Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies

Gabriel: Why do you continue to fight me when you know all is lost?

Michael: You gave Him what He asked for. I gave Him what He needed.

(Legion 1:28:56)

Furthermore, another testament to the frequent recurrence of subversion of morally unambiguous angels is the American popularisation of the nephilim – the mythological offspring of angels and human women. For instance, in Charmed, there are Wyatt and Christopher – the sons of Piper the witch and Leo the whitelighter. Even before he is born, Wyatt is prophesied to become the Source of All Evil, which is the ultimate evil of the Charmed universe. Indeed, when he grows up, he ends up using his half-angelic-half-magical powers for evil, while Christopher chooses to use his powers to travel back in time and help his parents destroy the prophecy and break his brother’s curse. Consequently, the difference between the brothers proves that the ambiguity of their mixed nature can result in them joining either the good or the evil side.

Similarly, the creators of Fallen may have opted for making the main character Aaron (Paul Wesley) a nephilim because they wanted to explore the question of his morality. On the day of Aaron’s 18th birthday, he starts experiencing strange changes; he is suddenly able to understand and speak in all of world’s languages, he can understand animals, he becomes exceptionally strong, and he manages to heal his dog who has been run over by a car. On top of that, Aaron also becomes extremely sick. On the same day he meets the fallen angel Zeke, who tells him that all these things are happening to him, because nephilim come off the age at the age of eighteen: “Zeke: Angel nature and human nature don’t live well together. Nephilim, when they experience both, they go wackadoodle.” (39:37)

Additionally, while he is never directly referred to as a nephilim, the Archangel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) in Constantine (2005) is depicted as a hybrid, which could be considered the same sort of case, as just like with the nephilim, this hybridity already alludes to certain diversity of his nature. This diversity (or impurity) can be used against him – “John: You’re the one who should go to hell, half-breed.” (23:33) – and it also manifests in his behaviour. In other words, while he attempts to help John Constantine, he is also depicted as a cruel angel who does not like humans and least of all John himself. Consequently, this angel could be considered ambiguous as the audience never know when he is going to help and when he is going to fight John. (See Fig. 10)

All in all, based on these examples, angelic heroes are scarcely characterised as morally unambiguous in recent American narratives. In fact, they are often purposely portrayed as wholly ambiguous, meaning it is difficult to recognise whether are meant to be perceived as good or bad. Furthermore, the frequent use of the nephilim and hybrid characters emphasises the use of diversity (or mixed nature) in connection with angels, which, again, has the power to influence the character in both positive or negative way. Both ambiguity and diversity are also two of the key characteristics of the trickster archetype.

When it comes to questions of morality, tricksters are also impossible to pin down. As Hyde says, “we constantly distinguish – right and wrong, sacred and profane, clean and dirty, male and female, young and old, living and dead – and in every case trickster will cross the line and confuse the distinction” (Hyde 7). Moreover, Hyde also suggests that there is a need for characters that exist beyond morality as they are important for the balance of the universe (7). This is for instance visible in the cases of Naomi and Castiel in Supernatural, who do not shy away from appearing as evil or antagonistic in order to save heaven. In a similar manner, Hyde’s general claim that tricksters are “the mythic embodiment of ambiguity and ambivalence, doubleness and duplicity, contradiction, and paradox” (Hyde 6) can also be applied to the above examples.

This image of a morally ambiguous hero is of course not new. Jackson dedicates several pages to the phenomenon of the medieval trickster Robin Hood - the hero who turned against authorities and became an outlaw in order to do good. He also claims that “. . . Americans have a growing soft spot for (or at least a love-hate relationship with) grifters and violent takers with an attractive veneer of giving-back” (Jackson 100).

Furthermore, it is often emphasised that the trickster is of diverse, mixed, or impure nature. For instance, Hermes is by his nature very similar to the nephilim, as he is considered a demigod – son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia. The same sort of diversity is then connected to the trickster of the Norse mythology, demigod Loki:

“While treated as a nominal member of the Aesir tribe of gods in the Eddas and sagas, Loki occupies a highly ambivalent and ultimately solitary position amongst the gods, giants, and the other classes of invisible beings that populate the traditional spirituality of the Norse and other Germanic peoples.” (McCoy)

