Dean the Weapon
Nov. 24th, 2009 08:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retro_eidasI had this really disturbing dream last night of Dean, raised as an orphan and tossed through the foster system most of his life, who'd become this sociopathic special forces soldier that's had a thousands of "enemy kills" and .... basically a monster, but an acceptable one since it's the "enemy" he's killing. That's what I get I suppose from watching "Skin" while only half-conscious. *cringes*
I keep wondering about the notion of Dean being a "weapon" (which was hinted by way of Anna, even back in OTHOAP). Zachariah claims Dean is "Michael's sword", but also claims it's because Dean is Michael's vessel. I have wondered if Zachariah - as angels are not perfect, they are prone to error - has gotten the "weapon" and "Michael's sword" part mistaken? Dean is not a vessel, but literally a weapon, designed specifically by Michael to save the world/his family and fulfill his duty to his Father's creations? Dean is something all new (or perhaps not unlike Jesse - or the antithesis of Jesse - being Lucifer's most valuable weapon)? Now this could easily just be me and having seen the movie "9") one too many times. However, that whole movie was about these creatures (homunculi) created (by way of Alchemy) as a means to counterbalance the end of civilization/humanity. A last ditch means to preserve life, in whatever form, and destroy the machine - created by humans, of course - that which ended (the human) civilization in the first place. However, you get a similar story in "Terminator 2" or any other story that's involved created and/or artificial life or A.I. (though also often times the source of destruction) as the source of humanity's or life's salvation or preservation. In the case of "Supernatural", it is the human world (family) that needs saving, but also based on every emo angel's sob story we've heard, the Heavenly family is in dire need of salvation too and apparently has been so for some time. Since before Creation.
Might Michael have been like the alchemist in "9"? Realizing that his angelic family was doomed, so created a countermeasure (like the alchemist, or Dean, possibly at great cost to himself) to try to prevent or preserve his angel family in whatever form he could? Lucifer as that embodiment of pure destruction (like the machine in "9" or SkyNet) that Michael couldn't stop once, either because he wasn't strong enough physically, emotionally or psychologically, but knows he has to be stopped? So created a "weapon" in Dean that can and will do what he could not? Show is already telling us that a hybrid creature - Jesse - is possibly more powerful than all the Hosts of Heaven. If a demon/human creation is that strong, what about an angel/human creation?
Nephilim, despite all the angel lore in SPN, is also something that's been rather conspicuously absent in Show canon. Despite angel/human sex already having been explored (4.10) and honestly, Anna's whole story was very much Genesis 6: 1-4 (heh, Dean functioning as the "daughters of men", which is all too fitting for any of us who've spent WAY too much time dissecting Dean's Anima side. It's prevalent, to say the least). Also touching on it (*snorts*) again in FTBYAM. Also the idea of angel/human procreation, though indirectly and very briefly, mentioned in 5.06 (even if it's by way of Castiel's negation of Jesse being Lucifer's child). So it's there in canon, yet not either. I'd probably say something Show has interestingly skirted around but never quite officially made part of canon.
Incidentally, Noah gets a mention in 5.10 (by way of Bobby and the last time the angel of Death made an appearance, "Noah was building a boat." LOL). In some versions of the Noah story, the Great Flood happened because God (by the insistence of some of the angels) felt the Nephilim were too great a threat to live, so Flooded the Earth in attempt to destroy them (though supposedly some might have survived anyway). Here we have "Supernatural's" angels, all too willing to let an Armageddon happen that will either "roast the planet alive" or, and this one is the supposed better option, destroy a huge portion of it. Seems they're aligning the world for SPN-equivalent's of a(nother) Great Flood. Why? We already have one human/supernatural hybrid we know that is an incredible threat to the Hosts. You can also bet the angels probably haven't been forthcoming about absolutely everything (in these prophecies or otherwise). What if there's also a prophecy out there signaling the angels' destruction? Possibly by direct way of humanity? In order to prevent this - like Herod killing all the young male children in his Kingdom in attempt to futilely thwart the (largely false and paranoid) interpretations of prophecy - the angels try to remove the threat (or cut it down enough) to save themselves? Realizing the madness of this, Michael - though powerful he'd still have been only one angel - possibly did something very drastic to counterbalance it? His own equivalent of fleeing to Egypt, putting Moses in a bulrush boat and floating him down the Nile or Isis taking herself and her newborn son, Horus, into hiding? Castiel does seem to be functioning as an Isis or a Bithiah protector figure for Dean and Sam.
