Ishim was a powerful angel and flight commander Castiel once served under.
History[]
20th Century[]
Ishim was the commander of a flight of angels consisting of himself, Benjamin, Mirabel, Castiel and two unnamed angels. During Lily Sunder's study into angels, she discovered a spell to summon one and ended up summoning Ishim. Ishim became obsessed with Lily who he believed he fell in love with and shared with her all of the angels secrets for her research. Eventually, Lily began to fear Ishim and married the angel Akobel for protection.
Feeling that Lily left him for Akobel and desiring revenge, Ishim called upon his flight to get revenge, claiming that Lily's daughter May was a Nephilim she had conceived with Akobel. The angels confronted Akobel and killed him, then Ishim went into the house alone, claiming to want to kill the Nephilim by himself. Instead, Ishim confronted Lily about her leaving him and murdered May as punishment. Ishim would later claim he spared Lily out of mercy and that he cut out his humanity when he murdered May.
21st Century[]
Like all angels, Ishim was affected by the Fall and lost his wings and ability to teleport. Ishim also grew to have a dim view of Castiel because of the sacrifices other angels were forced to endure for Castiel's deeds.
In the years following the Fall, two angels from Ishim's flight are murdered by Lily Sunder who seeks revenge using the Enochian magic her studies taught her. Ishim decides not to tell Castiel, believing that he wouldn't care. However, after Lily murders Benjamin in 2017, Ishim calls a meeting with Castiel in a diner where he and Mirabel inform Castiel of the situation. Ishim is disgusted when Sam and Dean Winchester show up, having a dim view of humanity. Ishim sends Mirabel to check the alley behind the diner and expresses his disgust with how far Castiel has fallen before ordering him to leave the Winchesters and meet him at a nearby safe house.
Outside, Ishim finds Mirabel dead and is attacked by Lily who scores a deep angel blade wound in Ishim's side. Ishim attempts to smite Lily, but she is immune and tells Ishim that she is not as powerless as she once was. Ishim and Lily fight before Castiel arrives and wounds Lily. When the Winchesters intervene, Lily blinds everyone with a blast of white light and escapes.
Retreating to Ishim's safe house in a nearby church, Ishim is unable to heal his wound and refuses Castiel's offer of healing. Despite Ishim telling Castiel that he doesn't owe the Winchesters any explanation, Castiel tells them what he believes happened the day of Akobel's murder. Ishim explains who Lily is and claims she made a demonic pact for her immortality and powers. Ishim watches as the Winchesters argue with Castiel over trying to talk Lily out of her revenge instead of killing her and concurs with Castiel's assessment that it won't work, knowing the true reason Lily wants revenge.
As Castiel heals Ishim's injury, Ishim tells him that the truth is, angels aren't dangerous to humans, humans are dangerous to angels. Castiel is able to heal Ishim, but doing so leaves him weak while Ishim feels better than he has in a millennium. Ishim is amused when Castiel can't find his cell phone and promises that Castiel will soon feel better.
A short time later, Dean returns and tells Castiel the truth about what Ishim did, having found out from Lily. Castiel confronts Ishim who attempts to lie, claiming that Lily had been lying as she's human. Dean sees through Ishim's lies while Castiel realizes that Dean is right since his words are bothering Ishim so much. Ishim finally admits that Dean is right and as he advances on Castiel, Dean draws an angel blade and attempts to attack Ishim who telekinetically throws Dean into a wall. Ishim then beats on the weakened Castiel who is no match for him, taunting that he once envied Castiel and will cure him of his humanity by cutting it out. Drawing an angel blade, Ishim turns his attention to Dean who has drawn an angel banishing sigil on the wall and threatens to activate it. However, Ishim warns Dean that he'll survive while Castiel in his weakened state, will likely not survive a banishing and Dean backs down.
At that moment, Lily and Sam arrive, armed with angel blades and Lily and Ishim engage in battle. Dean and Sam attempt to help Lily, injuring Ishim in the arm and leg, but he easily defeats them. Lily then uses her Enochian magic to pin Ishim to a wall, but he tells Lily "you can't hold me forever", pushes through it and advances on Lily. As Ishim goes to kill Lily, Castiel stabs him through the back with his angel blade, killing Ishim. Castiel then tells Lily she held Ishim for long enough.
