Jace Lightwood
Portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower
Biographical Information
Full name:	Jace Herondale
Born:	1991
Age:	17
Status:	Alive
Alias:	Jace Lightwood Jonathan Wayland Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern
Affiliation
Species:	Nephilim/Angel
Occupation:	Shadowhunter
Residence:	New York Institute
Allegiance:	Lightwood family
Relationships
Significant Other/s:	Clary Fray (girlfriend)
Father:	Stephen Herondale† Valentine† (adoptive) Robert (adoptive)
Mother:	Celine Herondale† Maryse Lightwood (adoptive)
Sibling/s:	adoptive: Alec Lightwood Isabelle Lightwood Max Lightwood†
Physical Description
Gender:	Male
Hair color:	Blond/Gold
Eye color:	Amber/Tawny/Gold
Character Information
First appearance:	City of Bones
Latest appearance:	City of Lost Souls

Jace Lightwood is one of the main characters of The Mortal Instruments. He is a Shadowhunter currently residing in the New York Institute.

Biography

History

Jace was born to Stephen and Celine Herondale. While he was still in Celine's womb, Valentine Morgenstern constantly gave Celine Herondale Ithuriel's angel blood - without her knowledge - to mix with her food and her unborn baby's blood.

When his father was killed, her mother soon followed, presumed to have committed suicide. Valentine, desperate for the baby he had been giving angel blood, had Hodge Starkweather help him take the child from Celine's dead body. After faking his and his real son's death, Valentine took off with both Jonathan and Jace and raised them separately. He took the identity of Michael Wayland who was, in fact, the one he killed in his place.

Jace, believing his father was Michael Wayland, was raised by Valentine both lovingly and harshly. He instilled thoughts such as "To love is to destroy" into Jace's mind. Once, Valentine gave Jace a falcon to train, intending it to be a killing companion, not a pet. After taming it, Jace showed it to his father who broke its neck, saying that he was supposed to train it to become obedient, not to love him.

When he was ten, Valentine realized that someone knew he was still alive, so he yet again staged his death as Michael Wayland, convincing Jace and everyone else that his real father had died just then. He was later sent to the New York Institute to live with the Lightwoods.

The Mortal Instruments

City of Bones

Jace is among the first Shadowhunters Clary Fray ever meets. Surprised that Clary can see them, he tells Hodge about her, who then asks Jace to summon Clary to the Institute. Jace and Clary initially do not think much of one another, with Simon very distrustful of him. Eventually though, Jace and Clary begin caring for each other, and even share a kiss one night.

to be continued

City of Ashes

The book starts with Jace  being thrown out from the Institute after Maryse finds out the truth about his real father. Then Jace gets attacked by Luke's werewolf pack because of his indifference when the pack informed him about the curious death of one its  younger members. Luke manages to save him and calls Clary to come . Jace tells them that he has been thrown out of the Institute and he doesn't know why. Luke, Clary and Jace go the Institute to question Maryse Lightwood on her decision to do this.

She tells them that the Inquisitor was coming to talk to him about him being Valentine's son and that she was trying to avoid it. Nonetheless Jace decides to stay and face the Inquisitor, believing that by avoiding her things would become worse.

Later on, due to his disrespectful behaviour towards the Inquisitor he is forced in jail in the Silent City. While in the cell, Jace suddenly hears  the screams of the Silent Brothers which are caused by Agramon who is now under Valentine's command. After the slaughter of the Silent Brothers visits Jace and Valentine tells him that he had to kill them to get the Soul Sword.

Meanwhile, Clary, Isabelle and Alec decide to go and rescue Jace after receiving a distress call from the Silent City. The Inquisitor believes that Jace helped Valentine kill the Silent Brothers in order to get the Mortal Sword, however, now that the Sword is gone, they don't know whether Jace is innocent or not. After a lot of debate they finally agree to let Jace stay in Magnus Bane's apartment, in condition that he is not going to leave.

Later on, due to the unexplained and mysterious deaths of different Downwolder's Simon, Jace,Clary,Isabelle and Alec visit the Faerie Real. While there Clary is tricked into eating faerie food, meaning that she won't be able to leave along with the others. However, the Faerie Queen tells her that if she gets the kiss that she most desires  she will be able to go. When Simon's kiss fails to free Clary, Jace kissed her and succesfully breaks the spell,  which angers Simon, thus making him leave the group at Central Park.

After their return to the Institute, Clary and Jace fight about their feelings for each other. Jace says the he doesn't see why they can't still be together, while Clary says that the idea repulses her and that their feelings for each other are wrong.

