The hit FOX fantasy drama Supernatural have similar premises in the sense that both revolve around entities of cosmic origin roaming the earth in human vessels.
Supernatural introduced angels way back in its 4th season with Castiel, the angel of the Lord who had saved Dean from Hell. Since then the show has had entire garrisons of angels and several archangels, while Lucifer, having run for only 5 seasons as of now, and slated to end with season 6, has had much less time to include quite as many characters, let alone angels. Here are the ways the angels from the two shows bear some similarities with each other, and how they are different.
Different: The Angel Wings
In Supernatural, the angel wings, whether those of Castiel or Michael, have never been shown as such. The wings appear as a reflection, with the mere hint of grandeur, possibly with the notion that the human eye couldn't perceive them in all their glory. It is only when an angel dies that the wings can be seen, usually with some little bursts of flame dancing across them.
In Lucifer, however, the wings are very much visible to the naked human eye. They are also a little different for different angels. For instance, Lucifer's are a pearly white, while Amenadiel's are grey and Michael's, probably as a foil to Lucifer's, are black. But in Supernatural, the angel wings seen at the time of their death, appear a sort of velvety black.
Similar: Eager-To-Please Angels
The angels in both shows have been shown to be brainwashed to some extent. In Supernatural, the angels are soldiers of Heaven and the whole purpose of their existence is to please God and do his bidding. Of course, there is always the odd rebel, Lucifer himself being one, and Anna, from seasons 4 and 5, who become fallen angels.
In Lucifer too, the angels like Amenadiel, Uriel, Remiel, have been shown to be brainwashed into thinking that the only reason they exist is to keep God happy somehow or to please him and get into his good books.
Different: The Angel Eyes
In Supernatural, when an angel possesses a human, they can flash their eyes if they wish to indicate their presence, and a blinding light appears that humans can see.
The angels in Lucifer have not been shown to flash their eyes or do any such thing that hint at their presence. Angels seem to have perfectly ordinary eyes in the Netflix drama.
Similar: The Angel-Human Child
Both Supernatural and Lucifer have had plotlines involving a baby born of the union of an angel and a human.
Supernatural fans know that Jack is a Nephilim, he is in fact the son of Satan himself, who impregnated a woman named Kelly Kline when he was possessing the President of the United States. In Lucifer, the angel Amenadiel has had a baby with the psychiatrist Dr. Linda Martin. Although not the son of the Devil, fans are anticipating that little Charlie would manifest some powers in the second half of season 5, although at present he appears mortal.
Different: The Mode Of Travel
Angels in Supernatural have wings of course, but they aren't ever seen flying, which is probably a good idea since waking up one fine morning to see angels zooming past the window might cause a wee bit of chaos among humans. Some of the most hilarious moments in the early seasons of the show involved Cas appearing without notice, usually to Dean and in very inopportune moments, and then disappearing again.
But in Lucifer, Amenadiel and Michael have actually been seen flying. In fact, as Lucifer mentioned, there was the one time that his older brother accidentally hit a bridge while flying.
Similar: Mistrust Of Humans
The angels in both Lucifer and Supernatural are mistrusting of human beings and seem to underestimate them for being weak and powerless.
When Castiel first came to Sam and Dean, he considered humanity something of an alien race, although in time he grew to be fond of humans. But others like Uriel or Zachariah did not have the same empathy and had even thought of humans as completely dispensable. In Lucifer, too, angels like Michael and Remiel, and Amenadiel too at first, thought that humans were a bunch of dispensable nitwits, simply because they did not possess supernatural powers.
Different: The Angel Grace
Another characteristic of angels in Supernatural is their grace. The very essence of survival of both the angels and archangels in the popular CW drama is their blinding white grace. Once their grace is gone, the angel will cease to have any angelic powers.
Lucifer has as yet made no mention of any angel or archangel grace. The angels' powers come from within and do not depend on the presence of angelic grace.
Similar: Angels Become More Human
The angels in both shows have been shown to become more human, expressing human emotions, fears and sentiments once they start mingling with the human race.
Castiel in Supernatural and Lucifer and Amenadiel in Lucifer have been shown throwing their lot in with the humans and gradually learning to appreciate and even love human beings, after going through the human experience themselves.
Different: Lucifer's Face
In Supernatural, Lucifer's eyes burn a bright red when he gets genuinely pissed or wishes to strike terror in the hearts of those around him. There has been no other CGI at play to change Lucifer's appearance into anything unworldly and scary.
In Lucifer though, fans are aware that Lucifer's face is part of who he is and he could switch his terrifying face on and off at will --a tactic he often used as a punishment to drive murderers crazy.
Similar: Depressed & Lost Angels
Another final similarity between the angels in the two hit fantasy series is that not only do they experience mortal sensations once they start living on earth, they also become rather lost, and depressed even.
Castiel has undoubtedly transformed from almost invincible to lost, lonely and even a tad weaker than before. His only true friends in the entire universe are the Winchester brothers, and Jack, whom he considers family. Amenadiel too was seen mooning about looking like a lost puppy, trying hard to connect and make friends. Humanity took the wind out of both angels. Just as Cas still finds it difficult to communicate in the human lingo, Amenadiel too has been take for a ride more than once, unable to grasp the vast range of human behaviour.