Following Ishim's death, Lily stands over his body and the imprint of Ishim's broken wings burned into the floor of the church. The Winchesters question whether or not Ishim dying will be enough to satisfy Lily, but she isn't sure as revenge is all she's had for over a hundred years.
Powers and Abilities[]
As a Garrison Captain, Ishim was a quite powerful angel.
- Angelic Possession - Like all other angels, he required a vessel to walk the Earth and their permission to do so.
- Immortality - As an angel, Ishim was immortal. He was able to keep a vessel for over a hundred years without the vessel aging.
- Telepathy - Ishim was able to hear Benjamin's call for help on "angel radio" and communicate with Castiel.
- Super Strength - As an angel, he was stronger than humans, monsters and most demons. He could beat up Castiel, a powerful Seraph with ease, albeit while Castiel was weakened at the time. In a three-on-one battle against the Winchesters and Lily Sunder, Ishim had the upper hand completely.
- Supernatural Perception - Ishim, like all angels, can perceive angels through their vessels.
- Telekinesis - Ishim is able to move things with his mind, easily holding Lily Sunder back in 1901 and flinging Dean Winchester across a room in 2017.
- Smiting - As an angel, Ishim is capable of smiting other beings.
- Invulnerability - As an angel, he is invulnerable to most forms of harm. Being slashed with angel blades barely caused Ishim to flinch and he easily shook off a head-butt from Castiel, a weakened Seraph.
- Immunity - Ishim was able to fight through Lily Sunder's telekinesis with little effort.
Weaknesses[]
Ishim possessed all the weaknesses of an angel.
- Angel banishing sigil - As an angel, Ishim could be banished by the sigil.
- Angel Blades - Ishim could be killed by an angel blade.
- Enochian Magic - Without his wings, Ishim could be restrained by Enochian Magic.
Death[]
Killed By[]
As Ishim approached Lily Sunder to kill her following the exposure of his crimes, Castiel came up behind Ishim and stabbed him through the back with an angel blade, killing him.
Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- Ishim and Benjamin are the first angels to have the imprint of their wings, albeit broken, burned into the ground since season 9.
- For the majority of Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets, Ishim seems to be the good guy, albeit a jerk, but turns out to be the bad guy in a surprise twist.
- When meeting with Castiel in the diner, Ishim comments that he prefers Castiel's female vessel over his current male vessel.
- From Ishim's comments, before Castiel healed him, Ishim was not at full strength for over a thousand years for an unknown reason. After being healed, Ishim regained his full strength, something that left Castiel weak and Ishim ecstatic.
- Actor Ian Tracey previously portrayed Lee Chambers in season 7 episode Adventures in Babysitting.
- Lily Sunder called Ishim "a big man in Heaven" who had a lot to lose if the truth about the murders of Akobel and May got out.
Lore[]
In lore, Ishim, however, refers as a separated class of angels. In Judaism, the Ishim (Heb. אִישִׁים - "men", "personages", "personalities", "individuals") or Eshim (אֵשִׁים - "fires", "flames", "sparks") are a class of angels said to be the closest to humanity's affairs. They are composed of fire and snow, and are described as "the beautiful souls of just men" who reside in Makon, the 5th Heaven.
Since the dawn of Creation, the Ishim primarily exist to extol and praise the glory of the Lord, a function that is much similar to that of the Song-Uttering Choirs. In the Zohar, the Ishim are usually ranked as 10th in the Jewish angelic hierarchy, although Giovanni Mirandola's Kabbalistic interpretations rank them as ninth and the treatise Berit Menuchah ranks them as sixth. The Ishim are also comparable with the Erelim or the Bene Elim/Bene Elohim, both of whom are a part of the order of Thrones or Angels. The leader of the Ishim in the Zohar is said to be either Azazel or Zephaniah, but as they are incarnations of the tenth sephirah Malkuth, the Ishim are often reputed to be governed by Sandalphon (or sometimes Metatron).
See also[]
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