was trapped in the Emerald City, he wrote the Land of Oz books with clues to help Dorothy fight the many evils of Oz. First mentioned in "Slumber Party" (S09, Ep 04).
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Or in this instance, L. Frank Baum was a Man of Letters with a daughter named Dorothy. In Real Life, L. Frank Baum had 4 sons, but no daughters. Dorothy Gale was the name of his niece who died in infancy.
- A True Story in My Universe: While his daughter's adventures were Darker and Edgier than those in the Land of Oz books, these books are still roughly based on her actual adventure instead of a work of fantasy.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: His daughter felt he was more invested in his work as a Man of Letters than in his role as her father.
Cuthbert Sinclair
Cuthbert Sinclair (Kavan Smith)
Cuthbert Sinclair is a magic user who was initiated into the Men of Letters and was responsible for warding it. He was ejected for a variety of offenses (including building a security curse that drove all effected to commit suicide, that was so effective it caused two other members to die trying to stop it) in 1956, meaning that he survived their destruction in 1958. He surreptitiously buys the First Blade from a St. Louis museum. Portrayed by Kavan Smith. Appears in "Blade Runners" (S09, Ep 16).
- Asshole Victim: Killed by Dean with the First Blade at the end of his debut episode.
- Collector of the Strange: Besides relics like the First Blade, he also has a "zoo" of supernatural creatures like vampires and shapeshifters, which he also uses for security.
- Evil Sorcerer: Perhaps the straightest use of this trope this show has ever done. Called a "Master of Spells" although possessing no innate power, his knowledge was great he effectively claimed to have "a spell for every situation".
- Faux Affably Evil: Sinclair is superficially charming and amiable, but really cares about nothing except what he can acquire.
- Killed Off for Real: Dean cuts his head off with the First Blade in "Blade Runners".
- Magnus Means Mage: He uses the alias "Magnus" with good reason. When Sam and Dean manage to locate him, he is very adept at using spells and has a huge trove of the occult and the supernatural.
- Off with His Head!: How Dean kills him.
- Older Than They Look: He's somewhere in his eighties or nineties, kept artificially youthful by magic.
- Token Evil Teammate: For the Men of Letters. His methods were deemed too extreme and he was kicked out as a result.
- Wicked Cultured: His surroundings and demeanour conjurer this effect. Really the guy has good taste.
Clive Dylan
Clive Dylan (Duncan Fraser)
Clive Dillon was the first Man of Letters to venture to Oz. While there he was captured by a group of witches who performed a ritual that split him into good and evil selves. The evil self remained in Oz and became the Wizard. Fellow Man of Letters L. Frank Baum rescued the good self. Many years later Sam and Charlie track him down while trying to reverse the same spell on Charlie that was cast on him. Portrayed by Duncan Fraser. Appears in "There's No Place Like Home" (S10, Ep 11).
- Bad Liar: His stammering attempts to deny that he's Clive Dillon and that Oz is real crumble after a few seconds in front of Sam and Charlie.
- Enemy Without: The Wizard is this to him.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Averted since he and the Wizard have exactly the same scars, as a result of the spell binding the physical condition of the two sides even as they separate.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He shoots himself in the chest because the Wizard will be drawn to him if he's mortally injured. He later allows Charlie to shoot him in the head so that both he and the Wizard will die.
- Killed Off for Real: Charlie shoots him in the head in his debut episode.
Father Max Thompson
Father Max Thompson (Warren Kimmel)
A Catholic priest combatting demons, who was associated with the men of Letters and once worked with Josie Sands.
- Badass Preacher: Managed to perfect a process to purify the souls of demons and posses an air of strong authority during his scenes.
Father Simon
Father Simon (Al Miro and Donnelly Rhodes)
Thompson's assistant.
- Cowardly Sidekick: He's more unnerved than Thompson by their experiments.
- Retired Badass: When Sam and Dean interview him about what happened, decades after his work trying to purify demons, although he was more of just a badass by association.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He stopped helping with Thompson's experiments after a possessed human died during one.
British Men of Letters
Doctor Hess
Doctor Hess (Gillian Barber)
The headmistress of the British Men of Letters.
