Number Five (The Umbrella Academy)
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''The Umbrella Academy'' is an American
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
television series based on the comic book series of the same name written by Gerard Way, illustrated by
Gabriel Bá Gabriel Bá (born 5 June 1976) is a People of Brazil, Brazilian comic book artist best known for his work on ''The Umbrella Academy'', ''Casanova (comics), Casanova'', and ''Daytripper (DC Comics), Daytripper''. He is the twin brother of fellow co ...
, and published by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
. Created for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
by
Steve Blackman Steve Blackman (born September 28, 1963) is an American martial arts instructor, bail bondsman, and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2002, where he was a fr ...
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 Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
. The series is produced by Borderline Entertainment (season 1–2), Irish Cowboy (season 3),
Dark Horse Entertainment Dark Horse Entertainment is a motion picture and television production arm of American comic book publishing company Dark Horse Comics, founded in 1992. They also have a sub-label, Dark Horse Indie. They have their headquarters in Milwaukie, Oreg ...
, and
Universal Content Productions Universal Content Productions (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal. History Universal Cable Productions In July 2008, Universal Cable Productions was split off ...
. Netflix gave seasons 1 & 2 a TV-14 rating while season 3 received a
TV-MA The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the television industry and the federal communication commission (FCC), and went ...
rating. The cast features
Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Elliot Page, various accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, tw ...
, Tom Hopper,
David Castañeda David Castañeda (born October 24, 1989) is an American actor. In 2019, Castañeda began portraying Diego Hargreeves in the Netflix series ''The Umbrella Academy''. Early life Castañeda was born October 24, 1989, in Los Angeles and was raised ...
,
Emmy Raver-Lampman Emmy Raver-Lampman (born Emily Christine Raver Lampman, September 5, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began her career working in musical theater, and has performed in various Broadway and national touring productions such as '' Hair ...
,
Robert Sheehan Robert Sheehan (born 7 January 1988) is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in ''Misfits'', Darren Treacy in '' Love/Hate'', and Klaus Hargreeves in ''The Umbrella Academy,'' as well as film roles such a ...
,
Aidan Gallagher Aidan Gallagher (born September 18, 2003) is an American actor and musician. His first major role was portraying one of the quadruplets, Nicky Harper, in the Nickelodeon comedy television series ''Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn''. In 2019, Gallagh ...
, Cameron Britton,
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
, John Magaro, Adam Godley,
Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of G ...
,
Justin H. Min Justin Hong-Kee Min (born March 20, 1990) is an American actor. He began his acting career with roles in several Wong Fu productions. He plays Ben Hargreeves in the Netflix original series ''The Umbrella Academy'' (2019–present). He is also k ...
, Ritu Arya,
Yusuf Gatewood Yusuf Gatewood (born September 12, 1982, Hillsborough, North Carolina) is an American actor best known for playing Vincent Griffith in '' The Originals'' and Doug in the 2005 film ''The Interpreter''. His television work includes guest roles on t ...
,
Marin Ireland Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nomina ...
, Kate Walsh, Genesis Rodriguez, and Britne Oldford. The adaptation began development as a film optioned by
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
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 Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
, both of which are located in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. 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 The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nominations.


