Castiel

Castiel is an angel of the Lord who was ordered to pull Dean Winchester out of Hell and help him with his mission to stop Lilith from breaking the 66 Seals that would release Lucifer. He seems to be very mysterious and introspective about his assignment from God. In "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester", Castiel revealed to Dean that his directives are to take orders from Dean himself. Sam Winchester was initially in awe of Castiel, for which he is instantly snubbed as being exposed by Castiel by having demon blood and for using his abilities which are strictly forbidden due to their demonic origins.

Castiel appears to be impervious and resistant to all know forms of spells and hexes, as he effortlessly passed by all the seals that Dean and Bobby Singer scribed inside the warehouse where they all formally met (seen in the attached picture). The human vessel he chooses to inhabit is named Jimmy Novak.

Dean bears a handprint, or the "Mark of Castiel," on his shoulder as a verification and reminder that Castiel physically pulled him out of Hell. In "Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester", Castiel threatened to put Dean back if he doesn't aggressively proceed in his mission to prevent the release of Lucifer. The validity of this threat is unsubstantiated as he revealed that his mission is to follow Dean's orders; more than likely a psychological tactic to motivate Dean.

Although he is an angel, Castiel has admitted certain limitations to his abilities while on Earth. His signature power appears to be instant teleportation, as he is able move effortlessly from one point to the other in the blink of an eye.

Castiel's physical appearance seems to be that of an average human male who is returning from a hard day's work in an office environment. He sports a pair of dress shoes, dress slacks, unbuttoned white-stripped dress shirt, and loosened necktie accentuated by a beige trenchcoat. Although he has a very dire demeanor, his outward appearance radiates a natural calm and serenity, which makes conversation easy and direct.

Castiel and his fellow angel Uriel make mention of a conversation (which is reminiscent of dialogue in the movie The Prophecy starring Christopher Walken and Eric Stoltz) in relating God's relationship to mankind and the majority of the angelic population being very jealous of humans' ability of free will, as they were considering destroying a town in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester".

In folklore, Castiel is the Angel of Thursday, possibly chosen to be a character in Supernatural because it airs on Thursday nights.

Unlike most angels seen in the show, Castiel is interested in humans and is fascinated by the aspects of humanity, such as free will, while other angels like Uriel or Lucifer look at humanity as inferior or with contempt. Castiel also has a respect for God that many other angels in the show don't seem to show, possibly due to the fact that none of them has seen or heard from God in so long and they feel they have been abandoned. Castiel admitted that while he sometimes questions his orders, he will always follow his Father.

Older angels look at Castiel's interest in humans and faith in God has an unhealthy interest and naive belief. Anna Milton called him a hypocrite for believing he could help humans and serve God at the same time when he refused to rebel in order to gain more freedom. Lucifer was disturbed when Castiel showed more concern for his failing vessel than any reaction to the sight of the fallen archangel himself. Lucifer attempted to convert Castiel to his side, saying he would be a target of hate among the other angels and his Father because of his actions; Castiel responded that while he may have deviated from traditional angel behavior, he would rather die than betray his Father and become what Lucifer was.

Additionally, Castiel is fairly young by angelic standards, though he claims to have met the prophet Luke who was apparently no better than Chuck Shurley in lifestyle and personality. Discussions with Uriel suggest the pair were children by angel standards when Lucifer instigated the first War in Heaven. While Uriel was instantly enthralled by Lucifer's power and charisma, Castiel remembered being frightened and disturbed by the rogue angel.

Season Four
When Dean Winchester broke the first of the 66 Seals that would allow Lucifer to walk free, the angels took action. They fought their way to Hell and Castiel freed Dean from the pit. Dean awoke in a grave and made his way to the surface, not knowing how he had been resurrected; the only clue he had was a large imprint of a hand near his shoulder. After reuniting with Bobby Singer and Sam Winchester, Dean tried to learn what had rescued him from Hell. He set a trap for the creature and protected himself and Bobby with multiple Devil's Traps and other anti-demon devices. Castiel arrived and the hunters shot at him as he passed through the Devil's Traps with ease. Castiel quickly knocked out Bobby with a mere touch and Dean stabbed him with Ruby's knife but it had no effect. Castiel explained who he was to Dean and that God has work for him.

