| “ | We don't need a conscience. Such a trite idea, but we firmly believe the ends do justify the means. | „ |
| ~ Mr. Ketch |
Arthur Ketch, or simply Mr. Ketch, is the central antagonist in season 12 and one of the supporting protagonists in Season 13 of the horror TV series Supernatural. He is a former high-ranking member of the British Men of Letters and a skilled assassin.
After his death by Mary Winchester, he was resurrected and went onto serve as an assassin for Asmodeus who calls him "more wicked than any demon I know. And I know them all." He left the latter's services and went onto rescue Gabriel before he brought him to the Winchesters, subsequently becoming their trusted ally. He is revealed to feel remorse for many of things he's done and wants redemption. He is eventually killed by the demon Ardat, seemingly for good. However, this time he dies on the side of right, refusing to betray his friends to save his own life.
He is portrayed by David Haydn-Jones.
Contents
Biography
Origin
Not much is known about Mr. Ketch, other than he was born on February 21, 1974 and that he is a high ranking Men of Letters member, He is shown to be ruthless and has no tolerance for supernatural creatures or people with supernatural abilities whatsoever. Lady Toni Bevell described him as a psychopath.
Season 12
Mr. Ketch is first mentioned while Lady Toni Bevell is torturing Sam for information. When all their methods prove fruitless, Ms. Watt suggests bringing in Mr. Ketch; however, Toni is vehemently against it.
Later on, Mick Davies retrieves Toni and informs her that he has sent for Mr. Ketch, who is shown preparing to leave the UK. This leaves Toni visibly uncomfortable.
Mr. Ketch drives up to the Impala on a motorcycle and stares it at for a moment before driving away. He later tracks down and kills Magda Peterson, telling someone on the phone that he cleaned up the Winchesters mess and they were right about the Winchesters being unable to kill Magda.
Arthur rescues the Winchesters and Castiel from the Secret Service and orders Castiel to wipe their memory before introducing himself. That night, Arthur explains that his job is to "strongly encourage" the Winchesters cooperation with the British Men of Letters and was sent by Mick Davies after Sam called him and hung up. Arthur has Castiel confirm that he's not lying and shows them his arsenal of weapons, including a hyperbolic pulse generator capable of exorcising a demon from its vessel. Recognizing its potential, Sam asks to borrow it and for Arthur to trust them. Arthur eventually gives the Winchesters the generator, enabling them to force Lucifer from Jefferson Rooney and send him back to Lucifer's Cage.
Six weeks later, Castiel contacts Arthur and Mick to help him and Mary find Sam and Dean who have been taken prisoner by the Secret Service. The two men are impressed to learn that the brothers had in fact borrowed Arthur's gadget in order to deal with Lucifer himself. They agree to help in hopes that it will earn them the trust of the American hunters, and through their connections, Arthur and Mick locate Sam and Dean near Site 94.
Once the four encounter Sam and Dean, Arthur is unimpressed to learn that they left survivors. Sam insists the people pursuing them were just soldiers doing their job, though Arthur considers it "unprofessional". Sam, Dean and Castiel head to Mary's car while glaring at Arthur suspiciously. Arthur and Mick watch them drive off and share a knowing look at each other. It is later revealed that Arthur went back and killed all those involved in Sam and Dean's imprisonment, including Agent Rick, Agent Camp, the soldiers and the coroner. Mick reports this while noting that cleaning up loose ends is Arthur's job.
Mary visits Arthur after stealing the Colt and tells him the story of its theft from Ramiel. Mary is enraged that Arthur sent her after a Prince of Hell which got Wally killed and threatens to destroy the British Men of Letters if something happens to her sons. Arthur apologizes, claiming not to have known that she was going after a Prince of Hell. Arthur and Mary discuss the legend of the Colt as an excited Arthur unwraps it.
