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“I cannot be sure, though I think it has something to do with
the clarity of them.”

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SPOILER WARNING: Plot details follow. Caution is advised!

Magnus invented your Portals, not that he receives any credit for it from Shadowhunters. He is one of the most powerful warlocks in the world, and so tenderhearted he rushes to the aid of vicious killers. He is the best the Downworld has to offer.

Raphael about Magnus, Son of the Dawn

Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Being over four centuries old, his life has since intertwined with several Shadowhunters and Downworlders over the centuries. As of 2012, he is the husband of Consul Alec Lightwood and the adoptive father of Rafael and Max Lightwood-Bane.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Magnus was born to a half-Dutch and half-Indonesian woman and the Prince of Hell Asmodeus in the 17th century in Jakarta, Indonesia, back then known as Batavia of the Dutch East Indies. He was born seemingly normal, only with unusual amber eyes.

Magnus was raised on a farm with his mother and her husband, both of whom raised him lovingly. However, when Magnus's warlock mark developed and they realized that he was the son of a demon, they both feared him. Magnus despised himself, and his mother soon hung herself in their barn. When he was ten, his stepfather attempted to drown him but was instead burned when Magnus lashed out with his powers at him.[5] He was then brought up by churchmen and raised by the Silent Brothers of Madrid, Spain, in the 17th century.[6] In their care, he was introduced to Ragnor Fell and became his student. He chose the name "Magnus Bane" after Ragnor told him warlocks identify themselves before others can for them.[7] Years later, Magnus met and saved Catarina Loss from being burned as a witch, who later became his second lifelong, fellow immortal friend.[8][7]

Somehow, Magnus has acquainted himself with his father, Asmodeus. Aware of his father's influence, Magnus occasionally brought up his power and notoriety and used this in his favor. Being a very skilled and powerful warlock, Magnus began charging for his services fairly young, even before he was a full-grown warlock. Though he was only less than twenty years old, he had already begun lying about his age, claiming to be hundreds of years old, old enough to know historical figures such as Julius Caesar and certain oracles, to increase his clients' confidence in him.[8]

At one point, Magnus fell in love with someone and had, for the first time in his long life, stayed with his lover for the duration of the girl's mundane life. Even for thirty years after that, Magnus still had not moved on from the pain, though it had become tolerable, and was still on an extended vacation, seeking adventure in places like Peru, unable to settle somewhere with the thought of his late lover still stinging.[8] Magnus once cited this heartbreak about a century after to another warlock friend who had lost her first loved one, saying that the first one was always the hardest.[9]

Adventures[]

In 1791, Magnus was able to coerce his friend Ragnor Fell into going to Peru with him. They toured the city of Lima and eventually went to Arequipa, one of Magnus's favorite cities in Peru. There, a woman named Guiliana guided them through the rainforest, where Magnus was chased by a dominant male spider monkey, which he narrowly escaped.

Around that time, he was hired by Edmund García, a rich Peruvian merchant, to help him move his cargo of guano. Infuriated at the discovery that guano was, in fact, bird droppings, and that they accidentally fell into the cargo hold, Ragnor ended up throwing a magical fit onboard that would then sink the ship and the cargo, rendering them both foul and unpaid.[8]

In June the same year, during the time of the French Revolution, Magnus was enjoying himself in Paris, the city that widely embraced his fashion principles. He was later literally caught in the middle of it when Count Axel von Fersen approached and asked him to help break out the royal family from Versailles. Charmed by the Count, Magnus agreed to his plans in exchange for dinner with him, and the two became friends.

On the night of the escape, after he successfully glamoured Queen Marie Antoinette, the plan hit a snag when the queen ended up lost and ran into vampires, particularly Coselle of the Paris vampire clan. She was immediately brought to the party being thrown by the leader of the clan, Marcel Saint Cloud where, coincidentally, Magnus was also at. Unable to convince the vampires to let the Queen go, he had to improvise and resort to trickery to get away with the queen. With a hot air balloon, he escaped with the queen and met with the Count. Magnus's efforts were then greatly awarded when the grateful Count kissed him before they parted ways.

Because of the incident at the party, Marcel retaliated against Magnus by having his vampires trash his place and take his servants, Claude and Marie. One of Marcel's subjugates, Henri, stayed behind to escort Magnus back to him. Magnus refused and instead had him pass on a final message calling for a truce to Marcel. To avoid any more trouble, Magnus immediately left Paris, with his new monkey, Ragnor, after. He fled to the Alps, where he would go on to avoid anything French, not wanting to worry or think about his vampire problems or the Revolution affair, to no avail. Through an escaped nobleman from Dijon, he heard the news of the eventual capture of the king and queen in the Varennes. Worried for his safety, Magnus wrote a letter to the Count, only to hear back from his sister, Sophie instead. When Sophie asked Magnus to try to dissuade Axel from risking his life, Magnus, finding mundane lives so complicated yet fleeting and knowing that the Count would be determined and impervious, chose to ignore her request and move on with his life.[10]

Stay in London[]

First encounters[]

In 1857, Magnus visited London to attend a Clave meeting with fellow Downworlders. There, he met the stubborn Shadowhunter Edmund Herondale who fell in love with a mundane, Linette Owens. Having been present on the day the pair met, Magnus bore witness to what would later lead to the heartbreaking decision that Edmund made: to leave his Shadowhunter life behind to be with his love.

At the same time, Magnus also first encountered the vampire Camille Belcourt and made a pass at her. The pair connected, and Magnus found himself competing with the werewolf Ralf Scott for Camille's affections. Influenced by Edmund's heartbreak, Magnus decided to give the mortal Scott a chance at love with Camille. As a parting gift, Magnus bought Camille an enchanted, and expensive, necklace, bought for the price he got after selling his house in Grosvenor Square. Magnus bid Camille farewell, and they parted with a kiss and a promise to meet again.[11]

Living with Camille[]

By 1878, Magnus had returned to London and reunited with Camille, having finished her time with the now-deceased Ralf. At one point, Magnus was with Camille, Ragnor, who had then already become the High Warlock of London, and de Quincey at one of the Pandemonium Club events and was seen by an investigating Shadowhunter, Will Herondale.

In an attempt to get revenge on Alexei de Quincey, the vampire who had Ralf killed, Camille told the London Enclave about his illegal Downworld parties. To help with the infiltration, Camille had Magnus meet Tessa Gray, who had shape-shifted into Camille, and Will at de Quincey's party. He escorted them through the house and, since the group was suspecting that de Quincey was the Magister, helped them make sense of an automaton blueprint riddled with a binding spell they found in de Quincey's library. Afterward, he took them to the ceremony to witness de Quincey breaking the Law themselves.[12]

Saving Will Herondale[]

Due to Camille's involvement in the death of de Quincey, she was forced to leave London to avoid the wrath of de Quincey's followers. To Magnus's disappointment, she left without telling him where she was headed. Though Magnus contemplated simply leaving her London home and subjugate Archer, which Camille left in his care, he couldn't since he still loved Camille and hoped she would return to him.

Shortly after their last encounter, Will Herondale went to Magnus and asked him to break his curse—a curse which endangered the people he loved or grew close to, supposedly cast by a demon that Will released from a Pyxis when he was a child. Intrigued by the boy's haunting sorrow, Magnus agreed.[12]

In the following months, Will continued to secretly visit Magnus as they continued to look for the blue demon that cursed him. They performed many spells and summonings in an attempt to draw the demon out, though none of the demons seemed to ever be the right one.

One evening, Magnus heard from Archer that Will was at a party thrown by Benedict Lightwood. Knowing that Benedict's parties were notorious for danger, Magnus went and ended up interrupting Will and Tessa kissing, under the influence of a warlock drug, on the balcony. He warned them that Will was easily recognized by Archer and that they should leave before anyone else recognizes them. He transports the pair to the estate grounds, where Will suddenly ran off to chase after a blue demon—the one that cursed him.

Later that night, Will came to Camille's house, wiped out, injured and messy, with the demon's tooth embedded in his arm after being bitten. A frantic Will wanted Magnus to summon the demon for him immediately, which Magnus explained was not possible. Will then collapsed due to the poisonous bite and Magnus healed him.

A little while later, Camille unexpectedly returned and showed up at the house. As a test, Magnus asked her where she had been. Camille claimed to have come from Paris; Magnus immediately knew that it was a lie as he had previously tracked her subjugate Walker to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where Magnus's informants have told him that Camille was living with a mundane lover. Finally accepting that Camille did not love him the way he loved her, Magnus ended his relationship with Camille and, using the barely conscious Will's presence to his advantage, pretended to be in a relationship with Will and kissed him. He left with Will soon afterward as even Camille, who was enraged that Magnus dated a Shadowhunter and dallied with him in her own house, kicked Magnus out and ended further relations with him. When Will, in confusion, asked Magnus if he had just kissed him, Magnus denied it, telling him that it must be the painkilling spells causing him to hallucinate.

