Max Lightwood

**Maxwell "Max" Lightwood** is the youngest child of Maryse and Robert Lightwood and the brother of Alec, Isabelle, and the adoptive brother of Jace Wayland.

## Biography

#### Early Life

Months before his birth, his father was having an affair with Annamarie Highsmith and stopped for a while when he found out that Maryse was pregnant with him.

Being the youngest in the family, Max had always been close to his older siblings, Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, and is even attached to his adoptive brother, Jace.

#### Rune Mishap

While studying at the Mumbai Institute, Max claimed to have been hungry and drew the Heat rune, mistaking it for the Nourishment rune—two runes that look nothing alike. His rune started a fire, and Robert promptly arrived to pick him up and bring him back to the New York Institute. Upon arrival, he was welcomed by his older siblings, Alec and Isabelle, and Alec teased him for his mistake. Robert sent him up to his room to look up the Extinguish rune in the Gray Book.

Later, Isabelle and Max reviewed rune flashcards in an office and he once again knowingly mistook the Heat rune for the Nourishment rune. He is then sent out by Maryse so she could speak to Isabelle alone, for which Max complained about being excluded from important conversations.

Having had his stele confiscated for the Mumbai incident, Max sought Alec's help to get it back. Alec told him that he'll find a way to give it back to him only if he behaved during the stay of envoy from the Clave. For his simulator training sessions, Max had exemplary scores, which he received medals for, but he once hacked a simulator of his training session and beat it, to the point where they had to write a new code for the simulator. Nonetheless, Max was confident enough in himself that he considered himself the best in his class, particularly in his tracking skills.

Max eventually returned to Idris for his training.

## Personality and Traits

Max is very curious and seemingly fearless—almost dangerously so, as this bravery pushes him to charge into risky situations. Since he was young, Max has been annoyed at being excluded from Shadowhunter "adult" business because of his age and the protectiveness of the people around him.

## Skills and Abilities

* **Nephilim physiology**: Being Nephilim, Max possesses a variety of enhanced physical and mental abilities granted to him by the angel blood of Raziel in his veins and also by the angelic Marks of the Gray Book. This includes enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina, and coordination, which continue to improve over time and practice.
	+ **The Sight**: As a Shadowhunter, Max is naturally and easily able to see through most magical illusions and layers of glamour over reality.
	+ **Runic magic**: Due to the angel blood in their veins, all Shadowhunters are able to apply runes on their skin without any real danger. These Marks, in turn, give varied effects that serve to benefit the wearer.
	+ **Use of heavenly weapons**: As a Shadowhunter, Max is also able to perform tasks unique to their species, such as the ability to use and call on the power of angels for their seraph blades, as well as to handle any heavenly weapons or objects with effect, which would normally not work for other species. In particular, these are tools made of adamas and forged by Iron Sisters.
* **Hacking skills**

## Possessions

* **Lightwood Stele** (confiscated): Max owns a Stele made for the Lightwoods, with the flames and torches designs.