Castiel In Supernatural

At the end of the third season of Supernatural, main character 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. He has brought Dean back from Hell, resurrecting 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.

In the episode "It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester", Castiel and the angel Uriel are prepared to destroy a town to prevent witches there from breaking another seal. Castiel later tells Dean that he finds humans to be "works of art", being creations of his Father, and that he was praying that Dean would choose to save the town even if it meant losing another seal. He confesses, in confidence, that he sometimes has doubt about distinguishing what is truly right and what is truly wrong any more.

Castiel returns with 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 a spell to send the angels away, though they manage to track them down later, having threatened Dean with Sam's life. Castiel chose not to deliver this message, as according to Uriel, he liked Dean too much. 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. Uriel admits that 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.

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 host, who claims to have little memory of his life as a vessel. Anna theorizes that 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 as his new vessel. After the demons are killed, a dying Jimmy begs Castiel to take him back as a host so that 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 that 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 that it will keep Sam safe. Later in the episode, Castiel releases Sam, who is on detox from Ruby's demon blood, from Bobby's demon bunker. 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 be see Sam, which is denied. Once Dean discovers that 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 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 that 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 that it may have been God's doing. After ordering Zachariah away, Castiel carves mystical symbols, 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 that he plans to find God. He borrows Dean's amulet, as it burns hot in God's presence, and departs.

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 that 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 that they are both targets of Heaven, but Castiel refuses. He later manages to free himself, but finds that 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.

When Sam and Dean are killed by vengeful hunters in "Dark Side of the Moon", Castiel—unable to return to Heaven—briefly communicates with the brothers. He tasks them with finding the Angel Joshua, who communicates directly to God. Although Joshua reveals that God is alive, he claims that He is apathetic to the Apocalypse; having saved the brothers and Castiel, God feels that 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".

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, Castiel finds him, and angrily attacks him for making Castiel's rebelling against heaven worthless. Later, he carves a banishing sigil into his own chest and activates in the presence of multiple angels in order to clear the way for Sam and Dean to attack Zachariah and save Adam. The effects of the sigil send him onto a fishing boat, now completely human. Despite his lack of power, he is able to defeat the Horseman Pestilence, and assists Bobby and Sam in preventing nationwide distribution of the Croatoan virus.

Lucifer kills Castiel in the fifth season finale, "Swan Song", for interfering in his destined confrontation with the Archangel Michael. After Sam and Dean manage to prevent the Apocalypse, however, God resurrects Castiel as an angel once more, implied to be stronger then ever. Believing Heaven to be in disarray now with Michael gone, he decides to return there to restore order.