The Umbrella Academy is an American superhero television series based on the comic book series of the same name written by Gerard Way, illustrated by Gabriel Bá, and published by Dark Horse Comics. Created for Netflix by Steve Blackman and developed by Jeremy Slater, it revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death and the threat of an imminent apocalypse. The series is produced by Borderline Entertainment (season 1–2), Irish Cowboy (season 3), Dark Horse Entertainment, and Universal Content Productions. Netflix gave seasons 1 and 2 a TV-14 rating, while season 3 received a TV-MA rating.
The cast features Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Cameron Britton, Mary J. Blige, John Magaro, Adam Godley, Colm Feore, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, Yusuf Gatewood, Marin Ireland, Kate Walsh, Genesis Rodriguez, and Britne Oldford. The adaptation began development as a film optioned by Universal Pictures in 2011. It was eventually shelved in favor of a television series in 2015, before being officially greenlit by Netflix in July 2017. The series is filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, both of which are located in Ontario.
The first season was released on Netflix on February 15, 2019. In April 2019, Netflix reported that 45 million households had watched season one during its first month of release, thus becoming one of the most-streamed series of the year. That same month, following the success of the first season, the series was renewed for a second season, which was released on July 31, 2020. In November 2020, the series was renewed for a third season, which was released on June 22, 2022. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season.
All three seasons received positive reviews from critics, and the series has received a number of accolades, including six Emmy nominations.
The Umbrella siblings find themselves in an altered timeline. After their encounter with Reginald in 1963, he changed the timeline by adopting Ben along with six other children, whom he trained into a superhero team dubbed “The Sparrow Academy.” The two sets of siblings fight, and the Umbrella siblings are overpowered and flee, but inadvertently leave the time travel briefcase at the Academy. They take shelter at Hotel Obsidian. As they plan their next move, Vanya goes to make a deal with the Sparrow Number One, Marcus, who agrees to return the briefcase if the Umbrella Academy siblings leave. This meeting is observed by Ben and Sparrow Number Three, Fei. Diego discovers he and Lila have a young son, Stan, and Lila leaves the boy with him. Elsewhere, an older man named Lester Pocket packs a suitcase and sets out for an unknown destination. When Marcus goes to get the briefcase, he discovers the Kugelblitz, a time anomaly caused by the crossing timelines, and is disintegrated. After witnessing this act of power, Grace, who now works as the Sparrows’ maid, begins worshipping the Kugelblitz.
Episodes 02
“World’s Biggest Ball of Twine”
The Umbrella siblings separate. The Sparrows kidnap Luther, believing that the Umbrella siblings have Marcus. While captive, Luther learns more about the Sparrows and bonds with their Number Five, Sloane. Lila attempts to leave the city but discovers that her briefcase no longer works. After learning that Sissy died in 1989, Vanya goes on a self-discovery journey, coming out as a transgender man and changing his name to Viktor. The rest of the family accepts him with open arms. Allison discovers that her daughter, Claire, does not exist in this timeline, spiraling her into grief and rage. Five and Klaus go to find Klaus’s birth mother and discover that all of their mothers died before they were born in this timeline, creating a grandfather paradox. Diego and Stan bond after they fight Sparrow Number Four, Alphonso, and Number Six, Jayme. Allison and Viktor head to the handoff where Marcus was meant to give them the briefcase, but he doesn’t show up. Unbeknownst to them, they are stalked by Lester. After being released by the Sparrows, Luther returns to meet with Sloane and they have sex. Lila mimics Fei’s powers and steals the briefcase. Further shockwaves from the growing Kugelblitz cause more waves of objects, humans, and animals to disappear.
