There are several instantly memorable C's from Supernatural; Colt, Crossroads Demon, Chuck (Shurley) and Charlie (Bradbury) to name but four. But there really is only one choice for this retrospective. C is for Castiel.
Misha Collins plays the angel Castiel, who from almost the first moment he appeared in the opening episode of season 4 has been a huge favourite amongst Supernatural fans. He revealed himself as an angel of the Lord occupying a human vessel, that of Jimmy Novak, a married man with a daughter who was a devoted Christian and prayed to be used as a vessel to keep his family safe.
He rescues Dean from Hell and tells him that God has work for him. In doing so Cas' hand print is burnt onto Dean's shoulder, and at this moment the relationship between the two characters is formed, with Castiel eventually becoming an essential element in the Winchester's close circle of trusted confidants.
After Castiel broke his allegiance with Heaven he spent his time frequently helping Dean and his brother Sam in their many battles with various demons, and other angels. He has the ability to expel demons, heal humans and bring characters back from dead, very handy on a show like Supernatural.
Eventually Cas decided to try and find the long absent God to ask for his help in stopping the apocalypse. When he learns that God is not interested in intervening, he is devastated. Castiel enters an alliance with Crowley, the King of Hell, and together they find Purgatory. Cas takes in the souls of Purgatory and declares himself the new God.
As Cas goes mad and loses control of his body, the leviathans possessing his body take over. In the second episode of season 7, Hello, Cruel World, we see Castiel drown his vessel in a lake, his trench coat is found and he is presumed dead.
Later in that season Cas is found wandering naked in the woods near the lake with no memory of who he. He uses the name Emmanuel Allen and discovers he has a gift for healing. Dean hears about the wonder healer and is shocked to find out that it is Castiel. After confronting him he eventually regains his memories.
After helping Dean in killing Dick Roman, the leader of the leviathans, Cas and Dean are pulled into purgatory together. When Dean finally escapes he tells Sam that Cas didn't make it, however we later find out that Cas chose to stay in purgatory as his penance for his sins.
A faction of angels who are fighting for control of Heaven rescue Castiel and use him to keep an eye on the Winchesters. Cas escapes their control but is then tricked by the exiled angel Metatron. In the final episode of season 8, Sacrifice, Cas completes a ritual that banishes all angels from Heaven. Metatron then takes Castiel's Grace and leaves him human.
At the start of season 9 Castiel spends time living life as a human, working in a Gas-n-Sip store. It has given us some of the most interesting Castiel episodes so far. Cas has now manged to regain his Grace, and is back to healing and helping the Winchester Brothers.
Again, I know that's a very potted history of Castiel, but I hope you can see that he really is the third star of the show and I hope he remains front and centre in the seasons to come.
Previous entries
A is for Azazel
B is for Bobby
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