This covers The Mortal Instruments series characters, by Cassandra Clare. That means: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire. It will most likely center around book one, City of Bones, simply because that’s the one I know/have read the most.
Buckle up, boys and birds. This is going to be a long one. 😀
I have liked The Mortal Instruments series since the first time I watched the movie, starring Jamie Campbell Bower and Lilly Collins. Then I read the first book, and loved it even more. And then… well, then I read the rest of the series. And now I am somewhat obsessed. This is just the main characters, because if I did literally everyone, we’d be here for days. 😂
So let’s jump in! (These will be more-or-less in order of appearance. It’s been a few months since I read the books, so please let me know if I miss anybody.) Also, if more than one love interest is listed, the last one was the final/last. The others are past loves.
SPOILER ALERTS!!!
Clary Fray/Fairchild
Type: Main protagonist
Role: Main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Shadowhunter
Parents: Jocelyn Fairchild and Valentine Morgenstern
Sibling/s: “Sebastian”
Love Interest: Jace
Friends: Simon (best friend), Jace, Isabelle, Alec, Maia, Jordan
Enemies: Valentine, Sebastian
Clary Clary Clary… Oh boy. Clary went through a lot in this series. She’s pretty cool, all things considered, but definitely not my favorite. She has always loved art, and once she becomes a part of the magical world, she discovers why. She can create new runes that never existed before. But she’s awkward and clumsy, and not a great fighter, so being a shadowhunter becomes very tricky.
Her theme song would be:
Simon Lewis
Type: Main protagonist
Role: Main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Mundane turned downworlder (daylighter vampire) turned human
Parents: Elaine Lewis (father is unmentioned)
Sibling/s: Rebeccah
Love Interest: Clary, Maureen, Isabelle
Friends: Clary (best friend), Isabelle, Alec (kinda), Jace (kinda), Maia, Jordan, Maureen
Enemies: Jace (for a while), Valentine, Sebastian
I knew the second I read his description that I was going to like Simon. “He looked less as if he were contemplating the powers of darkness and more as if he were on his way to chess club.” Simon is a nerdy, awkward teenage boy until his life turns upside down. One day he’s going to a party with his best friend, and overnight finds himself slowly turning into a vampire. He’s got a pair of dorky glasses to start, a big weird mark on his forehead in the middle, and in the end he’s just a regular dude again. He’s got quite the story.
His theme song would be:
Jace Wayland/Morgenstern/Lightwood/
Herondale
Type: Main protagonist/sometimes antagonist
Role: Main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Shadowhunter
Parents: Stephen and Celine Herondale
Sibling/s: None
Love Interest: Clary
Friends: Clary, Alec (parabatai), Isabelle, Simon (kinda)
Enemies: Pretty much anyone/thing, especially ducks.
Jace is very… complicated. He’s cold and rude and viciously sarcastic, but inside his chest beats a heart made of scars. He’s had more bad experiences than good, and even when you think you know it all… you don’t. The thing I like most about Jace is that he has very firm stances on things. He knows what matters to him. He is a tortured soul of a sort, but he uses it to ensure safety for the people he cares about. He’s an excellent fighter, and the first time he met Clary was actually in a club where he was hunting a demon. Little did he know that she was the one who was going to drag him to hell and back. (Literally.)
His theme song would be:
Isabelle Lightwood
Type: Protagonist
Role: Main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Shadowhunter
Parents: Maryse and Robert Lightwood
Sibling/s: Alec, Max
Love Interest: Simon Lewis
Friends: Jace, Alec, Clary, Simon, Church
Enemies: Anybody trying to hurt her family
Isabelle is one of my absolute favorites. She is described as a woman who will “cut out your heart and then walk all over it in high-heeled boots.” But not only is she beautiful and cruel, she’s one of the best shadowhunters in New York. Her main weapon is a silver whip that wraps around her wrist in the form of a snake bracelet. She’s an expert in makeup and too-small clothes, but also in kicking butt. Her friends call her Izzy, and her enemies call her nothing. (Because they are dead before a word can be uttered.)
Her theme song would be:
Alec Lightwood
Type: Protagonist
Role: Main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Shadowhunter
Parents: Maryse and Robert Lightwood
Sibling/s: Isabelle, Max
Love Interest: Jace, Magnus
Friends: Jace (parabatai), Clary (kinda), Isabelle
Enemies: Anyone trying to hurt his family, and sometimes Clary
Alec is a shadowhunter unlike any other. He’s fearless in the art of defense, but he’s never killed a demon in offense. In fact, he’s never killed one at all. His bowman skills are unmatched, and his pitch black hair is as dark as night. He is as gay as a daffodil, but doesn’t let it show. That’s my favorite thing about him as a character; he has many layers. Like an onion. His outer shell is rough and weathered, but strong. Peel back a few layers, and you’ll see that he’s sensitive. Peel back a few more and he has a big heart. More, and you see his core.