After people who were supposed to be dead seemed to be rising from the grave, Castiel appeared to Dean and explained to him that this was one of the 66 Seals, "The Rising of the Witnesses." Castiel told him that Lilith was attempting to break 66 of the seals which would lead to Lucifer walking free on Earth and then the Apocalypse would begin. The angels had been fighting to stop the demons, but the odds were against them. He explained to Dean that he must help stop the breaking of the seals as well.

One day, when Dean was asleep, he woke up to find Castiel sitting beside him. Castiel, without speaking, tapped Dean and brought him back in time to an important few-day period. It showed Dean the connection between Azazel and Mary Winchester, and answered questions that had always been on his mind. Castiel said that the reason he had brought Dean back to that period was to make sure that he was caught up with all of the facts. He also explained that the angels are still unaware of Azazel's endgame. Castiel also told Dean about Sam's developing abilities and that he was going too far down a dark path and that if Sam did not stop using his powers, then the angels would kill him.

Sometime later, Castiel and his partner Uriel met with the Winchesters when they were in the middle of hunting a witch. The angels explained that the witch was trying to summon the demon Samhain from Hell and that this was another one of the 66 Seals. The angels said that they would have to destroy the entire town and all of its residents to ensure that the seal would not be broken. The brothers argued against this and assured Castiel and Uriel that they could stop the witch from summoning Samhain. Unfortunately, they failed and Samhain rose, breaking another seal.

When the angels learned that a woman named Anna Milton could listen in on angel's conversations, they grew worried. If the demons were able to get to her before them, the demons would know everything that the angels were planning. But Castiel knew the truth: Anna had once been an angel, a superior to him, who disobeyed. She cut out her Grace and fell to Earth, where she was reborn as a human. Castiel and Uriel knew though that the only way to ensure the safety of their plans were to kill Anna. While Castiel was hesitant about this, Uriel enforced the idea that it was absolutely necessary. Castiel and Uriel found Anna along with the Winchesters. The angels ordered Sam and Dean to hand over Anna, but they refused. The angels attacked them and almost retrieved Anna, but were sent away by a ritual Anna performed. They later were able to find Anna with the Winchesters again, but soon discovered that they had been led into a trap when Alastair arrived with a group of demons. The angels and demons fought over who would take Anna and the battle ended when Anna retrieved her Grace and vanished.

When Alastair tried to break another seal by killing two Reapers on the night of the Solstice, Castiel managed to capture him. The angels held Alastair captive and when seven angels had mysteriously been killed, Castiel assumed that demons were behind the attacks. He and Uriel recruited Dean to interrogate the demon. During the interrogation, Anna returned and spoke with Castiel. She told him that she knew how he was feeling and that he was beginning to develop human emotions. Castiel refused to believe this and yelled at her, causing her to leave. Shortly after, the Devil's Trap Castiel had made to hold Alastair somehow malfunctioned and Alastair nearly killed Dean. Castiel fought the demon but was almost defeated when Sam came to his rescue, using his psychic powers to kill Alastair. While visiting Dean at the hospital, Sam criticized Castiel for being so cold-hearted as to risking Dean's life. This sunk into Castiel's head and he went to Anna for help, telling her he needed to know what to do; she told him it was time for him to decide on his own for once. Castiel investigated the broken Devil's Trap further and learned that it was Uriel who was behind the malfunctioning Devil's Trap and the angel killings. Uriel reminded Castiel of the times when Lucifer was one of the greatest angels and also spoke about how God isn't doing anything and they must follow someone who would. Castiel refused and the two angels fought. They were evenly matched until Anna arrived and killed Uriel. Castiel then went to Dean and confirmed that Dean was responsible for breaking the first seal by giving in to Alastair's torture. Dean begged Castiel to find someone else because he wasn't fit to stop the Apocalypse.

