[META] The Future’s Looking Murky for Castiel - A Fan’s Speculation
The Future’s Looking Murky for Castiel
A fan’s speculation
Warning: If you haven’t seen all aired episodes for Seasons Four and Five, then this contains spoilers.
If you are a Castiel fan, then you may be wondering what is going to happen to our favorite angel at the end of the season. Hell, many of us want to know if he’ll be in Season Six. And I think we have a lot of cause to worry. This IS Supernatural, after all, and the show has a disturbing habit of killing off their characters - and not just the female ones, people. There just happen to be more regular guest stars that are women than men. But that’s a discussion for another day.
The way I see it, there are three options for Castiel’s future, and I can’t say that I care much for any of them. The show could kill him off just like they did many other characters. Or he could return to Heaven. The last option would be that he would ‘fall’ and become human. This is, of course, only personal fan speculation and God knows that I’ve been wrong before. For example, I thought Sam would be involved in rescuing Dean from Hell. Boy, did I ever miss the mark on that one. The thought of angels never once crossed my mind. But I’m glad they went that route because if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t have been any Castiel and that would have been a damned shame.
Let’s start with my worst fear - that Castiel will die in the attempt to stop Lucifer. In On the Head of a Pin, Uriel told Castiel that the only thing that could kill an angel was another angel. And Castiel is the only angel on the Winchesters’ side. The Show killed off Anna for wanting to ax Sam, and I somehow doubt Gabriel aka the Trickster will lift a finger to help the Winchesters. And Raphael? No, just no. If he ever crosses paths with Castiel, I think poor Cas will be in a world of hurt. Raphael doesn’t look like the sort to forgive and forget - no, he strikes me as a grudge holder. My guess is that he’s still upset about Castiel and Dean trapping him in a ring of holy fire.
I know I would be.
We know that Castiel has killed angels before - we saw him do it in Sympathy for the Devil. He even has a nice, shiny sword that will do the job. I don’t know where he got it - possibly from Anna, who knows - but he’s used it on several occasions this season. And it had been confirmed, in his confrontation with Anna in The Song Remains the Same, that his sword can kill angels. So, there you go.
And Lucifer, despite being all bad-ass and the father of all demons, is still an angel.
I always wondered if Castiel ever told Dean what Uriel said about killing angels. I don’t think he did. Maybe that information was classified? All I do know is that he only said that Dean’s plan to kill Lucifer was foolish, that it couldn’t be done (Good God, Y’All). And yet he followed along with their idea to use the Colt to stop Lucifer. Was that simply because he didn’t think it would do any good to argue with Dean? That Dean needed to do something no matter how futile or he’d lose focus? Or did he have another reason?
We may never know.
Another option, of course, would be that after all is said and done, Castiel would return to Heaven. But would the angels even allow him back? Well, sure, why not? According to Zachariah, they want a final showdown between Michael/Dean and Lucifer/Sam. If this is accomplished, or averted, will they let Castiel return home? I think they’d have to get rid of Zachariah and maybe a few other angels on his side first, but it’s one possibility, I must admit. Hail the conquering hero and all that.
Okay, wait a minute, you may say. What about Jimmy Novak, Castiel’s vessel? What would happen to him? I must admit that for a long time, at least since we learned in Sympathy for the Devil that Castiel had died and been brought back by forces unknown, I thought Jimmy Novak’s soul/body whatever went ‘poof’ when Castiel died and that Castiel was just using a recreated body that happens to look like Jimmy, much the same way Anna still looked like Anna after she regained her angelhood. My opinion changed a little after watching My Bloody Valentine. Is it possible that Jimmy is still alive in there and that’s what caused Castiel to crave red meat? Or is it just Jimmy’s body that craves it. After all, Castiel is a little neglectful of Jimmy’s needs. Remember how hungry Jimmy was in The Rapture? Poor guy.
You’ve been a bad angel, Castiel. Feed your damned vessel! Maybe then you wouldn’t have succumbed to Famine. Hmm… I wonder if this means that we’ll see Castiel sharing meals with the boys? I wouldn’t mind some ‘family’ dinners - just slow down, chew your food thoroughly and DON’T talk with your mouth full. Please. No one wants to see that.
If Castiel were to return to Heaven, he would no longer need his human host. And you know what? If this comes to pass, I’d like to see Jimmy - live and well - reunited with his family. He gave up a lot for the Cause and I think he deserves some sort of happy ending, don’t you?
