Over the years, if there is anything that Supernatural has taught us, it is that the cult show is not just about the brothers fighting monsters, neither is it about angels and demons, the devil or even God. The core story underlining the series has always been about relationships, friendship, and family. One of the most endearing friendships on Supernatural has been that between Dean Winchester and Castiel, an angel of the Lord.
While Destiel has become iconic, and no one argues that Dean and Castiel are fond of each other, it might be time to look at a few reasons why the two may not be as great friends as they are made out to be. Instead, what they have is a layered relationship— far from healthy, but much more complex than mere friendship.
More Than Friends, Cas Seems Fascinated By Dean
Okay, let’s get this one out of the way first. Castiel does seem to have some kind of infatuation with Dean. But this does not have to have sexual undertones. It could be a simple case of asexual fascination.
After all, when we first meet Cas at the beginning of season 4, he is a powerful angel, devoid of human emotions. But straight away he seems taken with Dean, quite possibly because he saved him from hell in the first place. He gradually starts developing human sentiments and Dean is probably the first person who invokes these senses in him. He is fascinated by this human he saved and who for him personifies all that is good, interesting, and maybe foolish, about humankind.
Cas Probably Saw Dean As A Leader
Castiel rebelled against heaven when he realized that God seemed to be on a permanent vacation and that the angels had taken over heaven. He started having doubts about the leadership and began to feel cast out.
Right around this time, Cas needed direction. As an angel, he had been used to instructions and following orders without questioning them, but now for the first time, he was on his own. At this juncture, tough-guy Dean might have seemed like a good option for a leader, a kind of surrogate God for Cas. After all, one of Cas’s biggest qualities is his loyalty, so he might have wanted to put that to good use.
Cas Thinks Of Himself More As A Guardian Than A Friend
This might contradict the last point a bit, but since we are throwing out ideas here, this one seems as good as any. In season 6, episode 20, Cas tells the audience how he thinks of himself as a guardian for the Winchesters.
If this is right, then perhaps Castiel feels responsible in some way for a lot of their misery. After all, it was the angels that went rogue and wanted to bring about the apocalypse which led to Sam being trapped in Lucifer’s cage, his coming back without a soul, and pretty much all that happened since.
Cas Colluded With Crowley Keeping Dean In The Dark
All through season 6, Castiel worked with the demon Crowley to open the gates of purgatory so that Cas could bring down Raphael and stop the apocalypse from rebooting.
But the point is that Cas kept Dean in the dark the entire time that he and Crowley worked together. Straightaway he chose Crowley over Dean. Now, but had they been true friends, Cas might have felt more comfortable talking to him. It’s true he kept them safe even while he tricked them, but his collusion with Crowley led to the entire season with the Leviathans, and Dean and Sam had to clean up his mess, with Dean finally getting stuck in purgatory itself. Now, that is not friendship!
Dean And Castiel Are Always Keeping Secrets From One Another
This is one of the few things about the show that gets tedious at times—people don’t talk! They go and come back from hell, they get stuck in purgatory, they drink demon blood, they lose their loved ones all the time, but they still don’t frigging talk to each other!
Dean and Castiel, just like Dean and Sam, keep secrets from each other all the time. They do it because they believe they are somehow shielding the other person and because they think they can take care of something of their own. But they don’t. Now, real friends keep each other’s secrets, not secrets from each other!
Castiel Doesn't Accompany Sam and Dean Often Enough
We see Castiel lumbering along on his own a lot. True, he has his whole I-am-from-heaven thing going and he does need to keep in touch with his heavenly colleagues. This, we understand, is something he has to do on his own.
But why is he out hunting on his own so much of the time? Why can’t he simply be at the back of the Impala with the Winchesters instead of being mostly absent from their lives and only checking in when there is some trouble brewing? If he and Dean were close friends, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to stick together, especially with Lucifer, and now God on their tail?
Dean Came Back Alone From Purgatory
Castiel did not accompany Dean back from purgatory. It’s a little ambiguous but can probably be that he felt guilty for having started opened purgatory in the first place. But, whatever he felt, he did not come back with Dean and the latter, while he was not okay with it, did not seem as upset as he should have been about leaving his friend alone in that dark, dark world.
Dean took the vampire Benny’s help and came back from purgatory without Castiel. As usual, he chose not to talk to Sam about why Cas was not with him, or where he was. This does not seem very friendly now, does it?
Dean Did Not Reach Out To Castiel After Mary Died
When Jack accidentally killed Mary, Dean had every right to lose it with Cas, who had known about Jack’s unstable powers, but in true Supernatural style, chose not to tell the brothers.
But what broke our hearts was when Dean did not stop Cas from leaving, neither did he try to reach out afterwards. For two people who share such a profound bond, it might have made sense for Dean to have reached out to him eventually, at least. However, Dean did forgive him finally and the two have gone back to their complex, co-dependent relationship.
Meeting Dean Hasn’t Been All That Great For Cas
Let’s face it. Meeting Dean and having him in his life wasn’t really the best thing that happened to Cas. Objectively speaking, he had been a very powerful angel who had done God’s —or so he thought—bidding for the longest time, hung out in heaven and been untouched by all the pain and massacre happening on the earth.
Now, he is almost human and has to contend with the horrors of the human way of life. Although he is happy to feel certain emotions, being more human actually makes him an easier target.
Castiel Cannot Really Feel All Human Emotions
Speaking of emotions, Cas might be much more human now, but he is still not able to feel most things. He understands and appreciates it. He also knows what it is to feel them himself, for there was a time when he had lost his mojo completely and simply become human.
However, without actual feelings, it’s hard to say whether he feels real friendship for Dean. He does see him as a comrade in arms, and is, of course, very fond of him. They have been through a lot together that helped forge a deep bond between them but that might not necessarily translate into true emotions of friendship, at least for Cas.