Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to classism, misogyny, and sexism, which the novel depicts.

Waxillium Ladrian, or “Wax,” is the primary protagonist of Shadows of Self and the entire Wax and Wayne Mistborn series. Wax is a descendant of Breeze, a character from the original Mistborn trilogy and part of the crew who defeated the Lord Ruler. After the Catacendre, Breeze’s family become one of the great houses of Elendel, and Wax returns to Elendel in The Alloy of Law to take over as lord of the house after his uncle left it destitute. Wax is in his forties and spent 20 years away from Elendel as a lawman in the Roughs. In Shadows of Self, Wax discovers the truth about his former wife and his return to Elendel, forcing him into both an inner conflict of self and a conflict in his relationship with Harmony, or God. Wax is a Twinborn, or someone born with both Allomantic and Feruchemical powers due to their diverse heritage. Wax’s Allomantic power is that of Steel, which allows him to “Push” on nearby sources of metal. His Feruchemical power is that of Iron, which allows him to “store” physical weight in the metal band on his body; he can either “store” the weight to become lighter or later use stored weight to become heavier.