- Asshole Victim: In "Who We Are."
- Big Bad Ensemble: As the leader of the British Men of Letters, Hess is one of the main villains of Season 12 and is the one that orders the hit on all American Hunters. At the same time, Lucifer is also causing problems and plans of harnessing the power of his son Jack.
- Boom, Headshot!: How she's dealt with by Jody.
- Deadly Graduation: Orchestrates this as part of the Kendricks Academy training, namely forcing children to kill their best friends in order to survive. She apparently quite likes pitting people against each other, as she manipulates Toni and Ketch to try to murder each other for a promotion.
- Deal with the Devil: Fans questioned how Bela was able to make a crossroads deal to kill her parents if the UK was as well-guarded and safe as Toni claimed. "There's Something About Mary" reveals that Dr. Hess made a deal with Crowley in the past that demons are not allowed to kill while within the UK, besides as part of crossroads deals with those stupid enough to make them - and thus in Dr. Hess' eyes, worthy of death. She is willing to strike a similar deal with Crowley in the US, though when he is away from her, he is shown to dislike her and plan to kill her.
- Evil Brit: Of course. She's higher-ranking than other British Men of Letters we've seen so far, and arguably the worst of the lot, since she is responsible for making them as fanatical and unfeeling as they are.
- Evil Mentor: Effectively this to entire younger generations of Men and Women of Letters. She is responsible for training recruits and instills in them Fantastic Racism, Lack of Empathy, and Undying Loyalty to the order to make them better members, even holding a Deadly Graduation for young children in which one must kill their best friend and advance to higher levels of training or both will be killed. She is furious when Mick starts a Heel–Face Turn, and she has Ketch kill him for it.
- Evil Old Folks: Her exact age is unstated but she is visibly older than most of the current cast. Her actress was born in 1958, which would make her 59 years old at the time she is playing Dr. Hess. Funnily enough, as Mary was canonically born in 1954, if Dr. Hess is as old as her actress then she is actually chronologically younger than Mary.
- Evil Is Petty: Orders the eradication of all the American hunters because they won't work for the British Men of Letters as the British hunters do, despite the very real, very big, very immediate threat of Lucifer's child about to be born that they are supposed to be focusing on. It's possible that her decision was fueled in part by the death of her personal underling Renny, who was accidentally killed by Eileen Leahy, an American hunter.
- Evil Teacher: As Headmistress of Kendricks Academy, where they groom young children to become heartless Men of Letters and sacrifice at least half their young students in the Deadly Graduation.
- Hate Sink: Although Doctor Hess claims to be doing important work, fighting against monsters to let many people "sleep safetly in their beds at night", she proves to be worse than almost any monster in the series. She has had hundreds, if not thousands, of monsters killed, good and bad, not for what's best for the world, but for her discrimination against all monsters, and for the British Men of Letters' desire for absolute control. She is also not above killing children, having Mick Davies kill his best friend when he was a student to test his loyalty. After seeing the American hunters, particularly the Winchesters, prove a constant annoyance, Hess not only has Mick executed for siding with Sam and Dean, but also attempts to exterminate all American Hunters, their families, and any witnesses. Overall, she is the dark reflection of the shows's main heroic faction, and brings the series a whole new meaning of "humans are bastards."
- Iron Lady: A high-ranking Woman of Letters, she is a hard, ruthless woman who does not tolerate perceived disobedience or weakness.
- Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: She gives out such an order in the twelfth season's penultimate season, but fortunately her whole operation is eradicated before it can be carried out.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: She has the title of "Doctor" and worked primarily in a school, but it is unclear what her doctorate is actually in.
- Tranquil Fury: When Mick calls her out for what she forced him to do.
- Villainous Breakdown: When Sam shoots at the computer her mysterious superior was speaking through, refusing to team up to stop Lucifer, she screams out her hatred of all American hunters. And then gets shot in the head by Jody.Doctor Hess: You... bastard.
Toni Bevell
Lady Antonia "Toni" Bevell (Elizabeth Blackmore)
Member of the Men of Letters' London chapter.
