A guide to The Umbrella Academy characters and their powers

Everyone's favourite superhero family has returned to our screens
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Tom Herbert5 August 2020

The Umbrella Academy is back for a second season, continuing the story of the dysfunctional Hargreeves family.

Made up of intrepid but reluctant superheroes who have been tasked with preventing the apocalypse, the Hargreeves each have their own unique powers, enhancing their abilities - and making them a force to be reckoned with.

In the first season, the show explored their superpowers in detail, and saw Vanya - who believed she had no supernatural gifts - discover her full potential (but we'll get onto that later).

Here, we take a look at each member of the Umbrella Academy and their special abilities. Oh, and there are season one spoilers ahead.

Luther Hargreeves: Number One/Space Boy

Netflix

As the eldest Hargreeves sibling, Luther is often thought of as the de-facto leader of the Umbrella Academy.

The man mountain has spent the past few years living on the moon all on his own, collecting space dust to send back to Sir Reginald on Earth - a mission he ultimately found out was pointless.

Luther was the only one of the Academy to stay in the mansion when they grew up, and he fought crime on the orders of his adoptive father until a horrible accident saw his body turned into that of an ape.

However, while disfiguring him, the serum he was injected with has granted him super-size, super-strength and immense durability.

Diego Hargreeves: Number Two

Netflix

An expert knife thrower, Diego turned rogue after leaving the Academy, becoming a vigilante and dishing out a brutal and bloody version of justice as a masked crime-fighter.

With an ability to throw any object with unerring - and deadly - accuracy, Diego is nevertheless pretty insecure over his 'number two' status and is often at loggerheads with his bigger brother Luther, regularly finishing their disagreements with brutal fights.

Simmering with pure rage and hostility, the rebellious and brash troublemaker was kicked out of the Police Academy as a youngster and his impulsive nature often leads him into trouble - plus his actions often put him at odds with his ex-girlfriend, Detective Patch.

Allison Hargreeves: Number Three

Michael Gibson/Netflix

By far the most recognised Hargreeves, Allison has used her powers to become a famous actress and red carpet celebrity and appears to have built the perfect life for herself.

With the ability to control minds using the phrase 'I heard a rumour', Allison appears to have it all - but things are not as they seem.

However, by the start of season one she is in the midst of a messy divorce from her seemingly perfect husband, who also has custody of their daughter, Claire.

She has also vowed never to use her superpower again after it ruined many of her relationships, a promise which is tested during season one.

She also has a complicated relationship with Luther, which is explored during the first series, and is closest to him out of all her siblings despite the fact they haven't seen each other for years.

Klaus Hargreeves: Number Four

Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix

A tortured drug addict, Klaus has turned to intoxicants as a way of escaping from his ability to communicate with the dead - a truly dark power which he cannot really control properly.

Ever since Sir Reginald locked him in a crypt to explore his powers, Klaus has never been the same and it's his wish to stay drunk or high as a means to get away from the bombardment of the dead.

However, despite being the family screw-up, the flamboyant Klaus is both loveable and charming, and is the only one of the Hargreeves who can still talk to and see Ben, who has died.

The first series also explores a tragic past which he hides from the others, and it's revealed he was transported to the Vietnam War where he was in a loving relationship with a soldier called Dave, who died and was perhaps the only other person Klaus felt true feelings for.

Number 5 Hargreeves: Number Five

Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix

For some reason never given a proper name, Number Five has the ability to jump through time and space, and spends most of season one as a 50-year-old man stuck in the body of a 13-year-old,

It is revealed that Number 5 has been missing since he was 13, after he disappeared around 10 years prior to the start of season one when he accidentally teleported to an post-apocalyptic future.

Stuck 50 years in the future, has spent the last decade trying to get back to warn his family of the impending apocalypse, and eventually does - but gets the return formula wrong and returns as a 13-year-old, but with a number of clues as to what happens.

It is revealed that while Number Five was stuck in the apocalyptic wasteland, he was hired by a shadowy agency known as the Commission (who keep tabs on people who threaten the timeline), who he eventually betrayed to get back to his family to warn them of the impending doom.

Appearing just eight days before the apocalypse, Number Five is in a race against time to save the world - but is continually being hunted by his ex-employer as he does so.

Ben Hargreeves: Number Six

Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix

Ben Hargreeves died at some point prior to the events of season one taking place, and the only one who can talk to him is Klaus.

Killed as a young adult in an as-yet unnamed battle or accident, Ben is regularly on hand to offer advice to Klaus and watches in despair as his brother continues to self-destruct.

Flashbacks reveal that Ben was quite the fighter when he was alive, and has the ability to summon monsters and tentacled horrors from other dimensions before projecting them from his chest.

Vanya Hargreeves: Number Seven

Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix

When she is introduced to us, Vanya is the only member of her family without any superhero powers at all, and is simply a violinist and second chair in an orchestra.

As a youngster, Sir Reginald kept her apart from her siblings and she grew up isolated and alone, watching from a distance as her more famous brothers and sisters fought crime.

As a result, she is resentful and alienated from her family, which is made worse after she wrote a tell-all book about her extraordinary siblings.

However is turns out that Vanya is in fact the most powerful Hargreeves, a fact that Sir Reginald knew and worked to keep hidden as it wasn't safe for her to have full control of her powers.

Vanya has the ability to convert sound waves into an incredibly powerful destructive force - and that could be any sound at all. It is revealed that her telekinetic abilities brought about the end of the world, after she finally gave into her dark powers towards the end of season one.

The Umbrella Academy season 2 is available to stream on Netflix now

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