In last week's episode of Supernatural, Castiel made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Death and save Dean Winchester one last time. In his final moments, he told Jensen Ackles' Dean that he loves him, a statement many fans believed was meant to be romantic in nature.
Castiel had previously made a deal with "The Empty" to trade his soul for his adopted son Jack's. However, the agreement meant that the cosmic force would only collect once the fallen angel had found true happiness, and it seems Castiel achieved this once he admitted his feelings for Dean and relieved himself of a burden he's likely been carrying around for several years now.
During a recent appearance at the DarkLight Online Convention (via PopBuzz.com), Collins confirmed that this moment was intended to make it clear that Castiel is indeed gay.
"Castiel tells Dean he loves him and basically makes Destiel canon," the actor said. "Fans are freaking out after that. To complicate matters, he dies after that. So Castiel makes his homosexual declaration of love and then dies, which plays into a timeless Hollywood trope of 'Kill the gays.' We give, and then we take away."
It doesn't sound like the actor is overly happy about how things ended for Castiel in Supernatural's final season, but the character has died before and could easily return again. As of right now, however, it seems the door is closed on further exploring the angel's feelings for Dean Winchester.
What's your take on this revelation about Castiel?