Shadowhunters: Did Simon just receive THAT mark?

Simon may not be a Shadowhunter, but it looks like he just got his own rune. Spoilers ahead: proceed only if you’ve watched the Shadowhunters season 3 premiere!

It was a dark hour, but the Shadowhunters season 3 premiere left everyone mostly intact. The series returned on Tuesday night with a new big bad, new secrets and, for Simon, a new scar.

After securing Maia’s freedom, the season 2 finale saw Simon begrudgingly return to the Seelie realm, his own future ultimately up in the air. Though no one really expected the Seelies to hurt him, it was still nice to see that he was mostly just being used as their own personal pop star.

Actually, in terms of torture, Simon really got off easy in the episode. He wasn’t possessed or haunted in his dreams or thrown across a warehouse! But he didn’t leave the Seelie realm totally unscathed.

Despite having a voice like Bowie — even the Seelies swoon at Alberto Rosende’s singing — Simon was still taken to the Wander Woods to be “bestowed a mark” on his forehead. The duty fell to Meliorn, who seems to only pop up for important plot points.

According to the Seelie Queen, the impact of the mark will become clear eventually. In the meantime, she lets Simon go home, but with an ominous warning: “Though you walk in the daylight, darkness will follow. Be careful.”

For those who have read the books Shadowhunters is based on, the moment rang a major bell. That’s because, in the novels, the only “mark” Simon receives is the Mark of Cain. It’s meant to protect the person who bears it, and it’s effective, to say the least.

Though it’s not specifically said in the episode, it’s pretty likely that this is indeed the mark Simon was given. It even made a quick appearance in the season 3 trailer, showing its true power.

Another good indication it’s the Mark of Cain: in the books, Simon received it shortly before Lilith showed up. The show has adapted the Mortal Instruments series pretty loosely so far, but has stuck to some key points, including the introduction of Lilith as this season’s villain.

So what does this mean for the episodes to come? Not much worries the Seelie Queen — if Simon really has received the Mark of Cain, then Lilith is truly going to be a fearful enemy, likely much harder to kill than Valentine.

Shadowhunters airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. EST on Freeform.

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