Premise

''The Umbrella Academy'' is set in a universe where 43 women around the world give birth simultaneously at noon on October 1, 1989, although none had shown any sign of pregnancy until labor began. Seven of the children are adopted by eccentric
billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...
Sir Reginald Hargreeves and turned into a superhero team that he calls "The Umbrella Academy." Hargreeves gives the children numbers rather than names, but their robot-mother, Grace, later names six of them:
Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...
, Diego, Allison,
Klaus Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas. Notable persons whose family name is Klaus * Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseba ...
,
Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, ...
, and
Vanya Ваня (''Vanya''), a male diminutive of the Russian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian and other Slavic given names Ivan. It is the Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian and other Slavic form of John itself derived from a Hebrew name, meaning "God is gracious" ...
. Reginald puts six of the children to work fighting crime but keeps Vanya apart from her siblings' activities, claiming she demonstrates no powers of her own. The first season is set in the present day, where Luther is part ape and has lived on the Moon for four years, Allison is a famous actress, Vanya is a violinist, Klaus has a drug addiction, Five disappeared sixteen years earlier, Ben, now deceased, is a ghost able to converse only with Klaus, and Diego has become a
vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
. The estranged siblings learn that Reginald has died and gather for his funeral. Five returns from the future, revealing that a global apocalypse is imminent, but is chased by time-travelling Commission operatives Hazel and Cha-Cha. The reunited siblings try to uncover the secrets behind Reginald Hargreeves' life and their dysfunctional relationships are strained. They band together to try to prevent the impending apocalypse. The second season sees the siblings scattered in
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
at different times in the early 1960s (as a result of the events of the first season), establishing lives for themselves. Five arrives there on November 25, 1963, minutes before a nuclear doomsday that is linked to JFK not being assassinated, but with the help of Hazel manages to travel back ten days. Five is hunted by a trio of Swedish assassins but finds his siblings, who have all made new lives, and attempts to reunite them in order to stop this new apocalypse. In the third season the siblings realize their actions in the past created a new timeline and returning to 2019 is vastly different where they have been replaced by another Hargreeves superhero group adopted by Reginald, dubbed "The Sparrow Academy". They also have to find a way to stop a kugelblitz from consuming and destroying the universe created as a result of the grandfather paradox the siblings caused through their time-travel.


Cast and characters


Main

*
Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Elliot Page, various accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, tw ...
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 In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
into
physical force In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an Physical object, object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a Newton's first law, state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can ...
, 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 A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
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 Cameron Brodeur (born April 25, 2002) is a Canadian actor, most noted for his recurring role as Number One / Spaceboy (Luther Hargreeves), Young Luther Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy (TV series), ''The Umbrella Academy'' on Netflix. He also ga ...
portrays a younger Luther. *
David Castañeda David Castañeda (born October 24, 1989) is an American actor. In 2019, Castañeda began portraying Diego Hargreeves in the Netflix series ''The Umbrella Academy''. Early life Castañeda was born October 24, 1989, in Los Angeles and was raised ...
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 Emmy Raver-Lampman (born Emily Christine Raver Lampman, September 5, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began her career working in musical theater, and has performed in various Broadway and national touring productions such as '' Hair ...
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 Robert Sheehan (born 7 January 1988) is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in ''Misfits'', Darren Treacy in '' Love/Hate'', and Klaus Hargreeves in ''The Umbrella Academy,'' as well as film roles such a ...
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 Aidan Gallagher (born September 18, 2003) is an American actor and musician. His first major role was portraying one of the quadruplets, Nicky Harper, in the Nickelodeon comedy television series ''Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn''. In 2019, Gallagh ...
as Five Hargreeves / The Boy / Umbrella Number Five, a boy with the ability to jump through space and
time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
. 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 Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
as
Cha-Cha Cha-Cha, Cha Cha, ChaCha or Chacha may refer to: Music *Cha-cha-cha (dance), a dance of Cuban origin *Cha-cha-cha (music), a genre of Cuban music * ''Cha Cha'' (album), a 1978 album by Herman Brood & His Wild Romance * ''Cha Cha'' (soundtrack), t ...
(season 1), a Commission agent partnered with Hazel, she is " l-business" and the more sociopathic and ruthless of the two assassins who puts work above all else. * Cameron Britton as
Hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
(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 Jesse Noah Gruman (born August 29, 2005) is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in ''The Kid Detective,'' after he first gained recognition when playing the role of young Harold Jenkins in the Netflix original, ''The Umbrella Academy''. Gr ...
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 Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
, while Ken Hall serves as body-double for the
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
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 Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of G ...
as Sir Reginald Hargreeves / The Monocle, the Umbrella Academy's adoptive father and a billionaire industrialist who died in 2019 in 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 Justin Hong-Kee Min (born March 20, 1990) is an American actor. He began his acting career with roles in several Wong Fu productions. He plays Ben Hargreeves in the Netflix original series ''The Umbrella Academy'' (2019–present). He is also k ...
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 Yusuf Gatewood (born September 12, 1982, Hillsborough, North Carolina) is an American actor best known for playing Vincent Griffith in '' The Originals'' and Doug in the 2005 film ''The Interpreter''. His television work includes guest roles on t ...
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 Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nomina ...
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.