- Action Mom: She is both the mother of a young son and a Woman of Letters who fights malevolent supernatural forces through any means necessary.
- Amicable Exes: Very much averted with her and Ketch. Although they're on the same side, they're all too willing to kill each other.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Her full name and title is Lady Antonia Bevell. "Alpha and Omega" shows her living in a very nice house with a maid tending to her and her son. Thus far, Toni is the only Woman or Man of Letters with an aristocratic title like that.
- The Brute: Has one in the form of Ms. Watts, whom she dispatches to torture and kill her targets. Ms. Watts is killed by Mary in "Keep Calm and Carry On".
- The Bus Came Back: Is largely absent from Season 12 after the second episode of the season, then makes a surprise return in the ending scene of "Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes".
- Cowboy Cop: As revealed by Mick, in "Alpha and Omega" she was just sent to make contact with the Winchesters as an agent of the British Men of Letters. Considering fans' confusion as to why the Men of Letters were randomly attacking the Winchesters now while the world was ending and Sam and Dean were trying to save it without the Brits' help, Fridge Brilliance kicks in: Toni may actually have been sent to make contact, help, and study them up-close. Instead, she immediately gets things off on the wrong foot by banishing their angel ally Castiel away and shooting, kidnapping, and torturing Sam, believing that he is a threat to the world. She may have been hoping that he'd give her some piece of information she could report to the Men of Letters as justification for killing him instead of working with him. Ketch calls her a "neurotic, overreaching, time bomb".
- Dark Action Girl: As a Woman of Letters, she has been extensively trained since childhood in various fields, including hand-to-hand, weapons, and magic. She does rather well on her own against Dean and Mary in "Mamma Mia".
- Double Standard: Rape, Sci-Fi: Downplayed Trope in "Mamma Mia". After torturing Sam for information fails, she casts a spell that causes him to hallucinate them having sex and her questioning him in the afterglow. After the spells ends, he looks horrified and she snidely asks, "Was it good for you?" It is not brought up again. Note that Sam has been subject to rape, sexual assault, and even Sci-Fi Sexual Assault in previous episodes. While in the following episodes there is no fallout of any of the torture Sam underwent, some fans were enraged by yet another rape scene injected into the show without addressing the trauma that'd result, and it may not have even been intended to be seen as rape - the writers of the episode are somewhat infamous in the fandom for Gratuitous Rape in many of their episodes, often without even seeming to recognize it as rape.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Her son, whom she gives a forehead kiss because she doesn't want to say goodbye in a Call-Back to Henry saying good night to John in "As Time Goes By", before departing on her mission against the Winchesters in "Alpha and Omega". She's on the phone with her son in "Keep Calm and Carry On" after he has discovered she's gone, and tenderly reassures him that she'll be home soon and that she loves him.
- Evil Brit: Is the first member of the British member of the Men of Letters introduced and thoroughly establishes them as an antagonistic group to the Winchesters. Accordingly, even though her actress is Australian, she is played with an English accent.
- Foil: Introduced in "Alpha and Omega" just as Mary is resurrected, with Mary reunited with Dean as Toni meets and attacks Sam. They are both blondes, both raised into their family's lifestyle (hunting for Mary, Men of Letters for Toni), both have children they love deeply, both are affiliated with the Men of Letters, and both have affairs with Ketch that end poorly.
- Hate Sink: Almost universally hated by the fandom.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: After Ketch left her to die with the Winchester's, Toni cuts ties with the Men of Letters and states that she has no wish to support them any more after this incident. She stops being a villain in this moment and works with the Winchester's to restore Mary to her normal self, all so that she can see her son again. She even keeps her word instead of abandoning Dean when she had the chance, hinting that she has been honest about leaving the Men of Letters. However, before she can actually complete this change of heart, Ketch arrives at the bunker and slits her throat.
- Honey Trap: When her torture doesn't make Sam talk, she casts a spell in which he believes they are having a romantic night together, complete with candles and sex, with her questioning him and him answering her as pillow-talk. Sam realizes it's not real and snaps out of it, with Toni disappointed that they'll have to revert to "less-pleasant methods" to continue the interrogation.
- Ice Queen: She is haughty and disdains the main heroes.