Mary and Arthur take out a vampire nest together and Arthur expresses his dislike for them trying to recruit the Winchester brothers when they have Mary. Arthur later visits Dean at the Men of Letters bunker and down for a drink with him. Rather than trying the sales pitch of the other British Men of Letters, Arthur is frank with Dean about his motives, telling Dean that he is a killer and the British Men of Letters offer him the best chance to express his talents. Arthur sees Dean as the same as him and the two decide to take down a vampire nest together. At the nest, Arthur initially arms himself with a gun, but decides to use a machete instead like Dean. The two men find only one vampire hiding in the nest and Arthur beats upon her before Dean stops him to try things his way. When Dean promises to grant the vampire a quick end, she tells them that her nest is going after the British Men of Letters.
Alarmed, Dean and Arthur rush back to the British Men of Letters compound to find that Sam has killed the Alpha Vampire and the surviving vampires have fled. Mick berates Arthur who tells him he was trying to recruit Dean and would've succeeded if Mick's operation hadn't screwed things up. He then takes the rogue hunter Pierce Moncrieff for punishment.
Arthur sleeps with Mary following a successful hunt. Mary seems tempted to bond with him further but Arthur seemingly disapproves though he appears intrigued by Mary's attempt to have "the best of both worlds." Arthur is later called back to the British Men of Letters headquarters by Doctor Hess. The two await for Mick to arrive. Mick shows disobedience and Arthur is ordered to kill his former friend. While the two stare down at Mick's body, Arthur appearing to have some remorse or regret for his actions, Hess announces that every single one of the American hunters must be annihilated.
Arthur sends a text to Sam pretending to be Mick, checking in if the brothers are home. Sam replies they are not, allowing Arthur to enter the Bunker with a few so they can wiretap it and search for The Colt. While scanning Dean's room, Mick comes across a photo of Mary with a 4-years-old Dean. Once the operation is complete, Arthur returns to his own headquarters, taking the photo with him. By the time Sam and Dean return home, Arthur calls to inform them that Mick has been sent back to London so they must report directly to him, even if they mutually don't like it. After the call, Arthur listens to the brothers' conversation through a device and hears Dean insult his motorbike. Arthur stares at the photo he took while listening.
Mary discovers Mick's body as well as the fact that the Brits are now targeting American hunters. She angrily confronts Arthur about this. Arthur initially tries to brush Mick's death off as "an unfortunate werewolf mishap", but Mary doesn't believe it, knowing werewolves don't shoot people. The two get into an argument, with Arthur claiming that his murdering of the US Secret Service agents and Magda Peterson as cleaning up after Mary's sloppy sons. Mary disagrees, and the two get into a fight. When Mary tries to make a run for it, Arthur knocks her out using a stun gun. He then ties her up to a chair and arranges for Toni Bevell to interrogate the hunter since Mary is still too precious of an asset to kill.
Arthur kills seven hunters, including Eileen Leahy, with his new pet hell hound.
Arthur visits Mary is she is brainwashed by Toni into being a killer for the British Men of Letters. Mary tries to kill herself with Arthur's gun and begs Arthur to kill her as losing her will is the worst thing Mary can imagine. Apparently sympathetic and unwilling to kill Mary, Arthur assures her that it will all be over soon. He also introduces his hellhound to Toni who is disturbed.
Later, Arthur and three of his men ambush the Winchesters in the bunker, ending with Arthur's men killed and Arthur held at gunpoint by Dean. However, a fully-brainwashed Mary enters and forces her sons to release Arthur. Taking Dean's gun, Arthur forces the Winchesters and Toni, who he sees as expendable, to remain in the bunker as he and Mary leave. Arthur reveals that he is initiating a lockdown that will trap the three in the bunker with no power and water and the air being sucked out, resulting in their deaths within two to three days. He later tells an emotionless Mary that it will get easier killing people she doesn't remember loving.
Arthur sends Mary names of hunters to kill and prepares for a massive operation to wipe out all of the American hunters and their families. After being unable to reach Mary, Arthur has Paige discreetly track her and discovers that Mary is in Lebanon, Kansas. Realizing what this means, Arthur leaves before hunters led by Sam storm the British Men of Letters compound and kill everyone inside.