Meanwhile, Raphael Santiago visits them with Simon's corpse in his hands, informing them about Simon's inevitable turning into vampire or death. The team decides to bury Simon in a Jewish cemetery for his resurrection as vampire.

Upon learning about Maia's dissappearance and Valentine's plan to turn the Mortal Sword into a demon instrument, Jace visits his father, who is currently hiding on a boat. When he returns from his visit, the Inquisitor  having spied on him, keeps him prisoner in an electrified cell that has four walls. She then proceeds to tell him about her plan to threaten Valentine in order to get the Mortal Instruments by using Jace's life. Jace tries to tell her that it will not work but she doesn't believe him. Later with some help from Alec, he manages to escape. 

Before facing off Valentine and trying to save both Maia and Simon,who was meanwhile captured for the ritual,on his boat, Jace asks  Clary to  draw the Fearless rune on him.  While on board of the ship, Jace finds Simon dead and feeds him his blood in order to save him. The rest of the Shadowhunters soon arrive and a chaotic battle begins on the boat. During the battle, Jace is confronted by Imogen, who apologizes and looks really astonished when Jace tells her once more that he did not know Valentine was his father. Imogen also questions him about the star shaped scar he has and tries to tell him something but Jace angered by the Inquisitor's behaviour and leaves to join the battle. Then he is  attacked by a demon he cannot defeat, however, the Inquisitor saves him with her last words being "Your father would be proud", leaving Jace more confused than before.

Soon afterwards the battle ends with the ship being completely destroyed by Clary's Opening rune.The book ends with Jace telling Clary that he will, from now on, act like her brother and nothing more.

City of Glass

At the beginning of the book Jace is making preparations in order to leave with the rest of his family in Idris, alongside Clary. However, Jace believing that Idris is too dangerous for Clary and at the same time wanting to stop thinking about her, decides to trick Clary with the help of Simon. Simon reluctantly agrees but when the Lightwoods are ready to leave through a portal, they are attecked by a group of Forsaken. And amidst the chaos created, Jace is forced to take Simon with him, something which is illegal since Simon need permission to enter Idris.

While at Idris, Jace spends a lot of time with Aline Penhallow and her cousin Sebastian Verlac . But his peace is soon interrupted when Clary appears. Jace afraid of his feelings for her distances himself and even blames her. Thus, allowing Sebastian to come closer to Clary.

Nevertheless, upon the discovery of the fact that the Book of White is hidden inside the library in the Wayland Manor , Clary asks Jace to help her. Jace agrees and they go together.

There they discover the Angel Ithurial trapped in the basement, Clary having the ability to create runes, frees the Angel, but not before she and Jace are shown some memories of Valentine's experimentson on both of his children. Jace believing that in his veins runs demon blood is inconsolable.

Meanwhile, in Idris Sebastian has broken the Wards thus allowing Valentine's army of demons to enter and destroy everything. A great battle begins and Jace is informed about Sebastian's betrayal and murder of his little brother Max . Burning with anger and self-hatred because of all the events, Jace decides to track down both Sebastian and Valentine but not before spending on night just sleeping with Clary.

After following the tracking spell Jace finds a cave outside Idris where Valentine and Sebastian discuss their plan to summon Raziel and destroy the all Downwolders and the Shadowhunters who will not bend their knee. Then Valentine leaves, and Sebastian having already sensed Jace's presence starts to tease him. After a while they both fight each other with Sebastian revealing his true identity as Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern and informing Jace that he is the son of Stephen Herondale , Jace starts to lose ground but Isabelle finds them and assists him. However, she is badly injured by Jonathan and Jace finding an opening kills him.

Later on, he finds Valentine ,who is ready to summon the Raziel and has Clary silenced with a Rune. Valentine looks shocked when he Jace tells him that he killed Jonathan but other than that he doesn't show any other emotion and before Jace finishes him off, Valentine stabbs him. Clary witnessing all these, changes the ritual Runes, leading to Raziel answering to her and not Valentine. Raziel knowing Valentine's motives kills him and resurracates Jace after Clary's request.

The books ends with everyone celebrating their victory over Valentine's forces in what is going to be known as the Mortal War and Jace and Clary reforming their relationship.

City of Fallen Angels 

City of Lost Souls

Personality

The archetypal Byronic hero, Jace gives the impression of holding most people in disdain but is quite chivalrous toward women. He is extremely arrogant, believing himself to be "the best Shadowhunter" and to be above others. He can also be very sarcastic if he wants to be and is shown to be very confident about his looks and has dated a lot of girls, with Aline stating that he "gets around." His charisma, good looks, and charm have made him quite the ladies' man, and he is implied to be somewhat promiscuous among girls. Despite his luck with girls, he never forms emotional attachments for more than a brief amount of time, if at all, because of the way Valentine had taught him that "to love is to destroy." And that love, therefore, makes a person weak.

