Mistborn · Character
Ruin
Also known as Ruin (in Reen's form)
- Major
- First seen · Book 3 · Ch. 46
A tall, broad-shouldered man with a hard, angular face unrelieved by any humor, standing in a straight-backed posture that conveys authority and occasional benevolence. His eyes are distinctly unnatural and piercing, betraying the immortal force controlling the form of Vin's brother Reen, while his mouth can slacken open in moments of blissful pleasure during destruction. He has fair skin, short dark hair, and a powerful build suggesting a lifetime of hardship, dressed in simple dark garments as he gestures with clasped hands behind his back or folded arms.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- ancient
- First appears
- Book 3 · Ch. 46
- Books
- 4
Ruin manifests in The Hero of Ages as a malevolent, ancient force of entropy that possesses the body of Vin’s brother Reen, presenting a tall, hard-featured man whose unnatural eyes betray the immortal power within. By the time of The Lost Metal, Ruin has transcended its corporeal guise to become an acknowledged primordial deity whose influence is felt through Hemalurgy and the broader Cosmere’s destructive cycles. Across the series, Ruin evolves from a covert manipulator operating through possessed vessels to a recognized cosmic principle whose legacy shapes both Scadrial’s history and the metaphysical rules of Allomancy and Feruchemy.
Description
A tall, broad-shouldered man with a hard, angular face unrelieved by any humor, standing in a straight-backed posture that conveys authority and occasional benevolence. His eyes are distinctly unnatural and piercing, betraying the immortal force controlling the form of Vin's brother Reen, while his mouth can slacken open in moments of blissful pleasure during destruction. He has fair skin, short dark hair, and a powerful build suggesting a lifetime of hardship, dressed in simple dark garments as he gestures with clasped hands behind his back or folded arms. Ancient god figure associated with destruction and Hemalurgy
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Marshpossessed servant
Initially a fully dominated servant-Inquisitor under Ruin’s direct mental control in The Hero of Ages; after Ruin’s defeat, Marsh retains physical and psychological scars from the possession, becoming a living reminder of Ruin’s capacity to enslave even the strongest of minds.
Story so far
BOOK 3The Hero of Ages
- Possesses the body of Reen, appearing as a tall, angular man with piercing, unnatural eyes.
- Controls Marsh as an Inquisitor, directing him to carry out Ruin’s destructive agenda.
- Displays moments of ecstatic pleasure while orchestrating large-scale devastation.
- Uses clasped-hand gestures and authoritative posture to project both menace and false benevolence.
BOOK 7Mistborn 07 - The Lost Metal
- Recognized as an ancient god whose sphere is destruction and Hemalurgy.
- Its influence persists through Hemalurgic spikes and the residual effects of its Sundering of the world.
- Serves as a foundational metaphysical constant that later characters must understand to navigate Scadrial’s future.
Gallery
Book 3: The Hero of Ages
Appearances
Meet Ruin in Bookworm
Meet Ruin in your EPUB — spoiler-safe to the book you're on.