Moments after reaching Mary's mind, Dean awakens to find Arthur in the bunker, having murdered Toni. Dean and Arthur engage in a brutal hand to hand fight through the bunker's main room that ends with Arthur holding Dean at gunpoint. Before Arthur can kill Dean, he's shot in the arm by Mary whose mind has returned thanks to Dean and Toni. Arthur tells the Winchesters he knew both of them were killers before Mary executes Arthur with a shot to the head. His body is later covered with a sheet by Mary and Dean.
Season 13
During War of Worlds, the Winchesters investigate a series of witch murders and are shocked to discover what appears to be a bearded Arthur Ketch following one of the victims. The Winchesters meet one of the latest witches, who requests for help and confirms Arthur was her attacker but she eluded him to survive only with a few scars. Using the witch as bait, they manage to capture the man who claims to be Arthur's twin brother Alexander, though Dean remains dubious of his story. "Alexander" tells the Winchesters that Arthur wasn't naturally amoral, was "loyal to a fault" and most likely regretted some of the things he did to them. "Alexander", who was hunting Rowena MacLeod, claims to be working as a mercenary hunter and is hunting for Rowena simply because she is a witch. After getting a weird call from Castiel, the Winchesters leave "Alexander" behind in the bunker.
During a fight with a group of demons, "Alexander" suddenly appears to help, saving the Winchesters lives. Following the fight, Dean realizes that Arthur and Alexander are truly one and the same as he'd suspected as Dean recognized Arthur's fighting style along with other inconsistences. Arthur finally admits that Dean is right though he had mostly told them the truth about himself. Arthur is now separated from the British Men of Letters under his new alias of Alexander with his former employers wanting him dead for it if they knew. He is also working as a mercenary hunter. Arthur explains that long ago, he made a deal with Rowena where she supplied him with a Resurrection Seal in exchange for his help in escaping the British Men of Letters custody. After they had dumped his body, Arthur was resurrected. Not willing to trust Arthur, Dean attempts to kill him, wounding Arthur in the shoulder before he drops a smoke bomb and escapes on his motorcycle.
Later, now clean-shaven, wearing a sling on his right arm and dressed in his old suit, Arthur agrees to work for the Prince of Hell Asmodeus.
In Devil's Bargain, Arthur criticizes Asmodeus over leaving on an "important errand," allowing the escape of Lucifer and Castiel. Despite Arthur's open defiance, Asmodeus does not get angry and instead sends Arthur to kill Lucifer before he regains full power. Arthur eventually tracks Lucifer to Sister Jo's hall, but finds it empty and is confronted by the Winchesters and Castiel. Though Arthur attempts to convince the Winchesters to work with him, they have Castiel render Arthur unconscious instead and throw him in the Impala's trunk. Dean's plan, backed up by Sam and Castiel is to take Arthur back to the bunker, shoot him again, burn his body and scatter his ashes. As the Winchesters and Castiel face off with Lucifer and Sister Jo, Arthur suddenly enters and flings a demon bombat the two angels. Lucifer is able to teleport them out before Arthur's attack can succeed however. Though the Winchesters are annoyed by Arthur apparently helping Lucifer to escape, Arthur points out that he opted out of his own escape and risked himself to save their lives again. When questioned how he escaped, Arthur simply states that "I'm Ketch" and he'd found the demon bomb in their trunk and thought that it would work on Lucifer in his weakened state.
Stating that he knows they might not listen, Arthur again suggests that they work together to go after Lucifer. As the Winchesters continue to remain skeptical, Arthur comes clean that he is working for Asmodeus. Arthur suggests that he can act as a mole for the Winchesters against Asmodeus for the sake of everyone. Though Arthur acknowledges that he knows the Winchesters think he's a monster, even he has to draw the line somewhere "and letting Lucifer free upon the Earth, well as it turns out that's my line. Not to mention the whole Michael situation." While he knows that the Winchesters want to kill him and can't forgive him, Arthur asks that they do so after he proves useful as the lesser of "at least three evils." Ultimately, the Winchesters and Castiel agree with Arthur's request. Later, the Winchesters acknowledge that while they can't trust Arthur "even a little," they do need him "for now" and plan to kill Arthur when he is no longer needed.
