Killing off a television character is a risky move – sometimes even more so when the show is based off a book series with a built-in fan base. Something that is both exciting (and terrifying) about a show like Shadowhunters, which is loosely based on its source material, is that no character is entirely safe. You may think that you know what will happen, but then a Jocelyn-sized death bomb is dropped on you, or someone else you know dies in the books is afforded the chance to live after all (such as was the case for a certain little Lightwood). In this article, we remember the Shadowhunters characters who have met their untimely ends and explore how their deaths have impacted the series. (Note: While we know that this is a supernatural show where no death need be permanent, these are the characters we suspect will remain dead, dead, dead.)
Warning: This article contains graphic imagery some may find disturbing.
Ragnor Fell
Talk about mourning what could have been! Adam Kenneth Wilson did a masterful job breathing nuanced depth into Ragnor Fell. The life-long friendship he shared off-screen with fellow warlock Magnus Bane was palpable through the immediate chemistry he had with Harry Shum Jr. Even though his entire arc (including his introduction and exit from the show) happened over the course of a single episode back in Season 1, the crater-like emptiness left behind by the impact of his performance is still felt to this day. After his death, Ragnor visited Magnus (in vaguely Star Wars-ian “Force ghost” fashion) and his main priority was to make sure his dearest friend didn’t miss out on his chance at love. Since the show has established that Ragnor can interact with Magnus from beyond the grave, we are dying to see him return in the future (preferably at a time when Catarina Loss is also present).
Gretel
Gretel wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine (especially during her encounters with Simon Lewis), but she did not deserve to be just another casualty of Valentine Morgenstern’s blind racism against Downworlders. Jace Herondale being wrongfully accused of killing her in 2×03 “Parabatai Lost” presented quite the conundrum for Luke Garroway as he worked to keep Jace from being hunted by both the police force and fellow werewolf, Maia Roberts (who was seeking revenge on behalf of her friend). Looking back now, Gretel stands as a harrowing example of the senseless death and destruction caused by Valentine’s hatred.
Jocelyn Fairchild
The death of Clary’s mother, Jocelyn Fairchild, will go down in fandom history as one of the most shocking of the entire series. The choice to kill her off went completely against book canon and audience expectation. She spent the majority of Season 1 captured and under a sleeping spell, and was only rescued and awake for three episodes of Season 2, before being suddenly and brutally murdered. On top of that, there was the added shock that a demon-possessed Alec Lightwood committed the violent deed directly after having his own near-death experience just one episode prior! What a tangled, messy ball of feels! The showrunners for Season 2 cited this death as necessary in order for Clary to fully grow into her own as a Shadowhunter and as an independent adult. Jocelyn may not have made the smartest decisions, but Clary and Luke were her whole world and, while she was alive, they both felt the same way about her. She was a powerful Shadowhunter in her day and a key player in the failure of Valentine’s first uprising. Even when she left that life behind, she still strove to protect the Shadow World (and Clary) from him, managing to keep the Mortal Instruments hidden for many years. Jocelyn’s funeral in 2×05 “Dust and Shadows” really drove it home that her death was permanent, and the repercussions of it, along with the circumstances by which it occurred, contributed to the arcs of not only Clary but several other characters throughout the course of Season 2.
Hodge Starkweather
There was quite the body count happening in 2×04 “Day of Wrath.” Jocelyn’s death may have stood out as the bombshell of the hour, but Hodge Starkweather was another important character to be murdered this episode by none other than – you guessed it – Valentine (he really is responsible for the majority of deaths on this list). At this point in the series, we hadn’t seen Hodge since he betrayed our four main Shadowhunters in 1×13 “Morning Star.” He attempted to redeem himself this episode by apologizing to Jace before receiving a seraph blade right between the eyes whilst trying to save him from Valentine. Admittedly not much could be accomplished from within the cell blocks of the City of Bones, but to see Hodge die after just having begun to mend fences with Jace was painful to watch. The fact that this was his dying act was something that was not lost on us, and we don’t think it was lost on Jace either.
Alaric Rodriguez
Alaric Rodriguez was Luke’s former detective partner as well as the werewolf Beta to his Alpha, but we mostly remember him as someone who was never particularly friendly toward Simon (Simon really had a rough go of it with the werewolves in the beginning, didn’t he?). However, Alaric was always a loyal friend and comrade to Luke on both mundane and Shadow World fronts. His unshakeable trust in Luke’s ability to lead kept Alaric firmly by Luke’s side right up until his bitter end. Since losing Alaric, two badass ladies have taken over from where he left off – a highly inquisitive mundane named Ollie now works with Luke on the police force, while the spirited Maia has stepped up as the Beta of his New York Wolf Pack. The addition of both women in these roles has presented compelling dynamics for Luke to contend with and for the show to navigate.
Kaelie
The seelie Kaelie, co-founder of Jace’s “book club,” seemed like a free spirit upon first meeting – maybe a tad spiteful when we saw her empty a double shot of tequila onto Jace’s lap in 2×13 “Those of Demon Blood” – but we certainly did not think her capable of being a serial killer with the most grotesque of methods (we still shudder to think). But the little bit of side story that we did not get to see was that she had a brother who was killed during the Soul Sword massacre in 2×10 “By the Light of Dawn,” which was accidentally started by Jace. Killing Max Lightwood was meant to be her revenge against him – a brother for a brother – but it was Isabelle Lightwood who came to Max’s rescue. We still don’t really know the whole story here. The staging of the murders to make it look like a variety of different Downworlders were responsible certainly did look like she was trying to start a war between Shadowhunters and Downworlders. But when the Seelie Queen was investigated for her part, there was no concrete evidence found to prove that this was the case. Hopefully, we eventually get some kind of explanation to tie up this loose thread.
Sebastian Verlac
We are talking the real Sebastian Verlac here – the poor soul who had to sit beaten and restrained for weeks in a closet, while someone literally from Hell assumed his identity. He was just a random Shadowhunter with a pretty face and a charming accent from another Institute – the perfect tool for Jonathan to use in tricking the New York Institute into trusting him before pulling the rug out from under all of their feet. When Aline Penhallow made the trip to New York in search of her missing cousin, we learned a little about Sebastian – how he had friends and family who cared about him – before Jonathan ruthlessly murdered him in 2×15 “A Problem of Memory.” After the Shadowhunters discovered his body much later in 2×19 “Hail and Farewell,” Alec reported to Imogen Herondale that the news had been delivered personally by Aline to his mother (we can only imagine how sad that must have been).
Valentine Morgenstern
This one was a doozy and a welcome one at that. Although the acting abilities of Alan Van Sprang captivated as the main villain of the series for two whole seasons, Valentine and his mind games had to go. And what better way to have him meet his demise than at the rather stabby hands of his daughter, Clary Fairchild, who he always foolishly underestimated? The chilling back-and-forth between Valentine and his abandoned son, Jonathan Morgenstern, was something that we were glad to have witnessed, but as soon as Jonathan entered the arena as a viable villain, he already far surpassed what Valentine ever had to offer. Now that Valentine is out of the picture, we are excited to see Jonathan team up with Lilith instead – the combination of jilted and scorned is sure to cause some exceptionally juicy drama.
Ave atque vale ; hail and farewell to you all. With every new season of any given TV show, comes bigger character deaths as the stakes naturally get higher. Who do you think we will be saying goodbye to in the upcoming season? Take to Twitter to let us know!
Shadowhunters is available for streaming via Freeform for U.S. residents and internationally on Netflix. Shadowhunters returns with Season 3 on March 20th, 2018.
