After 15 years, it was always going to be tough to end Supernatural in a way that pleased everyone, but The CW must’ve been hoping for the long-running show’s conclusion to be less controversial than it was. In one of its last episodes, the series killed off beloved angel Castiel (Misha Collins), but not before he finally confessed that he loved Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles). Fans had been waiting for this revelation for years, but they were furious over the fact that he died moments after it happened.
This appeared to play into the harmful Bury Your Gays trope, with Cas given a tragic fate as soon as he’s confirmed to be LGBTQ+ – something made clear by later comments from Collins. It was also a source of frustration that Dean didn’t reciprocate the feelings. Or at least, they were left unspoken. That’s not so in the Spanish language dub of the episode, though.
Social media exploded last night when a clip of the dubbed version hit the web, revealing that it totally changes the final exchange between Cas and Dean. And you can check it out for yourself down below.
ME MUERO EN ESTE INSTANTE GENTE #DESTIELisCANON #destiel pic.twitter.com/jshDaZD6nB
— ✨ (@_casnatural) November 25, 2020
Instead of pleading with Cas not to sacrifice himself as in the English dialogue, in the Spanish dub Dean says, “yo a ti, Cas,” or “and I you, Cas.” In other words, “I love you too, Cas.”
That’s a pretty major change and what this has done, then, is leave the SPN fandom calling for The CW’s blood, as it’s given rise to a conspiracy theory that the network vetoed Dean coming out and the Spanish dub restored the original dialogue and intention of the scene.
#TheySilencedYou is now trending at #1 in the US. So to those new to it–the CW explicitly cut queer content in the US but failed to catch their international studios in time, though a previous leak existed. Unfollow all official CW show accounts. Like. Now.
— The Full Context. (@Warbamf) November 25, 2020
Our frustration is not directed at the cast. They shouldn't have to apologize or explain themselves. They aren't the problem.#TheySilencedThem #TheySilencedYou
— 💚They Mattered💙 (@JVDWasp) November 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/bopkidznfish/status/1331973344284073984
#TheySilencedThem #TheySilencedYou PLEASE don’t blame the actors! Be kind! We all know who's really at fault. pic.twitter.com/SovK9nHaaT
— Anna 안나🌻|| #태인호 ☕️ (@cdamnfinecoffee) November 26, 2020
The network needs to acknowledge their mistakes. #TheySilencedThem #TheySilencedYou https://t.co/WhhgI3fEqX
— DaretoSpeak (@dareto_speak) November 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/wlwmish/status/1331604251823529984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1331604251823529984%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Fsupernatural-dean-castiel-romance-spanish-dub-fan-outrage%2F
https://twitter.com/Thoughts_Lex/status/1331685581529735173
https://twitter.com/greenblue86/status/1331641244770914304
While the fans’ disappointment with how things wrapped up for “Destiel” is warranted – especially given how the finale treated Dean – it’s difficult to say whether The CW really did do what they’ve been accused of. After all, many of their series feature prominent LGBTQ+ characters and GLAAD even named them the leading network for queer representation in 2019. It would be curious for the Spanish dub to so off-script, though, without some involvement from the show’s creators.
We’ve yet to get an official comment on this situation, but Collins has shared a Twitter video in which he offers his two cents, saying that “there’s no conspiracy” and that the new line comes from “a rogue translator.” That hasn’t really helped quell the flames, though, and it seems like this is something the Supernatural fan community is not going to forget anytime soon.