In relation to this, Hyde discusses how this diversity of nature (and specifically, racial ambiguity) can complicate things: “Racial categories are famously difficult to establish for many reasons, not the least of which is that the races can mix. There being no natural boundaries, what is the essence of “white” or “black”?” (Hyde 98) Similarly, Jackson suggests that ambiguity can “bring out problems or resolutions, depending on which aspects we bring out in our lives” (249). This means that all characters (including angels) who are of a diverse nature always have the freedom to decide whether they want to do something good or bad without feeling any sort of general inclination to the one or the other, which certainly makes for a more exciting and unexpected story. According to Gates, “from trickster’s perspective, actions are not to be judged in terms of their consequences so much as whether he succeeds in his ventures or not.” (Gates 179)

To sum up, it can be said that the depiction of the angels as morally ambiguous and naturally diverse characters in the recent depictions subverts the stereotypical idea of angels as either inherently good or inherently bad and positions them beyond the comprehension of morality. The diverse nature of angelic hybrids and nephilim then provides the element of surprise, as it is never clear which way they might choose to go, transforming the angels into more complicated characters.

3.4. The Cunning Riddlers

The general mysteriousness of angels is in many ways connected to their playfulness. In fact, there are several instances of specific cases in the Bible in which playfulness is emphasised. For example when Moses encounters an angel in a form of a burning bush: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” (Exodus 3:2) While manifesting itself as a bush on fire could already be considered quite extravagant for an angel, the fact that the bush is not actually burning is what allows us to consider this angelic appearance playful.

In other words, while the angel could have simply appeared in a more conventional form – perhaps as a human, it decided to use a trick instead, in order to communicate a “subliminal message” to Moses through the symbolism of the situation (i.e. the thorny bush may in this case be seen as representation of faith that is being consumed by fire yet not actually burning), which is not only creative, but also clever. According to Jones, “this playful or ironic or half-hidden way of communicating is not the exception but it is rather characteristic of the stories of angelic utterances. Even if the message is clear, it is often misunderstood, and, as the story unfolds, it seems that the message has to be understood gradually.” (Jones 55) Therefore, it can be said that angelic playfulness as seen in the Bible is there in order to serve God and to help humans.

When reduced to stereotypes, the angels can, in connection with this trope, be often portrayed as silly and simplified rather than witty and inventive, as it is for example in It’s a Wonderful Life. It can be said, however, that there has been a certain development in this trope since the 1990s when the angel has started to become more complicated, disrupting the conception, that playful equals silly.

The Archangel Gabriel as depicted in The Prophecy is a prime example of a playful angel with an edge. Some of the most obvious clues in the film that point towards this are for example his wit, snarky behaviour, and riddled language, which he uses to confuse his enemies: “Gabriel: You know how you got that dent on your top lip? Way back before you were born, I told you a secret. Then, I put my finger there and I said, ‘shh’.” (0:42:24) Additionally, there is also an instance in the film where Gabriel pretends to be dead in order to trick his enemies. When the main character, Thomas, comes closer to see if he is really dead, Gabriel winks at him mischievously to show that he is alive.

Similarly, Dogma’s fallen angel Loki’s (Matt Damon) name already suggests that he is going to be a truly mischievous character. Indeed, in his very first scene, he is shown tricking a nun into questioning her faith and possibly leaving the convent by convincing her that God is not in fact real to both the chagrin and amusement of his friend and fellow angel, Bartleby (Ben Affleck):

Bartleby: Here’s what I don’t get about you. You know for a fact that there is a god. You’ve been in his presence, he’s spoken to you personally. Yet I just heard you claim to be an atheist.

Loki: I just like to fuck with the clergy, man. I just love it. I love to keep those guys on their toes. (05:28)

In fact, both Loki and Bartleby can be considered examples of angelic playfulness and it is not only because of their cheeky and mischievous behaviour but also because of their creative natures. After they have been banished from heaven by God for insubordination, there is not much they can do on earth in order to go back, until an opportunity arises when a new swanky cardinal called Glick decides that he is going to reform the Catholic Church and starts giving away indulgences to everybody who has sinned in order to start again with clean slate. In other words, they manage to find a loophole that can help them return to Heaven and despite the fact that this ridiculous plan does not succeed at the end – as a simple cardinal cannot overrule the word of God – it can still be considered a proof of their wit and cunning, which, in turn demonstrates how elaborate these characters are compared to for example the angel Dudley in The Bishop’s Wife, who might be considered playful in a more stereotypical way.

