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'Shadowhunters': Jace Herondale's melancholic backstory makes him more mysterious than his dashing looks and cold exterior

Jace reveals a part of his childhood to Clary and suddenly it becomes clear just why this sarcastic, snarky teen grew up to be the greatest warrior of his time.

When it comes to Freeform's fantasy show 'Shadowhunters,' there's an ongoing debate about who the main character is. The low hanging fruit, of course, is Clary Fray/Fairchild (Katherine McNamara) as she happens to be the protagonist of sorts in the original 'The Mortal Instruments' books by Cassandra Clare that the show is based on. But while Clary goes through the horrors and woes that every troubled main character of a young adult novel/show usually does, our other hero, Jace Wyland (Dominic Sherwood) somehow emerges as a counterpart - whose backstory and personality is every bit as riddled with troubles and conflicts as Clary's.

The fact that Jace pretty much resembles a ripped Greek-God is surely nothing to complain about. And right from the start, he comes off as a strong, sexy, somewhat damaged shadowhunter - fighting dangerous creatures, and laughing while doing so, even though he knows they could take him out in a snap. It's like the holy trinity for everyone with a soft spot for the brooding, cocky archetypical hero like Edward Cullen from 'Twilight,' or even Heathcliff from the age-old classic, 'Wuthering Heights.'