- Karma Houdini: After her shooting and torturing Sam, she is taken back to London by Mick, saving her from the same fate her assistant Ms. Watts suffered at the Winchesters' hands. Mick's promise that she will be punished by their superiors doesn't really cut it, given that it will be entirely off-screen. With her being brought back towards the end of Season 12, it appears that even this punishment didn't happen as it was not referenced, she remains an agent in good standing with the Men of Letters, and the Men of Letters are more corrupt than Mick initially recognized; however, her reappearance also means the scene's been set quite nicely for her to finally get her just desserts, courtesy of the Winchesters. In "There's Something About Mary", she gets captured by the Winchesters and ends up betrayed and left to die by Ketch.
- Killed Offscreen: When Dean is awoken from his mind link with Mary, he finds Toni with her throat slit, thanks to Ketch.
- Know-Nothing Know-It-All: She is noted to be a skilled magic-user, torturer, and combatant, but she fails to crack Sam and gets outsmarted and taken down by Dean in "Mamma Mia". She also shows an unsettling amount of knowledge about the Winchesters and says she has been studying them awhile, but as sharp-eyed fans pointed out on Tumblr her corkboard of information from "Alpha and Omega" has a lot of false information that might have fed into her wrong impressions about the Winchesters.
- The Masochism Tango: In the past, she had a physical relationship with Ketch, whom she describes as a "psychopath." In the present-day, she thinks she should've killed him instead of having all that sex. She probably should've, as he pointedly leaves her to die in "There's Something About Mary" to win the position they're both trying for.
- Mind Manipulation: Able to do so through spell-casting. She turns it against Sam in their torture sessions through hallucinations of his loved ones' deaths and then of him having sex with her, and uses a Chinese Mind Control technique to suffocate Mary and use her as a hostage against Dean. She is sent back to America to fully brainwash Mary through Cold-Blooded Torture into helping them kill American hunters.
- Rich Bitch: Lady Antonia Bevell is incredibly snotty and superior, though her wealth is not emphasized so much after her first episode with visuals of her house and its servants.
- Skewed Priorities: The sun is dying and reality as we know it is about to be destroyed. So what does she do? Take a plane from England to America so that she can arrest the Winchesters.
- Poisonous Captive: Spends her time as a captive of the Winchester brothers Trolling them, taunting them about the deaths of their allies, and lying that their mother has willingly joined the Men of Letters against them.
- Smug Snake: Oh God. So much so that she almost comes off as Bela's Evil Counterpart, despite Bela being a selfish con-woman and Toni being a Woman of Letters.
- Troll: She certainly enjoys getting under people's skin.
- Walking Spoiler: Her presence prove that the Men of Letters are still active in the present.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: She has ultimately good intentions, and is perfectly fine using Mind Rape and Cold-Blooded Torture to achieve them.
- What the Hell, Hero?: She criticizes Sam of playing with things bigger than he can handle.
- Who's Your Daddy?: The identity of her son's father has yet to be revealed, though it may well be Ketch, whom she had dated and had sex with in the past and with whom she had a huge falling out, to the point she doesn't want him around and insists he's a psychopath.
- Working with the Ex: She refuses to call in Ketch for help in "Keep Calm and Carry On", and it is later revealed by Ketch that they'd dated. While they work together in "There's Something About Mary", Dr. Hess purposefully pits them against each other for the position of The Leader of their operation in America and they threaten to kill each other while smiling pleasantly. Ketch refuses to rescue Toni after she's been captured by the Winchesters, and seals her in to slowly die in the Bunker.
Arthur Ketch
Arthur Ketch (David Haydn-Jones)
A very proficient torturer and expert hunter with a bloodlust.
- Affably Evil: Fluctuates between this and Faux Affably Evil depending on whether he's interacting with a hunter or a monster but he's always unfailingly polite to the Winchesters and their allies.
- Amicable Exes: Very much averted with him and Toni. Although they're on the same side, they're all too willing to kill each other.
- The Atoner: Feels this way in Season 13, which Asmodeus mocks him for.
