As Castiel’s character has developed over his 12 years on Supernatural, he has become a symbol of courage and free will. This has manifested some pretty powerful scenes and inspirational quotes which will stick with us forever. But how did this fallen angel in a trenchcoat become so extraordinary?
The concept of free will was initially foreign to Castiel, however he soon learned how to think and act for himself through Sam and Dean. Then, quite ironically, in the teen-seasons Castiel took over the responsibility of being the shining light of free will, returning the favour and encouraging Sam and Dean to keep fighting, even throughout Season 15 when the boys felt helpless, as God was controlling almost every aspect of their lives. Castiel went from an obedient believer in the greater plan, to becoming the expert and ambassador for free will on the show, even sometimes being too passionate to the point of disaster when his ideas backfired. Despite making mistakes, the angel continues to believe in making his own choices and following his gut.
Through his evolution on the first half of his Supernatural story, he goes from being a soldier of Heaven, to an outcast, to a brutal leader, to a misfit searching for redemption, to a powerless human, to becoming a regular angel again. All of these mistakes and changes allowed Castiel to engineer his own personality and moral compass for the final third act of the series. In the final seasons, Castiel shows remorse for his passed sins, recognises his own weaknesses and creates more meaningful relationships outside of Sam and Dean, like Hannah, Claire, Mary and Jack.
Season 10’s “The Things We Left Behind” is a big Castiel-centric episode whereby Castiel decides to re-visit his past and attempt to do some good for some of the people he has hurt. Claire Novak, the daughter of Castiel’s vessel, Jimmy, pretty much had her life ruined by the angel when he possessed her father’s body, tossing her into foster care. In this episode, Castiel attempts to help Claire in any way that he can, preventing her from going down a dangerous path. Reuniting with Claire is a big turning point for Castiel because it’s the first time we see him being involved with something personal, not related to saving the world or restoring Heaven. It encourages the idea that Castiel is following his heart more and refusing to conform to expectations of leadership.
In one memorable scene, Claire remarks on how Castiel has “changed” since he first took her father’s body, and that he used to be “stuck up and a dick” but is “nicer” now. Castiel reveals that over the years he has found that the righteous path that he spent so long believing and following was not real, and that actually it was just “people trying to do their best in a world where it’s far too easy to do your worst“. This is reference to his past good intentions that caused more harm than good, but that he’s beginning to understand and accept that everyone makes mistakes, and has moved on from his own.
He has a beautiful arc from this point onwards, transforming from a logical, narrow mindset where there is only black and white, wrong and right, good and evil, to the Castiel who understands nuance and the delicacy and humanity of characters like witch Rowena for instance, or soulless Jack. Reintroducing Claire to the show, although she definitely becomes closer to Sam and Dean than Castiel in the following seasons, really paved the way for a more caring, compassionate and sensitive Castiel, and it allowed him to openly be himself and to keep fighting for that freedom.
For me, Castiel became the most inspirational figure on the show in the closing few seasons of Supernatural and it would be hard to pinpoint just one single moment where his words inspired and motivated me the most.
In these final seasons, Castiel feels more layered and genuine, and these were the moments where he makes choices and realisations based on what he truly wants, and he develops his own opinions on his sense of self, the universe, right and wrong, and love and happiness. These actions and decisions feel the most honest and humble of Castiel’s story, and his character feels more true and secure of himself, and less likely to be influenced by what other people expect from him, even Sam and Dean. He goes to the ends of the Earth to protect and help Jack, regardless of what Sam and Dean think, because he truly believes in him and this relationship in particular diversifies and adds depth to his character.
A huge influence on Castiel’s personal choices and his closeness with Sam and Dean came with the birth of Jack. Castiel becomes more of the family through Jack, and subsequently he connects even deeper with Sam and Dean through this shared fatherhood. The whole existence of Jack re-encourages the importance and power of free will over destiny or what society thinks of you.
Initially, the majority of characters believed Jack was destined to destroy the world just because he was Lucifer’s son, and was very powerful, even sometimes being described as an “abomination” as human-angel offspring is frowned upon. Castiel himself even holds this belief at first but is quickly reminded of his own values, and is convinced of Jack’s potential to be good after feeling Jack’s power. It’s in Castiel’s open and trusting nature to give Jack a chance to make his own choices, which ultimately leads to Jack saving the universe from God himself. This shows that following your heart and believing that people can be good really triumphs over following others just because it’s easier.
