Crowley

 "I only have one rule: Make a deal, keep it. The reason we don't call our chits in early--consumer confidence. This isn't Wall Street; this is Hell! We have a little something called 'integrity!'"

- Crowley, about Faustian Deals


 * What's the line? 'Saving people, hunting things. The family business.' Well I think, the people you save, they're how you justify your pathetic little lives. The alcoholism, the collateral damage, the pain you've caused...The one thing that allows you to sleep at night- the one thing is knowing these folks are out there. Still out there. Happy and healthy because of you. You great, big bloody heroes! They're your lives work and I'm going to rip it apart. Piece by piece. Because I can. Because you can't stop me. Because when they're all gone, what will you have left?"
 * —-Crowley threatening Sam and Dean.

Crowley is an antagonist appearing on the TV series Supernatural. He is the most recurring villain of the series.

He is played by Mark Sheppard.

Season 5
Crowley is first mentioned in the Season 5 episode "The Real Ghostbusters" as being the demon to whom Lilith handed the Colt over after obtaining the weapon from Bela Talbot, in addition to possibly being Lilith's lover.

Crowley first appears in the subsequent episode "Abandon All Hope...," where Dean and Sam Winchester infiltrate his mansion on a mission to retrieve the Colt. They corner Crowley, but are captured by two of Crowley's henchmen. Crowley then draws the Colt and proceeds to shoot the henchmen dead, then leads the brothers into his office. He offers to give the Colt to the Winchesters so they can kill Lucifer, stating that Lucifer will eradicate all demons after he wipes out humans. Crowley then disappears to what he calls "all points nowhere."

Crowley returns in "The Devil You Know," suddenly appearing in the Impala's backseat. After avoiding being stabbed by an irate Sam (who initially believes that Crowley gave them the Colt knowing it wouldn't work on Lucifer), Crowley reveals that Lucifer knows he (Crowley) wants him dead and that he (Crowley) has been in hiding for the past few months. He then offers to help the Winchesters obtain the remaining two Horsemen rings and aids Dean in capturing Brady, Pestilence's servant. Later, when a hellhound approaches, Crowley disappears but returns shortly after with his own hellhound, whom he sics on the other hellhound to allow the Winchesters to escape with Brady. At the end of the episode, Crowley approaches Bobby Singer with an offer to reveal Death's location in exchange for Bobby's soul.

In "Two Minutes to Midnight," Crowley appears just after Bobby reveals Death's location to the Winchesters and Castiel, and Bobby and Crowley's deal comes to light (along with the fact that the two men kissed to seal the deal). Crowley reveals that he bought Bobby's soul as leverage against the Winchesters. Later, Crowley gives Dean Death's scythe so he can use it to kill Death, and accompanies Dean to Chicago, where Death currently is. Crowley finds the Horseman in a restaurant.

Season 6
Crowley serves as one of the four main antagonists of the season (along with Raphael, Eve, and Castiel). In "Weekend at Bobby's," he refuses to return Bobby's soul as agreed, but is eventually forced to return it when Sam and Dean threaten to burn his human bones.

It is later revealed that Crowley only wanted Lucifer removed so that he could take his place as the King of Hell. After ascending to rulership of Hell, he changed Hell so that everyone there had to stand in line endlessly, going to the back of the line when they finally reached the front.

Crowley also resurrected Sam and Dean's maternal grandfather, Samuel Campbell, and got him to work for him in his quest to find Purgatory, in exchange for the promise to bring Samuel's daughter, Mary (Dean and Sam's mother), back to life. Samuel and his relatives captured monsters, which Crowley tortured to find Purgatory's location. Crowley forces Sam and Dean to work for him as well, saying that he will return Sam's soul if they did, claiming to have that kind of power as he is now King of Hell. Eventually, Sam and Dean work together with Meg to force Crowley to return Sam's soul, but Crowley admits that he can't return Sam's soul, leading Castiel to seemingly burn his bones and destroy him.

After the death of Eve, however, it is revealed that Castiel and Crowley faked the latter's death, as Crowley and Castiel are working together to find Purgatory so Castiel can win his war against Raphael in Heaven. However, in the Season 6 finale, Castiel betrays and tricks Crowley, and opens Purgatory on his own, absorbing all the souls there. Castiel kills Raphael, but allows Crowley to escape, saying that he has plans for him.

Season 7
After the events of Season 6, Crowley goes into hiding from Castiel, only to be found by the angel-turned-deity soon afterwards. Instead of killing the King of Hell, Castiel lets Crowley continue his work in Hell under his supervision, stating he still needs a place to punish his enemies; Crowley reluctantly agrees.

After Castiel is dethroned, so to speak, and the Leviathans are set free, Crowley tries to make an alliance with their leader Dick Roman, only to be rejected and have his entire race threatened. Fearing for his life, he makes an uneasy alliance with the Winchesters and Castiel. The season ends with Dick's death and Crowley kidnapping the newly-called prophet Kevin Tran.

Season 8
Crowley is the main antagonist of the season.

In "Clip Show," Crowley begins killing the people Sam and Dean saved from supernatural menaces over the years, using Chuck Shurley's Supernatural books to find said people.

In "Sacrifice," Crowley goes on a date with Sheriff Jody Mills, a friend of the Winchesters. When Jody begins choking on her own blood as a result of a hexbag made by Crowley, the Winchesters call Crowley and agree to stand down if he agrees to stop killing people they've saved. Later, Crowley meets with the Winchesters at Singer Scrap Yard, where Crowley displays an extremely long contract. Dean seizes the opportunity to handcuff Crowley to himself with shackles bearing a devil's trap, preventing Crowley from abandoning his human host.

Dean and Sam then take Crowley to an abandoned church, intending to use him as the third and final trial to close Hell forever (said trial calls for the one completing the trials to cure a demon). Crowley is bound to a chair, and Sam regularly injects him with his purified blood. Crowley manages to send out a message for help, and Abaddon arrives. However, rather than help, Abaddon tries to kill Crowley so she can take the throne of Hell.

Following Sam defeating Abaddon for the moment, he continues the process and it begins to work. As Crowley starts to become human, he begins expressing regret for his actions, asking Sam where does he start to confess. He also reveals he has always had a desire to be respected and loved, implying all his power-grabbing and egocentric actions are driven by this desire being twisted and perverted by his transformation into a demon.

However, Dean stops Sam before he can fully cure Crowley, as he's discovered the process will cause Sam to die.