Por Julia Abrahao

But the person who stepped out of the front door was tall and thin, with short, spiky dark hair. He was wearing a gold mesh vest and a pair of silk pajama pants. He regarded Clary with mild interest, puffing gently on a fantastically large pipe as he did so. Though he looked nothing at all like a Viking, he was instantly and totally familiar.

Magnus Bane (City of Glass, 2009) 

The representation of the lgbtqia+ community in YAL (young adult literature) ia a conversation that has been getting more and more traction in the 21st century. Cassandra Clare, while definitely stumbling sometimes, has been doing a great job at introducing interesting and complex queer characters into her tales. The choice of magnus bane comes from not only the fact that he is one of my favorite characters of all time, but also from the fact that Magnus has grown beyond the parameters of his world and become somewhat of a representative of the community in the 2000s and 2010s.

Magnus’ character story is simple enough to summarize: he is a warlock in a supernatural world, he is immortal and is always being dragged into shadowhunters (half human half angel beings that fight to keep humans safe from demons) business unprompted. He belongs to the Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, which consists of several book series from this same universe that are all interconnected and portray different generations of shadowhunters in various historical periods. There are several aspects of Magnus’ construction that makes him so relatable to the lgbt community. When first meeting Magnus Bane, he very much feels like the stereotypical characters of gay men pushed by mainstream media at the time. For a long time, lgbt people were portrayed as characters usually described by words like: extravagant, over the top, feminine, loud, eccentric etc… all with misguided negative connotations. When breaking down Magnus’ character, those stereotypes  are deconstructed. 

“Ma’am,” Magnus said, advancing. “I must counsel you not to exit the carriage while a demon-slaying is in progress.”

(The Bane Chronicles, 2013)

Firstly I would like to suggest the theory that Magnus is everything but a side character. Magnus Bane feels more like something akin to a main reference point than a character per se. My reasoning for this is simple; he is the only character that appears in every single book of the Shadowhunters Chronicles, and his presence is always important and significant. Magnus shows up in every book series of this universe in the same way: he gradually infiltrates the story and, eventually, by the last book, he becomes an integral part of the plot. His immortality justifies his presence in the story independently of historical period. That allows the reader to fully embrace him as soon as he appears, feeling as if it’s only natural Magnus is here, cuz Magnus is always here, he belongs here. In that way, it is perfectly possible and reasonable to , instead of interpreting The Shadowhunters Chronicles as a collection of stories about different generations of shadowhunters, see it as a string of memories of Magnus´ life as an immortal warlock working for and with shadowhunters. 

“I have been a friend to Shadowhunters. I know many of your families, going back for hundreds of years.” “There is nothing we can do to correct the questionable judgments of our ancestors,” Lucian said. Magnus hated this guy. 

(The Bane chronicles, 2013)

This puts Magnus in a position in which, while still perfectly inserted in the stories, he also has a different type of power, similar to that of a narrator, tho not explicitly narrating. He doesn’t have all the information like an omniscient narrator, however he is a constant presence throughout the books and carries a wisdom and knowledge that is more encompassing than any other character. While there are main characters in every Shadowhunter series, when Magnus arrives, they feel mortal and humanized. Other characters die, even after their happy ending, but Magnus will always be there. Magnus is a constant. The point here is that putting a queer character in such a powerful and irreplaceable position is a huge advancement in lgbtqia+ representation. Queer folk are not meaningless sidekicks here to crack a few oversexualized jokes, they are main characters and they are integral to the story. 

“So far,” said Magnus, “life seems to me to be a matter of choosing love, over and over, even knowing that it makes you vulnerable, that it might hurt you later. Or even sooner. You just have no choice. You choose to love or you choose to live in an empty world with no one there but you. And that seems like a truly terrible way to spend eternity.”

(The Last Book of the White, 2020)

When it comes to the queer stereotype, I believe Magnus owns his extravagance and loudness with confidence. His position in the story lets Clare develop him slowly and gradually, in a much deeper way than any other character. All the traits that queer folk are scrutinized for are presented as Magnus´ strengths and are the reason he is so beloved. Furthermore, his personality is expanded beyond the persona. He is human despite his immortality, breaking the lgbtqia+ characters mold of gimmicks and strangeness. 

“All that darkness, and all that pain, and Magnus was somehow still a blazing riot of life and color, a source of joy for everyone around him.”

(The Red Scrolls of Magic, 2019)

Magnus Bane has become a classic figure of YAL, much like Sherlock Holmes for investigative criminal novels, he is recognized by everyone in the community, even if they don’t have direct contact to Clare´s work. 

“If one could look this fabulous, one had an obligation to.”

(The Bane Chronicles, 2013)