Episodes 03
“Pocket Full of Lightning”
Five explains the grandfather paradox, and a lovesick Luther rejoins the Umbrella siblings. Five and Lila reluctantly team up to solve the time paradox, realizing neither of their briefcases work. Allison and Viktor negotiate with the Sparrows, with Allison falsely claiming they have Marcus and the Sparrows falsely claiming they have the briefcase. Allison’s reckless behavior worries Viktor. Klaus confronts Reginald about their mothers, whom Reginald confirms he did not kill, and the two bond. Klaus also learns that the Sparrows keep Reginald medicated to keep him docile, and he teaches Reginald how to hide the pills without swallowing them. The Sparrows discover the Kugelblitz in the basement. The Sparrow and Umbrella siblings confront each other at Hotel Obsidian. The Umbrella siblings are almost defeated when Lester arrives and unleashes a burst of energy to save them, killing Alphonso and Jayme. Viktor recognizes Lester to be Harlan Cooper, Sissy’s son.
Episodes 04
“Kugelblitz”
Because Harlan could not control the powers he gained from Viktor in 1963, he and his mother lived a difficult life, needing to move constantly. When Sissy died, he had a violent outburst of power. In the present, he reconnects with Viktor. Allison uses her powers on Sloane, and discovers she does not know where the briefcase is. Frustrated, she and Diego go pick a fight in a bar known for racist clientele. Luther and Viktor return Sloane to the Sparrows as a peace offering, but Ben demands that they hand over Harlan as well. In the ruins of the Commission, Five and Lila find its Founder, an elderly future version of Five with a missing arm and a cryptic tattoo. Before he dies, he warns Five not to save the world. While playing in the Hotel, Klaus and Stan find a luxury suite called the White Buffalo, and Stan accidentally kills Klaus with a spear gun. Harlan finds the files on the Umbrella Academy’s dead mothers. He reveals to Viktor that when Sissy died, his outburst killed their mothers and caused the grandfather paradox.
Episodes 05
“Kindest Cut”
Klaus awakens in the afterlife, where the Person on the Bike reveals that he has died over 50 times, but always returns to life because he is immortal. He reconnects with his dead mother, who tells him not to mourn her and to seek a sense of purpose. Five and Lila return, but the briefcase is destroyed in the process. They reveal that the grandfather paradox has created a Kugelblitz that will soon collapse all of existence. Diego finds out that Stan accidentally killed Klaus and comforts him, but as they move his body, Klaus returns to life. Lila and Diego restart their relationship. Desperate to escape her pain, Allison starts to use her powers to force herself on Luther but then stops. Horrified, Luther flees to find Sloane. The rest of the family agrees to hand Harlan over to the Sparrows so they can all focus on the Kugelblitz. Viktor feels guilty about the trauma his powers have caused Harlan and enlists Allison to sneak Harlan out of the Hotel. Klaus recognizes Five’s future tattoo as belonging to a biker gang, the Mothers of Agony, who used to sell him drugs. Five goes to the gang’s club and finds Pogo tattooing a biker.
Episodes 06
“Marigold”
In 2014, Pogo is fired after a disagreement with Reginald over the Sparrows’ training. He gives the Sparrows pills to sedate Reginald. In the present, Lila and Diego find a secret tunnel in the White Buffalo Suite which leads to an abandoned alternate version of the Hotel Obsidian, called Hotel Oblivion. Ben asks Luther to join the Sparrows. Pogo tells Five that the symbols in the tattoo connect to Project Oblivion, an obsession of Reginald’s. Lila admits to Diego that Stan is not their son, but is her friend Trudy’s child, and she is just babysitting. Harlan and Viktor succeed in transferring Harlan’s powers to Viktor. Klaus tries to bond with his father and asks why the Reginald in the original timeline killed him repeatedly. To figure it out, Reginald experiments by electrocuting Klaus to death. A Guardian attacks Lila and Diego in the alternate hotel and cuts off two of Diego’s fingers. They escape in time to see Stan consumed by the Kugelblitz. Harlan tells Allison that he killed the Umbrellas’ mothers, thinking that she already knew. Allison kills him and delivers his body to the Sparrows.