Furthermore, when it comes to the angels in the miniseries Angels in America (2003), there are several instances in which their playfulness is intentionally enhanced in order to highlight the juxtaposition between their stereotypical appearance and their behaviour. For instance, when the Angel Australia (Emma Thompson) first reveals herself to Prior Walker, she becomes very flustered when she realises that he does not know why she is there, which leads to her awkwardly having to return to heaven for a moment and seek advice about what to do next.

Additionally, as is revealed during the series, the angels are also capable of disguising themselves as various humans in order to trick people into doing what they want. For instance, Emma Thompson plays another two characters in the series – Prior’s hospital nurse and a homeless woman – both of which end up having profound influence on various characters in the series.

Correspondingly, there are several angels in Supernatural whose playfulness is one of their defining features. In fact, it can be said that the ability of all of the Supernatural angels (as well as demons) to occupy human bodies as vessels regardless of sex or gender is a creative version of shapeshifting or disguise, which can be both connected to playfulness.

The Archangel Gabriel (Richard Speight, Jr.) is then probably the most playful angel of all. Firstly, even though Gabriel occupies the same vessel throughout the series, his identity changes frequently, which can be, again, connected to shapeshifting as well as mystification and disguise. His first appearance in episode 2x15 “Tall Tales”, in which Sam and Dean investigate a series of murders and accidents caused by deadly pranks, gives the impression of a random stand-byer who does not initially even seem like he will be important to the plot. (see Fig. 11) Meanwhile, with the help of their uncle Bobby, the Winchester brothers manage to figure out that they are in fact hunting a “trickster”: “Bobby: These things create chaos and mischief easy as breathing . . . It knows you’re onto it and it’s playing you like fiddles.” (27:19) At this point, the identity of Gabriel shifts into being the “trickster” (see Fig. 12) and Dean and Sam believe they had killed him, stabbing him with a stake.

Because they obviously do not know at this point that Gabriel is not a trickster but an angel, when he re-appears in episode 3x11 “Mystery Spot”, the brothers are shocked that he is still alive. This episode is also a testament to Gabriel’s creativity and power, as he manages to catch Sam in an infinite time loop where he is forced to relive the same day over and over while having his brother die every time in a ridiculous way in order to punish the Winchester brothers for crossing his path the previous season. In the end, Sam ends up swearing to him that they will leave him alone if he lifts the curse and resurrects Dean one last time, letting them out of the loop.

When the angels are finally introduced in season four, Gabriel’s identity shifts again – this time to his truthful origin. In episode 5x8 “Changing Channels”, Gabriel decides to trap Sam, Dean, and Castiel in a world of television to teach them a lesson. When they finally realise where they are, he manifests in front of them and boasts about his creativity:

Sam: This is a trick!

Gabriel: Hello? (he points at himself) Trickster! Come on, I heard you two yahoos were in town. How could I resist?

Dean: Where the hell are we?

Gabriel: Like it? It’s all homemade. My own sets. My own actors. Call it my little idiot box. (“Changing Channels” 13:03)

It is only at the end of the episode – after Gabriel forces the Winchester brothers to live in a medical drama, play in a herpes commercial, participate in a Japanese game-show, star in a sitcom, and turns Sam into a car – when Dean manages to figure out that Gabriel is actually an angel and traps him in a circle of holy fire. (See Fig. 13) Gabriel finally admits that he is the Archangel Gabriel and that he has left heaven in order to get away from the angelic war between Lucifer and Michael in heaven.

Dean: How does an Archangel become a trickster?

Gabriel: My own private witness protection. I skipped out of heaven, had a face transplant, carved out my own little corner of the world. Till you two screwed it all up. (“Changing Channels” 32:51)

Furthermore, while in “Hammer of the Gods” he briefly assumes his old identity of the trickster (or more specifically in this case – Loki – the Norse version of the trickster archetype), Gabriel remains an angel to Sam and Dean until he is killed by the angel Metatron in season nine.

