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Memes

Explaining the Destiel Confession meme

Destiel’s canon moment was a big deal.

Photo of Angela Andaloro

Angela Andaloro

Destiel meme

The Destiel Confession meme is an exploitable meme derived from a pivotal moment between Castiel and Dean Winchester in the TV show Supernatural. ‘Destiel’ is a portmanteau of the two character’s names, a common fixture of stan culture when it comes to pop culture couples and relationships.

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destiel confession meme template
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Meme basics:

  • Meme Creator: @surgeon-of-mugiwara-ya/ Tumblr
  • Meme Type: Exploitable
  • First Appearance: January 2021
  • Origin Source: Tumblr
  • Peak Popularity:
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Destiel confession google trends
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Origin

The Destiel moment comes from the series finale of the long-running show, titled Despair. The episode aired on Nov. 5, 2020, and features a scene between Castiel and Dean Winchester in which Castiel says an emotional goodbye to Winchester before he is taken to hell. He stops to plainly but emotionally profess his love to Castiel.

castiel i love you
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Cultural context

The moment was a major win and what fans of Destiel were waiting for. The pair were shipped as a romantic couple by die-hards for over 15 seasons. While there were strong arguments for the fact they were meant to be, the show just never went there…until it did.

supernatural debate destiel
u/xain_the_idiot via Reddit

People questioned whether the meaning was platonic or romantic. The emotional tone of the scene was what made the difference for viewers—including ones who weren’t mixed up in the fandom’s shipping. While many moments made Supernatural fans believe, this one cemented it. Making the love between them canon was an emotional revelation and a moment that’s revised online many times.

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destiel hug
@FVM15/Tenor

Misha Collins, who plays Castiel, also confirmed the romantic intent to be true. In a live stream that took place in late 2020 and was shared on X, he explained what the Destiel Confession meant:

“Castiel tells Dean he loves him and like basically makes Destiel canon. Fans are kind of freaking out over that. And then to complicate matters, he dies right after that. So Castiel makes this homosexual declaration of love, which is amazing that that happens, and then he dies right after, which plays into a timeless Hollywood trope of kill the gays,” Collins said, adding, “We give and then we take away.”

Spread

The Destiel meme first appeared online as fans dissected the episode the very next day. Tumblr user @surgeon-of-mugiwara-ya who was the first to capture how some of the fandom felt.

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destiel meme
@surgeon-of-mugiwara-ya/Tumblr
destiel meme left on read
@surgeon-of-mugiwara-ya/Tumblr

While some variations of the Destiel Confession meme speak to the emotional intensity of the moment, others poke fun at it. For example, some versions of this meme refer to a news event or a random fact in response to the emotional confession.

destiel meme the zodiac killer has finally been captured
@surgeon-of-mugiwara-ya/Tumblr
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Popularity

The Supernatural fandom continues to celebrate the show for all it gave in its 300+ episodes over 15 years. They love an anniversary. This meme is among those that go viral on the anniversary of the episode airing.

destielputinelection meme
u/_AthensMatt_ via Reddit

The Destiel Confession gets particular attention because it was trending on Twitter during its original airing along with news about Vladimir Putin and the results of the 2020 election, making for a crazy and newsy night on the platform, a favorite gathering place of the Supernatural fandom.

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it's been three years destiel confession meme
u/_AthensMatt_ via Reddit

Meme examples

destiel meme 'hand drawn disney movies'
@g00fi-g00br/IMGFLIP
i'm tired world leader destiel meme
@g00fi-g00br/IMGFLIP
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john green has returned to tumblr destiel meme
@g00fi-g00br/IMGFLIP
what is love destiel meme
@newyorkcityaces/Tumblr
what's your favorite candy destiel meme
@newyorkcityaces/Tumblr
no cap destiel confession meme
@newyorkcityaces/Tumblr
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phantom of the opera destiel confession meme
@prismartist/Tumblr
final fantasy i love you destiel meme
@prismartist/Tumblr
i love you tumblr content hidden destiel meme
@prismartist/Tumblr
the queen of england is dead destiel meme
@tomwambsgans/X
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In Body Image
@tomwambsgans/X

More TV show memes:

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