Ishim

Name	Ishim
Actor	Ian Tracey
Dates	Before humanity – 2017 (killed by Castiel)
Location
Occupation	Angel
Episode(s)	12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets

History

Ishim was an angel and former superior to Castiel. At some point in the late 19th century, Ishim was summoned to Earth by Lily Sunder. Taking an interest in Lily, Ishim shared all his knowledge and secrets of angels and Heaven with her, including Enochian magic. Ishim's infatuation with Lily soon led to obsession, forcing Lily to sever all ties with him and seek protection from another angel named Akobel. Enraged by this, Ishim gathered his garrison and led a mission to Earth under the pretense that Akobel had married Lily, and produced a Nephilim child—something which is "forbidden by the oldest laws in Heaven". To get revenge on Lily, Ishim proceeded to kill Akobel, then May—whose father was not Akobel, but an unnamed human.

Episodes

12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets

When Benjamin—a member of Ishim's old garrison—is being murdered, he prays to his fellow angels from the garrison; Mirabel, Ishim, and Castiel. They all hear him and meet at The Wright Stop diner to talk. Castiel shows surprise that the rest of the angels have managed to keep their vessels all these years, and Ishim tells him that he prefers the old Castiel better.

Mirabel mentions missing her wings, and accuses Castiel in having a hand in The Fall. Ishim muses aloud on whether Castiel is a hero or "a spanner in the works" since the members of Castiel's flight—Balthazar and Uriel—are now dead too. Castiel tells him that he's not a hero, just that "doing the right thing requires sacrifices." Ishim questions why those sacrifices always seem to be to the detriment of other angels, such as their wings or their lives. Castiel, irritated, asks if Ishim asked him there to talk about Benjamin or to simply insult him. Ishim joking asks if they can't do both.

Mirabel gets the discussion back on track, telling Castiel that two other members of their garrison have been murdered like Benjamin and that they three are all that's left. Castiel questions why neither of them informed him of this, and Mirabel answers that they didn't think he'd care.

All of a sudden, Sam and Dean enter the diner and Ishim displays displeasure, having told Castiel to come alone as he dislikes humans. As they're talking, Ishim pours copious amounts of sugar packets into his coffee. Castiel explains who Sam and Dean are, and Ishim orders Mirabel to check if there are any other humans outside. As Dean makes a joke, trying to ease the tension, Ishim begins telling him how Castiel used to be a powerful warrior who was firmly on the angels' side. Now, Ishim sees him as "fallen" after spending so much time with humanity. Dean jokes again, this time about how much sugar Ishim's been adding to his coffee. Ishim ignores Dean, and continues to insult Castiel more directly, telling him that he has, "No wings, no home. Just a ratty old coat and a pair of poorly-trained monkeys." Sam and Dean try to defend Castiel, but Castiel brings the conversation back to Benjamin. Ishim refuses to talk, however, telling them he'd rather talk in private at his safe-house nearby. Ishim gets to his feet and throws a few bills down on the table disdainfully, telling Castiel to "Have some pie" before leaving the diner.

Outside the diner, Mirabel has been killed by Lily Sunder, who tries to kill Ishim with an angel blade too. Ishim attempts to smite Lily, to no avail. Lily tells him that she's more powerful now, right before Castiel appears and attacks her, causing her to drop her blade. Castiel recognizes her from their mission long ago and is briefly distracted, before Lily kicks him away. Sam and Dean round the corner, guns cocked. Lily insists that she doesn't want to hurt any humans, and asks Sam and Dean to let her finish what she started. They refuse, so she floods the area with a bright light in order to make a getaway in her car.