Given the above examples, it is clear that the archangel has been depicted as extremely playful in Supernatural. At the same time, however, there has always been an intention behind his tricks. In “Tall Tales” all the victims were guilty of something and killing them was Gabriel’s way of restoring balance. “Bobby: Tricksters target the high and the mighty. Knock them down a peg.” (“Tall Tales” 27:59) In “The Mystery Spot”, Gabriel creates an infinite time loop in order to teach Sam a lesson about how being too attached to his brother puts everybody else in danger. “Gabriel: Sam, there is a lesson here that I’ve been trying to drill into that freakish Cro-Magnon skull of yours. This obsession with Dean? The way you’re sacrificing yourself for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain.” (34:21)

Finally, in “Changing Channels”, Gabriel forces Sam and Dean to live in a television world that he has himself created in order to persuade them to “play the role they have been given” and let Michael and Lucifer possess their bodies in order to resolve their fight. Therefore, it can be said that all this playfulness in Gabriel’s character is not just there for the amusement of audience, but that it plays an important role in the whole story. At the same time, it helps understand the character, as it is basically implied that he is using his wit and his ability to trick and shapeshift in order to survive in the world after becoming a refugee from heaven.

Similarly to Gabriel, the angels Zachariah (Kurt Fuller) and Balthazar (Sebastian Roché) have also used their creative natures for their own benefit. Specifically, in season four, the angel Zachariah – who is Castiel’s superior in heaven – does not shy away from using his powers to attempt to persuade Dean to let the Archangel Michael possess his body in order to fight Lucifer. In episode 4x17 “It’s A Terrible Life”, he creates an entire alternate universe in which Dean and Sam are not related and Dean is an office clerk instead of a hunter, in order to prove to him that it is his destiny to be who he is:

Dean: Oh, so, what? This was all some sort of a lesson? Is that what you're telling me? Wow. Very creative.

Zachariah: You should see my decoupage.

Dean: Gross. No thank you. So, what? I'm just hallucinating all this? Is that it?

Zachariah: Not at all. Real place, real haunting. I plunked you in the middle without the benefit of your memories.

Dean: Just to shake things up, hm? So you guys can have fun watching us run around like ass-clowns in monkey suits?

Zachariah: To prove to you that the path you’re on is truly in your blood. You're a hunter. Not because your dad made you, not because God called you back from hell, but because it is what you are. (“It’s a Terrible Life” 39:30)

When this does not work in his favour, Zachariah uses his powers to send Dean into the future in episode “The End” in order to show him what the world will look like if he does not go with God’s plan, which does not, ultimately work either.

The angel Balthazar also opts for sending Sam and Dean into alternate reality, which ends up breaking the fourth wall of the series. The Winchester brothers are transformed into a reality where Supernatural is a real TV series and where they are Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles (the actual names of the actors) – the actors who play Sam and Dean. All in all, the many layers and twist and turns of the alternate reality that Balthazar manages to create are a testament to his creativity and inventiveness.

Additionally, the angel Metatron (Curtis Armstrong) could also be considered an example of a playful angel as he is said to be a skillful liar and trickster in the series. The most obvious example of this behaviour is when Metatron manages to trick Castiel into creating a spell that causes all angels to be locked out of heaven. In episode 9x18 “Meta Fiction”, Metatron is shown behind a desk typing the script of the episode on a typewriter and enjoying himself immensely as he gets to be in charge of everyone’s lives (See Fig. 14):

Metatron: What writer doesn't love a good twist? My job is to set up interesting characters and see where they lead me. The by-product of having well-drawn characters is–they may surprise you. But I know something they don't know: the ending. How I get there doesn't matter as long as everybody plays their part. (38:58)

In other words, not only is Metatron creating his own world here, but he is also using his angelic powers to treat all of the characters as his puppets.

Ultimately, while Supernatural offers some of the most obvious examples of playful angels, they do also appear elsewhere albeit in subtler forms. In Fallen, for instance, the angel Ezekiel can be perceived as playful because of his use of snarky language. For example, in the first episode, he calls the Powers “Creator’s personal storm troopers” (“Part 1: The Beginning” 00:47:53)

Similarly, the angel Amy (Jane Lynch) from Angel From Hell expresses her playful nature through the use quick wit and mischievous behaviour. In fact, her character is way more comparable to imps or goblins with her genuine love of mischief rather than to the stereotypical image of playful angelic beings:

Amy: I'll bet you're a very sweet person, Dr. Allison.

Allison: How did you know my name? And that I'm a doctor. Have we met?

Amy: It feels like it, doesn't it? It's like we've known each other all our lives. Like we have a psychic, spiritual connection.

Allison: What is happening here?

