How Castiel Almost Ruined Supernatural
Castiel (Misha Collins) is, without a doubt, one of the most beloved characters on the CW's long-running series Supernatural. He's also one of the most powerful heroes in the Supernatural universe — as is the case with angels who decide to join forces with the universe-saving Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles). Through vampires hunts, demon alliances, and endless drama with the Winchesters, Castiel has been a welcome presence on the supernatural horror series since his season 4 debut.
While it's a Leviathan-sized understatement to say Castiel has been of value to the Winchesters — and the world, for good measure — he's also caused a lot of damage. In fact, some people would go as far as saying that Castiel almost ruined Supernatural. It hasn't all been smooth sailing for the man who's been rocking a tan trench coat since his first appearance, but such is the nature of a character who's battled it out for double-digit seasons.
Castiel isn't a perfect angel, and in the process of saving the world, things sometimes get messy. One of his biggest, say, unholy moments includes becoming a supercharged Castiel after absorbing all of the souls from purgatory. Although certainly not the most powerful Supernatural villain of all time, Castiel, corrupted by power, wasn't a good God.
He was only supposed to appear on a few episodes of Supernatural, but that changed when the show's cult following fell for him. His presence certainly could have changed the show for the worse — luckily, it worked out for the best.
Castiel changed the foundation of Supernatural
One of the biggest Cas complaints regarding how he almost ruined Supernatural is that he changed the dynamic of the series. The foundation of Supernatural is Sam and Dean, but it doesn't take long for Castiel to disrupt this fraternal dynamic. What fans need to remember is that Castiel didn't ruin the show — though he certainly could have.
In a Reddit thread entitled "Rant about Castiel," u/milesyeah points to bad writing as another potential Castiel issue.
"I only started watching Supernatural recently and Castiel is my favourite character (then Dean because he's a cantankerous SOB and I say that lovingly) but I think from season 7 onwards, the writers really did Castiel and the actor a disservice," they wrote. "The fine line between this immeasurable being poignantly and sweetly clueless about humans and being useless and dopey for laughs is crossed too many times IMO. The writers also nerfed him too many times to make Dean and Sam the heroes rather utilising the character of Castiel and the actor's range appropriately. Misha Collins is such a good actor and I think he's been shamefully neglected by the writers."
Of course not everyone agreed, and many users responded by saying they like how Cas has become more human and emotionally driven. The Winchesters also needed a sidekick. His presence adds to the story, and he's become like family to the boys, and vice versa. But Cas wasn't supposed to be around forever, as another user noted, "Writers didn't know how to write Castiel half the time because he overstayed his narrative goal. In the latter seasons, they either force a role for him and it sucks, but occasionally they will come up with a brilliant and organic narrative that helps him shine. Same thing happened to Crowley."
This user has a point. Collins originally only signed on for a three-episode arc. While fans are right to point out that he changed the foundation of the show, which certainly could have ruined the series, Castiel's mainstay status has been a welcome outcome. That's why we're ultimately happy that everyone's favorite angel, who might as well be a Winchester, has managed to make it to the end of Supernatural.