Episodes 07
“Auf Wiedersehen”
In a flashback, The Handler dies and Lila travels to 1989 West Berlin to retrieve a hidden briefcase planted by the Handler. She meets Trudy there and recruits Trudy’s son, Stan, into her plan to trick Diego. In the present, Reginald repeatedly kills Klaus, training him to reanimate more quickly. He takes Klaus to a graveyard to confront his fears, and Klaus successfully exorcises the ghosts. Allison is remorseless about murdering Harlan and blames Viktor for her losses. Lila, Sloane, Christopher, and Viktor combine their powers to trap the Kugelblitz in Christopher. Grace attacks them in return, and Five kills her. At the Academy, the group celebrates saving the world and Luther proposes to Sloane, who accepts. Lila reveals to Diego that she is pregnant with their child; she pretended Stan was their son to test Diego’s parenting abilities. Five assures a grieving Viktor that saving Harlan would not have fixed their past failures. Christopher suddenly explodes, killing Fei and reopening the Kugelblitz, which consumes the house. Five saves Ben as the group escapes.
Episodes 08
“Wedding at the End of the World”
In 1918, Reginald Hargreeves begins construction of the Hotel Obsidian. During its grand opening, he sends several soldiers down the secret tunnel and they are all slaughtered. In the present, the siblings take shelter at the hotel as Luther and Sloane announce their wedding. Reginald and Klaus arrive at the hotel, but none of the siblings are interested in what Reginald has to say. Luther asks Viktor to be his best man, and leaves a bitter Ben out of his bachelor party. Sloane calls Ben out for his sullen attitude, telling him to stop relying on being in charge. With Klaus’s coaching, Reginald delivers a moving speech at the wedding reception. Viktor tries to reconcile with Allison, but fails. Klaus and a drunken Ben bond. The group (minus Allison) sits drunkenly in the courtyard as the Kugelblitz consumes the city above them. Luther remarks that he finally has the family he has always dreamed of. Five drunkenly overhears Reginald making a deal with someone in the White Buffalo Suite.
Episodes 09
“Seven Bells”
A hungover Five tries to recall who was making a deal with Reginald the previous night. Allison apologizes to Luther and Viktor, but both suspect she is manipulating them. Reginald calls a meeting and explains that he built the Hotel Obsidian around a portal to the universe’s “reset button”, which requires seven people to pass through the secret tunnel and ring seven bells protected by a Guardian. Allison, Lila, Klaus, and Ben agree to the plan, but Diego, Viktor, Luther, Sloane, and Five outvote them and choose to stay. Reginald murders Luther and blames it on the Guardian, in order to motivate the group. Five remembers that Allison was the one with whom Reginald made a deal. The group flees through the tunnel and into the Hotel Oblivion as the Kugelblitz consumes the Hotel. Klaus tries to follow but Reginald pushes him back, telling him he is too much of a liability. To ensure he goes to the afterlife, Klaus throws himself onto the horn of the white buffalo and dies.
Episodes 10
“Oblivion”
At the Hotel Oblivion, Five warns Viktor of Allison’s actions. Reginald summons Guardians to attack the others while they search for a seven-fold symbol. The group defeats the Guardians, but Five’s arm is severed. In the afterlife, Luther convinces Klaus to return to the living, where he exposes Reginald’s treachery. Allison admits to Viktor that she did make a deal with Reginald, but had no idea that their brothers would die. Five spots a seven-star symbol on the lobby floor. Reginald forces all of them, except Allison, to step on the stars, activating the reset button. Realizing the process is killing them, Allison kills Reginald and hits the reset button. In the rebuilt universe, Allison reunites with Claire and Ray. Luther is alive and no longer an ape-man, Five and Diego’s lost limbs are restored, Sloane is missing, and everyone has lost their powers. The group then goes their separate ways while a new version of Reginald and his resurrected wife Abigail observe the city, now under their control. Later, Ben rides a Seoul subway to an unknown destination.
Elliot Page as Viktor/Vanya Hargreeves / The White Violin / Umbrella Number Seven, a meek violinist, alienated from his siblings as he has no apparent supernatural abilities, who writes a damning tell-all book about his childhood. In reality, he can convert sound waves into physical force, an ability his father suppressed with drugs as he considered it too powerful and dangerous to control. The character is known as Vanya and referred to as female until he comes out as a transgender man in the third season, going then by Viktor and using he/him pronouns after the change. This change corresponds with Page’s own transition in real life. T.J. McGibbon and Alyssa Gervasi portray the character as a teenager and a 4-year-old, respectively.
Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves / Spaceboy / Umbrella Number One, an astronaut with super strength who lived on the Moon for four years on a mission from his father. He was severely injured during a mission and is the only sibling who did not leave the team. To save his life, Reginald injected him with a serum derived from a gorilla that turned his upper body into that of a non-human gorilla. In seasons 1 and 2, he secretly harbors romantic feelings for Allison, which fade in season 3 when he falls in love with Sloane. Cameron Brodeur portrays a younger Luther.
David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves / The Kraken / Umbrella Number Two, a rebellious troublemaker with a mild telekinetic ability to curve the trajectory of moving objects, including knives and bullets. His jealousy of Luther for his father’s affections led to him becoming a vigilante after leaving the Umbrella Academy. He starts a relationship with Lila in season 2 and has conceived a child with her by season 3. Blake Talabis portrays a younger Diego.
Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves / The Rumor / Umbrella Number Three, a celebrity actress and mother with the ability to control minds and bend reality with the phrase “I heard a rumor…”. In season 3 she discovers she can now control minds without needing the phrase in moments of intense anger. Prior to her first marriage before season 1 she was romantically interested in Luther and it is hinted that these feelings are continued in season 1. In season 2 she marries Raymond Chestnut. Eden Cupid and Jordana Blake portray Allison as a teenager and a 4-year-old, respectively.
Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves / The Séance / Umbrella Number Four, a flamboyant drug and alcohol addict possessing the ability to communicate with the dead and temporarily make them corporeal – he uses this ability to connect with Ben. In season 3, he discovers he also has the power of immortality and can thus revive himself and heal his own wounds after being killed, and even recreate his body if it is obliterated. Dante Albidone portrays a younger Klaus.
Aidan Gallagher as Five Hargreeves / The Boy / Umbrella Number Five, a boy with the ability to jump through space and time. After traveling to the future he ended up in a post-apocalyptic world, unable to get back. He survived on his own for decades before being recruited into The Commission, a secretive agency that keeps track of the established timeline of the world, finding and eliminating those who would threaten it. He eventually betrayed them in order to get back to his time (2019) to warn his family of the impending apocalypse. Returning to his time in the pilot episode causes him to revert to his 13-year-old body, played by Gallagher. Jim Watson plays an adult Five and Sean Sullivan portrays an elderly Five.
Mary J. Blige as Cha-Cha (season 1), a Commission agent partnered with Hazel, she is “[a]ll-business” and the more sociopathic and ruthless of the two assassins who puts work above all else.
Cameron Britton as Hazel (season 1; guest season 2), Cha-Cha’s partner, a fellow assassin who is disillusioned with his life as an agent and plans to leave the Commission after falling in love with doughnut store-owner, Agnes. In season 2, an elderly Hazel appears to Five in 1963 to help him prevent doomsday.
John Magaro as Leonard Peabody / Harold Jenkins (season 1), Vanya’s love interest in season 1. As a child, he was an admirer of the Umbrella Academy and begged to join, since he was born on the same day but was the result of a normal pregnancy, and in his childhood was publicly humiliated and rejected by Reginald. He later discovers Reginald’s diary, detailing Vanya’s potential, and inserts himself into her life with the goal of manipulating her into discovering and using his powers. However, Vanya kills him after discovering his ruse. Jesse Noah Gruman portrays a younger Harold.
Adam Godley as Phinneus Pogo, an intelligent chimpanzee who is Reginald’s close assistant. Godley provides the voice and facial performance capture, while Ken Hall serves as body-double for the motion capture to play the character on set. In season 2, a younger version of Pogo appears in 1963, who is treated like a son by Reginald and Grace.
Godley also portrays Pogo in the season 3 alternative timeline, where he left the Sparrow Academy because he grew disillusioned with Reginald, and became a tattoo artist.
