I’m not going to waste Brandon’s time with this—maybe someone else can answer.
Regarding the ending of the Mistborn Trilogy: What was up with Ruin having red hair? Is that significant? Does it mean that Ruin was originally a human who gained his powers somehow? My friend thought that Ruin was actually another red-haired character in the series, though I don’t remember his name. I think he was a minor captain or something.
(My apologies for how vague this is—it’s been a while since I read the series)
That is on the right track. Do some reading up on Adonalsium and the Cosmere if you are interested.
Will do, but I have to be honest—there is something off putting about having to do internet research to truly understand the ending of a book/series.
I try to make all of the cosmere stuff “bonus material” so to speak. I don’t think it’s essential to understanding Mistborn to know Ruin’s origin. Those who want expanded information can find it, and theorize upon it. However, I intend to warn people up-front before writing any book where you have to know this to understand it.
Within the realm of Mistborn only, all you really need to know is that someone was holding this power—and that the ‘individuals’ of Ruin and Preservation were people, changed by the power they held. It holds to the theme of the story, with what happens regarding Sazed and other characters.
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