One scene which really, really sticks out in my memory as hands down the best Castiel and Jack moment, is during Season 14 when Jack struggles to come to terms with the loss of his powers and being human, and Castiel comforts him. An example of something that has always been so wonderfully strange about Supernatural; despite Castiel and Jack talking about magical, fantastical, fictional concepts in a science-fiction story, the words still resonated heavily with me.
In 14.02 “Gods and Monsters”, Jack feels alone and helpless and like no one understands what he is going through. These dark feelings of loneliness and uselessness is something we have all experienced, but in this scene Castiel describes Jack mourning the loss of his powers as “wasteful” and says that it “might be smarter to focus on what you still have”. This kind of optimism is amazing and it definitely encouraged me to look on the bright side of any crappy situation, the use of the word “smarter” implying that thinking positively is mentally healthier.
In this scene, Castiel also recalls his short time as a human to show Jack that he isn’t alone, that he had also once thought he had lost “everything”. When Jack asks what Castiel had left when he lost his grace, Castiel states “I had myself.” It was this particular line that really hit me, and I can remember watching it for the first time and just being so inspired, and so empowered by my own inner strength. There is so much self-love, and independence, and confidence in Castiel’s words here.
Castiel helped me realise that, even when you feel hopeless and like you have no one, you will always have yourself, someone you can always rely on. Like Jack, if you lose family, friends, skills or achievements, that does not take away from your worth. This quote gives ourselves and our choices so much strength, despite the world or God trying to control us.
“The past and where you came from, that’s important but it is not as important as the future and where you’re going,”
The scene finishes with these words from Castiel, looking to the future and providing hope for Jack. This whole scene is emotional and impactful, and the closing line encourages courage, persistence and to keep going and looking ahead, regardless of your past, which is something Castiel is an expert at.
Castiel’s famous final scene can not go unmentioned, considering how it literally blew up the internet, as well as airing during a time that has been really tough on so many people. To save Dean in 15.18 “Despair”, Castiel sacrifices himself by luring The Empty, a cosmic entity who had made a deal with Castiel in Season 14; in exchange for Jack’s life, Castiel would be taken by The Empty when he experienced true happiness.
At first, Castiel believed he could never experience this type of happiness because he states “the one thing I want, it’s something I know I can’t have”, but he then realises something which gave me so much strength in such a dark time – “Happiness isn’t in the having.” I will be the first one to admit that I have struggled just being happy this year, without living with many of the things that make me who I am, without travelling or dancing or hugging my nan, and so Castiel’s declaration of love and words on peace and happiness truly affected me.
It’s very easy to get angry and blame the world, or external factors, for your circumstances, especially in the year 2020. I’ve also been guilty of saying to myself; ‘when I reach this goal’ or ‘when I achieve this’, or ‘when the world gets back to normal’, ‘then I will be happy’. We all get caught sometimes tying our happiness solely on what we have, on someone or something, and putting pressure on those things to determine our inner feelings is, quite frankly, ridiculous and unrealistic.
Castiel is guilty of this too, because he implies in his final scene that he never thought he could be happy without having Dean’s love. However, he makes the realisation that he can still be happy. He can still love openly, kindly, shamelessly and without expectations of returning affections. Quite passionately, loving Dean Winchester is enough. His iconic line; “Happiness isn’t in the having. It’s in just being, it’s in just saying it,” have been lasered into my brain because of how truly inspiring they felt when I watched that scene.
Castiel holds so much strength here, because, in-keeping with his character’s heavy focus on free will, he is taking control of his own life, of his own emotions, and simply deciding to be happy, regardless of his situation. Like how he explains to Jack in Season 14, he is relying on himself, because he knows and understands the strength that he, and his thoughts and emotions, really have.
In a world right now where almost everything is restricted and monitored, I have had low moments where I haven’t felt in control of anything – weak and vulnerable to the things and people around me. So, watching Castiel literally make himself happy by pure will power, and by loving shamelessly and being true to himself, gave me so much courage. It makes me feel like I too have the strength to get to that blissful place and to be at peace with life.
His character has left a legacy like no other, and we will never forget it ♥
Supernatural Fan No. 12949162 