This article contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy and the Apocalypse Suite and Dallas collections of The Umbrella Academy comics.
The Umbrella Academy is Netflix’s wonderfully weird adaptation of Gerard Way’s comic series of the same name. The first season, which came out last spring, is a truly excellent piece of television. From the cinematography to the writing to the acting, it’s incredibly well made. Netflix has ordered a second season, which began filming in June, and I have some high hopes for it. The Umbrella Academy is such an interesting story and there are quite a few things I would love to see explored in Season 2. Here are some of my hopes as well as a few questions I want answered.
How Did Ben Die?
This is the main thing I want explained in Season 2. Ben (Number 6) died in a tragic and horrible way at a young age. That’s all we know. In the comics, Ben is known as “The Horror,” which is an apt nickname considering his chest bursts open to reveal a brutal tentacle monster. It’s hinted on his memorial statue that he may have killed himself (“May the darkness within you find peace within the light”) but his interactions with Klaus don’t seem to support that idea—at one point Klaus says something along the lines of ‘Ben didn’t ask to die a gruesome death at a young age.’ Either way, I would really like to be told more about Ben as he is definitely the character we know the least about. His death seems to have been instrumental in breaking up the Umbrella Academy and seeing how it all went down may shed more light on their messed-up family dynamics.
Please Don’t Bring Back Leonard
I get that Leonard/Harold was necessary to put the White Violin storyline into motion, but I really don’t want him to return. He’s not the kind of villain I can love to hate—I just plain hate him. Vanya’s revenge was such a perfect ending to his twisted plot. Adding anything else or bringing him back to antagonize her further would just serve to tarnish that. He got what he deserved, and I hope that’s where his arc ends.
Please Do Bring Back Hazel and Cha Cha
Hazel and Cha Cha are the perfect foils for Number Five and the rest of the Hargreeves. They form a perfect team despite occasionally opposing desires and life goals. I realize that their storyline is more than likely over, but I can’t help hoping that they’ll be returning. I think they would make amazing uneasy allies with the Hargreeves as Season 2’s new threat surfaces. Their iconic puppy and bear masks are just too good to leave behind!
More Dynamic Action Scenes
The Umbrella Academy is at its best when there’s a fight scene. The department store gunfight (set to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now) between Hazel, Cha Cha, and Number Five is one of the most amazingly shot scenes I have ever watched. The way they freeze Hazel and Cha Cha momentarily in a flashbulb effect is the perfect homage to its comic book origins. Another great example is the scene where Number Five escapes the first assassins sent by the Commission in Agnes’s donut shop to the tune of Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants. The fast-paced and dynamic action set to excellent music really causes The Umbrella Academy to stand out as a well-made show.
Will Sir Reginald Be Explained? Though it’s hinted at in the show, in the comics it is explicitly clear that Sir Reginald Hargreeves is a green alien who wears a human mask. It’s less clear why he wanted to adopt as many of the 43 mysteriously-born children as possible when he had less-than-zero interest in being a parent (as made clear by Allison’s memory when the children wanted to say goodnight and he wouldn’t even look up from his journal). Was it just to assemble a superhero team? But how did he know the children would have powers? And how did he know about the apocalypse? Since he knew it would happen, did he know that Vanya would cause it and it would essentially be his fault for ostracizing her? So many questions for one cold-hearted billionaire… Will We Meet the Other 36?
Since Reginald did only get 7 of the 43 children, will we meet any of the others this season? It seems pretty likely—though the comics have not explored this angle, Netflix already has some precedent here: Stranger Things introduced Eleven’s super-powered “sister” in its second season. Since the Hargreeves have such a wide range of powers at varying levels (from mere superstrength to the ability to destroy a planet) we have no idea what the other 36 might look like. It would be interesting to see if they’re less powerful since Reginald cultivated the powers of his adopted children. At any rate, they have a much better chance of being well-adjusted adults—Reginald’s absentee parenting caused a lot of damage.
I’m obviously very excited for The Umbrella Academy to return! Of course I have other questions (what about Klaus’s powers, will Vanya be rehabilitated, will Luther be less of a dick?) but that’s enough for one article. There’s no word yet on a release date but with any luck we’ll be watching Season 2 next spring.