Magnus later reconnected with his werewolf friend Woolsey Scott and temporarily moved in with him. Eventually, Magnus contacted Will and called him to Woolsey's home. In Ralf's room, Magnus proceeded with summoning the demon that owned the tooth Will obtained, finally, the same one that cursed him—Marbas. Finally successful, Will confronted the demon, only for it to reveal that Will was in fact merely tricked into believing he was cursed—a particularly cruel trick that haunted Will for five years.

During this time, Magnus had grown to know the man Will was at his core and eventually realized the real reason he wanted to rid himself of the curse: he had fallen in love with Tessa. He became more concerned for him, even as the truth was finally revealed. Woolsey, at one point, pointed out that if Magnus truly did not feel anything for the boy, then it must be Magnus's desire to "save every fallen bird."[13]

Helping the Enclave[]

After the truth was revealed, Will avoided Magnus because seeing him was a painful reminder of his torment. Will did, however, write him a short letter, telling him that Tessa was engaged to Jem Carstairs but asked him to not reply. Some weeks after, Jem, whose life depended on yin fen, ran out of his own supply of the drug and had no other source, as Axel Mortmain had accumulated the rest in London, prompting Will and Tessa to approach Magnus for advice on how to possibly save Jem. While Magnus was initially skeptical to help them, he eventually agreed to provide aid somehow, though even he wasn't sure in what way.

When Woolsey teased Will of his feelings for Tessa, Woolsey and Will fought and Magnus had to pull them apart. Magnus, having reclaimed the enchanted pendant that he had given Camille, later gave it to Will for precaution.

During an attack on the Institute, Tessa was kidnapped by clockwork creatures, and Jem collapsed after trying to rescue her. Desperate Will summoned Magnus and told him that he didn't know what to do: stay with Jem, or leave after Tessa. Warlock asked if Jem knew about Will's feelings towards Tessa, to which he answered negatively. Magnus told Will that being there at the end of Jem's life was not what important, but being there for every other moment. He then said that he would stay and watch over Jem while Will would go after Tessa. Then Magnus left the room to give a chance for Will to say good-bye to Jem. To buy Will time on his rescuing mission, Magnus joined with Henry Branwell to build a device that could help defeat Mortmain. Together they created a Portal in order for the Shadowhunters to get to the Cadair Idris. There Magnus first found Will and Tessa and released them. Later they joined the battle together.

After Mortmain was defeated, Magnus joined the Sophie's Ascension celebration party, during which he found Will near the institute front doors. He came to bid farewell as he was leaving London for New York.[9]

Back to Peru[]

Magnus and Ragnor later returned to Peru in 1885 with Catarina Loss, mainly for a job they were hired and offered a large sum for by Nayaraq to help her retrieve her family's treasure from the ruins in Pachacamac. Upon fulfilling their part, Magnus realized that it was not the treasure but the truth and reality of faeries and her family's connection to them that Nayaraq was truly in search of. Due to this assignment, however, the trio was marked wanted criminals for desecrating a temple.

Convinced by Catarina, the three remained in Peru for much longer after that last task. Five years later, in 1890, they were in the city of Puno, living by Lake Titicaca, when Magnus met Imasu Morales, a musician. Wanting to spend more time with him, Magnus asked to be taught to play an instrument. Magnus began playing the charango, rather terribly, much to the horror of those around him that not even his friends could tolerate it. Eventually, Imasu made him stop, admitting that he had their lessons showed, and may never, show improvements in his music playing and that he agreed to teach him because he had also wanted to get to know him. With this, Magnus finally decided to give up music, causing the city to hold a festival in celebration.

Imasu had been one of the few people Magnus grew to love since the death of his previous lover. Despite this, he still found himself unable to fully open up to him, especially about his past and his true nature. Just when he began to truly consider telling him, even just about magic, and settling down with him, Imasu left him, reasoning that he felt Magnus to be ephemeral, much to Magnus's amusement and dismay. With Catarina and Ragnor's help, Magnus was able to deal with and overcome his sorrow.

Another Herondale[]

In 1903, Magnus had been summoned to London by Tatiana Blackthorn with a very generous offer in exchange for his service. Assuming that it was to perform a spell for her ward, Grace Blackthorn, he agreed.

While passing time at a club, Magnus saw James Herondale—a spitting image of the boy's father, Will, whom by then he considered an old friend—shooting out chandeliers in the club. Magnus confronted him and the conversation soon led to Magnus chasing him around London for a few hours. After he collapsed, Magnus delivered James home to the London Institute. There he made conversation with his old friends and explained the night he'd had before departing for his meeting with Tatiana, making promises to keep in touch and see each other soon.

At Chiswick house, Magnus was struck by Grace's beauty and enchantment, reminiscent to him of Camille. Realizing that Grace could not be the reason she required his services, Magnus asked what is she would like to hire him for. She replied that she wished for him to kill five Shadowhunters for her in a specific way. Coming to the conclusion that she would use these deaths for dark power to possibly resurrect her son, he denied her and went to leave. Grace came after him on her mother's orders but need not try to stop him from leaving. Magnus asked her if she needed help to escape, to which she responded by holding a blade to his throat and threatening him not to share her mother's plans. He then made a comment of James, putting it together that James was tormented by his love for her, before departing. Knowing it would not help to tell Will and Tessa, Magnus decided to go home to New York.[14]

Return to London[]

Some months later, Magnus returned to London after receiving word from both Tessa and Ragnor in Jakarta of a daylight demon plaguing the city. He arrived at the Institute several hours early and ended up walking in on James and his friends vanquishing a Palpis demon in the Sanctuary. Following his inquiries, Matthew Fairchild, James, and Cordelia Carstairs quickly filled him in on what they were up to. He agreed to assist them in glamouring Tower Bridge so no mundanes would be hurt while they attempted to trap the Mandikhor demon in a Pyxis.

On their way there, Magnus pulled James aside to talk with him. He explained that Henry had sent him a vial of dirt James had given him to analyze and that Jem had also reached out to him about the search into James's grandfather. He told him the sand came from a realm belonging to the Prince of Hell Belphegor; though he was most likely not his grandfather. He continued to say that he should give up his search for his grandfather and that he had advised Jem to do the same as no good could come of it.

Days later, Magnus was visited by Anna Lightwood, requesting he help put up extra wards after her brother Christopher had been attacked by Khora demons. He did so provided that she owe him a favor.

He was later present at an Enclave meeting at the London Institute about the recent developments around London. He stayed quiet during the meeting, intent just to observe until Charlotte Fairchild accused of Tatiana of having dark magic items; to which Magnus recounted his visit with her earlier that year. He also attempted to pass the blame of Blackthorn Manor burning down from James and his friends to the dangerous objects she owned.

Magnus then attended James and Cordelia's engagement party where he confronted Matthew, whom he had grown concerned over his drinking. However, he noticed that Matthew was clearly infatuated with Cordelia and tried to offer him sympathy. It was then that Matthew explained it was a marriage blanc and that James didn't love Cordelia, which shocked Magnus as he saw them to be very in love. The mystery—and the suspected drama to come—convinced Magnus to stay in London for a while and send for his cat.[15]

Move to New York[]

Vampire period[]

In 1929, Magnus was running a speakeasy, Mr. Dry's, during the Prohibition era. The mundane world was heavily influenced by the economy and financial problems. Aldous Nix, the High Warlock of Manhattan, had some hidden cards up his sleeve and planned to do some dark magic. Magnus decided to not get involved and warned the Institute.

By October 1929, after all those long alcohol parties and hangovers, he finally noticed the mundane financial crisis, after saving one of his fellow drink buddies, Alfie, from a suicide jump out of the window. Apparently, at the same time, in the Hotel Dumort, Aldous Nix opened the door to the Pandemonium, which in turn swallowed him up and did not miss conjuring up half of the hotel along with the warlock. Closing the Portal took a major amount of Magnus's energy and a bit of his blood. By the time he returned back to his hotel room, he encountered Dolly. After following her, he discovered that she was sent to him at the very beginning by Camille to give him a hint about the things about to occur.[16]

In 1953, Magnus decided to try his hand at being a detective. His first client was Guadalupe Santiago, who asked him to find and save her son, Raphael. However, it was too late for the boy, as he had already been turned into a vampire. He took the boy with him and helped him adjust to his new and learn to control himself, after which Raphael returned to his family.[6]

And Peru... again[]

It was in 1962 that Magnus returned to Peru once again, this time alone. At Cuzco, Magnus met a girl named Kitty, a con-artist whom Magnus charmed into leaving her then target, Geoffrey, to be with him. The pair became a couple and stayed together for a summer, during which they had a magical crime spree.