Colm Feore as Sir Reginald Hargreeves / The Monocle, the Umbrella Academy’s adoptive father and a billionaire industrialist who died in 2019 by suicide, leading to the planned reunion of his children. In the alternate timeline, he is revealed to still be alive, having founded the Sparrow Academy after disliking the Umbrella Academy in 1963 and deciding to adopt different children instead.
Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves / The Horror / Umbrella Number Six (season 2; recurring season 1), who can summon tentacled horrors from his body. Ben is deceased, but appears regularly to Klaus and helps him occasionally. Ethan Hwang portrays a younger Ben.
Min also portrays Ben Hargreeves / Sparrow Number Two (season 2–present), an alternate version of Ben who, like his Umbrella counterpart, was adopted by Reginald alongside five other children. This Ben is still alive in 2019 as a member of the Sparrow Academy, with no memory of the Umbrella Academy.
Ritu Arya as Lila Pitts (season 2–present), Diego’s love interest and The Handler’s adopted daughter who is revealed to be one of the super-powered children born on the same day. Her powers allow her to mirror someone else’s. In season 3, she is pregnant with her and Diego’s child. Raya Korah and Anjana Vernuganan portray Lila as a teenager and a 4-year-old, respectively.
Yusuf Gatewood as Raymond Chestnut (season 2; recurring season 3), Allison’s second husband and a civil rights activist in 1963. At the end of season 3, he becomes the father of Allison’s daughter in the reset universe.
Marin Ireland as Sissy Cooper (season 2; guest season 3), Vanya’s love interest who takes her in when Vanya arrives in the 1960s and is hit by her car. She is also Harlan’s mother and trapped in an abusive marriage with Carl.
Kate Walsh as The Handler (season 2; recurring season 1; special guest season 3), the head of the Commission and Five’s former boss. The Handler is also Lila’s adopted mother, as she used the Commission to kill her parents and claim Lila for herself to use her powers. Walsh makes a speaking-only cameo in season 3 episode 7 in form of a letter to Lila.
Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane Hargreeves / Sparrow Number Five (season 3), a member of the Sparrow Academy with the ability to manipulate gravity, who falls in love with Luther and later marries him.
Britne Oldford as Fei Hargreeves / Sparrow Number Three (season 3), a member of the Sparrow Academy with the ability to control crows. She is blind and uses the crows as her eyes to spy on others.
A film version of the comic book series The Umbrella Academy was optioned by Universal Studios. Originally, screenwriter Mark Bomback was hired to write the screenplay; Rawson Marshall Thurber reportedly replaced him in 2010. There had been little talk of the film from that time. In an interview with Newsarama at the 2012 New York Comic Con, Way mentioned that there have been “good talks” and a “really good script”, but that it was “kind of up to the universe”.
On July 7, 2015, it was announced that The Umbrella Academy would be developed into a television series produced by Universal Cable Productions, rather than an original film. On July 11, 2017, it was officially announced that Netflix had greenlit a live-action series adaptation of The Umbrella Academy with Way and Bá acting as executive producers, to premier in 2019. Jeremy Slater wrote the script for the pilot episode, and Steve Blackman serves as showrunner. The first season of The Umbrella Academy was released on Netflix on February 15, 2019.
On April 2, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season, which was released on July 31, 2020. It was also confirmed that the second season would consist of ten episodes, like the first season. The season release date remained unknown until May 18, 2020, when a teaser trailer concept was released where the main cast danced to “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. Steve Blackman confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted to stay close to the content of the comics. On June 26 it was revealed that the series would be taking place at the 1960s in Dallas, due to the time travel from the end of the previous season.
On November 10, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, which was released on June 22, 2022. While the series initially had a “TV-14” rating for its first two seasons, the maturity rating was increased to “TV-MA” for its third season, mainly due to an increase in profanity.
In June 2022, Blackman revealed that, should the series get renewed for a fourth season, it would most likely serve as the end to the series. Although he did not rule out the possibility of Netflix pursuing further installments. In August 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth and final season, with Jesse McKeown serving as co-showrunner with Blackman. The season will also consist of six episodes, the shortest out of any season.
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