- Ax-Crazy: He is explicitly called a psychopath by at least two different characters, and it seems to fit his unscrupulous murder, torture, and betrayal of monsters, innocent people, and allies without distinction. In an interview with Inquisitr, his actor agrees with the assessment and hypothesizes that as a child, Ketch might've had "a borderline personality disorder that was exploited, conditioned and trained to be the sociopath killer, we see him today."
- Back from the Dead: Despite getting his brains blown out courtesy of Mary Ketch was able to bring himself back from the dead thanks to a rune he got sewed into his skin courtesy of Rowena and thus he is alive and kicking in season 13.
- Badass Biker: The first Supernatural character to ride a motorcycle, and he's definitely no slouch in the badass department. More prominent in early Season 12, when he is following the Winchesters.
- Blood Knight: Openly admits to enjoying fighting and killing, and needs something to focus on killing or else "things get a bit ugly".
- Ends up costing him dearly. He chose to give Dean a fighting chance over killing him while he was in a comatose-like state. While he doesn't get overwhelmed, this gives Mary the opportunity to shoot him from behind and finish him off.
- The Dragon: For the British Men of Letters in Season 12, as we works as their personal Psycho for Hire and is the most persistent enemy that the Winchesters face in the season.
- The Dreaded: Toni's reaction to the news of his arrival sets him up as such.
- Enemy Mine: The boys reluctantly join forces with Ketch in season 13 after he offers to serve as The Mole in Asmodeus' organisation. They aren't happy about it but with Lucifer back and the Apocalypse World Michael threatening to arrive at any moment they realise they don't have much of a choice.
- Evil Brit: Par the course for the British Men of Letters, David Hadyn-Jones plays him with a posh English accent.
- Expy: He is James Bond's Evil Counterpart in a supernatural setting.
- Faking the Dead: After coming back to life, thanks to a magic rune courtesy of Rowena, Ketch is now in hiding from the Men of Letters (who will kill him for failure) and the Winchesters under the alias Alexander.
- Foil:
- In "The Raid", Ketch compares his and Dean's Blood Knight nature to try to persuade him to join the Men of Letters. Ultimately, Ketch's beating a vampire gets a little too rich for Dean's blood and he stops Ketch to make her give up the information another way. Ironic in that Dean has been trained as a torturer by the best and uses torture in interrogations on a regular basis, so either Dean didn't like it because he dislikes Ketch or because he found his technique simply too inefficient.
- John's, despite the latter no longer being alive. Just as Ketch was inducted into the British Men of Letters, John would have been inducted into the American Men of Letters if his father hadn't disappeared and the American branch been destroyed. Both take a more dirty, hands-on approach than the Men of Letters, and are touted as badasses In-Universe. Both also fall in love with Mary, though different aspects of her personality: John knew nothing of her hunter background and loved the normal civilian she tried to be, whereas Ketch dismisses her desire to be normal and loves the natural-born killer he sees in her.
- Ketch's relationship with Mary is also reminiscent of Ruby's relationship with Sam. Mary reluctantly joins forces with Ketch to do shady things in hopes for getting rid of a greater evil and make the world a safer place. Ketch keeps secrets from her about what they're doing and manipulates her to make her play for the team. However, Ketch is a human and Man of Letters working openly for his organization without real belief in their mission, while Ruby was a demon Fake Defector working from the shadows for her boss and deeply believed in her mission.
- Has a Type: And apparently it's blonde moms who don't like him.
- Heel–Face Turn: Seemingly undergoes this in "The Thing", with Asmodeus confirming he feels remorseful for what he's done and mocking him for it. He acts upon this remorse by rescuing a badly-tortured and grace-deprived Gabriel, as well as stealing the Archangel Blade and archangel grace, delivering them to the Bunker, and allowing the Winchesters to open a rift to the other world. "Bring Em Back Alive" has him completing his turn, and is now on the side of good.
- Heel Realisation: "Alexander" claims that, if Arthur was still alive, he would feel terrible for the awful things he did to the Winchesters and Mary and would seek to make amends. Weather or not Ketch is telling the truth remains to be seen. Asmodeus seemingly confirms this in "The Thing", mocking Ketch for desiring redemption.