His personality drastically changes after meeting Clary, with Isabelle stating that before Jace had met Clary, Jace was living a "half-life"and that after he began to grow close to her, it was like he suddenly "woke up" and "started living." He does however remain arrogant, although in a more minimal level, particularly to those people he does not like.

The only people Jace has any feelings of love for before meeting Clary were the Lightwoods. Jace shares the snobbish attitude toward mundanes and Downworlders that the Lightwoods have in common with Valentine, though he lacks their extremist tendencies. Beneath Jace's flippant exterior lies a soul in constant torment. He is filled with a deep-seated rage that he keeps in check most of the time and which he channels into fighting and slaying demons and also, sometimes, his sarcastic and nasty remarks (as seen in bonus material that Cassandra Clare had written). While Isabelle often dates around to calm her nerves, Jace relaxes by getting into fights. Clary figures that fighting to Jace is "what sex is to normal people." Jace has also been shown to be a very passionate individual, and when he falls in love with Clary, he does so on a very deep and passionate level and does everything in his power to protect her from harm. The extent of his love for Clary even, in the first novel, had Alec jealous of Clary (resluting in Alec temporarily being harsh and cold towards her) and shocked Isabelle that Jace had finally fallen for someone, but is in addition stunned on such a deep level.

Jace's conceited exterior hides a profound inner hatred which intensifies after he (mistakingly) thought that he was part demon. He blames this as the cause for his – then presumed – incestuous feelings towards Clary. Fortunately, he later learns that he and Clary aren't actually siblings and rather than being part demon, he is actually part angel, even more so than regular people of his kind. Jace has a strong moral core, but also exhibits sadistic tendencies which he got on account of being raised by Valentine and at times can be extremely vindictive, though often only cruel to protect those he loves.

Part of Jace loves Valentine, despite the abuse, who was at time kind and affectionate towards him. Also, he is slightly afraid of Valentine at first, because of his memories with him as a child. He is also unable to bring himself to kill him on the several occasions when he was given the chance to.

Physical Description

Jace is known for and has a strong title for his good looks. He is described as having fine, curly, golden blond hair and eyes that look gold in the light with long eyelashes. He has a slim, muscular build and is about 5'11" in height. His face is often described as being beautiful, sexy, gorgeous and angular and Clary often refers to him as beautiful and leonine, with a narrow mouth. Like all other Shadowhunters, he is covered in thin, silver scars from years of applying various magical runes with a stele for battle and healing purposes, as well as permanent runes that look like tattoos.

The only flaw in his face, as Clary has noticed, is the slight chip in his incisor teeth. Clary is said to be relieved by this as it is a proof that he is not that inhumanly handsome and perfect. It is said that Jace is seventeen years old, though that was assuming he was Valentine (or Michael Wayland's) son, and his real age is determined to be between a few years younger than Jonathan Christopher and a year or so older than Clary. Jace is also noted to be left-handed (like Valentine). He is said to look like his true father, Stephen Herondale, except around the eyes where he looks like his mother, Celine Herondale.

He has a birthmark in the shape of a star on his left shoulder. The origin of this birthmark is revealed in Clockwork Princess.

Abilities

Jace, as a Shadowhunter, is given:

• Angel Blood: All Nephilim have some of the angel, Raziel's, blood in their veins. This gives them the ability to survive runes. Jace has more than the usual amount of angel blood, Ithuriel's, because of Valentine's experiments. This gave him strength, speed, agility, durability, stamina, coordination, and leaping ability that surpasses that of other Shadowhunters.
• Marks: Jace has had several runes placed on his skin, including healing runes, strength runes, speed runes, and stealth runes.

Paraphernalia

• Stele, a tool used to draw runes onto the skin of Shadowhunters.
• Sensor, a tool used to detect demonic activity in the area.
• Seraph Blades, weapons that take the form of dull tubes with blunt edges when deactivated. They are given Angel names and, when the power of the namesake Angel is called upon, the blade springs to life, growing into a bright, glowing dagger.
• Daggers and Swords: Jace has used a few daggers and swords in battle as well.

