Shadowhunters throwback: Fondly remembering our beloved Malec
As the Q +Magazine offices watched the debacle unfold in New York City yesterday as travelers from all around the world descended on a Shadowhunters convention, only to arrive and find that the whole thing had been canceled, our hearts broke. Every person on this team are dedicated Malec stans and devout Shadowfam members. We watched on with horror as folks arrived in a city they had never been to before, only to discover that their hotels weren’t paid for, trying to figure out where they were going to sleep for the duration of their visit.
There are hundreds of Shadowhunters enthusiasts loose on the streets of New York City this weekend looking for adventures now that their convention isn’t happening. We wanted to pay homage to the Shadowfam for their resilience during these trying times and throw back to our beloved Malec. Watching y’all regroup and figure out what to do when you all arrived in Times Square reminded us of so many things that we loved about stanning Shadowhunters while it was on television.
So this is for you, Shadowfam – especially those of you in New York City right now. Here’s what y’all dragged up in our nostalgia bank as we watched you rally together against a company that did y’all dirty.
Matt and Harry
Remember that time that Harry Shum Jr. said the reason that Malec had so much chemistry was because he and Matt had real life chemistry? We do! And the man was not wrong. Undeniably, the very best part of the Shadowhunters world was Malec. However, had absolutely anyone else been cast in either role, Malec would not have been the Malec that we love and remember so fondly.
Their friendship off screen was so fun to watch over the years. Even after the show was canceled fans have continued to cling to these two humans, waiting and praying for any kind of public interaction, because they are both just so lovely together.
Individually, they’re both really special and crucial players that keep this fandom alive and well, but together? Even after all these years, together they are like unstoppable fire.
When they were together on screen as Alec (Matthew Daddario) and Magnus (Harry Shum Jr.) it was impossible to look away. These two incredible actors took two characters that existed in bookland and brought them to our screens each week in a way that we could never have predicted. They changed these characters for the better, made them into characters that you wanted to know, to befriend in a way that didn’t exist for the characters that lived inside the pages of their books.
We will be forever thankful for Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum Jr. and all the hard work they poured into these roles. Malec became queer symbols for so many folks around the world struggling with their identity. Malec became a safe place for these people to find love, acceptance, and a community, and it was these two incredible humans that did that for us all.
Bisexual representation
The bisexual representation that the character of Magnus provided for folks was a massive game changer. Magnus is proudly bisexual and isn’t afraid to say it. However, the importance of this isn’t just about the fact that he is bisexual, it’s the kind of bisexual that he is, that matters.
As we know, Magnus is old. He makes no effort to hide the fact that he has explored the absolute ends of his bisexuality over the years. He has been with copious amounts of men and women (17,000 of them, remember?) and at no point in the show is he ever slut shamed for his activities. At no point in the show is he ever “questioned” about being bisexual because he chooses someone of the opposite sex.
The harmful tropes that follow bisexual people around in the real world (that they’re greedy, can’t decide, whorish, unable to commit, and only bisexual when dating someone of the same sex) are completely removed from the world of Shadowhunters and the character of Magnus.
This is why Magnus matters so much to so many bisexual people. We’ve said it before and we’re going to keep saying it: representation matters, but the right representation matters even more. And Magnus baby, you’re the right kind of bisexual representation the world needs more of.
The domesticity
Far too often, when same sex characters are presented on screen, they’re full of stereotypes and tropes that many queer people really can’t relate to. They’re written in these ways to make the queer characters in a show more palatable for the heterosexual viewers. Often, the fallout of this is that these characters are less palatable for the queer community – the one which they are supposed to be representing.
One of the very best things that Shadowhunters did with Malec was write them for their queer audiences. Queer folks all around the world flocked to this show because they were finally seeing archetypes of themselves on screen – and it was so relatable.
The characters were flawed, like all humans are, but they were not riddled with stereotypes. They didn’t cheat (a really big one), they didn’t die (though we held our breath a few times), they weren’t inherently broken and in dire need of fixing (please, we’re so tired of this on television), they weren’t outcast and they weren’t passed over for leadership and promotional opportunities on account of their sexuality.
Yes folks, the queers notice when you do this over and over again to our characters, and we’re tired of it.
Instead, Shadowhunters gave us a very domestic couple that were in love, got married, had high morals, and did what they needed to protect the people they loved. Both Alec and Magnus were elevated to incredibly powerful positions throughout their journey, they were emotionally supportive of each other through their ups and downs, and everyone looked up to them and respected them.
It was quite revolutionary television at the time. The queers were winning in this show and it was so important for so many people. Queer people got to see Malec wake up next to each other and do basic things like eat breakfast together, mooch around their home, and host dinner parties. In the world of heterosexual television, it’s rare to see the queer characters presented as ‘normal’ like this.
We miss Malec, and we know y’all do too. So for everyone in New York City this weekend, and the rest of the Shadowfam located around the world trying to participate in the events of the weekend from afar, we salute you. We would love to hear from you and start the conversation again, because the timing seems appropriate: what part of Malec was the most meaningful to you? Ok, go!
Shadowhunters is available to stream on Hulu in the US, and Netflix worldwide. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
