Gabriel was once one of God's mighty angels in heaven. He was known as the "Left Hand of God" and served as a messenger of God. He appeared to the prophet Daniel, revealing secrets about his future. He also appeared to Zacharias and to the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. He was also one of the four archangels whom God sent to deliver his messages to his prophets. Gabriel was also the angel sent to destroy Jerusalem. At some point, Gabriel descended to earth and took on living flesh, becoming human. During his time on earth, Gabriel fought many great battles. At some point near the 1460s, he was under the service of the Knights of the Holy Order when he met Count Vladislaus Dracula, with whom he became close friends. Later, Dracula broke the oath of celibacy of the Knights of the Holy Order. When the woman he loved was banished and killed, he tried to bring her back to life with dark magic, which forced Gabriel to kill him. Unable to deal with the guilt, Gabriel asked God to erase his memories, which He did. Gabriel spent the next 400 years wandering the earth until one day after a battle, again with no memory, he was found half-dead crawling up the steps of the Vatican. Taken under the wings of the Vatican, he was sent to train under the monks and Mulahs from Tibet and Istanbul to combat the forces of darkness.

Monster hunter powers and abilities: though he is an incarnate archangel, Van Helsing has no verifiable supernatural powers, but his human abilities make up for it, as they are on a greater scale than a normal man: longevity - As a human, Gabriel is somewhere around 1800 years old in 1888, the year he's in Transylvania in the Van Helsing film (In his second scene with Carl, he mentions remembering the Siege of Masada). Further, it was Van Helsing who killed Dracula more than 400 years before, yet he retains the appearance and health of a fit man in his prime. Enhanced Strength - While not superhuman, his physical strength can easily allow him to lift or press his own weight. During his fight with Mr. Hyde, he was almost able to pull him off a building (but Hyde was able to counterattack). Enhanced Speed - Van Helsing has shown to be extremely agile as well as having great reflexes. His reflexes can stand up against creatures likes vampires or werewolves. Enhanced Durability - He can withstand attacks that would normally kill a man. He survived hits from Dracula's brides and Dracula himself and other creatures and the bite of a werewolf. After being bitten by a werewolf he was far more durable, even as a human, allowing him to survive a lightning strike (though he didn't receive the full impact) and surviving a fall from a tower. Detect Evil - Van Helsing refused to kill Frankenstein's Monster or allow it to be killed because he detects no evil in it. He explained to Anna Valerious that detecting evil in his prey is one of his abilities. Master Combatant - Van Helsing is a skilled warrior trained in combat for centuries by monks from different countries (as stated by Dracula). Hunter Instincts - Due to the fact that he has been hunting for years, Van Helsing developed an instinctive reaction on how to react when hunting, also to warn himself of any danger. Weaponry Expert - He has shown to be extremely proficient in handling almost every gun he used. These include dual spinning razor-sharp saws, dual pistols, silver stakes, a crucifix, and his most important weapon, his repeater crossbow. He is also a very good aim, though he is not to be an expert.