At one point, the High Council of Peruvian warlocks met in secret and decided to ban Magnus from Peru for "crimes unspeakable." Magnus found out through a letter sent to him, and while he inquired about why he was banned, he never did find out.[8]

Homecoming[]

In 1977, Magnus finally returned to New York from a trip that he intended to only run for a week but instead kept getting extended until he was away from home for two years. Shortly after arriving, Magnus immediately realized that the city had changed for the worse. He also discovered that Camille and her vampires, while doped up on drugged humans, had begun uncontrollably feeding on and killing mundanes. Though he managed to help the New York werewolf pack solve the problem, Magnus found the disturbing circumstances of his most recent encounter with Camille too painful. He later contacted Catarina and had her perform memory spells on him to make him forget all his encounters with Camille in the twentieth century.[17]

After years of partying in the 1970s, Magnus decided to pick up an introverted hobby. He briefly collected stamps but grew tired of the sorting and moved on to growing Bonsai trees, but found that it was pointless as he could just use magic to grow the plants. He went on to start a livelier hobby: throwing elaborate theme parties, which suited him better.[18]

In 1989, giving the news Magnus had heard of what the Circle had been doing to Downworlders, he was having doubts about whether staying in New York, or finding a place where he would be safe. One night, a werewolf boy came to ask for his help, telling Magnus that his family had been captured by Valentine Morgenstern and his followers. Magnus then warned the Withelaws, who were at the New York Institute, that the Circle was in town violating the Accords. When Magnus confronted Valentine, he was making a little werewolf girl blind by putting silver coins over her eyes. Magnus fought Valentine until Lucian Graymark appeared, making Valentine and the rest of the Circle leave. When the fight was over, Magnus realized that he couldn't run away from the Circle, and decided to permanently stay in New York, becoming the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

Two years after the Uprising in 1993, Tessa was staying with Magnus in New York when Jocelyn Fairchild came to ask him to protect her daughter, Clary. In the beginning, Magnus treated her skeptically as he knew that she was a part of the Circle. However, after Jocelyn told them about her escape and that her daughter was in need of help, Tessa encouraged Magnus to listen to her. As a result, Tessa, in the place of an Iron Sister, then performed the Shadowhunter children's ritual on Clary with Brother Zachariah.[19]

Eventually, he was hired by Jocelyn, to erase Clary's memories of seeing anything related to the Shadowhunter World. She initially wished to remove Clary's inner eye, which was providing her sight of Shadowhunter world, however, Magnus warned that this would likely kill Clary or in the least drive her to pure insanity. Instead, he cast a spell on her that would cause her to forget anything she saw that was related to the Shadowhunter World. But this spell would fade as time passed, needing to be recast every two years.

In 2007, because of the sign he left with the spell on her mind, Clary and the others went looking for him at his New York apartment during a party he was hosting, for which Isabelle Lightwood received an invitation from a kelpie in Pandemonium. Magnus, assuming that he was the one who gave them the invitation, said that he "must have been drunk" because he didn't usually give out invitations to Shadowhunters.

At first, he said nothing about recognizing Clary but eventually had to acknowledge the fact that he had known her since she was little, even commenting that he'd watched her grow up. At the party, he talked about his tragic past, and Alec Lightwood sympathized with him and tried to remove the morbid atmosphere, but Magnus brushed it off, claiming that it happened a long time ago. He openly flirted with Alec by asking him to call him and winking at him. Alec, however, who had yet to 'come out of the closet', thought he was in love with Jace Wayland, his adopted brother.

Magnus was later called upon by the Lightwoods to heal Alec, who had been fatally wounded while fighting the Greater Demon Abbadon. Isabelle said that when Magnus showed up he was quite in a rushed hurry to get Alec to a private room in order to heal him.[5]

After fully recovering, Alec confronted his and Magnus's growing attraction to each other and asked him out. Upon learning that Alec had never kissed anyone, Magnus kissed him (resulting in the couple's first kiss with each other) before arranging for a date with him within the week.[20][21]

Helping the Conclave[]

Magnus and Alec had been secretly dating,[22] even though Alec still thought he was in love with Jace. Alec refused to tell others about the relationship due to how homosexuality isn't approved among Shadowhunters, often resulting in them being kicked out. Magnus took Jace into his apartment when he was injured. The warlock was upset by this and nearly told Jace of his relationship with Alec, but decided against it, knowing that Alec wasn't ready for that kind of step yet.

Later, to prove her abilities, Clary "created" the Fearless rune, which Alec volunteered to have applied to his arm in order to test it to see if it works. When the rune took effect, he nearly openly told his parents about his homosexuality and his relationship with Magnus. However, before he could directly reveal who he was seeing and the importance of it, Magnus quickly used a spell to momentarily knock Alec unconscious and from revealing their relationship, knowing Alec wasn't ready for anyone to know about them yet.

During a fight against Valentine on his ship on the East River, Magnus was on a floating truck and managed to rescue Alec from drowning. Alec offered him what was left of his strength, as he was severely exhausted from using his warlock abilities, so he could continue to use his magic to help the Shadowhunters, who were still on board. Magnus hesitantly accepted his offer.[23]

The Mortal War[]

Some time after, Magnus opened a Portal for the Lightwoods so that they could get to Idris, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters. They were attacked by Forsaken, and warlock was forced to rush everyone through, including Simon, who had been badly injured, even though Downworlders are not welcomed in Idris without permission. Eventually, Magnus ended up in Idris himself.[24] When he went to Ragnor's home, he found him in the middle of wrecking his home. Magnus thought his friend had become depressed, as immortals do sometimes, but he came to learn that Ragnor was faking his own death. Ragnor explained that he had reason to believe that Sammael was after him and that now was the perfect time to disappear as it would be blamed on Valentine. Magnus tried to talk him out of it but relented when his friend agreed they'd still be in contact. Ragnor wrote a message on the wall for Magnus to use to give Clary the intell she was coming to Ragnor to find.[7] When Clary and Sebastian came looking for Ragnor, Magnus posed as Ragnor and froze Sebastian so he could speak to Clary privately. He told Clary that Ragnor was dead and where she could find the spellbook she needed to wake her mother.

While he was there, the city was attacked by demons controlled by Valentine, who was bent on wiping out all Downworlders and those associated with them. Magnus was fighting off a horde of Iblis demons when Alec showed up and saved his life. After this, Alec confronted Magnus about ignoring him. Magnus was angry with Alec because he still hadn't told his parents about their relationship and while he loved him, Alec assumed he was in love with Jace and wouldn't be with someone who loves him "the way [he] does." Shocked that Magnus had directly told him that he loved him, Alec made a deal with him; if they survived the battle, Alec would introduce Magnus to his whole family (including his parents) to which Magnus, while grinning in happiness, agreed.

A bit later, Alec passionately kissed Magnus in front of a huge crowd of Downworlders and Shadowhunters, including his parents and friends, finally revealing his sexuality and relationship with Magnus. Afterward, true to his promise, Alec finally introduced Magnus to his parents. Shortly after, Magnus was seen talking to Tessa Gray, whom Clary recognized slightly.[24]

Sometime after this, Magnus grew concerned that he had not heard from Ragnor. He conducted an active search for him and when he turned up nothing, he concluded that his ruse had failed. That faking his death had not worked, he had been caught and was dead in truth. Magnus mourned the loss of his friend but deep-down, held out hope he would return.[7]

Vacation[]

After the events of the Mortal War, Magnus decided what he and Alec needed to kick off their relationship was a romantic vacation. The two visited Paris first, ready to forget their duties and troubles when Tessa interrupted them, appearing in their apartment. She explained the Spiral Labyrinth had sent her to issue the summons that Magnus must find and put an end to the Crimson Hand. Magnus tried to get out of it but upon further explanation, he learned there was a rumor going around that he was not only the founder of the cult, but its new leader, and that this was the Spiral Labyrinth giving him a chance to prove his innocence after Tessa's pleading. During the conversation Magnus began to realize that he actually had a large blank spot in his memory, and could not remember if had indeed founded the cult. While Magnus was worried this was a lot of pressure to put on a new relationship, Alec was more than willing to help him track this cult down and find out what happened to his memories.

So Magnus and Alec put their vacation on hold and began their search at the Paris Shadow Market. There Magnus learned that the cult worshiped his father, Asmodeus, as well as the password to get into the secret chamber at the cult's headquarters in Venice. The following day, they took the Orient Express to Venice. On the train Magnus was attacked by a group of various demons and was saved by Alec and a warlock named Shinyun Jung. Magnus invited Shinyun to tag along with them after she explained she was also trying to hunt down the cult. He later confessed to Alec that part of the reason he had asked her to join them was because he felt guilty for what the Crimson Hand had done to her and that she was his dark mirror.

In Venice they found the old headquarters had been rented out by Malcolm Fade for a large Downworlder bash celebrating their victory over Valentine. They decided to come back for the party and search the place then. At the party Magnus was confronted by several people having heard the same rumors and cautioning him. After the party was crashed by Barnabas Hale and the building came falling down, the three of them were able to find the secret chamber with a copy of the Red Scrolls of Magic, their sacred text. The final rule of the group, listed in the book, was that "in times of trouble, remember: all roads lead to Rome." Following that lead, they prepared to rent a car the following day and drive to Rome.

