I'd say dead. Supposedly she wasn't in a host, but instead manifesting a facsimile body (like Castiel), so the special effect might be different. Michael gave no indication that he was being merciful.

Well, she couldn't be working for Zacchariah, since he wanted Sam alive and well so Lucy and Micky could face off. It seems like it would be some unseen faction of angels who just wanted Lucifer DED, and thought they were actually doing the world a favour? You know, one human dead to save billions?

It seems like it would be some unseen faction of angels who just wanted Lucifer DED, and thought they were actually doing the world a favour?

I love the idea that the civil war in Heaven isn't just Castiel's group vs. Raphael's group, but a whole bunch of different factions.

She was brainwashed/tortured into her position. I think at the time I was assuming it was the same dicks that did it to Castiel (god bless), but, yeah, that makes no sense. It does imply a third party, one with enough power to do that, though.

Or maybe they purged the rebellion from her, and that was her sense of mission.

Someone ask Sera!

It makes sense that Zachariah wouldn't have had all the angels in his pocket with wanting the duel to take place. Especially with the subterfuge that the party line was to put a stop to Lucifer. That's the official party line, and the most widely accepted righteous agenda.

So how would the majority of Heaven feel towards Cas? He didn't stand by the fink Zach, but he also didn't stand by the majority rule, and now he's sheriffing.

Did Raphael stand with the majority? Was/is he also an outlier like Zach and Cas?

Or maybe they purged the rebellion from her, and that was her sense of mission.

This actually makes the most sense to me. It was her own personal interpretation of Heaven's Will after reformation.

It was her own personal interpretation of Heaven's Will after reformation.

Ooh. I like that.

I don't think of Zach as an outlier. He was working for Michael, and that was where the power was. I think of Michael as having been in charge, Raphael as able to command the next level down, Lucifer fallen, and Gabriel abstaining.

So in Michael's absence, Raphael probably ascends to that position, except--spoiler factor of the oft-resurrected nerdy angel.

I meant outlier in the sense that, even though Zachariah and Michael and Raphael were the ones in power, that the general masses were kept in the dark as to their true agenda, that the general masses believed that the true agenda was to stop Lucifer immediately, not indulge in a M/L face-off of pissy bitchitude.

I would imagine the "Wait, we LET Lucifer escape? THAT was the plan all along?" revelation is what resulted in a lot of the angels deciding to throw in with Castiel or otherwise rebel against Raphael like Balthazar did.