His theme song would be:
Jocelyn Fray/Fairchild
Type: Protagonist
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire (I think she was in all of them, anyway. Could be wrong.)
Magical Status: Ex-shadowhunter
Parents: Adele Nightshade, Granville Fairchild
Sibling/s: None
Love Interest: Valentine, Luke
Child/ren: Clary, Sebastian
Friends: Luke, Amatis
Enemies: Valentine, Sebastian
Jocelyn is kind of a cool character, but honestly I find her mostly annoying. I don’t know why. She’s got a killer backstory, with shadowhunters and lycanthrope and adventures for days. But ultimately, her life story is about lost love and learning. I guess that’s why she’s so indignant when Clary finds out about the shadow world. She spent her whole life running from the demons as well as the demon hunters, but Clary immediately falls into place with Jocelyn’s old life. I can’t tell if that makes her worried… or jealous. Either way, she annoys me.
Her theme song would be:
Luke Garroway/
Lucian Graymark
Type: Protagonist
Role: Main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Shadowhunter turned downworlder (werewolf)
Parents: Unnamed Iron Sister, Caleb Graymark
Sibling/s: Amatis, Sister Cleophas
Love Interest: Jocelyn
Child/ren: Clary (stepdaughter), Sebastian (stepson)
Friends: Jocelyn, Amatis, Alaric, Maia, Jordan
Enemies: Valentine (ex-parabatai), Pangborn, Blackwell, anyone who tries to hurt his family
LUKE!!! Hehehehehehe Luke is my favorite character. His little sarcastic comments are the best: like when Clary told him that he could stick his head out the window if he wanted, and he responded with, “I’m a werewolf. Not a golden retriever.” He has this “dad” personality, even though he doesn’t have any kids. But I guess he did basically raise Clary, so that’s probably part of it. He’s just the coolest character in the whole book, and I’m so glad things turned out the way they did for him. He FINALLY got the girl he’d been in love with for decades, his step-daughter is devoted to him, and he found peace with his lycanthropy. The best ending.
His theme song would be:
Church
Type: Protagonist
Role: Cat
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire + books not in this series
Magical Status: Cat
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Unknown
Love Interest: Fish
Friends: Jem Carstairs
Enemies: Everybody else, unless food is involved
Church is, hands down, my favorite cat ever. He’s sweet and snarky all wrapped up in a cute, temperamental little fur-creature body. I think I am mostly fond of him because of his role in The Infernal Devices series, but he’s really good here too. I love cats, despite my allergies, and this is one that I’d absolutely suffer for. He’s super sweet if you give him pats or food, but otherwise… he’s likely to play tricks on you. He knows exactly what you’re talking about and understands commands. But will he actually do what you want? Depends on his mood.
His theme song would be:
Hodge Starkweather
Type: Protagonist/antagonist
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, (I thiiink he dies in City of Fallen Angels… but I’ve gone through every web page I can find and I CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHICH BOOK HE DIES IN. And since I don’t actually own the books, I CAN’T JUST LOOK FOR MYSELF. Urgh.)
Magical Status: Shadowhunter
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Unknown
Love Interest: None
Child/ren: None
Friends: Valentine (kinda), Maryse and Robert Lightwood
Enemies: Purrrty-much everybody else
Hodge is a good guy at heart, but… his motives turned selfish, which led him into getting corrupted. He had been friends with Valentine and the others in Idris, where they trained to be shadowhunters. As a child, Hodge was an outcast; so having friends was rare and surprising to him. As he grew older, he became so desperate to keep them that he violated his own moral code and followed Valentine blindly. That’s why he is the way he is now. Stuck. He loves to read and his library is astonishing, but even knowing all the stories of good and evil, he still could not draw himself out of the darkness if it meant losing his friends.