Relationships

Love Interests

Clary Fray

Clary is Jace's primary love interest, though the two maintain a complicated relationship. In the first parts of the first book, they appear not to like each other much. Clary hated Jace for his arrogant and snobbish personality and, Jace considered Clary as an ignorant mundane, but they soon begin to realize that, despite the conflicts they have with the other, they are falling in love with each other. Jace, on Clary's birthday, even takes her out to the Greenhouse to celebrate her birthday. Here, they share their first passionate kiss. However, they are tricked into believing that they are siblings at the end of the novel, shocking and horrifying them both. Jace is described as looking sick and visibly distraught upon finding out.

Things become awkward in the following two novels as the two occasionally attempt to work things out and try to form a relationship as brother and sister instead of romantically, but sometimes end up avoiding each other completely. Despite believing to be siblings, their feelings for each other grow nonetheless, becoming stronger than ever before.

The two end up sharing three more kisses during the time in which they believed to be brother and sister; one by the force of the Faerie Queen when she sensed the two's deep love for each other and making them kiss in order to free Clary from their court, a second time in City of Ashes when Jace briefly kisses Clary in the back of Luke's truck before going to face Valentine saying how he isn't afraid, and a third time in City of Glass after being unable to deny their love for each other for a brief passionate and heated moment. However, Clary stops him before they can go any further. Jace even, at one point in City of Ashes, is willing to commit incest with Clary when finding out she loves him back. He even offered to keep a secret relationship hidden from everyone else, proving that he only cares about being with her, saying how he has never felt like this about anyone else before and thought he never could until she came into his life. But Clary declines, unwilling to lie to their loves ones and the consequences of what would happen if others found out. Although she does reconsider his offer at the end of the novel when realizing she wants to be with him needless of the possible consequences only to have Jace tell her (without hearing what she has to say first) he will be nothing more than her brother from there on out; breaking her heart. It is later revealed that he only did this believing it was what she wanted and still struggled with controlling his feelings for her in result.

When Jace finds out that he may have Lilith's demon blood running through his veins, he blames this as the cause for his incestious feelings toward Clary. But they soon find out that they are not related to each other (this being confirmed by Clary's mother, Jocelyn), with Jace finding out that his biological father was actually not Valentine. The two are finally freed of their shame of loving each other and finally get together a few days after Clary asks the angel Raziel (who had offered to grant her one wish) to bring a dead Jace (who had been killed by Valentine) back to life. The two kiss after meeting up when Jace had finally been released from the infirmary and watch fireworks alongside their friends, finally able to be together.

Their happiness is short lived for about a month and a half, as Jace soon begins to have dreams of killing Clary. Fearing he may actually harm her, he begins to put distance between himself and her; worrying Clary. His fears are proven true when he eventually does harm her during a heated make out session with her, forcing him to confess to Clary about his ongoing dreams. Clary then offers to help Jace by taking him to the Silent City. There, the Silent Brothers tell them that the nightmares Jace is having is due to his vulnerability to demonic influence; which occurred after Jace was resurrected after being stabbed by Valentine. Afterwards, Jace agrees to stay in one of the cells of the Silent City for one night in order for the Silent Brothers to help him by looking inside Jace's mind. Clary wants to stay with Jace, but the Silent Brothers say that she will only be a distraction. Jace tells Clary that he will get better for her and the two part for the time with a kiss. However, he is tricked into giving a demon, Lilith, full control over him. However, despite not having control of his body, his feelings for Clary are shown to have gone completely unaffected.

Clary eventually tricks Jace into giving her a chance to cut the rune that Lilith is using to possess him on his chest, causing Jace to be freed from Lilith's control. Jace tells Clary to run away for the sake of her safety and believes that she does, but then Lilith reveals that Clary had actually chosen to stay; revealing to him that Clary loves him too much to leave him - even at the cost of her own safety - and starts torturing her with a whip. However, Simon throws himself in between Lilith and Clary, and the demon is "killed" by the Mark of Cain.

The Clave appears at the scene, and Isabelle tells them the story of what happened downstairs, while Jace is waiting for them upstairs. Jace and Clary share an intimate moment up on the roof when Jace feels ashamed of what he did and thinks he isn't good for anyone, especially Clary, but Clary firmly states she loves him no matter what happens and they share a reaffirming kiss of their love for each other.

It has often been a known common factor throughout the series that people can often tell how Jace and Clary feel for each other by simply seeing how they look at each other. This being stated by the Faeire Queen, Valentine, Sebastian, Lilith, Simon, Jocelyn and many other characters. Often resulting in several occasions where one of Jace's enemies has used Clary as an advantage against Jace knowing how far he is willing to go in order to ensure Clary's safety. It has even been brought out by the Faerie Queen that Jace and Clary are willing to "owe heaven and hell" in order to protect each other based on what she has observed between them.

