Ruby (Supernatural)

Plot

Debuting in the third season premiere "The Magnificent Seven", Ruby trails Sam Winchester and rescues him from a group of demons, killing them with her demon-killing knife. She reveals her identity to Sam in "The Kids Are Alright", claiming to be different from other demons and wanting to help him fight them. In return, she promises to save his brother Dean from the Faustian deal Dean made to resurrect Sam. Ruby's credibility builds throughout Season 3: in "Sin City" she restores power to the Colt for the Winchesters; "Malleus Maleficarum" reveals she had been a witch during the Plague who sold her soul to a demon.

She confides in Dean that she still remembers what it is like to be human. In "Jus in Bello" she saves the brothers from a demon horde and proposes a spell to destroy all demons in the area, but Dean refuses because it requires a human virgin's heart. The brothers' alternative plan leaves others killed, which Ruby uses to rebuke them.

Characterization

Series creator Eric Kripke summarized Ruby as "ruthless and a little crazy and rough around the edges", lacking the "moral conscience" of Sam and Dean. Katie Cassidy described her as a "kick-ass, bad-ass" ally who "also likes to stir up a little trouble", being "mysterious", "manipulative", and "always 10 steps ahead of everybody else". Cassidy stated Ruby "knows what she wants, and she's out to get it". Genevieve Cortese deemed Cassidy's incarnation "very tough" and "hard to get close to".

Taking over the role, Cortese felt "conflicted over where Ruby is now versus where she's come from" and portrayed her as a "total 180" from the previous season—calmer and "more fear-driven". After discussing the character's mindset with Kripke, Cortese saw Ruby as in a "lonely, desperate" situation. She tried to make Ruby seem "as innocent as possible" to question her allegiance and "bring more of a humanity" to the character. Cortese portrayed Ruby as having some guilt over Dean's death in the third-season finale, and acknowledged Ruby was likely manipulating Sam when claiming to remember being human, but suggested truth in her words.

Development

Ruby was described as a "demon hunter" in press releases before her debut to surprise the audience with her true demonic nature. The writers created her to change the perception of demons into a grey area rather than the "black and white" approach previously used. They planned for Ruby to impact the brothers negatively by facilitating Sam's fall into evil and causing a fracture in their relationship. The writers were amused by fans questioning why they were "trying to make [Ruby] likable".

Writer Sera Gamble commented that Ruby "brought the idea that you can't just dismiss demons as things that need to be killed right away" and that they "could be useful, while fundamentally untrustworthy". Fearing introducing the character as an "[accessory] to the boys" would hinder integration, the writers intended Ruby to be "a character in [her] own right" and an antagonist "with [her] own interests and [her] own motives" rather than a love interest, which they felt was their mistake with Jo Harvelle.

While not planning a romance in the third season, they were open to the possibility later. Kripke introduced Ruby in "small doses" due to "protective and occasionally nervous" fans, stating the show would always be about Sam and Dean.

Reception

BuddyTV's Don Williams felt Ruby's addition was a "cheap ploy" to attract teen male viewers and distracted from the "brotherly bond", and that Cassidy "was cast more for her looks than her acting prowess", though he later admitted Ruby "remains one of the more interesting and ambiguous evildoers on the series". IGN's Diana Steenbergen found the third-season incarnation a "wasted" character who was "unlikable and manipulative" and made the Winchesters "look stupid", with Cassidy never pulling off the "tough chick" persona.

TV Guide's Tina Charles liked Ruby's action-packed introduction and felt Cassidy was "doing a good job", finding Ruby a "plausible addition" to "Malleus Maleficarum". Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune thought Cassidy "wasn't awful" in "The Magnificent Seven" but "not great enough for Ackles to really play off of" in "Malleus Maleficarum", though "good enough to make her weaker acting chops kind of work for her". Peterson deemed Ruby a "decent traveling [companion]" who "got gone just as [she was] getting interesting".