In Rome, while Alec went to check with the Institute for any sign of cult activity, Magnus accompanied Shinyun to a bathhouse where she had a contact. From there they went to a meeting place her contact had told her the Crimson Hand had been spotted in. There they became trapped and it was revealed that Shinyun was in fact the new leader of the cult. His magic was depleted from a potion she had mixed into his drink earlier so he could not escape when she threw him in prison. He was then taken to the stage to be sacrificed in order to summon Asmodeus and unleash him upon the world. The cult then turned against Shinyun and planned to sacrifice her as well. Before the actual sacrifices, Asmodeus appeared as a Projection and returned Magnus's missing memories. He then taunted Shinyun with the fact that Magnus was his blood and he had been using her all along. But when Magnus refused to kill Shinyun and stand by his side, he re-offered the position to her; in which case she began trying to kill Magnus though Alec's arrow stopped her from delivering a death blow. Alec proceeded to give Magnus some of his strength through the barrier of the pentagram to blast his father's Projection away.

As Shadowhunters flooded the area and tried to capture all the fleeing cultists, Alec let Shinyun go for Magnus. Magnus, Alec, Helen Blackthorn and Aline Penhallow—the two Shadowhunters Alec had brought with him to save Magnus—got their story straight for the official reports. When Magnus relayed the message to Tessa, Tessa mentioned she planned to change the story even more for the Labyrinth.

At long last Magnus and Alec could return to their vacation, and Magnus Portaled them home to his apartment. Claiming he needed a small break from their vacation and that they could go back on vacation whenever they felt like it. Alec suggested they not tell anyone they were back yet and in order to sell the ruse that they were still away, Magnus had them take a bunch of touristy photos with conjured backgrounds and props to send to people. The two were happy to finally be able to relax, alone with one another and made love for the first time.[25]

Camille's return[]

Their vacation, however, was cut short when Camille Belcourt was being questioned, refusing to answer to anyone with the exception of Magnus, thus forcing him and Alec to return to New York.

Despite what can be assumed to be an excellent holiday, sparks begin to fly when Alec soon found out that Magnus had, indeed, dated Camille centuries before he was born. At this knowledge, Alec listened through the door while Camille and Magnus spoke, hearing her compare him to a man named Will. This further upset Alec, causing great tension between the couple.

Alec found himself finally confronting the fact about his mortality in his relationship with Magnus, and how he wants to live with Magnus forever. When he overheard Camille comment that "pretty boys" are always Magnus's undoing, he told the warlock that he felt trivial to him while also bringing up how he never did anything to be with his previous lovers forever in the past and that he felt that he's just another boyfriend in a long line to him, who would eventually die, as he goes on living. He further stated that it was especially unfair since Magnus was anything but trivial to him. Magnus tried to comfort Alec as he was dragged off to find Camille, who had escaped, saying that Alec was not trivial to him, but Alec was still left unconvinced.

Another issue among the couple was of Magnus not sharing his past with the Shadowhunter. In one scene, it was depicted that Alec angrily asked Magnus if there was "anything that he wasn't into" and questions if he slept with a specific werewolf. Magnus inquired if Alec would ask every person he had met such questions, if he's had a relationship with them, to which Alec only answered while still clearly upset, "Maybe."

After the final battle, and everyone was reunited, Magnus found Alec and they began to speak. Alec finally confided in Magnus of his fear of eventually aging, and not being with Magnus who would go on to live forever in his youth. He was particularly distressed that they might not even have a chance, and that Magnus had already seemed to have accepted his fate as a mortal. Magnus consoled his boyfriend, telling him that he wouldn't be any more ready to lose him in the future than he was "right now", which he firmly said was "not at all." Revealing he had truly fallen in love with Alec and wanted him forever. As a reconciliation, they were passionately kissing in a corner, wrapped up in each other.[26]

Team Good[]

Magnus was seen studying the design that was on the rooftop from which Jace had disappeared when Alec visited him. Clary and her mother, Jocelyn, decided to stay over at Magnus' apartment when Jace and Sebastian appeared at their house and soon, Alec, Simon, and Isabelle were staying at the apartment too. Magnus confronted Isabelle about Alec, directly telling her that he loved Alec, telling her that he'd noticed and was worried since Alec wasn't "happy."

During their stay, Magnus assisted them in trying to find a weapon that would be able to sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace or hurt one without harming the other. He took them to an entrance to the Adamant Citadel so Isabelle and Jocelyn could meet the Iron Sisters to ask after said weapon. Later, Magnus summoned a Greater Demon, Azazel (Lieutenant of Hell and Forger of Weapons) to ask for the weapon again. He took a memory from each person and gave them to Azazel in exchange for his idea. Magnus later also told Simon that if it weren't for Alec, he'd be long gone from the scene by then and would go into hiding until the battle and everything blew over.

Finally, when all else failed, Magnus helped to summon the Angel Raziel at the wide, empty space near Luke's farmhouse and Simon managed to get Glorious, Archangel Michael's sword. When Team Good found out of Sebastian's intentions, Magnus created a Portal to transport a large group of fighters—Shadowhunters and Werewolves—to the Seventh Sacred Site where they engaged in a war with the Dark Nephilim. Magnus got hurt while protecting Simon from Amatis, who had turned into a Dark Shadowhunter, receiving a severe wound on his chest. Alec let Magnus take his strength—like on the night of the battle on Valentine's ship—to heal himself.

Upon their return to New York, Magnus found out about Alec's private meetings with Camille. Alec ended up finding him in an abandoned subway where he was supposed to be meeting Camille, obviously waiting for him, much to his shock. Magnus was upset that Alec would consider taking his immortality away at all and kept it a secret, not bothering to tell him about Camille's offer. There he also revealed how he had, in fact, been considering taking away his immortality, revealing how that was part of the reason he wanted the Book of the White during the Mortal War. He said how since he had seen everything and been everywhere in the world, all he ever wanted was to simply live the rest of his life and grow old with someone he genuinely loved and wanted and hoped for it to be with Alec. Though Alec emotionally pleaded for another chance, Magnus refused, asking him to take his things from his apartment and to leave his key to it on the table, also saying he wished to never see him or his friends and family ever again, being tired of being their "pet warlock". The two shared one last passionate embrace and final kiss before Magnus reluctantly walked away, leaving a heartbroken and tearful Alec behind.[27]

The Dark War[]

For quite some time after that, Alec kept calling Magnus but kept hanging up whenever Magnus picked up, and sometimes leaving him messages on his voicemail.[28] This, eventually, resulted in Jace breaking Alec's phone in order to get him to stop. Magnus was just as miserable over his break up with Alec when Jace went to confront him. Jace bluntly pointed out that he was obviously unhappy since his apartment was a mess and he had takeout containers everywhere, clearly gorging himself on take-out food.

Later, Magnus went to the Hunter's Moon with Catarina for some drinks, where Magnus stared at Bat Velasquez while he DJ's. Catarina called him out on his spaciness, and he admitted that his mind was on other things, prompting Catarina to warn him not to do anything stupid. Magnus claimed he doesn't repeat his mistakes, but Catarina argued that he simply makes new and even worse mistakes instead. Catarina brought up Alec and told him she hadn't seen him so hung up on anyone like he was with Alec, adding that she saw him with Alec when they left for Idris in the Portal. She told him that with Alec, he was actually happy, rather than miserable, like when he was with Camille. Finally, Magnus admitted that his problem was that he could feel the world changing; he cited the fact that though Shadowhunters had endured for nearly a millennia, there were still warlocks who exist who remember when there were no Nephilim, and he was afraid that the world would soon have to learn to live without them again. He continued on to say that he couldn't shake the feeling that the apocalypse was coming, and added, "Valentine Morgenstern nearly wiped out the Shadowhunters, and his son is twice as clever and six times as evil".

Catarina realized just how in love with Alec Magnus was and brought up Tessa as an example that sometimes love is worth the pain of death. She then insisted that Magnus re-take her position as Council Representative for the Children of Lilith so he could go to Idris and make amends with Alec, before handing him an invitation to a dinner held by Meliorn for the Council Representatives. The dinner itself was just a trick to actually offer the Downworlders' leaders an opportunity to unite with Sebastian in exchange for the leaders and their species lives. Luke, Jocelyn, Magnus, and Raphael declined the offer. As a consequence, their drinks were spiked and the leaders were imprisoned in another dimension by Sebastian for him to blackmail the Shadowhunters to give him Clary and Jace in return for their lives.