With all the Michael business focused on Dean? It's been distracting. However, there's been a conspicuous lack of mention of "Jesus Christ" or the "Second Coming", despite the major role the figure plays in Revelation. However, the only one who even comes close to fulfilling that role in the story so far is Dean ("The righteous man who started it, is the only one who can finish it." The Alpha and the Omega, in other words). Maybe Jesse, but he's already been labeled as the antichrist. So yeah, I'm thinking Dean is probably not a vessel or Michael, but SPN's equivalent of the Second Coming (though perhaps created by Michael to try to save his family, both the celestial and the chthonic).
I keep wondering about the notion of Dean being a "weapon" (which was hinted by way of Anna, even back in OTHOAP). Zachariah claims Dean is "Michael's sword", but also claims it's because Dean is Michael's vessel. I have wondered if Zachariah - as angels are not perfect, they are prone to error - has gotten the "weapon" and "Michael's sword" part mistaken? Dean is not a vessel, but literally a weapon, designed specifically by Michael to save the world/his family and fulfill his duty to his Father's creations? Dean is something all new (or perhaps not unlike Jesse - or the antithesis of Jesse - being Lucifer's most valuable weapon)? Now this could easily just be me and having seen the movie "9") one too many times. However, that whole movie was about these creatures (homunculi) created (by way of Alchemy) as a means to counterbalance the end of civilization/humanity. A last ditch means to preserve life, in whatever form, and destroy the machine - created by humans, of course - that which ended (the human) civilization in the first place. However, you get a similar story in "Terminator 2" or any other story that's involved created and/or artificial life or A.I. (though also often times the source of destruction) as the source of humanity's or life's salvation or preservation. In the case of "Supernatural", it is the human world (family) that needs saving, but also based on every emo angel's sob story we've heard, the Heavenly family is in dire need of salvation too and apparently has been so for some time. Since before Creation.
Might Michael have been like the alchemist in "9"? Realizing that his angelic family was doomed, so created a countermeasure (like the alchemist, or Dean, possibly at great cost to himself) to try to prevent or preserve his angel family in whatever form he could? Lucifer as that embodiment of pure destruction (like the machine in "9" or SkyNet) that Michael couldn't stop once, either because he wasn't strong enough physically, emotionally or psychologically, but knows he has to be stopped? So created a "weapon" in Dean that can and will do what he could not? Show is already telling us that a hybrid creature - Jesse - is possibly more powerful than all the Hosts of Heaven. If a demon/human creation is that strong, what about an angel/human creation?
Nephilim, despite all the angel lore in SPN, is also something that's been rather conspicuously absent in Show canon. Despite angel/human sex already having been explored (4.10) and honestly, Anna's whole story was very much Genesis 6: 1-4 (heh, Dean functioning as the "daughters of men", which is all too fitting for any of us who've spent WAY too much time dissecting Dean's Anima side. It's prevalent, to say the least). Also touching on it (*snorts*) again in FTBYAM. Also the idea of angel/human procreation, though indirectly and very briefly, mentioned in 5.06 (even if it's by way of Castiel's negation of Jesse being Lucifer's child). So it's there in canon, yet not either. I'd probably say something Show has interestingly skirted around but never quite officially made part of canon.
Incidentally, Noah gets a mention in 5.10 (by way of Bobby and the last time the angel of Death made an appearance, "Noah was building a boat." LOL). In some versions of the Noah story, the Great Flood happened because God (by the insistence of some of the angels) felt the Nephilim were too great a threat to live, so Flooded the Earth in attempt to destroy them (though supposedly some might have survived anyway). Here we have "Supernatural's" angels, all too willing to let an Armageddon happen that will either "roast the planet alive" or, and this one is the supposed better option, destroy a huge portion of it. Seems they're aligning the world for SPN-equivalent's of a(nother) Great Flood. Why? We already have one human/supernatural hybrid we know that is an incredible threat to the Hosts. You can also bet the angels probably haven't been forthcoming about absolutely everything (in these prophecies or otherwise). What if there's also a prophecy out there signaling the angels' destruction? Possibly by direct way of humanity? In order to prevent this - like Herod killing all the young male children in his Kingdom in attempt to futilely thwart the (largely false and paranoid) interpretations of prophecy - the angels try to remove the threat (or cut it down enough) to save themselves? Realizing the madness of this, Michael - though powerful he'd still have been only one angel - possibly did something very drastic to counterbalance it? His own equivalent of fleeing to Egypt, putting Moses in a bulrush boat and floating him down the Nile or Isis taking herself and her newborn son, Horus, into hiding? Castiel does seem to be functioning as an Isis or a Bithiah protector figure for Dean and Sam.