Amy: Ha-ha! I'm just messing with you. (“Pilot” 01:40)

In general, it can be said that the angelic playfulness has indeed been frequently used in the modern depictions of angels in American narratives. In addition, the stereotypical conception of this trope, which seems to depict the angels as rather silly and dumb, has been subverted by two specific features – trickery, which can be connected to cunning, mischief, shapeshifting, and disguise, and creativity, which is usually used in connection with riddles or world-building through the use of the angelic powers. Furthermore, both of these features can be identified with the trickster archetype.

In an article describing the African American tricksters, William Andrews calls them “masters of disguise and consummate survivors, skillfully outmaneuvering their foes with guile, wit, and charm” (Andrews). By looking at the specific examples presented in this chapter, Andrews might have been as well describing Supernatural’s Archangel Gabriel or the Archangel Gabriel from The Prophecy. Similarly, Gabriel pretending to be dead in The Prophecy can also be connected to the story of the African American trickster Anansi, who decided to feign his own death in order to trick his village into bringing his family food out of pity: “‘If we do a trick, we can get some meat. I could play like I was dead and you could go out to the road and sing and weil, say ‘My husband’s dead,’ and so on.’” (Gates 207)

In addition, Hyde says that trickster is “shifty as an octopus, coloring himself to fit his surroundings, putting on a fresh face for each man or woman he meets, charming, disarming, and not to be trusted” (Hyde 53), which also corresponds with the amount of shapeshifting and disguises Gabriel has done in Supernatural.

As for creativity, it can be found scattered all over different trickster myths, usually in connection with inventiveness, riddling, and charm. A fitting example of this is the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, which includes a story of how Hermes invented a lyre. In the story, Hermes tricks an innocent turtle to come near his dwelling in order to kill her and turn her into a lyre:

“Hello there, you shapely thing, dancing girl, life of the party. Lovely to see you. How’d a mountain girl with a shiny shell get so playful? Let me carry you inside! What a blessing! Do me a favor, come on, I’ll respect you. It’s safer inside, you could get in trouble out there. A living turtle, that say, keeps troublesome witchcraft away. And yet, if you were to die you’d sing most beautifully.” (Hyde 318)

Again, Hermes’ cunning lies and riddled language in connection with his charm manage to trick the poor creature into doing what the trickster wants corresponds with the behaviour of the angels from this chapter. Moreover, if angelic powers are also taken into account on top of this sort of cunning, it can be said that the potential to coerce a human into doing what the angels want has grown even stronger.

In relation to how the American public might have a positive reaction to this portrayal of angelic playfulness, it is necessary to consider the connection of jokes and tricks to the importance of the freedom for Americans. Jackson claims that “comic tricksters in American media are the signs of vitality of democracy’s freedom of speech.” (Jackson 76), meaning whatever the outcomes of the trickery, the act itself is always perceived as clever and witty. Moreover, Jackson adds that “the trickster’s wise guy punchlines, seeming so spontaneous, give the impression that he’s already up there ahead of you, hip to what you need to realise, divulging it to clue you in and catch you up” (Jackson 76), which may perhaps contribute to the image of the recent angels as forward-thinking heroes as opposed to blindly obedient servants of God.

All in all, it can be said that the emphasis of trickery and creativity in the trope of angelic playfulness demonstrates how this trope has developed from the more stereotypical portrayal of angels as silly or dumb creatures to their portrayal as deadly pranksters. This sort of transformation has then made them seem more sophisticated and complete and therefore more appealing to the American audience.
3.5. The Human Mirrors

While it is a known fact that “God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27), the creation and the specific nature of angels is more of a mystery. This lack of information, however, provides more space for interpretation of the angel archetype. Additionally, it may also be suggesting that angels as biblical characters are simply not in possession of a character at all, meaning they have no personal goals or motivations. Adler says that “since angels are purely spiritual beings, they cannot have any passions or bodily desires” (Adler 137), which means they have been created for single purpose – to serve God – while humans have been created to have their own free will.

Pertaining to this, it is not difficult to understand how the stereotypical image of angels as “pure” and “innocent” may have come around. According to Jones, while most had believed angels to be the spiritually-based opposites of humans for a long time, this perception started to change in Milton’s time: “Milton, who thought that angels did have bodies of a kind, defended the view that angels do eat and drink (and even have sex). This was part of seemingly deliberate attempt to humanize so as to dramatize the life of the angels.” (Jones 52) This “humanisation” of angels may then be seen as an attempt to put human flaws and sins on display, as there is nothing more shocking than a seemingly “pure” and “spiritual” being like an angel giving into human temptations.