Recurring

* Sheila McCarthy as Agnes Rofa (season 1), Hazel's love interest. She is the owner, waitress, and baker at Griddy's Doughnuts. Agnes died from cancer before the events of season 2 after 20 years with Hazel. *
Jordan Claire Robbins Jordan Claire Robbins (born January 24, 1990) is a Bermudian-Canadian actress and model. Robbins is best known for her role as Grace in ''The Umbrella Academy'' television series. Robbins was born and raised in Bermuda. After graduating high scho ...
as Grace Hargreeves / Mom, a robot who acted as the mother of the Umbrella Academy children and has an especially close bond with Diego. She was built by Reginald after Vanya used her power to attack several nannies. A human version of Grace was Reginald's girlfriend in 1963. ** Robbins also portrays Grace in the alternate timeline, where she serves as a maid to the Sparrow Academy, but she gets corrupted by the Kugelblitz and sees it as a god. * Ashley Madekwe as Detective Eudora Patch (season 1), Diego's former romantic partner who is killed by Cha-Cha. *
Peter Outerbridge Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the CW action series ''Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Hank" Johanssen in ''Orphan Black'', Bob Corbett ...
as The Conductor (season 1), the leader of the orchestra for which Vanya plays. * Rainbow Sun Francks as Detective Chuck Beaman (season 1), Eudora's colleague. * Matt Biedel as Sgt. Dale Chedder (season 1), Eudora's colleague. * Cody Ray Thompson (season 1) and Calem MacDonald (season 2) as Dave Katz, Klaus' lover during the Vietnam War whom he meets in season 1 when time-traveling, and later visits his younger self in 1963 prior to their meeting. *
Patrice Goodman Patrice Goodman is a Canadian actress. She is most noted for her starring role in the comedy television series '' Sunnyside'', for which she and the other core cast collectively won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Variety or Sket ...
as Dot (season 2; guest seasons 1 and 3), a case manager for the Commission. * Ken Hall as Herb (season 2; guest seasons 1 and 3), an analytics specialist for the Commission. * Kevin Rankin as Elliott (season 2), a conspiracy theorist who encounters and aids the Hargreeves in 1963. *
Kris Holden-Ried Kris Holden-Ried (born August 1, 1973) is a Canadian actor. Early life and pentathlon Holden-Ried was born in Pickering, Ontario. He studied at Montreal's Concordia University School of Business. He was a champion competitor in riding and fen ...
as Axel (season 2), the leader of a trio of Swedish triplet assassins working for the Commission. * John Kapelos as
Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...
(season 2), a famous gangster in Dallas who employs Luther as his bodyguard. * Stephen Bogaert as Carl Cooper (season 2), Sissy's abusive husband and Harlan's neglectful father. * Raven Dauda as Odessa (season 2), owner of a Black beauty salon in South Dallas who takes Allison in when she arrives in 1961. * Dewshane Williams as Miles (season 2), Raymond's friend and fellow civil rights activist. * Jason Bryden as Otto (season 2), one of the triplet assassins. * Tom Sinclair as Oscar (season 2), one of the triplet assassins. * Justin Paul Kelly (season 2; guest season 3) and Callum Keith Rennie (season 3) as Harlan Cooper / Lester Pocket, Sissy and Carl's eight-year-old son, who is nonverbal and has an unspecified disability. He is neglected by his father and finds a surrogate second parent in Vanya. After Vanya saves him from drowning, he receives his own powers. In season 3, Harlan has aged into an elderly man who has learned to speak but still struggles to control his unwanted powers. * Dov Tiefenbach as Keechie (season 2), a devoted member of Klaus' cult in 1963. *
Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor known for his work in animation and video games. Early life Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Career Downes has voiced characters in animated films s ...
as A.J. Carmichael (season 2), a talking goldfish who is the leader of the Commission board until Five kills him in order to obtain passage back to 2019. * Mouna Traoré as Jill (season 2), a member of Klaus' cult with whom Ben falls in love in the 1960s. *
Justin Cornwell Justin Michael Cornwell (born November 5, 1988) is an American actor, writer and musician best known for playing Young Jeronicus Jangle in the hit Netflix original movie '' Jingle Jangle,'' Marcus Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy and Kyle Craig ...
as Marcus Hargreeves / Sparrow Number One (season 3), a member and leader of the Sparrow Academy with superhuman strength who is killed by the Kugelblitz. *
Jake Epstein Jacob Lee Epstein (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor and singer. He played Craig Manning, a musician with bipolar disorder, on '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. He also played Will in the First National Tour of '' American Idiot'', an ...
as Alphonso Hargreeves / Sparrow Number Four (season 3), a physically scarred and injured member of the Sparrow Academy with the ability to reflect any physical harm back to his opponents. He is killed by Harlan after trying to murder the Umbrella Academy. * Cazzie David as Jayme Hargreeves / Sparrow Number Six (season 3), a member of the Sparrow Academy with the ability to spit hallucinogenic venom. She is killed by Harlan after trying to murder the Umbrella Academy. * Javon "Wanna" Walton as Stanley "Stan" (season 3), a twelve-year-old boy posing as Diego and Lila's son at Lila's request, who is later killed by the Kugelblitz. *
Julian Richings Julian Richings (born 30 August 1956)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at Ancestry.com is a British-Canadian character actor. He has appeared in over 225 films and television series. Career After touring th ...
as Chet Rodo (season 3), the eccentric manager of the Hotel Obsidian.


