Magnus Bane
Wikipedia
A Guide to The Mortal Instruments
Magnus Bane is the (former) High Warlock of Brooklyn. He regularly tampered with the mind of Clary Fray after designing a spell that would erase her memories of the Shadow World once every two years as a favor to her mother, Jocelyn. He first meets the other Shadowhunters at one of his Downworlder parties. He later has Clary retrieve the Book of the White for him in City of Glass, and agrees to help revive her mother with it. In City of Heavenly Fire, he admits to Alec that he is almost 400 years old, although he often lies about his age.
Despite his flamboyant appearance and whimsical personality, Magnus is a kind yet jaded person who yearns for love and acceptance, but has great trouble revealing his honest desires and personal secrets to others due to his long and traumatic past.
His life has frequently been entangled with the fates of certain Shadowhunters (specifically the Herondale family during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and the Fairchild family following the collapse of Valentine's Circle), but he doesn't become seriously involved with the workings of their society and their struggle for survival and reformation until he meets Alec Lightwood, who goes on to become the absolute love of his life.
Magnus and Alec meet during one of Magnus' parties where Magnus openly flirts with him, eventually starting a secret relationship with him (since Alec was not ready to come out as gay yet) later on in the novel. The couple's relationship is revealed when Alec passionately kissed Magnus in front of the entire Clave in City of Glass. Alec faces both public and private backlash (from the Clave and his father, respectively) because of this, but manages not to fully give in to his pain and frustration with some support from Magnus and Isabelle.
However, the couple encounters trouble when they face the fact that Alec is mortal and is bound to age and die, whereas Magnus, who is immortal, will remain young forever. This, along with Magnus' extensive relationship history and constant unwillingness to share anything about himself with Alec, which causes heavy complications in their relationship, since Alec begins to believe he is trivial to Magnus, while Magnus insists this is not the case, but refuses to explain himself or give proof. The two later break up during the epilogue of City of Lost Souls due to the fact that Alec had been visiting Camille Belcourt behind Magnus' back after Camille suggested to Alec that Magnus had sought the Book of the White to turn him mortal, and had offered to help Alec find the Book of the White in order to turn Magnus mortal. Alec briefly considers this but ultimately rejects it; however, Magnus does find this out and initially accepts Camille's story as the truth. The two part with one final kiss before Magnus reluctantly walks away, leaving a heartbroken Alec behind.
In City of Heavenly Fire, Alec tries to apologize to Magnus and get back together with him but Magnus refuses to talk to him or answer his texts or calls. When all Shadowhunters are ordered to evacuate to Idris, Magnus goes to the institute to say goodbye to Alec and kisses him. Magnus makes it clear that he has forgiven Alec but cannot resume his relationship with him due to their vastly different personal circumstances.
When Magnus is captured and sent to his father's hell-dimension, Edom, Alec goes on a mission to rescue him and miraculously succeeds, with help from his family and friends. The pair eventually get back together at the end of City of Heavenly Fire, with Alec once again apologizing for his mistakes and Magnus promising to be more open with Alec about himself and their relationship.
As of Lady Midnight, Magnus and Alec are engaged and have two sons--Max Lightwood-Bane, a blue-skinned warlock named after Alec's deceased brother, Max Lightwood, and Rafael Lightwood-Bane, an orphaned Argentinian Shadowhunter named after the vampire Raphael Santiago.
Magnus has admitted that Alec is the first and only Shadowhunter he has ever been in love with, as well as the only one of all his lovers with whom he has ever wanted to start a family with. In Queen of Air and Darkness, Alec and Magnus are married, with all their family and friends surrounding them.
Despite his flamboyant appearance and whimsical personality, Magnus is a kind yet jaded person who yearns for love and acceptance, but has great trouble revealing his honest desires and personal secrets to others due to his long and traumatic past.
His life has frequently been entangled with the fates of certain Shadowhunters (specifically the Herondale family during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and the Fairchild family following the collapse of Valentine's Circle), but he doesn't become seriously involved with the workings of their society and their struggle for survival and reformation until he meets Alec Lightwood, who goes on to become the absolute love of his life.
Magnus and Alec meet during one of Magnus' parties where Magnus openly flirts with him, eventually starting a secret relationship with him (since Alec was not ready to come out as gay yet) later on in the novel. The couple's relationship is revealed when Alec passionately kissed Magnus in front of the entire Clave in City of Glass. Alec faces both public and private backlash (from the Clave and his father, respectively) because of this, but manages not to fully give in to his pain and frustration with some support from Magnus and Isabelle.
However, the couple encounters trouble when they face the fact that Alec is mortal and is bound to age and die, whereas Magnus, who is immortal, will remain young forever. This, along with Magnus' extensive relationship history and constant unwillingness to share anything about himself with Alec, which causes heavy complications in their relationship, since Alec begins to believe he is trivial to Magnus, while Magnus insists this is not the case, but refuses to explain himself or give proof. The two later break up during the epilogue of City of Lost Souls due to the fact that Alec had been visiting Camille Belcourt behind Magnus' back after Camille suggested to Alec that Magnus had sought the Book of the White to turn him mortal, and had offered to help Alec find the Book of the White in order to turn Magnus mortal. Alec briefly considers this but ultimately rejects it; however, Magnus does find this out and initially accepts Camille's story as the truth. The two part with one final kiss before Magnus reluctantly walks away, leaving a heartbroken Alec behind.
In City of Heavenly Fire, Alec tries to apologize to Magnus and get back together with him but Magnus refuses to talk to him or answer his texts or calls. When all Shadowhunters are ordered to evacuate to Idris, Magnus goes to the institute to say goodbye to Alec and kisses him. Magnus makes it clear that he has forgiven Alec but cannot resume his relationship with him due to their vastly different personal circumstances.
When Magnus is captured and sent to his father's hell-dimension, Edom, Alec goes on a mission to rescue him and miraculously succeeds, with help from his family and friends. The pair eventually get back together at the end of City of Heavenly Fire, with Alec once again apologizing for his mistakes and Magnus promising to be more open with Alec about himself and their relationship.
As of Lady Midnight, Magnus and Alec are engaged and have two sons--Max Lightwood-Bane, a blue-skinned warlock named after Alec's deceased brother, Max Lightwood, and Rafael Lightwood-Bane, an orphaned Argentinian Shadowhunter named after the vampire Raphael Santiago.
Magnus has admitted that Alec is the first and only Shadowhunter he has ever been in love with, as well as the only one of all his lovers with whom he has ever wanted to start a family with. In Queen of Air and Darkness, Alec and Magnus are married, with all their family and friends surrounding them.