After returning to Asmodeus, Arthur reports that he missed Lucifer by seconds and he will find him again. When Asmodeus expresses worry about killing Lucifer before the Winchesters can use him to open up a gate to "Michael Land," Arthur points out that Lucifer is getting stronger again and even as good as Arthur is, he can't beat Lucifer at full power. Asmodeus presents Arthur with the archangel blade, the only known weapon capable of killing an archangel. A confused Arthur questions how they will use the blade since the lore states that it is only effective in the hands of an archangel, causing Asmodeus to introduce Arthur to the captive Gabriel.
In The Thing, Arthur was summoned by Asmodeus but was told to wait but he grew impatient and barged in the latter's sanctuary to find Asmodeus stealing Gabriel's grace to fuel himself. Arthur was dismissed by him but was called upon again and was told by Asmodeus of the Winchesters' actions. Arthur informs him that Castiel was spotted in Syria but he didn't report it to him as he believed it wasn't important. In response, Asmodeus told Arthur that he owns him before he submitted him to a savage beating and was told by him that no matter what he did, he wouldn't be redeemed. Arthur later sat removing a loose tooth before taking notice of Gabriel watching him and remarking if he had his power. This gave him an idea, Arthur retaliated against Asmodeus by leaving the demon's services and liberating an unwilling Gabriel from his cell. After stealing the Archangel blade, he killed a demon guard and escaped the area with his new prizes.
Arthur brought Gabriel to the Men of Letters' Bunker, where he was met with hostility by the Winchesters but told the brothers that he brought them a gift which was the battered Gabriel. He explain the angel's condition was because he was held captive by Asmodeus until he liberated him. Arthur remarked they needed an archangel and calms Gabriel after he freaks out when Sam mentions they need his grace. Arthur presented them the vial containing it and the Archangel Blade to the Winchesters. Sam noted he wanted something, Arthur confirms this notion by asking for sanctuary from Asmodeus who will surely hunt him down for his betrayal.
Sam refuses him but Dean allows it since they now have the means to save their mother and Jack, which surprises Arthur. Arthur later appeared as the brothers prepared the spell to open a rift to Apocalypse World, he explains he wanted to join Dean on his journey by mentioning "As I said, Asmodeus will be hunting me to the ends of the Earth, so it's better if I'm not on this Earth". Sam warns him what's over there as Arthur is prepared and Dean allows it explaining he doesn't care but hopes Arthur dies as he takes it in stride. Dean entrusts Sam with Gabriel and any other threats besides Asmodeus.
After the spell is conducted, Arthur and Dean then travel to the other reality.
During Bring em' back alive, Arthur travels with Dean through to realm and decides to practice to better study his surroundings. He and Dean come across angels holding humans hostage and hide as they witness the angels killing them in Michael's name and he notices Dean recognizing a female prisoner and deduces he has connection to her but the latter doesn't elaborate. Arthur rescues Dean from the hunter and questions him on where he was taking him but the hunter overpowers him but Dean broke free. He threatened the man to answer Arthur's question and they are told of an angel camp.
During the way, Arthur is given ammunition which is angel killing bullets. He soon asks Dean about the female Charlie that Dean wants to save but is ignored before Dean falls to the ground. They see Dean's attacker poisoned him and Arthur recognizes it and tends to it, Arthur's questions about Charlie are answered and he relates to Dean about his own past.
After Dean recovered, they continue the journey and find the camp before attacking it. They rescue Charlie and the prisoners before escaping the area. Arthur listens as Dean tells Charlie about them coming from another world and about her counterpart. While Charlie is skeptical, she is convinced when seeing the rift.
Arthur tells Dean to get Sam, Castiel, Gabriel, and any others to help since he wants to stay and find out what Michael is planning. After Charlie decides to stay as well, the two hold off attacking angels as Dean crosses through the rift, which closes off.
