Castiel

Lore & Background

Initially, the character demonstrates complete devotion to God and little emotion. However, his interactions and experiences with Dean and Sam, as well as certain revelations about God and his fellow angels, have a humanizing effect on him. This, despite the stress and harm it causes his character, allows him to develop an independent will as the series progresses and helps the show address topics related to free will. Unlike the stereotypical portrayal of television angels, Castiel does not always help people, and is willing, at least when he is first introduced, to kill innocents if his superiors deem it necessary. Collins originally read for the part of a demon, as series creator Eric Kripke did not want fans to find out that angels were being introduced to the series. Collins prepared for the role by reading the Book of Revelation and based his portrayal on his younger brother.

In Their Own Story

At the end of the third season of Supernatural, Dean Winchester is in Hell after being killed by the hellhounds of the demonic antagonist Lilith. In the season four premiere "Lazarus Rising", the angel Castiel is introduced as the one who brought Dean back from Hell and resurrected him. Because merely perceiving his actual form typically results in blindness, he takes a human host – James "Jimmy" Novak, a "devout man" who prayed for it – to communicate with Dean, and tells him that he has been brought back because God has work for him. Lilith is breaking the 66 seals in order to free Lucifer, and Dean must stop her. Castiel continues to appear throughout the season, at one point sending Dean back in time and later tasking him and his brother Sam with stopping witches from breaking another seal. He returns with fellow angel Uriel at the end of the episode "I Know What You Did Last Summer", seeking to kill Anna Milton, a fallen angel with the ability to "hear" the communications between angels. In the following episode, "Heaven and Hell", Anna uses an ancient Enochian sigil to send the angels away, though they manage to track them down later. Once there, Castiel expresses regret at having to kill Anna. Before they can carry out their duty, however, they are confronted by the demon Alastair and two of his minions. A fight ensues, and Castiel is nearly defeated in the battle by Alastair. He is saved by Dean, and they in turn are rescued when Anna regains her powers. Although Uriel nearly vents his frustration on Dean, Castiel stops him, and the two leave. Castiel later becomes suspicious of Uriel and confronts him in "On the Head of a Pin". Uriel admits he and certain other angels are now working together to free Lucifer, having grown weary of never hearing from God and jealous of His favoritism for humanity. He asks Castiel to join him, but Castiel refuses and attacks him. Uriel eventually overpowers Castiel, but is killed by Anna before he can strike the finishing blow. During this time, the orders he is getting from Heaven of questionable morality and the influence of Anna cause him to start to have doubts about Heaven's plans. He later returns in "The Monster at the End of This Book" to explain Chuck's role as a Prophet and later when Dean calls him to help save Sam. Castiel informs Dean he cannot interfere due to how important Prophets are, but he impresses upon Dean how the archangel protecting a Prophet will intervene if said Prophet is in trouble to secretly let him know a way to save Sam. In "The Rapture", Castiel enters Dean's dreams and arranges a meeting to tell him something important. However, when Sam and Dean go to meet him, they instead find Jimmy, Castiel's vessel, who claims to have little memory of his life as a vessel. Anna theorizes Castiel must have angered his superiors, prompting him to be taken back to Heaven. When Jimmy is shot at the end of the episode trying to save his family from demons, Castiel returns, taking Jimmy's daughter Claire as his new vessel. After the demons are killed, a dying Jimmy begs Castiel to take him back as a host so his daughter will not have to go through what he did, and the angel acquiesces. Dean then asks him what he needed to tell him, but Castiel coldly replies his loyalty is to Heaven, not to mankind or to him. In "When the Levee Breaks", Castiel has Dean take the oath of allegiance to God and His angels, to which Dean agrees under the impression it will keep Sam safe. Later in the episode, Castiel releases Sam, who is on detox from Ruby's demon blood, from Bobby's Panic Room. When Anna confronts him about his actions, other angels appear and capture her. With Sam closing in on Lilith, Castiel and Zachariah imprison Dean within an idyllic waiting room, where he will be made comfortable until the time comes for him to play his role in stopping the Apocalypse. Dean refuses to remain idle, and continually requests to be able to see Sam, which is denied. Once Dean discovers the angels are allowing the Apocalypse to happen, he implores for Castiel to help him stop the final seal from being broken. Though Castiel refuses at first, he returns ready to help not long after. He takes Dean to see the prophet Chuck for information on Sam. Their presence does not fall in line with Chuck's Gospel, so the Archangel Raphael begins to descend. Castiel sends Dean to Sam, remaining behind to hold back the archangel and any others who might come. He is subsequently killed, with his host's body being blown to pieces. However, Castiel later returns – still in Jimmy Novak's body – in the fifth-season premiere, "Sympathy for the Devil", killing two fellow angels in order to save Sam and Dean. He is uncertain as to how he was resurrected, but alludes to Zachariah it may have been God's doing. After ordering Zachariah away, Castiel carves Enochian sigils into Sam and Dean's ribs to hide them from all angels, including Lucifer. Castiel later returns to the brothers in "Good God Y'All!", and reveals his plans to find God. He borrows Dean's amulet, as it burns hot in God's presence, and departs. He has also been completely cut off from Heaven as a result of his rebellion and has lost some of his powers as a result, including his ability to heal injuries. He remains on Earth hunting for God, although acquires a cell phone so that the Winchesters can call for his aid when dealing with particularly challenging cases, such as their discovery of the Antichrist or their latest confrontation with the Trickster (who is revealed to be the lost archangel Gabriel). In "Abandon All Hope...", Castiel helps the Winchesters retrieve the Colt and joins them on their hunt for Lucifer. However, he ventures off after discovering hundreds of Reapers are already in the town, hoping to discover what has called them there. He soon becomes imprisoned by Lucifer, who tries to tempt Castiel into joining him, pointing out they are both targets of heaven, but Castiel refuses. He later manages to free himself, but finds he no longer has the power to kill demons. After Sam and Dean fail in their attempt to kill the Devil, Castiel teleports them to safety. After exhausting most of his remaining power to take Sam and Dean back in time to save their parents from renegade angel Anna, Castiel aids the Winchesters in their battle with Famine, the Horseman of the Apocalypse – the brothers having already defeated War – but his weakened powers render him susceptible to Famine's influence, Famine attacking Jimmy's hunger for red meat to make Castiel more interested in eating burgers than actually fighting. When the brothers are killed by vengeful hunters in "Dark Side of the Moon", Castiel – unable to return to Heaven – briefly communicates with them. He tasks them with finding the angel Joshua, who communicates directly with God. Although Joshua reveals God is alive, he claims He is apathetic to the Apocalypse; having saved the brothers and Castiel, God feels He has done enough. When relayed to Castiel, his hopes and faith are shattered, leading him to drink heavily in the subsequent episode "99 Problems" when Sam summons him for answers about the actions of the people in a town. Castiel reveals that they are dealing with the Whore of Babylon and provides the stake that can kill her, but as he is no longer a true servant of Heaven, is unable to do it himself. He gets Pastor Gideon so they can have him do it and tries to hold the Whore in place so the Pastor can stab her. However, she casts a spell that causes him great pain and knocks him out of the fight. In the end, Dean stabs her with the stake, identifying himself as a true servant of heaven. In "Point of No Return", Castiel helps Sam to keep Dean from becoming Michael's vessel. He leaves after hearing a signal from the angels, and finds a resurrected Adam Milligan – Sam and Dean's half-brother who had been previously killed by ghouls. When Dean escapes and tries to contact the angels.