- In Love with Your Carnage: Seemingly the basis of his attraction to Mary. He waxes lyrical about her hunting skills and regards her best, true self as a ruthless, efficient killer, like him.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: His psycho-sadism finally caught up with him as an injured Dean hands him his ass while Mary seals the deal.
- Last-Name Basis: He is rarely referred to by his first name, Arthur. Most characters call him "Ketch" or "Mr. Ketch."
- Morality Pet: Although he dismisses Mary's attempt at being The Conscience to the Men of Letters, he does try to treat her more gently than any other character he interacts with. Subverted, as while he may feel fondness for her, he believes that he knows best for her and is willing to use her to reach the Men of Letters' goals, no matter what she feels about it.
- Not So Stoic: Mary is thus far the only one to bring any emotion other than smugness out in him.
- Number Two: Serves a similar role to Mick in America for the majority of Season 12. After he kills Mick, he takes on this role to Dr. Hess. She offers to promote him to command in their American operation, which he hesitates to take because he isn't trained for that position, but ends up killing Toni to try to get it.
- Odd Friendship: With Alternate!Charlie Bradbury, post Heel–Face Turn.
- Psycho for Hire: Despite parroting their lines, he does not actually share the Men of Letters' views, only working for them so they can point him a direction to kill things.
- Stalker without a Crush: In the first part of Season 12, Ketch is assigned to follow the Winchester brothers in secret to gather information and clean up any "messes" they leave behind. It is seemingly dropped after he meets them face-to-face. In "The Memory Remains" however, he has the Bunker bugged to spy on their conversations. Sam and Dean don't discover this until "There's Something About Mary".
- Villainous Crush: He develops one on Mary after a one night stand. In his first show of emotion, he is genuinely upset to realize she doesn't feel anything for him.
- Villainous Friendship: Subverted with him and Mick, as while they've known each other since Kendricks Academy, their relationship seems almost entirely a working one. When Mary asks, Ketch describes them as "more survivors than friends." Ketch later kills Mick at Dr. Hess' order.
- Wild Card: Ketch becomes this in Season 13 after it is revealed that he is alive. After telling the Winchesters that he is on their side he is next scene working for Asmodeus. But then, in the next episode we see him, he tells the boys that he wants to serve as The Mole in Asmodeus' organization to take him, Lucifer and Apocalypse World!Michael down. How honest his intentions really are is debated about even In-Universe by the boys, though "The Thing" confirms that his intentions really are genuine, when he gets mocked by Asmodeus for wanting redemption.
- Working with the Ex: Belongs to the same organization as his ex-lover Toni, who sees him as a psychopath and refuses a suggestion to work with him again in "Keep Calm and Carry On". While they do work together in "There's Something About Mary", Dr. Hess purposefully pits them against each other for the position of The Leader of their operation in America and they threaten to kill each other while smiling pleasantly. Ketch refuses to rescue Toni after she's been captured by the Winchesters, and seals her in to slowly die in the Bunker.
- Would Hurt a Child: Murders Magda, a teenager with telekinetic powers, after Sam and Dean saved her and sent her to live with her aunt.
Mick Davies
Michael "Mick" Davies (Adam Fergus, Spencer Drever)
A Man of Letters who claims to want collaboration with the American Men of Letters.
- The Alcoholic: Dean notes in "The British Invasion" that when Mick starts drinking, he outdrinks both Sam and Dean, definitely no lightweights themselves.
- Boom, Headshot!: Has his back to Mr. Ketch during his speech to Dr. Hess, which earns him a bullet to the back of the head.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Grew up as a Street Urchin and was later forced to kill his friend while he was still in school.
- Dead Person Impersonation: After killing Mick, the Men of Letters use his email address and phone to send messages to the Winchesters, pretending to be Mick sending them the messages because they know he was the only one they trusted. Mary finds out he's dead in "Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes" and Toni informs Sam and Dean in "There's Something About Mary".
- Death by Irony: He killed his schoolmate and best friend Timothy as a child at Dr. Hess' order to survive and adhere to the Code. He is killed by his former schoolmate and Dragon Ketch as an adult at Dr. Hess' order after rejecting the Code.
