Fallen Angels

There is no question that mankind, or at least Western civilization, is fascinated by angels. Something about these quasi-mythical winged beings enraptures us. Of course, the term “angel” is completely ambiguous, and can carry connotations ranging from Cupid to Lucifer to Gabriel to a city in southern California. Perhaps it is this shroud of mystery that makes us so drawn to these creatures that refuse to be defined.

I want to focus on one particular type of angel: the fallen angel. Once again, this is still rather ambiguous, so I will further clarify that I mean a recurring character trope in many works of art, both ancient and modern. The two works I have in mind are the TV show Supernatural and the video game Diablo III. Castiel and Tyrael, respectively, play remarkably similar roles in these works. In both, angels are portrayed as superior yet aloof beings, beings of moral absolutism and pinnacles of what is ultimately good. However, in both, these angels also display a lack of concern for humanity that is clearly disturbing, to both the audience and the human heroes in these works. Since both of these are told from a human perspective, both the heroes and the audience derive a morality stemming from humanity; that is, “humanity” sums up all the goodness of love, compassion, morality, freedom, justice, and mercy. And so, our angels in question are faced with a dilemma: they can follow the moral code their fellow beings hold so tightly to, or they can abandon it and cast themselves into the fray alongside the human heroes. Tyrael makes his choice abundantly clear to his fellow angel Imperius:

“You cannot judge me. I am justice itself! We were meant for more than this! To protect the innocent! But if our precious laws bind you all to inaction ... then I will no longer stand as your brother.”

Castiel ends up making a very similar choice. And so, our two favorite angels end up as hardly angels at all. Rather, they become surprisingly human. And, in doing so, they become our heroes.

Admittedly, this story has a familiar ring to it. A far off, all-seeing being having compassion for mankind, sacrificing his position of glory to walk alongside humans, face their challenges, and help them overcome them. The point of view may be different (as mentioned, our examples above are told from a very anthropocentric perspective), but general theme of a Christ-like being is clear. This is why we love the idea of “fallen angels”. It’s not just because we like the story of a good guy turned bad (this has more to do with the guilt of our own corruption and the desire to bring others down to our level; “misery loves company”). It’s because we are captivated by the idea of an apathetic, superior being becoming an empathetic, relatable being.

I will not deny that this is a lovely thought, and an enticing theme that runs through both the Bible and many works of art. It is undeniably beautiful in its cogency. But I still have one lingering doubt, one nagging question: where is the empathetic, relatable being of today? Why does it seem that we are left with just a far off hope and not a near one? Where is my fallen angel?

I am certainly not done looking for an answer. But in the absence of an answer, we are forced to conclude one of the following: that our angel has fallen too far to get back up, or that there is no angel willing to fall far enough.