Reader's Guide

Castiel is an Angel of the Lord who first appears in the season four premiere "Lazarus Rising", resurrecting Dean Winchester from Hell. He takes a human host – James "Jimmy" Novak – because merely perceiving his actual form typically results in blindness. His initial purpose is to ensure Dean stops Lilith from breaking the 66 seals to free Lucifer. Castiel possesses supernatural abilities including the ability to kill demons, flight, and teleportation, though he loses some powers after rebelling against Heaven, including his ability to heal injuries. Key moments include: killing two fellow angels to save Sam and Dean in "Sympathy for the Devil"; carving Enochian sigils into Sam and Dean's ribs to hide them from all angels; borrowing Dean's amulet to hunt for God; being imprisoned by Lucifer in "Abandon All Hope..."; losing the power to kill demons; and being susceptible to Famine's influence due to weakened powers. His arc shows him developing doubts about Heaven's plans after Uriel's betrayal and Anna's influence, leading to a full rebellion. He is killed holding off Archangel Raphael but later resurrected, possibly by God.

Did You Know?

• Collins originally read for the part of a demon, as series creator Eric Kripke did not want fans to find out that angels were being introduced to the series.
• Collins prepared for the role by reading the Book of Revelation and based his portrayal on his younger brother.
• Castiel's human host is James 'Jimmy' Novak, a 'devout man' who prayed for it.
• Castiel is killed by the Archangel Michael (possessing Adam Milligan) in season 5, but returns later in the same season, explicitly resurrected by God.
• After rebelling against Heaven, Castiel loses some powers including his ability to heal injuries and later his ability to kill demons.