Supernatural has been all about upping its stakes in its final season, which has been gunning for ending God himself. While the nail-biting worry over what is in store for the Winchesters has been keeping fans up at night, the long-running series managed to ruffle a lot of feathers and triggered a beehive of different emotions, ranging from disappointment, elation, and downright denial, with its latest episode "Despair," which saw Castiel confessing his love to Dean. But every argument has now been put to rest as Misha Collins has confirmed that Destiel is indeed canon.
The ante-penultimate episode of the fifteenth season of Supernatural saw Dean and Castiel on the run after carrying out a failed attempt at killing Billie who was already dying. Incensed by the elder Winchester's continued rebelliousness in the face of divine authority and for being the living incarnation of "disorder," the dying reaper decided to kill him. While Cas and Dean make it to the bunker and hide, they know it's only a matter of time before Billie breaks down the door and kills them.
A dejected Dean lost all hope and apologized to Castiel for landing him in a trap yet again. Unwilling to let Dean die, Castiel reminded him that the one thing that Billie is afraid of is The Empty who will automatically appear on Earth the second the angel experiences true happiness and take him somewhere worse than Hell. It was all part of the deal Castiel had made in the past for saving Jack. Growing emotional with the prospect of the impending goodbye, Cas confesses to the bewildered Winchester that he had always wondered "what my true happiness could even look like" as he knew that the one thing he wants "is something I know I can't have"-- Dean. But he realizes that "happiness isn't in the having. It's in just being" and goes on to admit that he loves Dean just before The Empty appears and gobbles him along with Billie.
Post the shocking declaration of Castiel's love for Dean, the term "Destiel" trended #1 on Twitter, beating even the news around the then-undecided election results. Worldwide fans of Supernatural were busy expressing how emotional the goodbye was, criticizing the showrunners for making Destiel canon only to not explore it further and sticking to the problematic "bury your gays" trope. Some were simply denying that the scene held any implications of Cas being gay and stressed that it was just a brotherly confession of love.
But now, Misha Collins, who plays the beloved angel on Supernatural has touched upon the heartbreaking ending of his character. In a Zoom call, not only has Misha confirmed that when Castiel said "I love you" to Dean, he meant it romantically, but also agreed that the sudden twist was a typical "bury your gays" ending.
"Castiel tells Dean he loves him and like basically makes Destiel canon. Fans are kind of freaking out over that. And then to complicate matters, he dies right after that. So Castiel makes this homosexual declaration of love, which is amazing that that happens, and then he dies right after, which plays into a timeless Hollywood trope of kill the gays. We give and then we take away."
Misha Collins himself validating the scene as what countless Supernatural fans thought it was may not lessen its problematic nature, but certainly does establish that for better or worse, Destiel is finally canon.