Why is Castiel so much weaker than his first appearance?
Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW by Diyah Pera Acquired from CW PR
Do you remember the power in the first Castiel? Just why is he so much weaker now?
Supernatural has been through changes over the years. One of those changes is in Castiel’s character. Not only has he been an angel, a Leviathan, a human, Lucifer, and so much more, but the amount of power he has as an angel has changed.
Recently, I saw a comment about how Castiel is so much weaker. In fact, I questioned it in season 12. When the Winchesters were being held by the Secret Service, why couldn’t Castiel have just got them out from the motel room? Why did he just leave them there to face the wrath after “attacking” the president?
It’s been a long time since he’s popped up in places, healed injuries, and more. It’s been Jack recently who has brought up so many memories of what angels could do in the past.
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The fall from Heaven
Well, there are a few reasons for this.
The biggest is that when the angels fell in the season 8 finale, they all lost a lot of power. If you didn’t notice it in the latest episode, “The Bad Place,” the angels had to drive around in vehicles. When the angels were cast out from Heaven, they all lost a lot of their powers. Their wings were damage or they lost their wings entirely.
And remember Castiel lost his grace. Well, his grace was stolen from him. That’s what made him human. When he did eventually get his own grace back, his wings were damaged. He didn’t have the same strength he once did because of this.
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Not all angels have been affected. Those that weren’t cast out of Heaven will still have their powers. This was why Metatron (before his grace was taken and he was killed) remained so powerful. It’s why Lucifer has always been so powerful (plus he’s an archangel). Jack remains one of the most powerful beings with the badass attitude of early Castiel because there hasn’t been a reason for him not to have his wings (plus he’s a nephilim).
Will Castiel ever become the super powerful angel he once was? Probably not and he probably shouldn’t. The showrunners of the past admitted that having an angel that could just pop up anywhere and handle almost any foe without breaking a sweat was difficult. There’s no drama or action in that sort of encounter. It was some poor planning to begin with and the fall from Heaven helped to rectify some of that. The angels have still proven that there is strength in numbers, but on their own they have been weakened as a whole and it looks like it’s going to stay that way.
There’s still a problem with the writing
Castiel is still strong. What none of this explains is why he does some of the stupidest of things. There are some serious head-scratching moments in the writing. Despite losing some of his power, he couldn’t lose his tactical smarts. He was one of the best soldiers in Heaven and that mindset should still be there, even if he has spent time with humans. That type of learning and mindset doesn’t just disappear (and I say that from experience).
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But overall, Castiel isn’t as powerful as he once was because of losing his grace. His wings are damaged. Until they are restored, he will continue to be slightly less powerful. Although he can still be a badass.
Supernatural returns with its season 13 midseason premiere on Jan. 18 at 8/7c on The CW.