Episodes


Season 1 (2019)


Season 2 (2020)


Season 3 (2022)


Season 4


Production


Development

A film version of the comic book series ''
The Umbrella Academy ''The Umbrella Academy'' is an American comic book series created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. The first six-issue limited series, '' The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite,'' was released by Dark Horse Comics betwee ...
'' was optioned by
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. Originally, screenwriter
Mark Bomback Mark Bomback (born August 29, 1971) is an American screenwriter, originally from New Rochelle, New York. Bomback is a graduate of Wesleyan University, where he studied English Literature and Film Studies. Biography In 1994, Bomback began work ...
was hired to write the screenplay;
Rawson Marshall Thurber Rawson Marshall Thurber (born February 9, 1975) is an American filmmaker and actor. Early life Thurber was born in San Francisco, California. He is the son of attorney Marshall Thurber. He is a 1997 graduate of Union College (Schenectady, New ...
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 Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
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 Steve Blackman (born September 28, 1963) is an American martial arts instructor, bail bondsman, and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2002, where he was a fr ...
serves as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
. 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 "I Think We're Alone Now" is a song written and composed by Ritchie Cordell that was first recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was a major hit for group, reaching number 4 on the US Hot 100 in April 1967. It finished at No. 12 on ''Bil ...
" by
Tiffany Tiffany may refer to: People * Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name * Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname Known mononymously as "Tiffany": * Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kn ...
.
Steve Blackman Steve Blackman (born September 28, 1963) is an American martial arts instructor, bail bondsman, and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 2002, where he was a fr ...
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.


