Introduced in season 4 of Supernatural, Castiel quickly became a fan-favorite. His role was initially supposed to be much shorter than the series regular it became - so much so that actor, Misha Collins, who plays Castiel, did the deep voice for the character in the mindset that it was only for a short time. Collins has gone on to say that if he had known that his character would become so popular, he never would have done it because it hurts his throat.
While Misha may have a superpower when it comes to changing his voice, the character of Castiel has a laundry list of abilities. As if being an angel wasn't cool enough, Castiel is capable of some pretty awesome stuff - from teleporting to regeneration, and everything in between. Over the series' run, Castiel's powers have been heightened to god-like abilities and taken away, leaving him mortal. We won't dwell on the powerless times, however. Castiel may, for the most part, be quiet and reserved, but this doesn't mean that he hides from a fight.
Castiel has delivered some of the toughest blows on the show using his ethereal abilities. In fact, Supernatural's Castiel could probably beat Marvel's Thanos in a battle if there was ever a crossover.
With that said, here are the 20 Crazy Details About Castiel's Vessel.
He Can Dreamwalk
Now, this would be a cool power to have. In season 4 episode 2, we saw Castiel's "dream walking" for the first time. He appears in Dean's dream to warn him about Lilith and the breaking of seals.
This ability allows Castiel to enter the dreams of anyone he wants.
While in the dreams, he can simply observe, interact, fully control them, and even travel to other realms. Castiel is not the only supernatural being with this power. Other angels and some demons possess it as well. Lucifer often used this power to manipulate humans, including Sam Winchester. Castiel primarily uses this power to communicate with Dean when doing so in the open is too risky.
He Can Smite Someone Using His Palm
As an angel, Castiel has the ability to smite any being with a single touch. Castiel simply places the palm of his hand on whomever he wants to smite. The being's face is filled with light, with light emanating from their eye sockets. This light liquefies the being's insides. Yes, it's rather gnarly. Castiel most often smites demons, though he has also used this ability on vampires, angels, and even a monster in purgatory.
Angels can also combine their powers into one major smiting. This, however, is rarely done due to the sickness it causes for miles, infecting humans. =Until Amara showed up, the only time this had been done before was with Sodom and Gomorrah.
He Has The Ability of Pyrokinesis
"Pyrokinesis" is the ability to create, absorb, and manipulate fire and heat. Castiel has used this power to trap demons, like Balthazar, in a circle of holy fire. This ability can be internal as well. Angels like Castiel can spread Holy Fire throughout their body. While this does not harm them, it can burn anyone or anything that touches their skin.
It can also be used to destroy others. In episode 10 of season 6, Castiel ignites a bag of bones that he says are Crowley's human bones. With this demon, Crowley turns into a pile of ash. This, however, is a farce, as Castiel and Crowley were working together. When Castiel became a Seraph, he gained the ability to extinguish fires.
His Vessel Is Uncommonly Strong
Castiel's vessel was a man named Jimmy Novak. Unlike a majority of vessels we see in the show, Castiel's is uncommonly strong. The lack of shelf life for their "meat suits" often creates an annoyance for many supernatural beings. Most beginning to deteriorate after some wear.
Castiel's, however, has been through the ringer so to speak and still looks great.
Jimmy Novak is said to be Castiel's "true vessel." In the tie-in novel Supernatural: War of the Sons, we learn that Jimmy and his bloodline are listed on a scroll as perfect angelic vessels. This means that the vessel won't be destroyed or sickened from the inside out by angelic hosts.
He Can Mimic Anyone's Voice
Yes, that's right, Castiel can perfectly mimic the voice of any human. Castiel used this ability once to enlist the help of Sam and Dean Winchester. He mimicked Bobby Singer's voice so well that it wasn't a question for the boys. Castiel needed their help in dealing with hell's torturer Alastair.
Castiel isn't the only one known to mimic voices, however. Crowley, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Asmodeus have all been seen exhibiting this ability. Asmodeus mimicked the voice of Castiel on multiple occasions on the phone with Dean. This was to keep the boys from becoming suspicious about Castiel's whereabouts, following his capture by Asmodeus. Angels and demons are not the only supernatural beings with this ability, though.
He Has Super Strength
It's a bird, it's a plane... no, it's Castiel. Though he doesn't use it often, Castiel has superhero-level strength. He is physically stronger than humans, monsters, ghosts, lesser angels, and most demons. In one episode, Castiel was seen hitting fellow angel Uriel so hard that it sent him flying through a brick wall.
