The Urban Fantasy track’s annual Supernatural Showdown tradition continued this year on Thursday at 8:30PM in Westin Chastain 1-2 with “Supernatural Showdown: Formidable Foes Edition.” Carol Malcolm moderated a panel that included guest speakers Hanako M. Ricks, Michael Collins, Beth Dolgner, and Gail Z. Martin.
Each of the panelists had 5 minutes to make an argument for why their chosen Supernatural foe that the Winchesters had to face were the most formidable. They covered Angels, British Men of Letters, Chuck, Leviathans, and Lucifer. The audience was encouraged to share their thoughts on these villains, and at the end of the panel they voted for which panelist made the most compelling argument. One of the most interesting parts was the counterpoints that were made as to why these characters or groups were not the best villains of the series.
First, Hanako M. Ricks argued that the angels were formidable not only for their power, but because they were left to their own devices by their absent father, God, and had to figure out how to interpret and carry out their purpose to protect mankind. They were expected to be benevolent figures, but in Supernatural they turned this trope on its head and made most of the angels trick, look down on, manipulate, or desire the destruction of humans. God declared humans to be his favorite creations, and the angels did not take too kindly to being replaced and abandoned for humanity. She made the point that the angels are highly unpredictable and their allegiances are uncertain. They are children with cosmic power and no guidance, and this makes them very dangerous. Even when they have good intentions, their lack of understanding of the human world causes chaos for Sam and Dean.
Michael Collins covered the British Men of Letters, the Supernatural equivalent of MI6. They were dangerous because of their knowledge of the supernatural world, and the resources at their disposal. They had a combination of advanced technology, alchemy, and magical knowledge, along with the training and skills to make them formidable Hunters. What made them the most dangerous, however, was their absolute conviction and belief in their mission to eliminate all monsters. Unlike the Winchesters, they did not make moral distinctions or operate with shades of gray when it came to the supernatural denizens of the world. If you are not human, you need to be eliminated. No questions asked. This put them at odds many times with Sam and Dean. However, an argument was also made that they gave them their bunker that became their home for the final few seasons, they gave them resources, and their goals did align many times as well. Without their help, far deadlier threats would have caused unimaginable damage to the world.
Beth Dolgner made her argument for Chuck, or God, as the most formidable foe they had to face. He is omnipotent and created the whole universe and almost everything in it. It was only through alliances with some of the other most powerful beings in Supernatural that they were able to stop him when he was going to wipe out everything that he had created simply because he was bored with them and wanted to start over. My favorite point that she made was that what really makes him so dangerous is the scope and impact of his family drama. He locked his sister Amara/The Darkness away for being his equal, put his son Lucifer in a cage for rebelling against him, abandons his creations for being disappointments, and tries to kill his grandson, Jack, for threatening to take his power from him. Chuck is a narcissist and anyone who gets in his way is expendable. Sam and Dean unfortunately are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and end up getting caught up in this drama that they had no business being a part of.
Carol Malcolm had to fill in for a panelist that couldn’t make it and argued for the Leviathans. They were the first monsters in creation, abominations who were made only to consume everything in their path. However, they were also intelligent and organized, and able to plan long-term strategies for achieving their endgame of feeding on humans and leaving only Leviathans to inherit the Earth. They also had the ability to take on the forms and memories of the humans they consumed once they were released from their prison in Purgatory. They were able to integrate into society and were the villains that got closest to fulfilling their goals. Even angels and the archangels were terrified of them.
Finally, Gail Z. Martin argued that Lucifer was the Winchesters’ greatest foe during the show. He was meant to be the final villain during Season 5, before the decision was made to expand the show beyond its original scope. He was powerful, manipulative, and, perhaps most dangerous of all, his viewpoint was alluring. Viewers could sympathize with his history and his more relatable traits but then made devastating choices with drastic consequences for the brothers. He did more psychological damage to Sam in particular than any other foe they faced. Counterpoints were made though that he was essentially a child throwing a temper tantrum, and that the Winchesters were able to use his vulnerabilities to defeat or manipulate him into even becoming their ally on a few drastic occasions.
The audience was highly engaged and participated with thoughtful comments and questions throughout the panel. When it was time to vote on who made the best defense, the most hands were raised for Beth Dolgner and her argument for Chuck/God as the most formidable foe. I personally voted for Hanako and her defense of the angels.
If you are a Supernatural fan, then I would highly recommend attending one of these panels that happen every year. They get the audience involved more than any other panels I’ve attended, and the discussions always leave you longing to rewatch even the worst seasons of the show again.
