He’s in love...with humanity
I was curious and decided to look up what people thought about 9x22, and the “he’s in love…with humanity” line with the benefit of hindsight. I saw a fair few comments that basically amounted to, “but why can’t it just mean that Cas is in love with humanity?” I honestly can’t believe that this is an argument we’re still having. I understand people who say that Dean only has platonic/brotherly feelings for Cas. I don’t agree with them, but I can see how they would come to this conclusion. I can also understand when people say Metatron was a villain, and his words aren’t the exact truth. Again I don’t agree with it, particularly given the events of 9x23, but I get it.
What I truly cannot get my head around is the idea that, Metatron’s words literally mean, Cas is in love with humanity at large.
Naomi didn’t make him kill thousands of humans to brainwash him into heaven’s weapon, she made him kill thousands of copies of Dean.
It wasn’t humanity that knelt before him, gripping his hand and broke the connection Naomi had with him, by telling him how important and needed he was by humanity in general. It was Dean, and how much he was needed by Dean that did that.
When Cain revealed his plans for culling 1/10 of the human race, Cas was horrified but he tried to talk to him, make him see reason. But the second Cain mentioned Dean:
Cas drew his weapon, prepared to fight. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by Cain, and what lead him to “suspect” what Castiel was to Dean, if ascribing him the Colette role in his prophecy to Dean is any indication.
If it’s humanity that Cas is so in love with, why would he be willing to stand back and watch Dean “murder the world” rather than bring himself to hurt him?
Ishim didn’t refer to humanity in general as Cas’ “human weakness”. He knew that his own human weakness was one individual in particular, Lily, the woman he was in love with. It’s why he recognised that Cas’ human weakness was also one individual in particular, Dean, the man he is in ______ with?
In 14x01 Jack proposed that to defeat Michael, they needed to be prepared to kill Dean as well. Michael was a deadly threat to all of humanity and Jack recognised that he needed to be stopped at any cost. And of course Cas, who’s so in love with humanity, was completely on board with sacrificing one man for the sake of the human race in general right? Hmmm.
And then we circle back to the context of the line in question in relation to the episode it was in, 9x22. Metatron addresses the angels that are following Cas. He reveals some of the unsavoury things that Cas has done in order to turn them against him. And yet, there is only one thing Hannah asks of Cas: to punish Dean Winchester. Not Sam and Dean, not any other human, just Dean. Of course he refuses. He gives up an army for one guy and Metatron says those words:
“And then after a rousing speech, his true weakness is revealed. He’s in love…with humanity”.
There was no mention of ‘’humanity’’ or any other human after Metatron’s video call to Cas’ angel headquarters. There was no moment where Cas’ love for humanity was what caused the angels to turn against him. It was his love for Dean, it’s always his love for Dean. The action of giving up his army for Dean could have been construed as gesture based purely on platonic love, but it was the show itself that said he did this because he was ‘’in love’’.
Cas revealed his feelings for humanity in 4x07:
He loves and admires humanity, like one would admire a work of art.
But Dean on the other hand:
(obligatory singular plural)
There are many things about Destiel the show has fostered a sense of ambiguity around, but the notion that for Cas, it is always Dean above all else? That, has never been in question. After all Metatron said it best in 9x23:
And the Angel tablet, arguably the most powerful instrument in the history of the universe, is in pieces, and for what again? Oh, that’s right: to save Dean Winchester. That was your goal, right?
Does Cas look like he disagrees?
@mrsaquaman187 @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @verobatto-angelxhunter @metafest
Thanks for organising this metafest! It was a really great way to spend the hiatus, thinking back over the show and reading other people’s thoughts on all the various topics too :)
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