Writing

In June 2022, it was revealed, according to series creator Steve Blackman, that the Season 3 scripts were complete when Elliot Page called him to share the news of his transition, with Blackman feeling it was "very important" that he and Page collaborate on incorporating Viktor's transition into the existing scripts. This led to
Thomas Page McBee Thomas Page McBee (born 1981) is an American transgender journalist and amateur boxer. He was the first transgender man to box in Madison Square Garden, which he discusses in ''Amateur''. His first book, '' Man Alive'', won a Lambda Literary Award ...
, who previously worked with Page on 2019's ''Tales of the City'', being brought onboard to ensure that the storyline where Viktor comes out as trans was handled with care and respect.


Casting

On November 9, 2017, Netflix confirmed that
Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Elliot Page, various accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, tw ...
had joined the cast and that he would play Vanya Hargreeves (now Viktor Hargreeves), also known as the White Violin. On November 30, 2017, it was revealed that Tom Hopper,
David Castañeda David Castañeda (born October 24, 1989) is an American actor. In 2019, Castañeda began portraying Diego Hargreeves in the Netflix series ''The Umbrella Academy''. Early life Castañeda was born October 24, 1989, in Los Angeles and was raised ...
,
Emmy Raver-Lampman Emmy Raver-Lampman (born Emily Christine Raver Lampman, September 5, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began her career working in musical theater, and has performed in various Broadway and national touring productions such as '' Hair ...
,
Robert Sheehan Robert Sheehan (born 7 January 1988) is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in ''Misfits'', Darren Treacy in '' Love/Hate'', and Klaus Hargreeves in ''The Umbrella Academy,'' as well as film roles such a ...
and
Aidan Gallagher Aidan Gallagher (born September 18, 2003) is an American actor and musician. His first major role was portraying one of the quadruplets, Nicky Harper, in the Nickelodeon comedy television series ''Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn''. In 2019, Gallagh ...
had joined the cast as the rest of the Hargreeves siblings. On February 12, 2018, Netflix announced that Academy Award nominee
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
would appear in the series as the sadistic time-travel assassin Cha-Cha.
Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of G ...
joined the cast as Sir Reginald Hargreeves, the adoptive father of the siblings, on February 16, 2018, alongside Cameron Britton, Adam Godley and Ashley Madekwe. On February 28, 2018, it was announced that John Magaro has been cast as a series regular character. In January 2020,
Justin H. Min Justin Hong-Kee Min (born March 20, 1990) is an American actor. He began his acting career with roles in several Wong Fu productions. He plays Ben Hargreeves in the Netflix original series ''The Umbrella Academy'' (2019–present). He is also k ...
and Kate Walsh were promoted to series regulars for the second season, following their recurring roles in the first season. On September 10, 2019, Netflix announced that three additional actors — Ritu Arya,
Marin Ireland Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, ''The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nomina ...
and
Yusuf Gatewood Yusuf Gatewood (born September 12, 1982, Hillsborough, North Carolina) is an American actor best known for playing Vincent Griffith in '' The Originals'' and Doug in the 2005 film ''The Interpreter''. His television work includes guest roles on t ...
— would join the cast. On October 17, 2019, John Kapelos announced that he would be joining the recurring cast as
Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...
, the man who killed Lee Harvey Oswald. On January 11, 2021, it was announced that
Justin Cornwell Justin Michael Cornwell (born November 5, 1988) is an American actor, writer and musician best known for playing Young Jeronicus Jangle in the hit Netflix original movie '' Jingle Jangle,'' Marcus Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy and Kyle Craig ...
, Britne Oldford, Genesis Rodriguez, Cazzie David, and
Jake Epstein Jacob Lee Epstein (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor and singer. He played Craig Manning, a musician with bipolar disorder, on '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. He also played Will in the First National Tour of '' American Idiot'', an ...
joined the cast as part of the Sparrow Academy for the third season. In January 2022,
Javon Walton Javon Walton is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Ashtray in the HBO series ''Euphoria''. After his work in ''Euphoria'', he began working on the television series ''Utopia'', ''The Umbrella Academy'', and the film '' Samaritan' ...
revealed in an interview he joined the cast in an undisclosed role for the third season.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
for the first season began on January 15, 2018, in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. Gerard Way's Instagram account shared an illustration by Fabio Moon of the cast and crew doing the first table read of the script in Toronto. Way also revealed a picture of the first day on the set. Additional filming took place in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
. The theatre scene of Vanya performing was filmed at the
Elgin Theatre The Elgin Theatre can refer to: * Elgin Theatre (Ottawa) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a former movie cinema that was the first twin cinema in North America * Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Elgin Theater, a former mov ...
and the Winter Garden Theatre. Mazzoleni Concert Hall was used to represent the theatre's exterior. The exterior of the mansion was filmed at a building in Hamilton, while the interiors were filmed in studio. The Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre was filmed for an outside scene and
LIUNA Station LIUNA Station is a banquet and convention centre in central Hamilton, Ontario.(untitled)