His theme song would be:
Magnus Bane
Type: Protagonist
Role: Main/side character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire + others not in the series
Magical Status: Downworlder (warlock)
Parents: Unnamed mother, Asmodeus
Sibling/s: Unknown
Love Interest: Camille Belcourt, Will Herondale, Alec
Friends: Alec, Jace (kinda), Clary, Caterina Loss (best friend), Raphael, Isabelle, Henry Branwell, Jocelyn, Ragnor Fell
Enemies: Anybody who 1) steals his glitter, 2) hurts Alec or Chairman Meow, 3) is more glamorous than him or insults his shoes
MUAHAHAHA Magnus Bane… Hehehehe… He’s awesome. In every possible way. (Fun fact: in the movie, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Magnus wasn’t wearing pants when he was introduced. He was hosting a party for Chairman Meow’s birthday, and he wanted to be the ~dramatic~ center of attention. So he refused to wear pants. 😂 ) Magnus is a glitter-wearing, immortally-living, magic-using, cat-eyed bundle of snark. Oh yea- and he’s also the high warlock of Brooklyn. He makes me laugh until I think my lungs will collapse with his snide comments, and I envy how well he knows and respects himself.
His theme song would be:
Chairman Meow
Type: Protagonist
Role: Cat
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire + other books not in the series
Magical Status: Cat
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Three other kittens, not named
Love Interest: Sleep
Friends: Magnus, Alec
Enemies: Everybody else
Does Chairman Meow play a huge part in the story? No. Does he play a small but essential part in the story? Not really. But is he heckin’ cute and funny? Absolutely. Chairman Meow likes to play dead, eat Chinese takeout, and sleep in. He hates people and parties. He was one of four kittens that Magnus found outside his apartment building, but the only one that he kept. Chairman has won a very big part of Magnus’ heart; so big that he has said, “I never date anyone my cat doesn’t like.” Which is, perhaps, why Chairman and Alec are such good friends. But Magnus is his favorite person.
Chairman Meow’s theme song would be:
Valentine Morgenstern
Type: Main ANTAGONIST!!! Antagonist antagonist antagonist
Role: Kinda-main character
Appears in: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass
Magical Status: I don’t even know anymore. Shadowhunter? Downworlder? Demon?
Parents: Seraphina and Oskar Morgenstern
Sibling/s: None
Love Interest: Jocelyn, power
Child/ren: Clary, Sebastian
Friends: He has no friends, only followers
Enemies: Downworlders
Uhggg Valentine. He’s so annoying. If you picked up a dictionary and searched for the definition of “corrupt”, you’d simply find a photo of him. He’s hurt and killed thousands of innocents in the desperation to fulfill his goal: destroy all downworlders. Even though they aren’t bad, downworld consists of people with a bit of demon blood in their veins. Valentine believes that it’s his mission to purify the world by their extinction. And how does he do this exactly? By experimenting with demon blood. Smart guy, that one. He even injected it into his pregnant wife (at the time) and turned their baby into a monster. He’s pure evil, but unbelievably charismatic. So he recruits the shadowhunter runts and rebels to follow him in the purification of the world, and they follow him blindly.
His theme song would be:
(Quick sidenote: The following characters are most likely not in order. I just pulled names of people I remember of importance, but I can’t remember the order in which they were introduced. My bad, I’m sorry.)
Camille Belcourt
Type: Antagonist
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls (I thought she was in more but I think I’m wrong. She was mentioned.)
Magical Status: Downworlder (vampire)
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Unknown
Love Interest: No current
Child/ren: None known
Friends: Nobody (oof)
Enemies: Everybody (big oof)
Camille is… tricky. Cunning. Sly. Slippery. She’ll turn you in the wrong direction and convince you it’s right, and whisper in your ear like a snake until you pitch yourself happily off a cliff. She makes you think that she has something to offer you, but you’ll kill yourself before you get it. That’s why she’s so difficult to handle. But overall, this bloodsucker is a pretty neat character.
Her theme song would be:
Seelie Queen
Type: Annoying
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Queen of the Faeries
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Unknown
Love Interest: Sebastian (ew, how)
Child/ren: None known
Friends: Ragnor Fell
Enemies: Most people
The Seelie Queen is not one to be messed with. Like Camille, she’ll twist your mind and predict your intentions until she has you right where she wants you. She’s deviously manipulative, with a mean streak to kill. And the issue that clenches the deal most is that because she’s a faerie, she can’t lie. So most of her trickery is just in her use of words alone. She can’t lie, so people trust her. But she does spin the truth, tell half-truths, and mislead you until she gets what she wants without you even realizing. That’s part of why she’s so extremely dangerous as an enemy.
Her theme song would be:
Sebastian Verlac/Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern
Type: Main AN-FRICKIN-TAGONIST
Role: MEAN (a main character, eventually)
Appears in: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: EVIL (shadowhunter? maybe? I guess?)