Even when they defeated Sebastian, they were still stuck in the other dimension. Desperate, Magnus agreed to call on his father, revealed to be the Prince of Hell Asmodeus and the ruler of Edom. Asmodeus agreed to help them return safely to their world, in exchange for Magnus—his immortality, and thus his life. Magnus agreed, though the process, seeing his whole life flash before his eyes, would kill him. Simon, not wanting to sacrifice Magnus but willing to sacrifice what he sees is his damned life as a vampire, volunteered to take his place. Asmodeus agreed, eager for the power of a Daylighter. To match Magnus' almost 400 years of life, Asmodeus told him that he would also take Simon's memories of the Shadow World, including Clary and the rest of them, and, in exchange, he would give Simon back his life as a mundane. Simon agreed, much to the horror of the others, and as Asmodeus took Simon's immortality and memories, he sent them back to their world, to Alicante.

After deciding to finally open up more about his past to Alec, the couple reconciled and got back together.[29]

Starting a family[]

At Catarina's request, Magnus agreed to give a series of lectures at the Shadowhunter Academy as a guest. He brought Alec along with him, and the couple stayed at a suite—in fact, two attic rooms joined together—at the top of the Academy.

On their first day there, a warlock baby was found on the steps of the Academy. Simon's instinct had been to go to him for help—which resulted in him walking in on Magnus and Alec having sex in their room. Nonetheless, Magnus went with Simon. Not wanting to leave the child at the mercy of the Clave, Magnus and Alec decided to keep the baby. While Magnus pondered how he would find the child a home where he would be loved, Alec became attached to the baby and considered keeping and raising him with Magnus, an idea Magnus initially struggled with.

Eventually, Magnus agreed to keep the baby with him. When Alec suggested that they get married, Magnus told him that he will only marry Alec when the Clave's ways, particularly how they see unions between Shadowhunters and Downworlders, change. The couple decided to name their newly adopted son Max, after Alec's younger brother who died during the Mortal War.

During his stay there, Catarina showed him Ragnor's old room at the Academy. In the room was a letter and a coin Raphael Santiago had sent Ragnor, which Catarina kept to remind her of what she was trying to do to honor Ragnor's memory. Knowing Magnus's connection to both Ragnor and Raphael, she gave him the coin and letter.

Also realizing that Catarina trusted Simon and that the boy had been trying to mold his Shadowhunter classmates, and those aspiring to become Shadowhunters, to become a better generation of Nephilim, he decided to talk to him when he ran into him. He gave him some advice about finding oneself, choosing a name, and about changing their world, and he gave Simon the coin that once belonged to Raphael which he had given Ragnor as a symbol of education in the ancient world and for luck, apparently charmed by a faerie, in reforming the Shadowhunters Ragnor taught.[30]

A few years later, Magnus and Alec had begun discussing the possibility of adopting another child when Alec left for a mission in Buenos Aires. While there, he came across an orphaned Shadowhunter boy named Rafael. Alec took him home and before he could discuss or explain, Magnus had immediately begun creating a room for the child. Alec pulled Magnus aside to speak to him about why he had come home with a child and that they didn't have to adopt him if he wasn't ready which confused and upset Magnus as he was already sure he wanted to keep him and had promised Rafe.[31] He and Alec made arrangements to adopt him and were finally able to after several months.[32][31] They decided to give him the second name Santiago, after Magnus's late friend Raphael Santiago.[33]

Thorned[]

In September of 2010, Shinyun and Ragnor Fell broke into Magnus's apartment to steal the Book of the White. They revealed that they were working for Sammael now just before stabbing Magnus with some magical weapon called a Svefnthorn. They fled shortly after and Magnus's wound from the thorn—which strangely did not hurt—began to glow. Magnus and Alec tracked Ragnor to Shanghai with a piece of cloth from the latter's cape which Alec had taken off with his arrow. The pair made preparations to go to follow them there, leaving Max in Maryse's care, and recruiting their friends: Jace, Clary, Izzy, and Simon, to come with them.

After a couple mishaps with a Portal, they managed to make it to Shanghai. They tracked Ragnor to an alley, however, the building there was vacant except for a faerie who summoned a demon attack against them. The group decided to rest up for the night and head to the Institute the next morning. Magnus woke to find the Shadowhunters had gone ahead to the Shanghai Institute without him. He decided to take breakfast at the hotel and encounter Shinyun. They had a discussion and Shinyun stabbed him once more. She took the opportunity to explain to him that it was a gift but if he did not choose to take a third thorning, and thus become enslaved to Sammael, he would die. Magnus immediately headed for the Institute to meet up with his friends and Shinyun showed up about half way, following him with an army of demons. The Shadowhunters and their new friend Ke Yi Tian managed to make quick work of her army. Magnus tried to demand answers from Shinyun and eventually he succeeded in making her leave; calling after her that he wanted to speak to Ragnor.

The group was then invited to stay at the Ke House. Magnus passed out on arrival from exhaustion and woke to find Jem. As a group, the Kes were able to fill in some information for them. That Portals had been malfunctioning all over the world and that the strange demons they had been seeing were from Yanluo's time. They made a game plan to go to the Shanghai Shadow Market the following day to seek out information. That night, in the privacy of their room, Alec noticed chains emerging on Magnus's hands and a flail shaped star in the middle of his palms. After they had gone to sleep, Magnus was visited by Shinyun and Ragnor in his dreams. Once again, Magnus demanded answers and received few. Ragnor simply reinstated Shinyun's comments of the Svefnthorn being a gift and that Magnus should accept it and join with them.

The next day, they went to the Market in the Downworlder Concession to meet Peng Fang. Peng Fang was able to tell them useful information about how Shinyun and Ragnor had been frequenting the Market, buying shady things and supposedly bringing in demons, and the rumors he had heard about Sammael being involved in the Portal troubles. He finished saying that as long as the warlocks did not have the Book of the White, there was not much harmful magic available to them based on their purchases. They left his shop and went to The Celestial Palace to do some research. They found out that the Svefnthorn was made of black adamas and makes warlocks more powerful by binding them to a master. Simon was also able to find some more information on Yanluo's realm of Diyu before the group was kicked out of the store. Magnus and his friends were then summoned to the weaponsmiths, Mo Ye and Gan Jiang, Jinfeng's parents. The couple gave them the swords of the Heibai Wuchang—White Impermanence and Black Impermanence. They told them the swords would help them in Diyu and were keys before promptly pushing them out the door.

They emerged from the house to find a dimensional Portal being opened in the middle of the Market. A fight ensued between the outpouring of demons and the Shadowhunters. When Magnus attempted to close the Portal, he was told by a hovering Ragnor that the Portal was only capable of being closed from Diyu. Once more Shadowhunters arrived, Magnus flew him and his friends, along with Ragnor and Shinyun, through the Portal. On the other side, Magnus sealed the Portal between their worlds and turned to find his friends scattered along the landscape. They found that not only were Ragnor and Shinyun gone, but Simon was missing. The group decided their best course of action to find Simon, as well as accomplish a list of other tasks, was to try to go through the court system of Diyu.

At the Office of Welcome, they came across Elyaas. Elyaas was excited to see his "friends" and eventually allowed them to continue on without completing any official processes. They went on to the Second Court where Hua Zhong Xian stopped them and asked them for payment. They chanced upon Tian whom they had not seen since the smith's home. Tian paid for them but they did not realize doing so would split them up into separate tortures. The Jiangshi that appeared to take them were relentless until Isabelle agreed to go. After she was gone, they decided they should try to reach the lowest of the courts by using the inverted Mount Tai path. They walked along for hours until they reached a bridge. There, they were attacked by Ox-Head and Horse-Face. They did their best to fight them off but they proved to be unkillable. Ragnor then showed up and saved them in an effort to make them leave. He was interrupted by Shinyun and the two fought in the sky while Sammael approached the group. Sammael sent the two warlocks to their rooms and began to chat with the Magnus and the assembled Shadowhunters. They refused his advances for the third thorn and for them to leave as they needed to stay to rescue the others. Sammael replied that it would be impossible to find them and revealed that Tian was actually his employee. Tian and Sammael both departed shortly after, Sammael calling on the demons in the surrounding area to attack Magnus, Alec, Jace, and Clary. They made the split decision to jump off the bridge in hopes it would lead them to the lower part of Diyu which was an inverted Shanghai.

They sought St. Ignatius church for shelter and were approached by Shinyun. Shinyun offered to take them to rescue Simon as Sammael had become distracted by torturing him and she wanted to get back on track. Despite being wary, they had no better options and they allowed her to guide them to Simon's hostage point. Shinyun attempted to dissuade Sammael from torturing Simon but to no avail. The group prepared to fight when Izzy suddenly appeared on a giant tiger along with Tian. At the sight of the tiger, Sammael fled and they were able to return to the cathedral for the night.

