As far as CW shows go, Supernatural was at the very top in terms of popular fandoms from 2005 through 2020. The show started off as being about brothers Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki), whose family business is hunting supernatural creatures. Only for the show to unfold and become about a chosen family and a love story between the angel Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean. Eventually, the subtext fully became text in the show’s final season with the Destiel confession we had been waiting for.
In Season 15 Episode 18, “Despair”, the Destiel (Dean Winchester and Castiel) fandom imploded when Cas confessed his love to Dean, only to be killed by the Empty (you can delete this link, it’s just there for explanation either way) shortly after. The scene isn’t only a major moment for the fandom, but it was clearly an emotional moment for the characters as well as Ackles and Collins. But there are layers to the importance of this confession scene and what it means to fans, even after all these years.
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The death of Cas can absolutely fall into the ‘bury your gays’ trope, and it’s unfortunate that the confession is forever associated with a tragic moment. It’s not that Supernatural isn’t full of tragedy, writing issues when it comes to marginalized characters, or overall direction in the later seasons.
In fact, the show is quite flawed in a lot of ways, but for a popular series to have a slash ship be so enduring is important to talk about. The Destiel confession scene is one of the most profound moments in Supernatural due to its lasting effect, and it only solidifies that the fandom wasn’t reaching for years.
Destiel remains an essential piece of Supernatural fandom.
Cas’ introduction in Season 4 Episode 1, “Lazarus Rising,” marked a pivotal shift in the show’s trajectory, as they were finally introducing angels into the mix. As well as marking the beginning of Destiel because Dean was raised from Hell by Cas.
It’s baked into the show with the “I gripped you tight and raised you from perdition” line, and Dean’s shoulder had a handprint burned into his skin. From then on, fans picked up on the chemistry and tension between them. And what could have been a fizzled out ship turned into one of the most popular queer pairings.
The powerful nature of fandom is exactly how these things happen, as well as the writers breathing further life into the ship by deliberately writing romantically coded moments. Despite how Cas wasn’t meant to be a long-term character, his popularity kept him on the show, and thankfully so, because his and Dean’s relationship is a huge part of the series moving forward. It’s hard to imagine the Supernatural fandom without Destiel as a ship, especially as it would mean the confession would have never happened otherwise.
The Destiel Confession scene isn’t perfect, but it does carry importance for its fans.
DESTIEL IS CANON [SPN 15×18] – Cas tells Dean that he loves him
I JUST HAD TO UPLOAD THIS SCENE BECAUSE I’M HAVING A MENTAL BREAKDOWN RT on Twitter: https://twitter.com/soberdenatural/status/1324561560438648832 Reblog on Tumblr: https://mishasminions.tumblr.com/post/634005160007548928
Throughout the seasons, shippers had to put up with a lot, including aggressive responses from homophobic or downright cruel antis, as well as the Supernatural writing. For years, people accepted the crumbs, subtle or not-so-subtle hints, the overtly romantic moments, and playful teasing from Collins in particular at fandom conventions, only to get part of what we wanted in the final season.
There is no reading between the lines in the confession scene because it’s a declaration of romantic love. But it’s likely the CW wasn’t ever going to allow Dean to say it back (in the Spanish dub, he does), or the writers, the filming during the pandemic interfered, or a combination of a number of reasons.
Does Dean not saying it back mean he didn’t reciprocate? No, it actually doesn’t. In fact, there’s more than enough meta-analysis and evidence that Dean did feel the same. One of the biggest issues is that Dean had no time to process because Death (Lisa Berry) was coming to kill them. All because they were upsetting the balance of the universe and had come back from death too many times. And as soon as Cas was gone, Dean broke down sobbing on the floor of the bunker.
It doesn’t really matter if Dean doesn’t reciprocate verbally.
Combine that and his widower (as the fandom calls it) mini arc during Season 13, before Cas came back from the Empty, and you’ve got a man who knows what really losing love is like. Even going so far as to feel an extreme void and being unable to cope with what Dean thought was gone forever. At least until Cas returns at the end of Season 13 Episode 5, “Advanced Thanatology,” and Dean’s fragile state shifts entirely.
Looking back on the happier moments between them, it makes you wonder what it would have been like if the confession had happened sooner. Maybe it would have changed how the show proceeded moving forward. It certainly would have made for a huge moment because death might not have been the outcome after the fact. And maybe the show would have made history having a slash ship, on a popular CW show, become a full-on couple before the show met its end.
For years, the fandom has been lingering in the confession scene and going over the fact that neither of them got to have a happy ending. After Cas died, Dean would meet a frustrating end during Season 15 Episode 20, “Carry On,” and there was no onscreen reunion between Cas or Dean due to pandemic restrictions at the time. Neither of their fates fully erases the scene, but it’s still hard to think about for shippers, especially when we could have gotten a more satisfying moment for the series finale.
The Destiel confession wasn’t just fan service, it was acknowledging and supporting queer fans.
However, the scene still means a lot to fans, especially LGBTQ+ individuals who might have seen themselves in either Cas or Dean. Queer fans of Cas got to experience a moment that might not have seemed possible many years prior. And for a singular scene to touch the queer community that greatly is one to make consistent note of. We should be allowed to celebrate these moments, even if they proceed to break hearts collectively.
The fact that Destiel continues to survive, even when Supernatural has been over since 2020, is a testament to the fandom itself. There’s no word of a reboot, a film that retcons the ending, or anything that would remedy the deaths. The fandom is left to replay the moments before the confession and the confession itself.
Despite the confession scene’s issues, primarily Cas dying and Dean not being able to reciprocate, it’s still a beautiful scene that depicts a selfless love that changed the characters’ lives. And that’s never going to be forgotten, even after several years.
You can watch all 15 seasons of Supernatural in the US on Netflix, TNT, or Video On Demand.