- Disappointed in You: To Dr. Hess, following his change of heart.
- Drowning My Sorrows: When remembering his past with the Men of Letters, Mick stares off in the distance before requesting vodka.
- Heel–Face Turn: In "Ladies Drink Free", Mick kills a werewolf who hadn't hurt anyone yet but after Claire is turned, she, Sam, and Dean convince him that all monsters don't need to be killed, and he is able to cure her. In "The British Invasion", he is shocked to hear that Kelly is pregnant with Lucifer's child and thinks she needs to be killed due to how powerful the child would be. Mick's face turn is completed in the same episode when he lets Eileen escape after accidentally killing Man of Letters Renny - while the Code Mick has adhered to most of his life demands she be killed, his regret over killing Timothy and Sam's appeals to his better nature convince him to let her go.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: Unfortunately, unlike Castiel - who learned from the Winchesters and became a main character trying to enlighten his fellow angels - after Mick undergoes his Heel–Face Turn, sparing Eileen, becoming a stronger ally to the Winchesters, and trying to break through to other Men of Letters, he is murdered by the other Men of Letters before he can do much else to actually help. Even sparing Eileen's life turned out to be a useless gesture, as she was brutally killed by Mr. Ketch anyway in "There's Something About Mary".
- Odd Friendship: Despite being part of the same organization as Toni, who tortured Sam, and having different morals and experiences than Sam, Mick strikes up something of a friendship with him in "Ladies Drink Free" over some interests they have in common.
- Parental Abandonment: Never knew his mom or dad and grew up an orphan Street Urchin.
- Past Experience Nightmare: In "The British Invasion", his murder of his best friend Timothy as children when Dr. Hess ordered them to kill one another is shown to haunt him as nightmares of the incident. It's unclear if this is a recent development from the Winchesters' growing influence on him or if he has had these nightmares since he killed Timothy.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Of the Men of Letters. While he allows many of their more villainous actions to go forward and directly does some villainous actions himself, he is willing to reach out to the American hunters, listen to them, and work with them. This trait directly results in his Heel–Face Turn.
- Redemption Equals Death: After seeing how wrong the Code is, he stands up to Dr. Hess and gives an impassioned speech to defend Sam and Dean, hoping to open her eyes as well and possibly change the course of the Men of Letters' operations in America. Instead, she has him killed.
- Street Urchin: Before the Men of Letters took him in, as a child Mick was homeless and lived on the streets, surviving by stealing. He happened to pickpocket a Man of Letters and got a cursed coin. Mick survived and the Men of Letters decided he showed promise and sent him to Kendricks Academy. His conversation with Timothy shows he had at Kendricks even during the holidays.
- Token Good Teammate: The sole decent British Man of Letters with the possible exception of Alton and Serena (both minor characters). He tends to be the first one they try to contact when they need to contact the Men of Letters, and is the only one any of them really trust. After the Men of Letters execute Mick, they exploit his reputation as this trope with the Winchesters to impersonate him and continue manipulating them.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Forced to stab his own friend to death as a boy, emerging covered in blood and telling Dr. Hess Timothy put up a good fight.
- Villainous Friendship: Subverted with him and Ketch, as while they've known each other since Kendricks Academy, their relationship seems almost entirely a working one. When Mary asks, Ketch describes them as "more survivors than friends." Ketch later kills Mick at Dr. Hess' order.
- Would Hurt a Child: Snuck into a hospital specifically to murder a teenage werewolf bite victim. Also wanted to murder Claire after she is bitten but the Winchesters intervened.
Serena and Alton
Serena Colman and Alton Morehead (Sunita Prasad and Kett Turton)
Two Men of Letters who coordinate Operation V, an effort to wipe out vampires in America- Afraid of Blood: When Mary decapitates a vampire in front of them, Alton jumps back a little and Serena gulps.
- Badass Bookworm: Downplayed. The well-educated Serena is willing to charge at the Alpha Vampire with just a knife, but it's more of an act of desperation, and he easily stops her.
- Big Brother Is Watching: Serena is a surveillance expert who has tracked every vampire in the mid-west.
