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In general
- Fantastic Racism:
- Mundanes routinely become the butt of jokes among Shadowhunters and Downworlders. The former's disdain for them is even institutionalized, as racist terms like "Mundies" are used without a second thought, even by the main characters, and the Shadowhunter Academy segregates its population to Shadowhunter-born and Mundane students.
- According to The Shadowhunter Codex, relations between Mundanes and Shadowhunters actually worsen as time goes on. In the past, Shadowhunters were allowed to marry Mundanes (which doesn't have an effect since Shadowhunter blood is dominant, so their children will turn up Shadowhunter anyway) and Mundanes were welcomed to Ascend anytime. By the modern period, the former is forbidden, while the latter is restricted and only done under special circumstances (such as when the Clave lost many members during the Dark War).
- I See Them, Too: Some Mundanes have the Sight, which allow them to see the Shadow World. However, runes are still lethal to them, so they cannot wield angelic weapons.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Mundanes are normally oblivious about the Shadow World. In the case of Shadowhunters, they reinforce this fact by putting up Glamour to maintain the masquerade.
- Muggles: Mundanes are ordinary people without powers. Some may have Sight, the ability to see the Shadow World, but remain powerless in magic or runes.
The Lewis family
Elaine Lewis
Simon and Rebecca's mother.
- I Have No Son!: She shunned her son Simon after she found out that he was a vampire, calling him a murderer who had killed the real Simon.
- Go Mad from the Revelation: She becomes a bit unhinged after finding out about Simon's condition, decorating the Lewis house with religious artifacts to bar him. This changes when Simon is cured of his vampirism and subject to memory wiping, which apparently extends to his whole family, as well.
- Locked Out of the Loop:
- Elaine has no clue that Simon is a vampire, at least until City of Fallen Angels, when she does find out the truth and freaks out.
- Unlike Rebecca, Simon does not inform his real job after he begins training to become a Shadowhunter in Tales of the Shadowhunter Academy, thinking that she will not be able to handle the truth judging by her previous reaction at his vampirism.
Rebecca Lewis
Simon's older sister.
- Big Sister Instinct: She becomes increasingly concerned about Simon's cutting communications with her over the course of City of Lost Souls, and eventually manages to meet with him. When she briefly believes that their mother has brainwashed or harmed him in some way, the way she reacts indicated it would not have gone well for their mom if that had been the case. And when he reveals his vampirism to her, she accepts it almost immediately after getting over the shock, and assures him she'll love him no matter what.
- Secret-Keeper: She is one of the few Mundanes without Sight who know about the Shadow World, as Simon keeps her in about his vampire and, later, Shadowhunter status. He even invites her to attend his engagement to Isabelle.
Simon Lewis
For information on Simon click here.
The Gray/Moore family
Richard Gray
Richard is the husband of Elizabeth Moore (actually Adele Starkweather) and Tessa's stepfather.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo:
- Richard is actually not related to Tessa. Elizabeth was impregnated by a demon who disguised himself as Richard.
- His 'son' Nate is actually his nephew. His sister-in-law Harriet had sex with her fiancé before they got married. Then her fiancé died before the wedding and she found out she was pregnant. To avoid a scandal Elizabeth and Richard who were already married pretended the child was theirs.
- Parental Abandonment: Died when Tessa was a baby.
- Posthumous Character: He and his wife died in a carriage accident almost fifteen years before the start of The Infernal Devices.
Elizabeth Moore
Adele Starkweather (born Elizabeth Moore)
Elizabeth was a sickly mundane girl and the sister of Harriet Moore. When she was a baby she got switched with the Shadowhunter girl Adele Starkweather (click here to see information on her). She grew up at the York institute believing that she was Adele, the granddaughter of Aloysius Starkweather. She died when she got her first mark.