Isabelle revealed in City of Glass that before Clary, Jace never so much as had a crush on any girl he would meet. He would often hook up with girls (it being implied that Jace was somewhat promiscuous before meeting Clary), but never once developed any sort of emotional attachment to one that lasted more than a few days or a week at the most. She then reveals her shock at how quickly he became genuinely attracted to Clary upon their first encounter with her. She also says that when they first met her in City of Bones, Jace wouldn't stop talking about her their entire way back to the Institute and forced Hodge to let him be the one to go back and get her. She says how she, Alec and even Hodge all saw how Jace began to drastically change as he began grow close to her - bringing up how Alec hated her specifically on account of Jace's obvious feelings for Clary - and were all stunned at how Clary affected him in ways no other girl has before. Isabelle then goes on to firmly say how she knows for a fact that Jace will never get over Clary, and will always love her.

Family

Alec Lightwood

Alec is Jace's best friend and his parabatai, his fighting partner. Alec once believed that he was in love with Jace. However, Jace soon reveals that he knew about the way Alec felt about him and that he didn't love him. He just used him as an excuse not to get in a relationship with Magnus. Alec soon gets with Magnus, although he remains loyal and protective over Jace.

Isabelle Lightwood

Isabelle is said to have tried to get with Jace in the past, but he was apparently uninterested. Jace and Isabelle are like brother and sister and he considers her family. He makes fun of her often, but is also affectionate of her. He and Alec often make fun of her terrible cooking.

When Jace first came to New York with them, though, it took a while for Isabelle to accept him, bonding over their passion for fighting.

Valentine Morgenstern

Valentine was Jace's foster father, initially leading Jace to believe that he was his real father. He has mixed emotions about his father but eventually decides on fighting against him. He develops a deep hatred towards Valentine and is ashamed of the false fact that he is his father. Nonetheless, Jace inherited a lot of Valentine's traits, which he is even more ashamed and afraid of. He is also shown to still occasionally grieve for the death of the only father he grew up to know.

Friends

Simon Lewis

Jace and Simon start off with a rocky relationship, mainly because of Jace's attitude towards mundanes and their rivalry for Clary's love and attention. The two are seen bickering most of the time, especially in situations wherein Jace tells Simon that he is not needed since he is mundane, with Simon referring to this as Jace's no mundanes allowed tree house.

Film

Jace will be portayed by Jamie Campbell Bower in the upcoming film adaptation of the series. 

Etymology

Jace has no official given name, as "Jonathan Christopher" belongs to Jocelyn and Valentine's real son, Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. However, Maryse Lightwood, his adoptive mother, gave him the name "Jace," abbreviated from his two names.

There are several surnames that had at one point been applicable to Jace, namely: Wayland (initially believed to be his true surname when Valentine, posing as Michael Wayland, raised him); Morgenstern (once believed to be his true ancestry through Valentine and Jocelyn), Herondale (his true lineage through Stephen and Celine Herondale) and Lightwood (the name he decided to use since they were his adoptive, and only true family).

The name he once held, Jonathan Christopher, means "Yahweh has given'" (Hebrew) and "Bearer of Christ" (Greek).

The name Maryse Lightwood has given him and the one he is currently using, Jace, means "Healer" in Greek and "the Lord is my Salvation" in Hebrew.

His former surname, "Morgenstern," means "Morning Star."

Gallery

Trivia

• Jace is left-handed and can play the piano.
• He loves mu shu pork. He hates cucumber, bergamot and sugar in his coffee.
• Jace likes horses.
• Jace enjoys being barefoot, a trait he shares with Clary and Isabelle.
• He can speak Romanian, Latin, Italian, and probably some more languages.
• Jace hates liars. Jace had always stated that he never lies, something that Isabelle and Alec confirms. However, he lies several time in the books, to keep the people he loves, especially Clary, safe.
• Jace wore the silver Morgenstern family ring, initially thought a Wayland ring, on his neck before giving it to Clary in City of Glass.
• Jace is extremely well-read and can quote literary passages to fit any occasion, usually in romantic instances between him and Clary.
• In a deleted scene from the first book, City of Bones, the prologue is narrated from his point of view. It is said that the night they went to Pandemonium, he had been dreaming of a girl, most likely Clary, with braided scarlet hair who could see through his glamour. Although he felt vulnerable, he felt somehow glad when he thought of the way she had looked at him in his dream: as if he was no different than she was, a mundane with no marks.
• Jace, like his ancestor, Will Herondale, hates ducks for some unknown reason.