- Brainy Brunette: Both are dark-haired and represent the more researcher/tactician type of Men of Letters.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Serena has three P.H.D.'s and has helped mastermind wiping out over a hundred vampires in a matter of months, but Ketch treats her like a glorified secretary.
- Entertainingly Wrong: For all of their skills, they believed that the Alpha Vampire has been in Africa for a decade, something that the Winchesters and the viewers know is incorrect.
- Failed a Spot Check: In a deleted scene, as they go over a plan of attack on the last vampire safehouse (which involves sending in a commando team through a corridor) Sam reveals that the corridor is too narrow, and it turns out that Serena mistook feet for meters on building plans, causing a mixture of consternation at the mistake, and relief that they caught it in time before moving to the next step of the plan.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Alton is in charge of weapons development, helping make bullets for The Colt and being the inventor of a magical gas bomb (powered by dead man's blood) that's used against the vampires.
- Mission Control: Based on what is shown, they help prepare for missions, and coordinate them but stay behind in the bunker themselves.
- Nice Guy: Sam is relatively impressed by their demeanor and skills after their first meeting.
- Non-Action Guy: Neither of them has ever killed a monster (or anything, for that matter) before, although Serena makes a brief, failed, effort when the Alpha Vampire attacks.
- Oh, Crap!: They do not take the discovery that the vampires are being led by the Alpha Vampire well.
- Those Two Guys: A rare male-female example. They aren't always on screen together but usually are, and during conversations one often picks up where the other leaves off.
- Token Good Teammate: Not to Mick's extent, but it's there. They clearly take some pride in their work, and are ruthless in their pursuit of the vampires, but seem to want to work with the American Hunters, care about the lives of their guards, and focus their efforts on destroying dangerous monsters rather than aiding Ketch and Hess in their power plays or killing for the sake of killing.
- Token Minority: Serena is this to the organization (aside from a black bunker guard), appearing to be Indian in descent.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: They only last one episode.
- You, Get Me Coffee: Serena gets told to do cleaning work by Ketch, although Mick treats her with more respect.
-
You Look Familiar: Alton's actor also played Max Jaffey, a witness to demonic possession, back in season one.
Ms. Watt
Ms. Watt (Bronagh Waugh)
Toni's assistant in her first appearance.- Dark Action Girl: She takes on Dean in a fight and is coming out ahead before Mary intervenes.
- The Dragon: Toni's right-hand woman and ruthless enforcer.
- Evil Brit: She is fairly ruthless in her duties.
- Evil Wears Black: She wears dark clothing and is a Torture Technician.
- Forgotten Fallen Friend: An aide and seeming confidant to Toni who is killed, has her body seen in the next episode then is never referenced again, which is especially egregious considering how poorly The British Men of Letters react to the accidental death of another of their members at the hands of a Hunter in a later episode.
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: She arguably comes across as tougher and maybe a bit more practical than her boss.
- In the Back Mary stabs her in the back.
- Torture Technician: She helps Toni torture Dean, although she claims Ketch is better than her at it.
- Villain Respect: She is impressed by Sam's ability to withstand torture.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: She doesn't last long enough to give a definite character impression.
Paige
Paige (Chelsea Gill)
A Men of Letters technician who assists Dr. Hess- Bearer of Bad News: She's the one to tell Hess their bunker is being attacked.
- Mook Lieutenant: She's a prominent [BMOL=] flunky, albeit a fairly desk-bound one.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Compared to some of Hess's goons, she doesn't get shown doing anything too despicable.
- Sinister Surveillance: She monitors the bugs planted in the Winchester's home.
Renny Rawlings
Renny Rawlings (Darren Adams)
A protege of Dr. Hess.- Alliterative Name: His first and last names both begin with R.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He's quick to brag about his academic accomplishments and connections, but comes across as arguably the worst field agent the British Men of Letters are shown to have.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death in his sole episode really escalates the feud between the Men of Letters and the Hunters.
- Trespassing to Talk: He makes his presence known to Mick by breaking into his home.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He dies fairly quickly in his first episode.
- Yes-Man: He's referred to as Hess's lap dog.