In season 13, with a power-up by Jack, Castiel was able to take down the Prince of Hell Dagon with ease. While there are other beings that possess super strength, there are none that are more fun to watch than Castiel. His Clark Kent ensemble paired with his quiet demeanor as well as his super strength add a lot to his character.
Seeing His True Form Harms Most Humans
Like other angels, seeing Castiel's true form is beyond what humans can handle. Viewing his true form, or even attempting to can result in deafness, blindness, or even the mortal ending of humans.
Castiel has stated that there are certain special people who are able to tolerate his true appearance and voice.
In season 4 episode 1, a psychic named Pamela Barnes is rendered blind when she sees an image of Castiel in her mind. This happens when Sam and Dean are trying to find out who got the latter out of hell. Castiel's true form can also burn the eyes out of a demon. The King of Hell Crowley even fled in fear of Castiel's true form.
His True Form Is The Size of The Chrysler Building
In season 6's episode "Family Matters", Sam and Dean's grandfather, Samuel Campbell, meets Castiel for the first time. In true condescending Samuel fashion, he comments: "This Castiel? You're scrawnier than I pictured." To which Castiel innocently replies, "this is a vessel, my true form is approximately the size of your Chrysler building."
To put this into perspective, the Chrysler building in New York is 1,047ft (319 m) tall and consists of 77 stories. It was considered the world's tallest building prior to the construction of the Empire State Building. His true form has not been shown in the series, and we don't need to see it. Castiel's analogy of the Chrysler Building is enough.
He Can Instantly Heal Humans
Also known as the "healing touch," Castiel has the ability to instantly heal injuries and remove poison or diseases of humans or himself. He often uses this ability to aid Sam and Dean Winchester. When Castiel rescued Dean from hell, all of his old wounds and scars were gone. This isn't the last time that he heals Dean and we're grateful for this ability.
In season 10, fan-favorite Charlie asks Castiel to heal her bullet wound and carpel tunnel and he does so willingly. The healing touch does not have to be through contact. It can also be done by the proximity of Castiel's hands. We learned the extent of this power in season 13, as Castiel is unable to heal Gabriel.
He Has Been Resurrected
Castiel resurrected Dean before he became a "Fallen Angel." Everyone's favorite angel has also been on the receiving end of this ability numerous times. Castiel has been ended once by Raphael, once by Leviathans, once by a reaper named April, and twice by Lucifer. His most recent demise was in the season 12 finale. This left fans wondering if this time might be for good - thankfully this wasn't the case, though.
Like the Winchester brothers, it seems like the end is never permanent for Castiel.
He is resurrected each time by God. After the second return, he stated that he was brought back "new and improved." Following the third resurrection, he saw it as punishment for the wrong that he's done.
He Has the Ability to Cause Molecular Combustion
Molecular combustion is the ability to rip a being apart at the subatomic level, and only high-level beings possess this power. Castiel temporarily gained the ability to cause other beings to combust at a molecular level. This happened in season 7 after he absorbed all the souls in Purgatory. Castiel became one of the most powerful beings in the universe, thanks to the souls giving him immense power.
Castiel was able to destroy such beings as Raphael by simply the snap of his fingers. Raphael's ending along with others that met the same fate earlier in the series created an exploding mess. Beginning with season 11, molecular combustions ended with clouds of smoke and dust.
His Brain Was Filled With Pop Culture Knowledge
For most of the series, Castiel is known for his lack of understanding when it comes to humor, innuendos, and pop culture references. In season 9 episode 18 "Meta Fiction", Metatron gives Castiel a boost in this department. Metatron captures Castiel and becomes increasingly annoyed and frustrated at the latter's ability to comprehend his references.
Metatron proceeds to implant the contents of every movie, book, and TV show, and pop culture reference he knows. Thanks to this unwanted gift by Metatron, Castiel has continued to show a better understanding of such references. This has created some hilarious exchanges with Sam and Dean, as the two brothers are not used to Castiel knowing anything about pop culture.
He Possesses Holy White Light
Castiel has used this power to destroy multiple supernatural creatures at once. This is also known as "illumination" and is the ability to produce light and heat from inside the body. It can be used to scare off or harm evil spirits, demons, and other unholy beings.
This power can also be used to remove the sins from people or restore their memories, and it can be rid people of obstacles and other dangers.
Holy White Light is the base of several other angelic powers like smiting. When Castiel becomes a Seraph, this power is intensified as are abilities that use it. Castiel once used it to smite an entire room full of demons.