Arthur remained in Apocalypse World, where he and Alternate Charlie are lured into a trap by angels. They are captured and tortured by angels led by the Alternate Castiel. However, the Winchesters, Jack and the Main Universe Castiel arrive and rescue the two, leading to Arthur noting the irony of Dean saving him for once. He returned to his own universe, where he met with Rowena who he gave a brief acknowledgment too and she did the same. Along with the refugees from Apocalypse World, Arthur celebrated being back in the main world while Lucifer and Michael were trapped. He is later noted by Mary and Bobby Singer to be off "doing Ketch things."
Season 14
In Stranger in a Strange Land, Arthur is revealed by Mary Winchester to be in London following up on a lead. Sam later gets a call from Arthur revealing that he has failed. Sam explains to Castiel that Arthur was searching for the hyperbolic pulse generator in hopes of them being able to use it to exorcise Michael from Dean.
In Unhuman Nature, in an effort to save Jack, Sam calls Arthur for advice. Arthur points Sam to a shaman named Sergei, stating that the British Men of Letters use shamans when they need to "solve the unsolvable."
In The Spear, Arthur contacts the Winchesters, Castiel and Jack via Skype to reveal that he found the hyperbolic pulse generator in a compound belonging to Hungarian rare weapons collector Arpad Valko. However, when Arthur returned to Budapest to catch a Red Eye to the United States, he was ambushed by "a swarm" of Valko's mercenaries and dropped the device in the mail. Arthur complains that he no longer has access to the express courier services he could've used as a British Man of Letters, resulting in the device arriving in a couple of days. Arthur is stunned to learn that they needed the device immediately because of "big Michael stuff going down" and sincerely apologizes.
In Jack in the Box, Arthur is unable to attend Mary's funeral. However, he does send Sam and Dean a bottle of expensive scotch to express his condolences. Later, Sam and Dean are drinking the scotch in the kitchen.
Season 15
In Raising Hell, Arthur is one of the hunters who receives Sam's call for help in Harlan, Kansas. Arthur arrives in time to use a weapon he stole from the British Men of Letters to dissipate two ghosts possessing townsfolk. The Winchesters later catch him up to speed and Arthur is rather startled to meet Belphegor in the vessel of Jack Kline. Arthur reveals that the demon Ardat hired him to assassinate Belphegor as he is supposedly "a monstrous threat to humanity" and Ardat hates him.
Arthur helps the Winchesters patrol the town while flirting with Rowena with whom he develops a mutual attraction much to Sam and Dean's annoyance. Using electricity, Arthur provides a shortcut for Rowena's spell to trap the ghosts. However, when Rowena is confronted by Francis Tumblety, Arthur is knocked unconscious and captured while trying to help.
Arthur later returns as the ghosts attack the barrier's weak spot and Rowena captures them with her spell. However, Arthur is revealed to be possessed by Francis who intends to use the crystal containing the souls to break open the barrier. Out of rock salt, Dean suddenly shoots Arthur twice in the chest, kicking Francis out of him and allowing Rowena to capture the remaining ghosts.
After the threat is dealt with, Castiel tries to heal Arthur, but can't to his concern. Instead, Arthur is loaded onto an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. Dean apologizes for shooting Arthur, having used iron bullets as what he saw as his only alternative. Arthur accepts it with grace, pointing out that Dean killed him once before and wants to do it again which Dean agrees with in good humor and tells him to take care.
In The Rupture, Arthur wakes up in the hospital and tries to leave to go help his friends. However, Ardat appears and kills a nurse, angry that Arthur failed to kill Belphegor. Grabbing an angel blade, Arthur tries to kill Ardat, but is easily overpowered. Ardat recognizes that Arthur is trying to protect his friends and won't give them up for any price. When he confirms this, Ardat rips out Arthur's heart with her bare hand and then crushes it, killing him. Ardat subsequently uses Arthur's phone to trick Dean into revealing where they are by posing as Arthur through text.
After Hell is sealed up again, Dean reveals to Sam that the other hunters found Arthur dead. Dean tells Sam that it was bad and probably a demon who killed him. The news seems to bother both Sam and Dean who also lost Rowena.
