Queer Analysis of Shadowhunters

​One of my favorite book series growing up was Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments. Therefore, when I heard there was a movie, I was excited to see it – unfortunately, it led to disappointment as neither liked the actors cast for the roles, nor did I appreciate the way the story line was mixed. A short while later, I learned that a TV series based on the books was in the works and I was once again excited. This time, however, I was happy with the result.

​When I was doing the last exam, I had to think of some examples for Queer Analysis and some of the characters came to mind. This prompted me to re-watch some of the episodes and I was pleasantly surprised at the queer representation in the series – so much so that I decided to use the show and queer analysis for my last blog entry. The show – Shadowhunters – shows strong characters who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and portrays struggles they face due to their identities.
To begin with, the show passes the Vito Russo Test. The show has a character that identifies as gay (Alec Lightwood), one that identifies as a bi-sexual (Magnus Bane) and one who identifies as a-sexual (Raphael Santiago). All three of those characters are defined by more than their sexuality – they are leaders of their factions, with individual story arcs and significant ties to the plot. As the test dictates, removing them would have a significant impact of the plot as they all play a part in driving the story. Further, even though it is not part of the test, the show depicts the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community by having characters of different races playing those roles – Alec is Caucasian, Magnus is Asian, and Raphael is Latino; they also play different races in the fictional world they inhabit – Shadowhunter, Warlock and Vampire respectively.

Alec Lightwood

Magnus Bane

Raphael Santiago

​The show depicts the issues of the perception of heterosexuality as the default and only true option in the ways the Shadowhunter (also called Nephilim) and Downworld communities treat gender and sexuality. The Shadowhunters predominately consider themselves as superior due to their angel blood, while they consider Downworlders inferior due to their demon blood. Along the same lines, Nephilim are very strict and unaccepting of any deviations from the “mythical norm”, including identifying as anything other than heterosexual. Downworlders, on the other hand, are seen as slaves of their impulses, often uncontrollable and promiscuous, not abiding by gender or sexuality norms. This then leads to the somewhat stereotypical portrayal of Alec’s homosexuality is seen by his community as identity crisis and his coming out as a source of drama.

---

From that point on, however, the show does a good job in depicting some of his struggles, but also his triumphs in maintaining his identity and finding happiness with Magnus. In this coupling the show toes the line with depicting characters as “normalized” by assigning them roles bringing them in line with heterosexual relationships, but I believe they manage to escape this stereotype. While Magnus’ style is flamboyant, with him using make-up, jewelry and materials that are often associated with femininity, he maintains his strength and leadership position throughout the show, making him and Alec a “power couple” in their collective community. This, along with Raphael’s character, makes three of the leaders of the different groups in the fictional world members of the LGBTQ+ community, breaking the trend of underrepresentation of queer people in media, especially when it comes to having said people in positions of power.

---

​While the show is doing a good job of presenting diverse characters, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, the cast selection could be considered a misstep in queer representation. The three central characters who identify as part of the community are played by actors who are in heterosexual relationships. While they were all great, the portrayal of the struggles of the characters and the real-world impact of the show might have been stronger if the roles were played by people who identified as the members of the LGBTQ+ community.