He Has the Ability to Regenerate
Like other celestial beings, Castiel can heal on a level that would make Wolverine jealous. Injuries caused by Earth-based weapons can be healed instantly. It does take a bit longer for him to regenerate from Angelic weapons, however. Castiel was once shot by a bullet that was made from an Angel Blade. It was only after the bullet was removed that he began to heal.
When Castiel absorbed the souls from purgatory, it gave him near god-like invincibility. He could no longer be harmed by angelic weaponry. This immunity also extended to demonic weapons and sigils as well. Though this extreme was only temporary, it made Castiel almost unstoppable and a big bad for the Winchester's.
His Vessel Has Survived Dual Possession
Most vessels on the series cannot contain a supernatural host for an extended period of time. They are slowly destroyed from the inside out due to the power. This, however, is not the case for Castiel's vessel. It has remained unharmed by Castiel's presence, much to the chagrin of other angels and Lucifer - the latter of which inhabited the same vessel with Castiel for a time.
Better known as "Casifer," during season 11, both Castiel and Lucifer were roommates in the same vessel. Castiel agreed to possession by Lucifer so that he could defeat the "Darkness." During this time, Castiel's vessel once again possesses Archangel abilities. This tumultuous co-inhabitance continued to show the strength of Castiel's vessel.
He Is An Adept Fighter
The saying "watch out for the quiet ones" is not lost on Castiel. Though he prefers to avoid fights, Castiel can handle his own. In season 5, we see Castiel kick some major angel derriere when going to save Adam.
Forget his other abilities - Castiel is skilled at hand to hand combat, taking on multiple foes at once.
In season 10, he even goes a few rounds with Dean, who is sporting the "Mark of Cain." This fight doesn't work out so great for Castiel thanks to Dean's added strength. Stronger than this is Castiel's lack of desire to hurt Dean. Based on what we had already seen of Castiel's fighting abilities, he could have taken Dean but held back.
He Can Teleport and Time Travel
Though he doesn't travel via a Tardis or DeLorean, Castiel is able to time travel. Also known as "chronokinesis," it is the ability to manipulate the passage of time, including stopping time, speeding it up, or traveling through it to end up in the past or an alternate future. So far, Castiel has sent Dean through time at least four times. He has traveled through time along with Sam and Dean twice.
Castiel has also shown the ability to teleport both himself and others, though this ability was lost when the angels fell to Earth and their wings were burnt off by Metatron's spell. Since Castiel has been resurrected, some speculate that he may once again have this ability.
His Vessel Was Once A Woman
In 1901, Castiel's vessel was that of a woman in Orono, Maine. During this time in history angels rarely came to Earth. Castiel was part of Ishim's squadron, that was sent to Earth because an angel had fallen in love with a human woman, which resulted in a child. The offspring of a human and an angel is known as a "Nephilim." These creatures are forbidden and feared due to their dangerous powers. They have a human soul mixed with angelic grace.
The name of his female vessel is unknown. It is also unknown how long he used this vessel and the reason he stopped. Castiel also once temporarily used Claire Novak as a vessel to save her family.
He Has Been to Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory
It's next to impossible for any character on Supernatural to survive one of these, let alone all three. If Castiel had a passport it would contain a gambit of stamps. Throughout his run on the series, Castiel has visited several spiritual planes. Castiel once lived in Heaven and was once tortured there. He has been to Heaven's evil counterpart more than once. The first time was when he resurrected Dean Winchester. He also spent time there along with the brothers visiting Lucifer in the cage.
Castiel also trapped himself in Purgatory as penance for the evil he inflicted on Sam, Dean, and the world.
In addition to this, Castiel spent time in "The Empty," which was void of anything.
He Is a Seraph
After being ended by Lucifer during the Apocalypse, Castiel was once again resurrected. This time God gave him a promotion in the powers department. Castiel had been resurrected as a "Seraph," a higher species of angel. As a Seraph all his abilities were heightened. He also gained new abilities like reality-warping, soul-reading, and astral projection.
Castiel also gained the ability to grab a demon's escaping smoke and force it back into its vessel. This action is known as "vessel locking." With his promotion to Seraph, Castiel can easily fight against multiple angels at once. So, if angel powers are like that of a superhero, then a Seraph is like Infinity Gauntlet level, including the finger snap.
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Are there any other interesting facts about Castiel's body in Supernatural? Let us know in the comments!