Love her or hate her, Shadowhunters’ Clary Fray (Fairchild? Morgenstern?) has been through a lot since a blonde Shadowhunter happened to bump into her outside a nightclub. Becoming a professional demon hunter, finding out your father is basically the worst person ever, and losing your mother to him twice is bound to bring out a few changes in a person. Last we saw of her, she was smiling and partying alongside her family, but mere minutes before, she was driving a knife through her father’s chest. Repeatedly.
She’s had some growing pains, but over the course of two seasons, Clary has proven to be a force to be reckoned with; and that’s no doubt going to continue in the aftermath of that insane Season 2 finale. Here’s five reasons why.
5. She’s Not a Teenager Anymore
While still young and with much more to learn, it’s safe to say that the girl we met outside of Pandemonium is long gone. Clary isn’t always the best at taking advice when it’s given to her, but she has learned much about what it truly means to live in the Shadow World and grown into herself in that regard – though not without mishap, of course. She has her own opinions of what a Shadowhunter should be versus what the Clave wants them to be, and isn’t afraid to voice those opinions either. She’s no longer the scared and unaware girl that was Clary 1.0 – Clary 2.0 is someone who knows how to carry herself and isn’t afraid to do what’s needed.
4. She Knows a Thing or Two About Fighting
All that training with Jace and Isabelle had to pay off at some point, right? Well, it seems our redheaded ball of fury is a natural when it comes to taking down the baddies. Whether it’s on the training room floor or a rooftop in the city, Clary can hold her own against a Circle member or the odd demon. She hasn’t even begun to tap into her full potential, but as of right now, she can kick some decent ass.
3. She Knows Her Way Around a Stele
Clary has created several new runes since discovering the powers granted to her by a little pure angel blood (thanks, Ithuriel!), an ability that has made her Team Good’s ultimate wild card and one of the most powerful pieces on the chessboard thus far (except maybe Magnus). With these powers, the possibilities are endless. Who knows what rune of badassery she’ll create next season? (Well, book readers might have an idea, but that’s besides the point.)
2. She’s Experienced Loss (A Lot of It)
Mundane or no, fictional or real, we’ve all had loss in our lives. Some of us are a tad more unlucky than the rest. Clary, unfortunately, is one of these unlucky individuals. When her mother disappeared into the night, Clary didn’t just lose her mother, she lost her entire life as she knew it. Nothing was certain. In losing Jocelyn, she lost all real sense of security – perhaps forever.
And when she lost her mother again, this time in a much more permanent manner, the message the writers were trying to send was clear: her life as a mundane is over. Clary must make her home in a world of uncertainty, as her own person, her own woman. Change is inevitable. And while Clary certainly was molded by her mother’s passing, the true scope of what her grief could create didn’t rear its head until Jace died in front of her, another casualty of her daddy dearest. The brutality and obvious rage with which she finally put an end to Valentine revealed the true extent of the pain created by everything she’s lost. With her father now dead by her hand, this will no doubt bring out heavy emotional repercussions in our protagonist. We’re ready.
1. She Has Something to Fight For
In her time as a Shadowhunter, Clary has met people who can fill the gaps in her life in a way that no one else could. With Luke as her father figure, Simon once again taking up his position as best friend, Alec as her brother (getting there), Izzy as her sister, and Jace as her lover, Clary carries something pretty substantial: love for a family. Our girl has seen and experienced the many flaws and injustices of the Shadow World she calls home, and she sure as hell will do anything to protect her family from it.
As was proven in her quest to find her mother, Clary does not care what becomes of her if it means protecting those she loves, and we’re sure this will come into play again – no matter the shape or form.
Give a girl the right shoes – ahem – sword and stele and she can conquer the world. Clary’s got what she needs, and then some. We look forward to her following up on the world-conquering bit, and if version two was any indication, Clary 3.0 won’t be something to mess with. Here’s to Season 3.
Shadowhunters is available for streaming via Freeform for U.S. residents and internationally on Netflix. Shadowhunters returns with Season 3 on April 3rd, 2018.