The last option that I’m willing to consider is that Castiel will become human by the end of the season. Some people may argue that he’s already becoming human - he’s losing his angel mojo, isn’t he? Well, yes, Castiel has lost some of his powers - the ability to heal and cast out demons - and had others considerably weakened, namely his ability to time travel. He admitted that much in The Song Remains the Same.
That was quite the understatement, Cas, ol’ buddy. Tripping through time with Sam and Dean totally wiped your clock. You were out for the rest of the episode and still pretty gone by the end. Remember, say what you mean and mean what you say. Okay? Okay.
The loss or weakening of Castiel’s powers doesn’t necessarily mean he’s becoming human. He rebelled and is therefore cut off from Heaven’s powers. The powers he has that are affected - healing and casting out demons - probably rely heavily on his ability to tap into Heaven’s holy power. Time travel also proves difficult, probably because it is such a drain on him now - especially when transporting two people and himself. His angelic strength was drained quickly and without Heaven’s unlimited power, this proved a little too much for him. But once he recharges a little, he’ll be as good as new… or at least I hope he will be. Poor guy was out like a light at the end of that episode.
I must admit that I am torn about the idea of Castiel becoming human. While I’d love to see him travelling around with Sam and Dean, hunting, living life and loving it, the image of the Hippy!Castiel we saw in The End - a drugged out, sex crazed, bitter, hopeless shell of a man - still haunts me. I don’t ever want to see our beloved Cas fall that hard again. Whether they succeed in stopping Lucifer or not, that future is still a possibility because, let’s face it, life is hard and sometimes people lose hope and turn to whatever means at their disposal to deal with - or avoid dealing with - the so called real world.
Personally, I’m not thrilled with any of the above options probably because I love the character of Castiel and I feel that he adds a lot to the show - and I would be devastated if he were to leave. But if I had to choose, I’d want Castiel to return to Heaven so poor Jimmy could be reunited with his family. That way they would both get what they want and at least someone would get a happy ending.
Ultimately, Castiel’s fate is out of our hands and we can only wait to see what the Show has in store for us and him. Who knows, maybe the season will end on an entirely different note than the one I’m anticipating. Because, like I’ve already said, I’ve been wrong before.
A fan’s speculation
Warning: If you haven’t seen all aired episodes for Seasons Four and Five, then this contains spoilers.
If you are a Castiel fan, then you may be wondering what is going to happen to our favorite angel at the end of the season. Hell, many of us want to know if he’ll be in Season Six. And I think we have a lot of cause to worry. This IS Supernatural, after all, and the show has a disturbing habit of killing off their characters - and not just the female ones, people. There just happen to be more regular guest stars that are women than men. But that’s a discussion for another day.
The way I see it, there are three options for Castiel’s future, and I can’t say that I care much for any of them. The show could kill him off just like they did many other characters. Or he could return to Heaven. The last option would be that he would ‘fall’ and become human. This is, of course, only personal fan speculation and God knows that I’ve been wrong before. For example, I thought Sam would be involved in rescuing Dean from Hell. Boy, did I ever miss the mark on that one. The thought of angels never once crossed my mind. But I’m glad they went that route because if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t have been any Castiel and that would have been a damned shame.
Let’s start with my worst fear - that Castiel will die in the attempt to stop Lucifer. In On the Head of a Pin, Uriel told Castiel that the only thing that could kill an angel was another angel. And Castiel is the only angel on the Winchesters’ side. The Show killed off Anna for wanting to ax Sam, and I somehow doubt Gabriel aka the Trickster will lift a finger to help the Winchesters. And Raphael? No, just no. If he ever crosses paths with Castiel, I think poor Cas will be in a world of hurt. Raphael doesn’t look like the sort to forgive and forget - no, he strikes me as a grudge holder. My guess is that he’s still upset about Castiel and Dean trapping him in a ring of holy fire.
I know I would be.
We know that Castiel has killed angels before - we saw him do it in Sympathy for the Devil. He even has a nice, shiny sword that will do the job. I don’t know where he got it - possibly from Anna, who knows - but he’s used it on several occasions this season. And it had been confirmed, in his confrontation with Anna in The Song Remains the Same, that his sword can kill angels. So, there you go.
And Lucifer, despite being all bad-ass and the father of all demons, is still an angel.