They made plans to use Magnus as bait the following day to draw out Sammael and retired for rest. Before falling asleep, Alec had Magnus agree to using the Alliance rune to protect them both. While Alec slept, Magnus stole the Black Impermanence from Alec and set off towards Ragnor. On a hunch, he used the power of the Heibai Wuchang to release Ragnor from the Svefnthorn's power and subsequently Sammael's influence. Ragnor scolded him for wasting the swords' powers on him but Magnus had no regrets. As they traveled back to join the others, Magnus filled Ragnor in on some of the things he missed: like the Dark War and Raphael's death. When they made it to the church, they found it being torn apart by Sammael, who was furious that Magnus had separated Ragnor from him. He explained his plans to torture the assembled Shadowhunters to fuel his plans and took Magnus, Ragnor, and Alec to Avici as punishment.

In Avici, Sammael locked Ragnor in a cage and had Shinyun try to retrieve the Book of the White from Magnus. They began fighting which ended in her pointing the Svefnthorn to Alec's chest and demanding that Magnus take the third thorn. Magnus hopelessly agreed, not wanting Alec to die. However, Alec stabbed himself with the thorn and used the power to free the ball of magic from the thorn within Magnus, saving him from its effects. The ball of magic floated in the air for a moment and Shinyun became outraged that Magnus would waste such a gift. She continued on to say that she was the only one who understood what power meant and even Sammael was too weak. She took the ball of magic for herself, transforming her into a Greater demon. She declared that she would have to rule herself and left. She began destroying Diyu which caused Sammael to leave as well, hoping to find another realm. Magnus, Alec, and Ragnor returned to save their friends and Portalled everyone back to Shanghai.

From there, they planned to return immediately to New York. Magnus spoke with Ragnor about what he planned to do as they made the Portal and Ragnor told him that he planned to stay dead. Ragnor claimed he had done too much as Sammael's minion and needed to atone before he could come back as there would be too much heat on him and he would likely be imprisoned or worse if caught. Magnus tried to get him to reconsider but Ragnor convinced him that it would work as he wouldn't go completely off the grid as before, that he would take a new identity, and be in touch. Back at the New York Institute, Magnus told Catarina that Ragnor was alive, as she had not known his death was ever fake in the first place. He then asked Catarina to take the Book to the Spiral Labyrinth for safe keeping. Later that night, Magnus sang his son a lullaby who in return, called him 'Bapak' for the first time.[7]

A couple weeks later, he used the reserve of magic left behind from the Svefnthorn to cast a massive oneiromancy spell to host a dream wedding for Tessa and Jem. The couple had believed they could not have a proper wedding as it would endanger the guests, so Magnus came up with the creative solution to have it in a dream, where their souls would be present and glad for it, but it would fade from their memories like any dream. He invited all their relatives and friends: Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Simon, Maryse, Kadir, Jocelyn, Luke, all the Blackthorns, Emma, Catarina, Ragnor, a few Silent Brothers, and even Church. As an ordained minister, Magnus performed the ceremony and crafted it to fit the couple, rather than any one tradition. As the guests mingled afterwards, Magnus felt and saw the spirit of Will Herondale—having crossed over the thin line between death and dreams to congratulate the couple.[34]

The Guardian[]

In August 2012, when a flare of necromantic magic was detected in Los Angeles by the New York Institute's map, Magnus went to investigate. Stopping by on his way to meet Alec in Buenos Aires, he met with Malcolm to ask him about it. Malcolm told him that it was a rogue necromancer that the local Institute's tutor, Diana Wrayburn, already handled.

Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn also paid Malcolm a visit on the day he was there. When Magnus inquired about the purpose of their trip and were unable to respond, Magnus immediately and correctly suspected that they were investigating the recent murders of mundanes and faeries; though they weren't allowed to because of the Cold Peace, Magnus did not care because he had always found the Cold Peace despicable. Emma asked him about ley lines, and though he wasn't able to say much before they were interrupted by Malcolm, he told Emma about convergences.

When Fade—who had been discovered as the Guardian and the person behind the killings—was killed by Emma, the convergence he used as his base for his necromantic activities was destroyed, removing its protections that hid it from the New York Institute's map.[33] Magnus was immediately alerted on the night of Simon and Isabelle's engagement party and, to not disrupt the party, only told the Inquisitor Robert, Jace, and Clary.[32] The four of them Portaled to the L.A. Institute. Julian and the other children were interrogated by Robert about the events, and Magnus was devastated, and initially disbelieving, to hear that Fade was the Guardian and to learn about the true and tragic story of Annabel Blackthorn.[33]

Illness[]

A few weeks later, after returning home from a trip, Magnus and Alec received several fire-messages from Diana asking for help. They immediately Portaled to the London Institute. Upon arrival, they learned of the binding spell placed on Mark Blackthorn and Cristina Rosales and Magnus decided to scout the local Shadow Market for a spell book that may be able to break the enchantment. Once he entered the Market, he found Kit Herondale, Ty Blackthorn, and Livvy Blackthorn being attacked by Barnabas Hale and the rest of the Market. Magnus intervened and put an end to the fighting and Portaled the children back to the Institute. There he got to work on healing Livvy as she had been badly injured and poisoned during the battle.

Despite having been ill for some time and this causing his magic to deplete faster, Magnus pretended to be fine and continued to use his magic to help the Blackthorns. He proceeded to help them access some memories from an aletheia crystal that Kit and the twins had found, healing them when injured, eventually break the bond between Mark and Cristina, and, after learning that the Riders of Mannan had been sent after them, opened multiple Portals in order to get Julian and Emma back to the Institute and send Alec and the younger kids to Alicante, as well as doubling up the wards on the Institute to ensure their safety. All of this had left Magnus drained, and so in the early morning hours, when the Riders had arrived at the Institute, Magnus was unable to create a Portal for them to escape. He began trying to find ways to bring his energy level back up when he found the others had insanely chosen to go out and fight the Riders. Leaning on Dru Blackthorn for some energy, Magnus lifted the Riders' swords away from them causing them to flee. A few hours later, when he had the strength, he was able to Portal everyone to Idris for the Council meeting.

During the meeting Magnus was meant to stand by and protect Annabel Blackthorn while she testified; however just before the meeting started, he fainted. It was then that Alec revealed that Magnus had not just simply exhausted his energy, but that he was in fact really sick and they had not had time to go to the Spiral Labyrinth for help.[35] Magnus was able to recover after the meeting and was later seen back at the Inquisitor's manor that night, comforting the Lightwoods as Robert had been killed during the chaos at the meeting. Later on, he performed a spell on Julian—at his request—to remove his emotions in hopes of slowing down the parabatai curse.

It was soon revealed that Magnus was not the only one getting sick. More and more warlocks had begun falling ill all over the world. It appeared that either the older warlocks or those who had used the most or more powerful magic were getting sick first. The Spiral Labyrinth had initially thought the illness was due to the corrupted ley lines from Malcolm Fade's necromantic spells. However Cristina Rosales figured out that the cause was the blight that was being spread in Idris. Upon the news, Catarina ordered Magnus and Alec to go to L.A., believing they would soon find a cure there.

The residents of the L.A. Institute did in fact figure out the cure after Emma and Julian awoke and told them the story of Thule—an alternate dimension they had temporarily been to. The water was retrieved by Gwyn ap Nudd and the Wild Hunt and Magnus was the first to receive a vial. He later proclaimed to Kieran that the warlocks were now indebted to the fey for having retrieved and distributed the cure to warlocks everywhere, as well as putting it on the patches of blight to nullify its effects. After the water took effect, Magnus asked to speak to Julian, and once the room cleared out, he admitted he never should have put the spell on Julian, and that he regretted it. Though he thought taking it off may be a bad idea, he did so after they agreed to a backup plan—stripping Emma's runes—should the curse start.

The next day Magnus joined Julian's plan for a war council in retaliation of Horace Dearborn's announcement of war. That night they slept in Brocelind Forest in tents that Magnus had summoned up. In the morning he stayed behind at camp for the bait portion of the plan, while Alec and the others headed for the parley. When members of the Cohort led by Manuel Villalobos arrived to kill Jace and Clary, Magnus was unconcerned by the attack, even as his hands were restrained by Milo Coldridge and Amelia Overbeck. While the other Downworlders and Shadowhunters present tied up the Cohort and left to bring them to the Imperishable Fields, Magnus tied Ty and Kit to a tree with magic chains to make sure they didn't get involved in the battle, as Julian had asked.

He then stayed by the edge of the forest during the initial confrontation. Not long after the battle started though, Magnus began using his magic to pull the clouds together and block out the sun. He had been worried he would not be able to pull off such immense magic but just as he began to sway, Ragnor came out to give him some strength to finish; making it dark enough that the vampires could come out and join the battle. The clouds broke apart some time later when Julian and Emma became True Nephilim, and Magnus could be seen kneeling, trying to hold them together long enough for the vampires to get to safety. Alec made it to him just in time to catch him as he slumped back, exhausted. He was later able to get up and join the others (while leaning on Alec) in approaching the giants of Julian and Emma to talk them down.