History

L ...
was used for a bank robbery scene. A laboratory at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
was filmed to represent the Meritech Prosthetics building. The filming concluded on July 18, 2018. Filming for the second season began on June 16, 2019. Like the previous season, it was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, despite the series taking place in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
. Exterior shots, including scenes in
Dealey Plaza Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is sometimes called the "birthplace of Dallas". It was also the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963; 30 minutes after the shooting ...
, were taken in Dallas. Filming concluded on November 23, 2019. Filming for the third season began on February 7, 2021, and concluded on August 28, 2021. Filming for the fourth season is due to begin in February 2023.


Visual effects

Visual effects for the series are handled by SpinVFX, Weta Digital, Folks VFX, Soho VFX, Pixomondo, Deluxe VFX, Digital Film Tree, BOT VFX, Studio 8, Exceptional Minds and MARZ. VFX supervisor Everet Burrell confirmed that he used traditional art techniques for early concept art and referenced great actors with iconic faces. Burrell called Weta Digital, who previously worked for the rebooted ''Planet of the Apes'' series, to develop the visual effects for the character of Pogo. Ken Hall provided the motion capture for Pogo using a gray suit to later make additions to his captures to create the CGI of the chimpanzee, with Adam Godley making the facial expressions and voice acting of the character. SpinVFX confirmed that they delivered at least 563 shots for the series. To make the effects of the show, the team required a series of complex effect simulations, creature development, and massive destructions. For the effects of Number Five jumping through time and space, Burrell wanted to make the effects look organic, and liquidy, representing how much time and the world bends around him when he jumps, and how quick it should be. For these effects, he used more than 30 frames in the first episodes, however with the progress of the series, this reduced to only 10 frames. To that footage, the team iterated on several kinds of spatial jump effects, all the way from heavy distortion to subtler images. The visual effects team started with some R&D tests. At the end, the final effect, called the "jelly vision", was used to make the series, with Burrell expressing: "as if you're pushing your hand through a jelly membrane, just for a few seconds, and then it pops. It's really, really subtle, but you get a little bit of texture, you get a little bit of striations, almost like the universe is bending as he does his spatial jumps." In an interview with Burrell he confirmed that to develop the sequences where time is frozen, they took several background shots on location before returning to their stage to shoot the dialogue between Five and The Handler in front of a green screen. They called this effect "Three-Strip" in honor of the Technicolor process used in the 1930s. The second season used 400 shots from the Folks VFX Montreal team under the guidance of VFX supervisor Laurent Spillemaecker to create time portal effects seen throughout the season, particularly Five's special ability. Meanwhile, Spillemaecker's crew recreated events surrounding JFK's fateful Dallas visit, while including The Umbrella Academy's superpower interactions. Pictures and references from the 1960s were provided to create and later to be used as digital matte paintings and CG environments, to transform Canada into the show's setting, 1960s Dallas. The opening scene of the second season, where the siblings fight the Soviets on a Dallas street, was the most complicated to do, being nearly completely CGI. It was realised on a 360 degree bluescreen backlot set which was 15 feet tall and 200 feet by 60 feet. The only real things that were not made of CGI, were the tank, soldiers, cast and the rubble on the ground. The set was LiDAR scanned so that the director, Sylvian White could walk around using a VR edition of the iPad. They used a Phantom running at 700 frames per second on a camera stick. The scene was also divided in seven parts, beginning with Number Five's arrival at 1963, and concluding before Diego's first lines. For safety reasons the crew could not fire the AK-47s at Diego so they were forced to do multiple passes.