I always wondered if Castiel ever told Dean what Uriel said about killing angels. I don’t think he did. Maybe that information was classified? All I do know is that he only said that Dean’s plan to kill Lucifer was foolish, that it couldn’t be done (Good God, Y’All). And yet he followed along with their idea to use the Colt to stop Lucifer. Was that simply because he didn’t think it would do any good to argue with Dean? That Dean needed to do something no matter how futile or he’d lose focus? Or did he have another reason?
We may never know.
Another option, of course, would be that after all is said and done, Castiel would return to Heaven. But would the angels even allow him back? Well, sure, why not? According to Zachariah, they want a final showdown between Michael/Dean and Lucifer/Sam. If this is accomplished, or averted, will they let Castiel return home? I think they’d have to get rid of Zachariah and maybe a few other angels on his side first, but it’s one possibility, I must admit. Hail the conquering hero and all that.
Okay, wait a minute, you may say. What about Jimmy Novak, Castiel’s vessel? What would happen to him? I must admit that for a long time, at least since we learned in Sympathy for the Devil that Castiel had died and been brought back by forces unknown, I thought Jimmy Novak’s soul/body whatever went ‘poof’ when Castiel died and that Castiel was just using a recreated body that happens to look like Jimmy, much the same way Anna still looked like Anna after she regained her angelhood. My opinion changed a little after watching My Bloody Valentine. Is it possible that Jimmy is still alive in there and that’s what caused Castiel to crave red meat? Or is it just Jimmy’s body that craves it. After all, Castiel is a little neglectful of Jimmy’s needs. Remember how hungry Jimmy was in The Rapture? Poor guy.
You’ve been a bad angel, Castiel. Feed your damned vessel! Maybe then you wouldn’t have succumbed to Famine. Hmm… I wonder if this means that we’ll see Castiel sharing meals with the boys? I wouldn’t mind some ‘family’ dinners - just slow down, chew your food thoroughly and DON’T talk with your mouth full. Please. No one wants to see that.
If Castiel were to return to Heaven, he would no longer need his human host. And you know what? If this comes to pass, I’d like to see Jimmy - live and well - reunited with his family. He gave up a lot for the Cause and I think he deserves some sort of happy ending, don’t you?
The last option that I’m willing to consider is that Castiel will become human by the end of the season. Some people may argue that he’s already becoming human - he’s losing his angel mojo, isn’t he? Well, yes, Castiel has lost some of his powers - the ability to heal and cast out demons - and had others considerably weakened, namely his ability to time travel. He admitted that much in The Song Remains the Same.
That was quite the understatement, Cas, ol’ buddy. Tripping through time with Sam and Dean totally wiped your clock. You were out for the rest of the episode and still pretty gone by the end. Remember, say what you mean and mean what you say. Okay? Okay.
The loss or weakening of Castiel’s powers doesn’t necessarily mean he’s becoming human. He rebelled and is therefore cut off from Heaven’s powers. The powers he has that are affected - healing and casting out demons - probably rely heavily on his ability to tap into Heaven’s holy power. Time travel also proves difficult, probably because it is such a drain on him now - especially when transporting two people and himself. His angelic strength was drained quickly and without Heaven’s unlimited power, this proved a little too much for him. But once he recharges a little, he’ll be as good as new… or at least I hope he will be. Poor guy was out like a light at the end of that episode.
I must admit that I am torn about the idea of Castiel becoming human. While I’d love to see him travelling around with Sam and Dean, hunting, living life and loving it, the image of the Hippy!Castiel we saw in The End - a drugged out, sex crazed, bitter, hopeless shell of a man - still haunts me. I don’t ever want to see our beloved Cas fall that hard again. Whether they succeed in stopping Lucifer or not, that future is still a possibility because, let’s face it, life is hard and sometimes people lose hope and turn to whatever means at their disposal to deal with - or avoid dealing with - the so called real world.
Personally, I’m not thrilled with any of the above options probably because I love the character of Castiel and I feel that he adds a lot to the show - and I would be devastated if he were to leave. But if I had to choose, I’d want Castiel to return to Heaven so poor Jimmy could be reunited with his family. That way they would both get what they want and at least someone would get a happy ending.
Ultimately, Castiel’s fate is out of our hands and we can only wait to see what the Show has in store for us and him. Who knows, maybe the season will end on an entirely different note than the one I’m anticipating. Because, like I’ve already said, I’ve been wrong before.