- Changeling Tale: She was switched with the real Adele Starkweather when she was a baby, to spite Adele's grandfather, Aloysius, who was genocidal towards Downworlders. Elizabeth was raised a Shadowhunter, while Adele was raised a Mundane.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Mundanes cannot bear marks, but since it was believed that she was a Shadowhunter she was marked anyway. This drove her insane and she eventually died screaming in pain while her skin started falling off.
- Posthumous Character: Died in 1837 and only appears in a flashback.
- Switched at Birth: She got switched with the Shadowhunter girl Adele Starkweather by faeries.
Harriet Moore
Elizabeth Moore's sister, Tessa Gray's aunt and Nate's mother.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo:
- Her 'nephew' Nate is actually her son. She had sex with her fiancé before they got married. Then her fiancé died before the wedding and she found out she was pregnant. To avoid a scandal her married sister Elizabeth pretended the child was hers.
- Complicated even more by the fact that her sister Elizabeth was actually a Shadowhunter named Adele Starkweather not related to her who got Switched at Birth with the real Elizabeth.
- Nephewism: She raised Nate and Tessa since their parents died when they were babies. In truth, Nate is her biological son, while Tessa is not related to her at all.
- Posthumous Character: She died just before the start of The Infernal Devices from eating the poisoned chocolate Nate send her.
Nate Gray
Nathaniel "Nate" Gray
Tessa's brother, who has gone missing at the start of The Infernal Devices. In reality, he is working for the Magister and only pretended to be missing to lure Tessa to London.
- Cain and Abel: The Cain to Tessa's Abel.
- Consummate Liar: The guy is really good at improvising tall tales, you have to give him that.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Nate actually works with the Magister and was the one who masterminded Tessa's arrival to Britain, as he secretly killed Aunt Harriet.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo:
- Clockwork Prince reveals that his 'aunt' Harriet is actually his mother. She had sex with her fiancé before they got married. Then her fiancé died before the wedding and she found out she was pregnant. To avoid a scandal her married sister pretended the child was hers. This in turn makes Nate and Tessa cousins, rather than siblings.
- Then Clockwork Princess reveals that Elizabeth Gray was secretly a Shadowhunter. This means Nate and Tessa are not biologically related at all.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Tessa tricks the automatons to kill him in Clockwork Prince.
- Killed Off for Real: In the climax of Clockwork Prince.
- Matricide: He killed his mother Harriet by sending her poisoned chocolate.
- Not Blood Siblings: He and Tessa are not actually related, due to a lot of circumstances involving their birth parents.
- Pretty Boy: According to Tessa and Jessamine.
- Really Gets Around: Although, not explicitly stated, Tessa implies it in her conversation with Jessamine.
Ascension candidates
George Lovelace
Simons roommate at the Shadowhunter Academy.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He suffers a similar fate to Elizabeth Moore when he fails the Ascension ritual, causing the angelic blood to destroy his body from the inside out.
- Death by Newbery Medal: He is Simon's first and closest friend while studying at Shadowhunter Academy and dies right when they are about to graduate.
- Due to the Dead: After he died during his ascension, he got buried at the London Institute. His friend Simon decided there to take the name Lovelace in honor of his friend.
- Killed Off for Real: He is killed when he fails his Ascension ritual.
- Nice Guy: A textbook example.
- The Reveal: He is not a Shadowhunter. Everybody just assumed this because of his Shadowhunter name. He is actually a mundane adopted by the Lovelaces.
Marisol Garza
To see Marisol's tropes, click here.
Servants of the institutes
Sophie Collins
Sophie is one of the mundane servants working for the shadowhunters at the Institute in London. She later becomes a shadowhunter herself, taking the name Sophie Ashdown, and marries Gideon Lightwood, so you can find her tropes here.
Agatha Grant
The cook at the London Institute. She is a Mundane with the Sight.
- Killed Off for Real: The first casualty of Mortmain's attack on the Institute in Clockwork Angel.
- Team Chef: Her food is excellent.