In the days following the battle, Magnus spoke with Jem about all Julian and Emma had done to try to prevent the curse. Later, at the party welcoming them home, he noticed the air of dark magic surrounding Ty and asked to speak with him. He told him Ragnor had informed him of his attempts to raise Livvy from the dead. Though Ragnor thought he had headed him off, Magnus's sources in the Market confirmed he had still tried to raise Livvy on his own. He went on to say he was lucky it didn't work as it could have been a lot worse, but sympathized with Ty and tried to comfort him. He made the suggestion that he go to the Scholomance as he had always wanted in hopes that the change would be good for his grief. Before he left he warned him that he is forever tied to his sister's ghost and that he hoped he'd never pay the price of it.[36]

Clave-in-Exile[]

In the weeks following the Clave's exile, Magnus—when he could get child care—was always on hand for the crisis team in New York working on rebuilding and moving forward.[37]

Some weeks later at a party on the beach in Los Angeles, Alec led him away from everything to a sheltered area and told him how now that he was the Consul, he could change the rules and allow them to finally get married in Shadowhunter gold and warlock blue as they'd always wanted. Alec then got down on one knee and fully proposed to him, asking him to marry him that night. Speechless by the end of Alec's speech, Magnus simply nodded "yes" and they kissed for a long time. When they returned, the beach had been transfigured by their friends, set up and ready for the wedding ceremony. Magnus was surprised and couldn't believe Alec had planned this; he was especially touched that Alec remembered Magnus had once said he wanted to be married by the ocean. Before Magnus could follow Alec up the aisle, Catarina stepped forward to walk him down as his suggenes. Magnus confirmed to her that he had absolutely no doubts and on the platform she draped a cobalt and gilt silk jacket over his shoulders. At the time to exchange runes, Alec pinned a Wedded Union rune brooch over Magnus's heart and Magnus held the Stele with Alec's hand clasped over his to draw the rune on Alec's arm (the one over his heart to be done in private later). Alec then presented him with the rings he had picked out with Jace inscribed with "Aku cinta kamu" inside ("I love you" in Indonesian, Magnus's native language). After the ceremony, the pair danced close together with their kids between them as a family.[36]

Some months later Magnus was called to Tessa and Jem's home in Devon. Tessa had gone into labor and they wanted Magnus there. At one point while checking on them he noticed the ghost of Livvy Blackthorn trying to possess Tessa's unborn baby for a chance at a new life. He caught her in time just after she stopped but it had caused the glass walls around them to blow out. Startled Jem and Tessa feared it may be a demon but Magnus calmed them, giving Tessa some herbs and telling them to come inside. Before Livvy could explain herself he sent her to wait with Kit.

After the baby was born, Magnus returned downstairs to find Livvy gone. Kit explained she had to go back for Ty but that she needed to speak with him. Magnus then began trying to come up with a way to ease the bond between the twins and Kit offered him his heron necklace to enchant. Once done he Portaled to the Scholomance to check on Ty and gift him the necklace, which could also be used to summon him if in need. He spoke with Catarina about the baby then Livvy told him she had overheard Manuel and Zara chatting in Idris about how they could spy on them and were planning a surprise attack, to which Magnus responded that he planned to report and discuss this with the new Council in New York, in hopes they could figure out a way to spy on them back.[38]

Physical description[]

Codex Magnus

Magnus stopped aging at around 19 and thus looks quite young. Magnus has brown skin, is very tall and has a lean figure and broad shoulders. He is widely considered handsome, with high cheekbones, dark black hair, and slanted eyes, highlighting his Asian heritage. His warlock marks are his gold-green "cat-like" eyes with vertical pupils and his lack of a belly button.

His hairstyles have changed over the years, ranging from short and spiked to straight and shoulder length. He wears all kinds of make-up, such as glitter around his eyes, lipstick, and nail polish. He likes to flaunt his beauty by often dressing in flamboyant and glitzy ensembles, which is seen by some as either strange or unique.

Skills and abilities[]

  • Immortality: As a warlock, Magnus was granted immortality. Physically, he does not age and has maintained the appearance of a 19-year-old since the 16th century.
  • Magic: He has access to magical powers that often manifest themselves as blue flames or sparks at his fingertips. Magnus is capable of casting spells, performing summoning rituals, and is particularly skilled at healing magic. He is an extremely powerful warlock.
    • Oneiromancy: When experimenting with this form of magic, he was able to travel the sleeping souls of over a dozen people to one dream location for a wedding. He was also able to control who remembered the dream.

Relationships[]

Alexander, I've been alive for hundreds of years. I've been with men, been with women—with faeries and warlocks and vampires, and even a djinn or two.

–Magnus to Alec, City of Fallen Angels

Romances[]

Magnus had always had a wanderer’s heart. Over the centuries, he had adventured in so many different places, always looking for something that would fulfill his restless hunger. He never realized how all the pieces could fall together, how home could be somewhere and someone. He belonged with Alec. His wandering heart could rest.

–Magnus, The Red Scrolls of Magic

Tarot Runes 4

Alec is the love of Magnus's life.

Over a century later in The Mortal Instruments, he becomes romantically involved with Alec Lightwood, being the boy's first kiss and relationship. It has been pointed out that black hair and blue eyes are his favorite combination—features seen in Alec, Will, and Axel.

The issue of his immortality versus Alec's mortality is brought up several times in City of Fallen Angels, when Camille, Magnus's ex-girlfriend/lover, says that in sixty or seventy years, Alec will eventually age and die while Magnus will continue to live on forever. This in which, causes heavy complications in the two's relationship. However, it is revealed in City of Lost Souls that Magnus had been seriously considering taking away his immortality, confessing that while he is immortal, all he has wanted was to find someone he loved to live the rest of his life and to grow old with and had hoped and wanted for it to be with Alec. In The Bane Chronicles, Magnus expresses fear of having his heart broken by Alec, quoting that though he had been through a hundred heartbreaks, he was terrified by the thought of Alec committing the act.

Alec is somewhat symbolic of things from Magnus's past: Alec has blue eyes and black hair, traits which Magnus admired from the Herondales and some other past partners, and something he has referred to as his favorite combination.[8][12][22] Alec is also a Lightwood—a family Magnus used to despise, or was at least usually indifferent towards.

The pair were able to get married in October 2012, following Alec's appointment to Consul. They also have 2 adopted children together: a blue warlock child that they named Max and an orphaned Shadowhunter child named Rafael.

Magnus met Etta around 1938 at a club, where he asked her for a dance. According to her, by the end of the song, she had fallen for him. The two began seeing each other, their relationship fairly serious, and Etta had learned what he really was—a warlock—and knew of the Shadow World. It also became a tradition for the couple to dance in his room late at night when Magnus is unable to join her and dance with her at her club.

However, particularly by 1953, Etta slowly realized that she might want a family. When asked if she would want immortality, Etta said no, and insisted that while she would want more time with him, she is unwilling to stop time for herself to do so.

Eventually, Etta did leave him. She did, however, remain a very well remembered and cherished loved one of Magnus and was the last person Magnus truly loved for half a century, until Alec Lightwood.

Magnus met and fell in love with Imasu in 1890, when he, Catarina and Ragnor were in the city of Puno, in Peru. To develop their relationship further he engaged himself in learning how to play the musical instrument, called charango, which he failed at. They had a rather short vacation romance. During the span of their relationship, Magnus never got around to telling Imasu about magic and his demonic origin. Magnus had even considered offering that he and Imasu live together before Imasu broke up with him. Imasu felt that Magnus was too ephemeral. At this, Magnus laughed and told him that he was "the most permanent person" he would ever meet. They never spoke to each other again after that.

You left me. You made a pet out of me, and then you left me. If love were food, I would have starved on the bones you gave me.

–Magnus to Camille, City of Fallen Angels

Tarot Runes 3

In The Bane Chronicles Magnus met Camille at a meeting between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, taking place at the London Institute. He is initially attracted to her and though he thinks of the ways to see her again, he prompts her to give Ralf Scott, a young werewolf, another chance at her love and promises to return back to her one day. Magnus gives her a ruby necklace to remember him by and they part after sharing a kiss. In The Infernal Devices, he is the lover of Lady Camille Belcourt. However, they break up after Magnus discovers that Camille has gone to St. Petersburg to be with a human lover. Despite what happened, however, Magnus still cared for her enough to help her and her clan quit their addiction to drugs in 1977. Considering what he had just seen of her too hard for him, he asked Catarina to erase all his memories of Camille from the twentieth century, which she did, leaving him certain he had not seen Camille in over 80 years.