With all the Michael business focused on Dean? It's been distracting. However, there's been a conspicuous lack of mention of "Jesus Christ" or the "Second Coming", despite the major role the figure plays in Revelation. However, the only one who even comes close to fulfilling that role in the story so far is Dean ("The righteous man who started it, is the only one who can finish it." The Alpha and the Omega, in other words). Maybe Jesse, but he's already been labeled as the antichrist. So yeah, I'm thinking Dean is probably not a vessel or Michael, but SPN's equivalent of the Second Coming (though perhaps created by Michael to try to save his family, both the celestial and the chthonic).
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Date: 2009-11-25 01:19 am (UTC)Srsly, the way S4 started, Dean seemed more likely to be the Second Coming. They called "Lazarus Rising" even! And course there's the numerological significance of the 40 years in Hell. Now, if he'd had some of the same powers that would've made things so much easier, and probably a great deal less apocalyptic.
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Date: 2009-11-25 04:28 pm (UTC)I think the Seventh Day Adventists still consider them one in the same?
The savior/warrior idea was rather muddled between the two of them, up until...I forget exactly when. Alcuin's Sequence on St. Michael and Adam of St. Victor's Poem to St. Michael the Archangel certainly seem to portray him as savior. And later on you have the imagery of the triumphant Christ, which was pretty much later transferred to Michael.
Hell, most modern fiction with a messianic figure usually isn't some passive teacher or guide, though they can fulfill that role too, but a warrior-type. Neo, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Buffy are all warriors, all messianic figures.
Srsly, the way S4 started, Dean seemed more likely to be the Second Coming. They called "Lazarus Rising" even!
Directly bookended with "Lucifer Rising", which is the hint of Nemesis (Lucifer vs. Dean), but also that he opened the first seal. Just as the Second Coming opened the seven seals in Revelation that began Armageddon. So once again it's the Michael (Lucifer's nemesis) idea getting conflated with the Second Coming.
And course there's the numerological significance of the 40 years in Hell.
Definitely, the whole Harrowing of Hell concept. Not to mention Dean with a Journey into the Underworld, that puts him not only en par to Jesus Christ, but also in the same league as Inanna, Hercules, Odysseus, Gilgamesh and those other fictional messianic figures I mentioned above all of which had some sort of Journey into the Underworld story. That's some pretty heavyweight company there. I know people often get nervous in discussions when Dean is mentioned as de facto (mythic) hero in the storyline, in a lot of ways putting him in a conspicuously higher position than Sam, but the evidence is kind of hard to ignore. This is why the idea of Sam as a vessel does sort of fit with his character, but doesn't quite work with Dean. Sam, for so long, has been the one that's constantly getting manipulated by these dark forces around him and the one needing to be saved from them (from Azazel, Lilith, Ruby and now Lucifer). While Dean is often the one placed in the role of the savior. Then compound that with the Underworld stuff mentioned, the prophecy ("The righteous man who began it...") and not only Hell's interest in him (In IKWYDLS, when Sam wanted to deal to get Dean back, Hell no longer had any interest in him once they had Dean and refused to deal. Not even John held that much interest to Hell), but obviously Heaven too. He's the Golden Child for pretty much every major faction we've got.
Now, if he'd had some of the same powers that would've made things so much easier, and probably a great deal less apocalyptic.
With that, I'd almost be concerned it's a Be careful what you wish for situation. I keep thinking Dean with superpowers may be a very scary thing. Sort of like his demon dream!self at the very end of DALDOM that clicked his fingers and the lights went out. Like Shiva or Vishnu figure that dissolve the universe.... except they also recreate it too. I honestly wouldn't be shocked at all SPN is headed for a literal End Time, except perhaps not so much Earth's end, but Heaven's and possibly Hell's as well. At least in the current states of both. Both end and recreated into something new. I don't imagine how both places have been described, they're going to be maintaining that status quo when all is said and done.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-25 06:42 pm (UTC)Man, I would laugh myself sick if Kripke showed up as God, Dean was the Second Coming, Sam is all WTF? and Bobby tells God "Your angels are all idjits. Hey Dean, get me some beer, would ya?"
Heh, I thought Dean's dream demon self was super sexy, so I'm all for it! XD Powers!Dean is awesome. Anyway, a recreation would be fitting if they do a S6, going back to the basics of S1.
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Date: 2009-11-26 12:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-26 03:25 am (UTC)