Thomas Tanner
Another of the servants at the London Institute. Like the other Mundane servants, he has the Sight.
- Alliterative Name: His surname is revealed to be "Tanner" as of the second book.
- All Love Is Unrequited: He is in love with Sophie, who is in love with Jem.
- The Big Guy: Which is rather ironic, considering he was a shrimp when he was younger.
- Childhood Friend: He is one to Will, being the first person his age he befriended upon moving to London.
- The Driver: Drives the carriage.
- I See Them, Too: Has the Sight.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By an automaton.
- It Has Been an Honor
- Killed Mid-Sentence
- Last Request: He asks Will to take care of Sophie, because Sophie is...something.
- Legacy of Service: He comes from a long line of people who've had a touch of the Sight, which is required for servants of the Nephilim. Needless to say, his family's been serving the Institute for a while.
Cyril Tanner
Thomas's older brother. He is hired by the London Institute to replace Thomas after the latter's death.
- Legacy of Service: He comes from a long line of people who've had a touch of the Sight, which is required for servants of the Nephilim. Needless to say, his family's been serving the Institute for a while.
- Replacement Goldfish: For his brother. This actually bothers Sophie a bit.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Resembles Thomas very much, both in appearance and demeanor, although Tessa says he's more indifferent.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Is essentially an older Thomas, brought in to replace him after his death.
Bridget Daly
The new cook at the London Institute after Agatha's death. She originally came from the Dublin Institute.
- Action Girl: In spite of the fact that she's a mundane, she is a deadly fighter.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: She sings annoyingly depressing songs everytime she cleans, which always get on everyone's nerves...and as mentioned above, she's more competent in battle than most Shadowhunters. Will actually commented that she makes more difference in battle than both Lightwood siblings.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She's just a cook and someone who makes depressing poetry/songs, yet is arguably the best fighter who isn't of supernatural(werewolf, vampire, etc.). Even Will got stunned.
- Empowered Badass Normal: She is hit by heavenly lightning during the Battle of London in Chain of Thorns, which apparently makes her an immortal (or at least long-lived), as she is still alive over a century later.
- I See Them, Too : Has the Sight.
- Legacy of Service: Her family's served the Nephilim for generations.
- Long-Lived: For some reason, she is still alive and working in the London Institute as of 2012, which makes her over 150 years old. Everyone notes that she looks ancient, but keep in mind that Bridget is supposed to be a normal human, not an immortal like Tessa. Chain of Thorns implies that being fried by heavenly lightning has somehow given her a superhuman power, although even the Silent Brothers can't explain anything about it.
- Oireland: She is Irish and occasionally breaks into sad Irish ballads that drive everyone in the London Institute mad.
- Supreme Chef: Takes over the job from Agatha.
- Suspiciously Apropos Music: Likes to sing weepy ballads that tend to get on the Shadowhunters' nerves, and they've fallen into this once or twice.
Risa
A mundane servant of Sona Carstairs, having been serving her family since she was a teen. She was the only servant Sona didn't fire after the Carstairs family moved to London.
- Bilingual Backfire: She cannot speak English, but can understand it.
- Old Retainer: She has been around Sona's life since she was a teen and continues serving her children, Alastair and Cordelia, even after they come of age.
- Servile Snarker: Since she is a constant mainstay among the Carstairs, she can get away with a lot of things regarding her treatment of the family.
Letty Nance
A mundane servant of the Cornwall Institute during the early 19th century.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Her remains are found mutilated on the steps of the Cornwall Institute.
- Killed Offscreen: Her POV ends with her being hunted by the Eidolon demon who impersonates Tatiana Blackthorn. We only learn that she is killed secondhand a few chapters later.
- Legacy of Service: Her parents were also mundanes employed by the Cornwall Institute.
Others
Mortal Instruments
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Eric has light brown hair, Kirk is a brunette, while Matt is a redhead.