In The Mortal Instruments, Magnus is met with Camille again after she's been captured by The Clave for crimes committed and refuses to talk to anyone but him, making Magnus cut his romantic vacation with his new boyfriend, Alec, short, and come back to New York to do so. Once they're left alone, she tells him she's missed him, which he does not believe, and claims that she had always loved him, and that he should have known she'd be back for him even after what went down between then, as they had all eternity, but he stops her and asks what she wanted. Camille tells him she knows the Shadowhuters listen to him and asks Magnus to make a deal with them in her name, and he agrees to do his best. She then tries to remind him of their time together in London and tells him that while Alec is young and pretty now he won't stay that way forever and will one day die, whereas she can give him eternity, but Magnus refuses, telling her that she could give him the past but Alec is his future.

Axel von Fersen:

Magnus met Axel in Paris in 1791 when the count first met him, hoping to utilize his magic to help the royal family in perish escape the country. Magnus was instantly attracted to the man, who had his favorite physical combination—black hair and blue eyes.

After rescuing the queen, Marie Antoinette, Axel and his men found them. While Axel said that his good deeds will be remembered, Magnus said that he only cared if he remembered. Then impulsively, Axel kissed him before departing. A few weeks later, Magnus, guilt-stricken by the deaths of his loyal and kindhearted servants, received a letter from Axel's sister, who asked for his help to stop her brother from attempting to save the king and queen, who got caught. Magnus decided that mundane life was fleeting and chose not to involve himself any further.

Richard:

Richard is a mortal who became somewhat a faerie after being lured into their land. Because of this, Richard took their "twenty minutes" encounter seriously and held Magnus's later indifference against him.

Kitty:

Magnus had a fling with Kitty, a mundane thief and con-artist he met in Peru. The two stayed together only for a whole summer, with Magnus joining Kitty in her cons—agreeing to steal only from the "irritating"—and helping with their getaways with his magic.[8]

Friends[]

  • Catarina Loss
    • Catarina is one of Magnus's closest friends. They share a close relationship with each other since they both are immortal, and Magnus had saved Catarina from being burned as a witch. Magnus says that Catarina "had a good heart" since she chose to heal others.
  • Ragnor Fell
    • Along with Catarina, these three warlocks were a very close group of warlock friends. Ragnor often chastised and mocked Magnus for his decisions, but they were good friends nonetheless.
  • Tessa Gray
    • Magnus and Tessa became close friends over the years since they first met at Alexei de Quincey's party in 1878. Following the death of Tessa's husband in 1937, she and Magnus shared an apartment in Paris for five years. During that time, he helped her get over her lover's death. They have since been good friends, occasionally visiting each other.

  • Raphael Santiago
    • When Raphael had just been Turned Magnus stopped him from killing himself and helped him recover. Over fifty years later, Raphael sacrificed himself for Magnus as a sign of his gratitude. In his honor, Magnus gave his child, Rafael, the second name Santiago.
  • Lily Chen
  • Woolsey Scott
    • After leaving Camille, Magnus stayed with Woolsey for some time. Magnus and Woolsey are not so much a romantic relationship but one of circumstance and housing as well as physical satisfaction.

  • Appearances[]

    Gallery[]

    See more here

    Etymology[]

    Magnus chose the name "Magnus" in reference to the term Magnus effect—a phenomenon where an object in motion suddenly changes its path and "goes somewhere you would never have expected."[30]

    The name Magnus is a late Latin name meaning 'great',[40][41] and his chosen surname Bane has multiple possible meanings. Bane can be a Slavic name, an alternate form of the name Branislav which means "glorious defender";[42][43][44] it can also mean "killer" or "angel of death" from Old English or Germanic derivatives. The more common, however, is its modern definitions which include 'death', 'destruction', or a "source of harm or ruin".[45]

    Trivia[]

    • Magnus identifies as bisexual.[27]
    • Magnus' true age is known only by a few people, like Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell. He has lied about his age since he was young, often to impress clients and feign experience, by making himself seem older and ancient, sometimes younger, as he sees fit.[8]
    • Magnus is known for his parties, which he loves throwing for both Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike.
    • Magnus has owned pet cats in New York over the years, namely Great Catsby and Chairman Meow, whom Magnus throws birthday parties for, a decision prompted by his temporary care of Raphael Santiago in 1953.[6] He also temporarily owned Church[9] and is seemingly how the cat eventually ended up at the New York Institute.
    • Having moved to Spain from his hometown, Spanish was the first language he learned after his native language, Indonesian. Aside from those two, Magnus has also become fluent in several other mundane languages after years of traveling the world, as well as demonic languages, such as Purgatic, Gehennic, and Tartarian. Magnus also speaks Mandarin.[25]
    • Magnus is an ordained minister. This apparently happened after a drunken night early on in his life.[7]
    • Because his father, Asmodeus, was once an angel, witchlight, which normally only lights up under a Nephilim's touch, responds to his. However, it responds differently, giving off a dark red glow. Between him and Alec, the witchlight's glow changed colors.[27]
    • Magnus once threw a party in Spain around 1902 that he himself never attended.[15]
    • Over a decade before Magnus met Alec, he indirectly called him a "doubtless repellent brat" after meeting his parents, both then members of the Circle.[19]
    • Apparently, Magnus and the Seelie Queen have some kind of history, thought to be a feud.[27]
    • According to Alec, Magnus has a stash of comics.[27]
    • At some point before or during the Mortal War, Magnus had a prophetic dream that Brother Zachariah would be cured of his yin fen and be released from the Brotherhood, back to his former self: Jem Carstairs.[46]
    • In the Los Angeles Shadow Market, there's a stall that sells self-updating maps of Los Angeles with a tiny photograph of Magnus marking each location the warlock had caused some chaos.[47]
    • He and his husband's wedding bands represent both of their heritages by having the Lightwood family symbol etched on the outside and the words "Aku Cinta Kamu" engraved on the inside.[36]
    • His son Max calls Magnus "Bapak" or "Bapa", like Magnus called his step-father.[7] At the age of 3, he began calling him "Ultra Magnus", which is believed to have been inspired by one of his toys.[31]
    • Magnus loves to sing pop songs to his children at night—two of his favorites are Bicycle by Queen and Starman by David Bowe.[48]
    • For their second anniversary, he and Alec got matching fluffy purple bathrobes.[48]

  • Magnus was not initially meant to have such a big role in the series.[49][50]
    • In earlier drafts of City of Glass, Magnus was intended to have been a part of a subplot involving Camille Belcourt and the Book of the White that was eventually written out for space (though a part of him looking "shifty" to Clary while receiving the Book of the White was mistakenly kept in some first editions).[51]
  • Magnus is so far the only character (other than Church) to appear in every main installment of the series.

  • We are set to find out in a future installment what Magnus's birth name was.[52]

  • References[]

    1. Secrets of Blackthorn Hall
    2. 2.0 2.1 Official Clave Files, a City of Bones: 10th Anniversary Edition extra
    3. "[He] was born in the 1600s," Cassandra Clare on Twitter
    4. Malec height, Cassandra Clare on Twitter
    5. 5.0 5.1 City of Bones
    6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Saving Raphael Santiago
    7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 The Lost Book of the White
    8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 What Really Happened in Peru
    9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Clockwork Princess
    10. The Runaway Queen
    11. Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale
    12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Clockwork Angel
    13. Clockwork Prince
    14. The Midnight Heir
    15. 15.0 15.1 Chain of Gold
    16. The Rise of the Hotel Dumort
    17. The Fall of the Hotel Dumort
    18. An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld
    19. 19.0 19.1 The Last Stand of the New York Institute
    20. Kissed, a short story on Magnus and Alec's first kiss
    21. The Course of True Love (And First Dates)
    22. 22.0 22.1 What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything
    23. City of Ashes
    24. 24.0 24.1 City of Glass
    25. 25.0 25.1 The Red Scrolls of Magic
    26. City of Fallen Angels
    27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 City of Lost Souls
    28. The Voicemail of Magnus Bane
    29. City of Heavenly Fire
    30. 30.0 30.1 Born to Endless Night
    31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 The Land I Lost
    32. 32.0 32.1 A Long Conversation
    33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 Lady Midnight
    34. In Dreams Begin, a The Lost Book of the White extra
    35. 35.0 35.1 Lord of Shadows
    36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 Queen of Air and Darkness
    37. A Love That Never Tires, a Queen of Air and Darkness extra
    38. The Lost World
    39. Cassandra Clare's December 2023 newsletter
    40. Magnus - Behind the Name
    41. Magnus - Wikipedia
    42. Bane - Think Baby Names
    43. Bane Name Meaning & Origin | Baby Name Wizard
    44. Branislav - Wikipedia
    45. Definition of Bane by Merriam-Webster
    46. After The Bridge
    47. Through Blood, Through Fire
    48. 48.0 48.1 5 Things That You Don't Know About Malec — Simon Teen on YouTube
    49. Transcript of Mundie Moms Live Chat with CC - Fuck Yeah! Mortal Instruments
    50. A Chat with Cassandra Clare — Audible.com
    51. CoG answer postCassandra Clare on LiveJournal
    52. "We will [find out what Magnus' childhood name was]" — Cassandra Clare on Tumblr.
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