Wounded, Ishim takes Sam, Dean, and Castiel back to his safe-house which happens to be a dilapidated church. Castiel offers to heal Ishim's wound, but he shrugs him off. Castiel then asks how Lily is still alive after all these years. Sam is surprised that Castiel knows Lily, and Castiel begins to explain, but Ishim tells Castiel that he doesn't owe the Winchesters an explanation. Dean demands an explanation, and Castiel freely gives one, despite Ishim warning him that they won't understand. Castiel goes on to tell Sam and Dean the whole story of what happened in 1901 when Ishim killed Akobel and May. However, Castiel still doesn't know that he and the other angels in the garrison were lied to about the mission. Still believing that they killed Akobel and May because he'd fathered her with a human, and she was a Nephilim, Castiel defends their "horrific" mission as "necessary" and "right". Sam asks who the woman was, and Ishim explains that she was Lily Sunder—a professor of apocalyptic literature who studied angels and spoke fluent Enochian. He tells them that he spared her life as a mercy, and Dean surmises that she now wants revenge on Ishim for murdering her husband and child. They all question how she's managing to stay so youthful despite being over 100 years old, and Ishim accuses her of having made a deal with a demon, which is also keeping her immune to angelic powers. Dean insists that he and Sam go and try to reason with Lily, and Ishim tells him that it won't work, but Dean and Sam are determined, and soon leave to find Lily.

Whilst Sam and Dean are away, Castiel heals Ishim's wound. Ishim berates Castiel for allowing "those simians" to talk down to him. He reminds Castiel of why they're supposed to keep humans at a distance—because they're a dangerous weakness. Castiel insists that his friendship with the Winchesters has made him stronger, not weaker. After he finishes healing Ishim's wound, he finds himself weakened. The process has the opposite effect on Ishim, who is soon doing push-ups, feeling energized. Ishim dismisses Castiel's fatigue, telling him he'll feel better soon. Castiel looks around for his cell phone, and Ishim mocks him for not keeping better track of his things.

After learning the truth of Ishim's 1901 "mission", Dean returns to the church to find Castiel lying on a couch, still recovering from having healed Ishim. Deal clues Castiel in to the fact that Lily's child was human and that Ishim is playing him. Ishim overhears this, and Castiel questions him. He accuses Lily of having lied to Sam and Dean, telling Castiel that lying is a common human tactic. Dean is steadfast in his belief of Lily's words, but Ishim continues to insist that she's lying. Ishim asks Castiel who he believes, "Your brother, or some filthy ape who's always talking down to you, always mocking you?" Dean interjects that he and Castiel might not always agree, but he's a true friend to him. Ishim asks Castiel, "Who is he to question my choices? Who is he to question yours?" Castiel demands to know whether May was human or not, to which Ishim tells him that he won't like the answer. Dean rushes Ishim with an angel blade, but Ishim manages to throw him back against a wall. A fight ensues between Ishim and Castiel, with Ishim telling Castiel that he used to envy him because Castiel had survived Hell and was chosen by God, but now all he sees is a weakened angel. Ishim throws Castiel to the floor and tells him that he's going to help him by cutting out Castiel's human weakness—by killing Dean. When he turns to kill Dean, Dean is sat with his hand almost touching an angel-banishing sigil. Ishim arrogantly tells Dean to do it, banish him, but the sigil will also banish Castiel, who is weak and might not survive it. This makes Dean think twice and lower his hand.

Suddenly, Lily appears with Sam. Ishim greets her as "my love". Another fight ensues until Ishim tells Lily that it's over. She argues that it isn't, as she removes her eye patch to reveal a shining golden orb. She raises her hand, telling him that she'll never be powerless again, as she holds him pinned against a wall. Ishim taunts her as he fights against her power, telling her that she can't hold him there forever. As he begins to walk towards her slowly, Castiel appears behind him and stabs him in the back with an angel blade, killing him.

14.08 Byzantium

Lily explains to Dean that she swore to herself that she would kill Ishim to avenge May's death, even if it meant burning her entire soul; but it didn't, as she has a sliver of her soul left.

Trivia

• Ian Tracey previously played Lee Chambers in 7.11 Adventures in Babysitting.

Ishim in Lore

Ishim are in actuality seen as a class of angel; the Ishim are said to be the angels that deal most closely with the affairs of man. They are said to be made of fire and snow and are described as "the beautiful souls of just men."