- Childhood Friends: Simon, Eric, Kirk, and Matt are friends since kindergarten. By extension, they are long familiar with Clary, who mostly sticks with Simon before she discovers her Shadowhunter heritage.
- Constantly Changing Name: The band's name changes constantly, because they can't make up their mind. Throughout the series, they have changed or mulled the name over 20 times.
- Dreadful Musician: The reason why Kyle is hired is because Kirk sucks as a singer. The band in general is this, as they are not known for drawing a crowd, and the owner of Alta Bar allows them to play whenever they want because he is close with Eric.
- Garage Band: They train at Eric's garage every week.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: In City of Heavenly Fire, their memories of Clary are wiped out.
- Word Salad Lyrics: Any songs or poetry the band cook up.
- Word Salad Title: The band's many names are this. A few highlights include Champagne Enema, Dichotomous Lemur, and Guinea Pig Death Posse.
Axel Mortmain
A mundane businessman with an interest in the downworld. It eventually turns out that he is the Magister.
- Big Bad: He is the main villain of The Infernal Devices.
- The Chessmaster: He engineered events that would lead to Tessa's birth from a Shadowhunter and a demon. As he notes, he is basically her creator.
- Clockwork Creature: He designs clockwork automatons which serve as his footsoldiers. He is the titular character of Clockwork Prince.
- Gadgeteer Genius: It was he who created the Ridiculously Human Clockwork Creatures.
- Happily Adopted: He got adopted by John and Anne Shade, a warlock couple, who raised him as their own.
- Killed Off for Real: In the climax of Clockwork Princess, he is incinerated by Tessa taking the form of Ithuriel.
- Meaningful Name: Axel Mortmain makes mechanical devices. And don't forget that Mortmain means "Hand of Death."
- Out of Focus: In The Clockwork Prince. He does appear in a flashback.
- Take Over the World: He wants to do this, very very much.
- You Killed My Father: Supposedly has a grudge against Shadowhunters for the "unjustified" murder of his warlock parents.
- Walking Spoiler: It is really hard to talk about him without revealing that he is the Magister. Just look at how much of his trope page is concealed because of spoilers.
Linette Herondale (née Owens)
Linette is a rich Welsh heiress whom shadowhunter Edmund Herondale saved at one time. They got close and Edmund eventually decided to marry her, meaning he had to give up the Shadowhunting world by stripping his marks. Together they had three children: Ella, Will and Cecily.
- Killed Offscreen: She and her husband died from influenza between The Infernal Devices and The Last Hours.
- Interspecies Romance: With Edmund Herondale who is a Shadowhunter.
- Marry for Love: She wanted to marry a man she really loved and not just settle for someone who was okay. When she couldn't find anyone in Wales, she traveled to London where she met and fell in love with Edmund Herondale. They got married shortly thereafter.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Her daughter Ella died at age fourteen long before Linette's own death.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Will's and Cecily's black hair and gorgeous blue eyes are inherited from their mother.
Madame Dorothea/Dorothea "Dot" Rollins
Played by: CCH Pounder (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), Vanessa Matsui (Shadowhunters)
Clary and Jocelyn's neighbour. Actually the adopted daughter of a witch.
- Black Dude Dies First: In the film, the first named character to kick the bucket courtesy of Demonic Possession.
- Chekhov's Gun: Her tarot cards: the Ace of Cups was the Mortal Cup.
- Fortune Teller: Supposedly; she decorates her apartment with several generic Fortune Teller themes as a cover-up for her customers.
- Guarding the Portal: What she's really doing is guarding a Five-Dimensional-Door in her apartment.
- The Hermit: Doesn't like leaving her apartment, and only interacts with Jocelyn.
- Race Lift: Black in the film, Asian on the show.
Bernard
A member of the Crimson Hand, a demon cult.
- The Starscream: He pretended he was loyal to the leader of the Crimson Hand and went along with her plans, but in the end he betrayed the leader, trying to sacrifice her to a demon and proclaimed himself the new leader.