Music

The show's score albums were released for seasons 1 and 2. Jeff Russo was hired to compose the show's score. During an interview he revealed that the he "needed to use a subtle hand with the score" and that they "wanted the score to be thematic, by not trying to push too much on the weird and too much on the horrific aspect of the show and the story".


Reception


Audience viewership

On April 16, 2019, Netflix announced that the series had been streamed by over 45 million viewers on its service within its first month of release, with people at least having watched 70% percent of one episode of the series. It was the third most popular TV series on Netflix in 2019. On September 3, 2020, Netflix revealed the show broke numerous records in viewerships, following the second season debut. During the second season first week, the show was the most watched television series show on Netflix, being atop of the Nielsen ratings and thus confirming that 3 billion minutes of the show's two seasons were viewed. On October 21, 2020, Netflix published the Nielsen ratings and revealed that the show's second season was streamed by over 43 million viewers in its first 28 days. It made it the 6th most watched show of that year, falling behind shows like '' The Queen's Gambit'' and '' Ratched''.


Critical reception

On the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, 76% of 93 critic reviews are positive for the first season, with an average rating of 7.2/10. Critics' consensus on the website reads, "''The Umbrella Academy'' unfurls an imaginative yarn with furtive emotion and an exceptionally compelling ensemble, but the series' dour sensibility often clashes with its splashy genre trappings."
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 61 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes identified 91% of 89 reviews as positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Proof that time can heal almost all wounds, ''The Umbrella Academy'' exhilarating second season lightens its tonal load without losing its emotional core, giving the super siblings room to grow while doubling down on the time traveling fun." The season garnered a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 from 12 critics on Metacritic, signifying "generally favorable reviews". For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 46 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "''The Umbrella Academy'' unfurls a bit beyond a manageable scope in this overstuffed season, but there remains all the gonzo creativity and resonant character relationships that fans enroll for." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


Accolades


See also

*
Civil rights movement in popular culture The history of the 1954 to 1968 American civil rights movement has been depicted and documented in film, song, theater, television, and the visual arts. These presentations add to and maintain cultural awareness and understanding of the goals, tact ...


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Umbrella Academy (TV series), The The Umbrella Academy 2019 American television series debuts 2010s American drama television series 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series 2010s American science fiction television series 2010s American time travel television series 2020s American drama television series 2020s American LGBT-related drama television series 2020s American science fiction television series 2020s American time travel television series Alternate history television series American superhero television series Apocalyptic television series Civil rights movement in television Cultural depictions of Jack Ruby English-language Netflix original programming LGBT-related superhero television shows Nonlinear narrative television series Fiction about resurrection Serial drama television series Superhero television series Television series about dysfunctional families Television series about ghosts Television series by Universal Content Productions Television series set in 1955 Television series set in 1963 Television series set in 1968 Television series set in 1982 Television series set in 1989 Television series set in 2019 Television shows about the assassination of John F. Kennedy Television shows based on Dark Horse Comics Television shows filmed in Hamilton, Ontario Television shows filmed in Toronto Television shows set in Dallas Transgender-related television shows Vietnam War in popular culture Works about child abuse