As was previously reported, the back half of Supernatural season 12 will dive into Castiel’s past by bringing on board Alicia Witt to guest star as an old enemy of Castiel’s. All that has been announced is that a single episode will go into Castiel’s past and his connection to Witt’s character, Lily Sunder. In a recent interview with TV Line, current Supernatural showrunner Andrew Dabb opened up about what the episode might entail and announced that the story of Castiel’s past will actually take up three separate episodes. 

4 Changes Supernatural Should Make to Turn Season 12 Around>>> Things will start in the second episode after Supernatural comes back from winter break on February 2. The episode will introduce Alicia Witt’s character Lily Sunder. According to Dabb, it will also delve into Castiel’s past that has only been mentioned in passing on the show. 

“Castiel was part of the battalion that was watching Earth. He was the guy that harrowed Hell to rescue Dean Winchester. We established that, and now we’re taking a little twist on it and telling a lost story from his past that involves Alicia Witt,” Dabb explained. 

This episode will actually launch a two-parter that will continue to the next week and it will, according to Dabb, be “extremely Cas-heavy in a different way.” There will also be another Castiel-centric episode in season 12. Episode 19 of the season is “extremely Cas-heavy in an even different way,” Dabb added. 


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The amount of Castiel-related material is apparently part of a concerted effort by the Supernatural team to give the character his due after being so absent in the first half of the season. “We had to cram a lot into those [first eight episodes] … part of our concern was … that certain people, specifically Castiel and Crowley, are going to get a little bit of a short shrift as we establish these new characters and put them on the board,” Dabb explained. 

“I think we did a fairly good job of keeping Crowley alive [and] keeping Castiel alive, but the new characters certainly ate up a little space,” Dabb elaborated, talking about the new vessel of Lucifer and the British Men of Letters. 

Apparently all of that will change in the next half of season 12. At least Dabb thinks it will. “We have a lot more room to play. Those characters are going to come to the fore a lot more.”

So what do you think? Are you excited to get more information on Castiel’s past? Are you encouraged that the rest of season 12 will focus more on established characters like Crowley and Castiel? Do you have any theories on the different way the episodes will be Cas-heavy?

Supernatural season 12 returns Thursday, January 26 at 8/7c on The CW. Want more news? Like our Supernatural Facebook page!

(Image courtesy of The CW) 

Derek Stauffer

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.