Castiel later appeared when Dean interrogated Chuck Shurley, who was writing a book series based on the Winchester brothers, explaining that Chuck was a Prophet of the Lord. When Dean asked him for help in saving Sam from Lilith, Castiel was initially hesitant to help, but dropped him a hint by telling him that Prophets are protected by archangels, and that if a Prophet is in the same room with a demon, then the archangel will descend to smite the demon.

Castiel then came to Dean while he was dreaming and told him to meet him at a certain location, saying that he has something to tell them. But when Dean and Sam arrived, they found him unconscious in a wrecked building with dead demons. When he awoke, the brothers found that Castiel had abandoned his vessel, Jimmy Novak, who describes being possessed by Castiel was like "being chained to a comet." When Dean, Sam, Jimmy and Jimmy's daughter Claire are being held hostage by demons, Jimmy was shot and Castiel returned to possess Claire and helped save them all. While Castiel tried to comfort a dying Jimmy, Jimmy pleaded with Castiel to take him back as a host and Castiel accepted. When Dean asked Castiel what happened, he replied, "I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean. I serve Heaven; I don't serve Man. And I certainly don't serve you."

Season Five
After witnessing the release of Lucifer from Hell, Dean and Sam go to Chuck's house to find Castiel. There they are told by Chuck that the archangel smote Castiel; they even find one of his teeth tangled in Chuck's hair. Later, when the Winchesters are trying to track down Michael's sword in their father's old storage unit, Zachariah and his angels arrive to inform Dean that he is Michael's sword—in other words, Michael's vessel. When Dean refused to give his consent for Michael to possess his body, Zachariah started inflicting various kinds of physical pain on him and Sam (breaking Sam's legs and removing his lungs, and giving Dean stage-four stomach cancer), all the while refusing to kill them. Castiel then miraculously appeared and dispatched Zachariah's men, then forced Zachariah to heal the Winchesters and leave. He then used his powers to carve Enochian Sigils on their ribs, keeping them hidden from all demons and angels, including Lucifer.

Family

 * God (Father)
 * Zachariah (Superior/Teacher)
 * Other Angels (Brethren)
 * Anna and Uriel (Same garrison)
 * Jimmy Novak (Vessel)
 * Claire Novak  (Temporary Vessel)

Powers
As an Angel of the Lord, Castiel has many supernatural abilities. He was able to pull Dean out of Hell, leaving his mark upon him. He appears to be able to teleport himself and others. He is immune to almost every known way to kill the supernatural. He was able to send Dean back in time to when his parents John and Mary first encountered Azazel. He has super strength but was unable to match either Alastair or Uriel. He can also possess humans like demons can, but only with the human's permission, and extract demons from their host. Also like demons, angels appear to have telekinetic capabilities. Angels are immune to all human diseases. Castiel states that after his resurrection, he lost some of Heaven's power, so he was unable to heal Bobby.


 * Super strength (After Castiel's resurrection, his strength decreased dramatically.)
 * Invulnerability
 * Telekinesis
 * Telepathy
 * Teleportation (Signature move)
 * Time travel
 * Angelic possession
 * Magical knowledge (Spell, symbols, rituals)
 * Exorcism touch
 * Voice Piercing (His true voice is piercing to the human ear and only certain people can hear him properly this way or so he claims.)

Season 4

 * "Lazarus Rising"
 * "Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester"
 * "In The Beginning"
 * "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester"
 * "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
 * "Heaven and Hell"
 * "Death Takes a Holiday"
 * "On the Head of a Pin"
 * "The Monster at the End of This Book"
 * "The Rapture"
 * "When the Levee Breaks"
 * "Lucifer Rising"

Season 5

 * "Sympathy for the Devil"
 * "Good God, Y'all"
 * "Free to Be You and Me"
 * "The End"
 * "I Believe the Children Are Our Future"
 * "Changing Channels"
 * "Abandon All Hope..."
 * "The Song Remains the Same"
 * "My Bloody Valentine"
 * "Dark Side of the Moon"
 * "99 Problems"