Parents: Jocelyn Fairchild and Valentine Morgenstern
Sibling/s: Clary Fairchild
Love Interest: Clary Fairchild (I wish he would burn for that, he was SO NOT-COOL towards his sister when she didn’t return his feelings)
Friends: NOBODY; THE WORLD HATES YOU, SEBASTIAN
Enemies: EVERY GOOD PERSON
AHGGG just thinking about Sebastian makes me angry. He’s a jerkoff with no heart or soul. It isn’t his fault, since his father injected him with demon blood throughout his life. But still. The things he’s done, people he’s hurt, and trauma he’s caused… it’s dispicable. Unthinkable. His real name is actually Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, but he was parading as Sebastian Verlac when the main crew met him, so the name stuck even after they discovered his identity. He is so irritating. He even tried to… (hmm, how to keep this PG…) “assault” his younger sister. Several times. He also took over Jace’s body several times so that he could mess around with Clary without her knowledge that it was him. He’s disgusting and horrible. Oh yeah- plus he killed thousands of innocents. But in the end, he’s a good guy. After being stabbed by Heosphoros (a sword which had been infused by the heavenly fire), the demon blood was cleansed from his body, taking “Sebastian” with it. So he was left as an innocent human boy, like he should have been in the first place, named Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern.
His theme song would be:
Max Lightwood
Type: Protagonist
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Ashes, City of Glass (I WANT TO KILL SEBASTIAN; MAX SHOULD HAVE GROWN OLD & WRINKLY)
Magical Status: Shadowhunter in training
Parents: Maryse and Robert Lightwood
Sibling/s: Isabelle, Alec
Love Interest: None
Friends: Almost everyone
Enemies: Valentine, Sebastian
Max Lightwood is one of my all-time favorite characters. He was a beautifully written boy with a “little bro” aesthetic to kill. Speaking of killing, did you notice how I say was a beautifully written boy? Yeah. Sebastian killed him. Max was only 9 when he was brutally murdered in the Mortal War. He was known as the family bookworm, with his glasses always falling down his nose. He was sweet and soft and lonely and now, dead. Makes me so mad. He was a kind soul.
His theme song would be:
Maia Roberts
Type: Protagonist
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Mundane turned Downworlder (werewolf)
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Daniel Roberts
Love Interest: Bat Velasques, Simon, Jordan
Friends: Clary, Jace, Simon, Luke, Jordan, Bat, Steve, Greg
Enemies: Valentine, Sebastian, Daniel
Ooo Maia… 😀 Maia is one of my favorites too. She’s weird and wild and vibrant, despite all the pain and heartbreak that she’s been through. Jordan accidentally turned her into a lycanthrope one night when they were fighting, and had just broken up, because it was his first full moon. She was never normal after that. She phased through several packs, eventually falling in with Luke. That’s how she met Clary and Simon, and eventually reunited with Jordan. She. Is. A. Bad*booty*. Even after enduring so much, she is still a flower. Beautiful, soft, colorful, and poisonous if you try to mess with her.
Her theme song would be:
Jordan Kyle
Type: Protagonist
Role: Side character
Appears in: City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Magical Status: Mundane turned Downworlder (werewolf)
Parents: Unknown
Sibling/s: Unknown
Love Interest: Maia Roberts
Friends: Simon (best friend), Jace (close friend), Maia, Clary, Isabelle, Luke
Enemies: Anyone who tries to hurt Maia (they’re so cute together)
Okay… Jordan. Where to begin… He used to be a jerk. When he first started “wolfing out” (he got bit in a bar fight at some point), he was dating Maia. They were suddenly left with a catastrophic relationship, frequent fights and make ups ensuing. It wrecked them both. He was physically and mentally abusive, mostly due to the lycanthropy taking over. When she broke up with him, he bit her. After that he joined the Praetor Lupus, where he got himself under control and started piecing his life back together. It was a long time before he found Maia again, and even longer before she forgave him. In the end though, he died in her arms.
His theme song would be:
Others that should be mentioned are: The Silent Brothers, Lillith, Raziel, Imogen Herondale, Maryse and Robert Lightwood, Alaric, Catarina Loss, Maureen, Aline Penhallow, Madame Dorothia, Ithuriel, Lily Chen, Amatis Herondale, Asmoteus, Bat Velasquez, Emma Carstairs, the Blackthorn family, Sister Cleophas, Meliorn, Kaelie Whitewillow, and Azazel. But if I profiled every character, neither of us would ever get to sleep again. So I’m focusing mostly on the core characters which lasted through the series. 🙂
If you’re interested in a character guide for the Infernal Devices series, I’m hoping to do that one soon. I Haven’t gotten to read the Dark Artifices series yet, but when I do… 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this character guide! Or if you didn’t…
why are you still here ?
Bye!
♡, Shortie