Furthermore, there are cases of angels taking on human characteristics in order to become sort of a “mirror” to humans. According to Jones, “angels can provide a mirror to help us appreciate human life. Nevertheless, this mirror functions predominantly by way of contrast.” (Jones 53) In other words, it is the juxtaposition between the stereotypical image of angels as pure and innocent (as it can be seen in Date with an Angel) of and the flawed and desiring nature of humans. This contrast is then especially enhanced in the depiction of this trope in recent American popular narratives.

The Archangel Michael from the 1996 film Michael is a prime example of what happens to an angel if it is “spoiled” by earthly pleasures. When the audience first meets Michael, he appears to be only in his underwear, dirty, unshaven, sleepy-eyed, and smoking a cigarette. (See Fig. 15) One of the human main characters, Dorothy, even calls him “a gigolo with wings” (00:24:00) and also notes that she “thought that angels were cleaner” (00:26:38), which only emphasises the already mentioned juxtaposition of the perceived image of angels and their portrayal in recent American narratives. Michael himself summarises this up by saying that he is “not that kind of angel”, and that he has no connection to “halos” or “inner light” (00:27:07).

Specifically, Michael’s connections with human pleasure is shown mostly though his appetite and his love of sugar. For one, he always smells like cookies, which leads to him always being associated with food. He also says that “no matter what they tell you, you can never have too much sugar” (1:18:20). This is a direct reference to his first scene in the film, in which he is shown having a breakfast which consists of a huge bowl of cornflakes in milk topped with several tablespoons of white sugar, which he eats with gusto, completely distorting the image of angels being purely spiritual creatures who require no nourishment. The same sort of distortion then applies in relation to his smoking habit and his requirement of sleep.

In addition, a connection is also made between Michael and sexual desire (or the desire for love), when all the women in a bar where the main characters stop during their trip are visibly attracted to him and do not want to leave his side. Again, Dorothy, representing the stereotypical views of how angels are supposed to behave, outright rejects this notion, simply saying that “angels don’t have sex” (00:47:25), before refusing to discuss this any further. Again, the occurrence of sexual desire and sexual attraction in connection with Michael can be seen as a disruption of the stereotypical image of innocent angels.

Furthermore, while Michael can be considered the mirror image of humanity in more of a negative sense (especially in relation to his smoking and eating habits), City of Angels offers a more positive version, although the manifestation of the desire is nearly identical. In the film, a man called Nathaniel Messinger (Dennis Franz) admits to Seth that he is a former angel and that he had decided to become human in order to enjoy “earthly pleasures”.

Nathaniel’s story is obviously supposed to serve as Seth’s inspiration, as he later on decides to also abandon his angelic existence in favour of his own desire. While Nathaniel’s idea of earthly pleasures is more connected to appetite – “Nathaniel: Guess I should introduce myself. Nathaniel Messinger – glutton, hedonist, former celestial body, recent addition to the human race.” (00:51:54) – Seth chooses to become human in order to act on his love/sexual desire towards Maggie. (See Fig. 16)

Similarly, Leo the whitelighter basically risks everything in order to be with his beloved woman in Charmed. Furthermore, angels are usually not supposed to fall in love, let alone have sex or children with humans, as that would clash with the image of the angels not being supposed to have any wants or needs, let alone break the rules in order to fulfill their desires.

Correspondingly, in Dogma, Loki and Bartleby also often mention sex and sexual desire, albeit predominantly as a joke, as it is established that they cannot in fact actually have sex as angels: “Loki: Last four days on earth? If I had a dick, I’d go get laid.” (09:35) This demonstrates that the writers must have felt the need to at least emphasise that these angels behave way more like humans than what is the stereotypical conception of angels.

There are several instances of angels being drawn to desire or driven by appetite in Supernatural. In episode 4x10 “Heaven and Hell”, a young woman named Anna Milton (Julie McNiven) reveals that she is a former angel who had decided to become human in order to enjoy earthly pleasures, not unlike Nathaniel in City of Angels. When Dean Winchester cannot understand why she would exchange angelic spirituality for human fatality, she attempts to explain it to him:

Dean: Why would you fall? Why would you want to be one of us?

Anna: You don’t mean that.