Comic Books and their adaptations have been somewhat of a norm for a very long time. Although, it can be argued that the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought these adaptations to mainstream light, movies and tv shows have always been made. You probably watched Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Justice League Unlimited, and Young Justice (iconic show, nothing tops this) growing up. The fact is, whether you want to believe it, or not comic books have played a huge role in your childhood. And now they’re making headway into your (somewhat) adult life with shows like The Umbrella Academy. This review will provide you with a short account of the Hargreeves family, and how yours seems less dysfunctional in comparison.
The Background
The Umbrella Academy is based on a comic book written by Gerard Way. Yes, the same Gerard Way who inspired your emo phase with his very influential band; My Chemical Romance.
The comic has a very DC Batman inspired look to it in the sense of Billionaire-Trying-to-Raise-Children-When-He-Doesn’t-Like-Children vibe. Revolving around the very interesting life of Sir Reginald Hargreeves, an eccentric billionaire who makes money with interesting inventions. I’m sensing a pattern here; money makes people insane, don’t do it, kids. Sir Reginald adopts (read: buys) seven children born on the 1st of October 1989, to women who were not expecting to be mothers the day before.
The Characters
These children, later on, seem to possess abilities that make them special, and I mean really special. Following the vibe of not liking children, Hargreaves doesn’t even bother to name the kids and calls them by numbers. However, Kids Next Door did this first. Just saying. Nonetheless, he and the children did develop a bond, they used to call him Dad.
The children in The Umbrella Academy are as follows:
Number One/Luther: Resident Boy Scout, dad sent him to the moon, he’s really strong.
Number Two/Diego: Resident bad boy vigilante, dad didn’t care for him as much. Developed a hero complex and a vendetta along with the ability to curve anything he throws, mostly shiny knives.
Number Three/Allison: Glorified tattle tale. Has the ability to rumor you into doing anything. Dad used her abilities for his own benefit, like every selfless parent.
Number Four/Klaus: He sees dead people. Dad shoved him in a mausoleum when he was a kid. Not a fan of the old man safe to say.
Number Five: He’s an old soul. And can teleport anywhere in a blink of an eye and make you look dumb in the process. Also, he has a stress vein that lives on his forehead and doesn’t seem to go away for some inexplicable reason.
Number Six/Ben: Sweetheart, has the ability to grow deadly octopus tentacles (?) from his abdomen. They say the good die young, and he certainly did.
Number Seven/Vanya: Resident emo kid. Wrote a book about why her childhood sucked. Became a violinist because Hargreeves told her she wasn’t special. Grade A parenting on his side, must admit.
Why You Need to Watch The Umbrella Academy ASAP
The basic plot of the first season is that the world is ending. Major 2020 mood, and these guys need to prevent it. But, if you have siblings you know how hard it is to do chores together without wanting to kill the other person, and these people can actually kill.
Will this band of siblings put their Daddy Issues with Hargreeves aside and save the world? Or would they rather want to kill themselves and each other in the process? Whatever comes first, really.
The plot for the show is brilliant, the characters are relatable (mostly Five), the acting is topnotch, the sarcastic one-liners are funny, and the soundtrack is INCREDIBLE. Honestly, even if you end up not liking the show, you’ll love the music. Nothing like seeing someone get killed with straight-up bops in the background.
The first two seasons of The Umbrella Academy are available on Netflix now!
2 thoughts on “The Umbrella Academy: A Must Watch.”
Loved this piece so much!
Thank you Waniya!