The Umbrella Academy: Show VS Comics

Original Image Link

In March, a new TV Show premiered on Netflix, The Umbrella Academy. It is one developed by the famous platform itself, and it is once more an adaptation of a series of comics, called with the same name. There are a few differences between the two, and exactly like what I did a few moths ago with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I'm going to talk about them both, and the main differences between the show (which I looooved!) and the comics (which I liked very much too).

So, let's start from the beginning. The comics are created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bà. There are three volumes out at the moment: The Umbrella Academy: the Apocalypse Suite; The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, and The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion (as for this last one, only the first chapter is been published so far). Netflix's show is based mostly on the first volume, and takes inspiration from a few bits included in the second one.

PS: There might be a few spoilers here and there.

Original Image Link

The Plot

Before going on with the differences, let's talk about the plot. In a time not really well specified (but close to our days) something supernatural happens. One day, 43 women give birth to children, although when the day started none of them was pregnant. Those children are very special, and are gifted with mysterious abilities. Mr Reginald Hargreeves is an eccentric millionaire, who decides to adopt as many as those children as possible. He manages to adopt seven: Luther/Spaceboy, called Number 1; Diego/The Kraken, Number 2; Allison/The Rumor, Number 3; Klaus/the Seance, Number 4; The Boy, Number 5; Ben/The Horror, Number 6, and Vanya/The White Violin, Number 7.

Since their childhood, Mr Hargreeves teaches the guys to be strong, to grow their powers and be ready to “save the world”. As the children grow up though, they slowly start to understand that Mr Reginald doesn't really love them, and only considers them weapons. For this reason, one by one they leave their home, and lose touch with their siblings. Until their father's death. When Mr Hargreeves dies his guys group again in the old house of their childhood, and here they are met by an incredible surprise: their brother Number 5, who had been lost for ages, comes back from the future and tells them that the Apocalypse is coming, and the world is going to end in a week. It is their responsibility to find out who is behind that and stop them.

Original Image Link

The Differences

First of all, I have to say that I loved both the show and the comics very much. Despite the differences between the two, I think that they perfectly complete themselves: where the comics lack in background story, the show does an amazing job; where the show says little about the superhero life of the team as children, the comics give us a few episodes of their heroic gestures as little ones as well. Also, I loved that the show explores so much more the guy's characters and their introspection (like, in the comics Allison is no famous actress, they just say she is narcissist; there is no link between Klaus and Ben – maybe the thing I loved the most; – no mention of Diego trying being a cop and his closeness to Mum, or the way Vanya has felt so left aside by her father and siblings, which the show explores in such a deeper way).

Mr Reginald Hargreeves

The comics tell us straight away, since page one, that Mr Reginald has something to hide (something we understand from the show as well, during the last episode): he is no human being, he is an alien. Now, that might sound not relevant, but I think it truly is, because I have a suspect about him and Number 5 (read the end of the article to know more about that).

Original Image Link

Hazel and Cha Cha, detective Patch and Leonard

Now, the biggest difference, I would say, is that in the first volume of the comics there are no Hazel and Cha Cha, who are introduced in the second volume. Maybe the creators of the show decided to include them already as a second season is not confirmed yet (at the time this post is written), so they wanted the viewers to meet these fabulous two characters. The men attacking Number 5 in the doughnut shop wear a mask in the comics (a kind of smokehood), and are called agents of “the Temps Aeternalis”, which is the same one Cha Cha and Hazel work for. Again, it is only in the second volume that those agents mention that Number 5 has worked for the same organisation.

So, in the comics we won't see anything about the relationship between Hazel and Agnes, that I found so sweet. And one more interesting thing, in the famous doughnuts shop scene, in the comics Number 5 is accompanied by Pogo, while in the show he is by himself, and just happen to be sitting by an unknown gentleman (the one Agnes will assume is his father).

Among the other characters that do not appear in the comics are Detective Patch, Diego's ex girlfriend, and, it might be a shock, but in the comics there is no Leonard.

Original Image Link

The Orchestra Verdament

In the comics, its not Leonard trigging Vanya's power, but a mysterious organisation called “Orchestra Verdament”, who claim they want to play the “Apocalypse Suite” and want to destroy the world. They try to recruit Vanya, who accepts to be one of them almost immediately at the beginning of the volume, after she has been rejected by their siblings at Mr Reginal's funeral. It is also them who find Mr Reginald's notes about the guys abilities, find out that Vanya possesses the strongest, most dangerous power, and transform her in The White Violin.

The Finale

The finale of the show differs from the comics as well. With the show we are not really shown what happened, but can imagine that Number Five rewinds Time so that as children they don't exclude Vanya anymore, and she doesn't grow that feeling of loneliness and grudge against her family; thus, doesn't start the Apocalypse. In the comics though, the guys manage to save the world thanks to Klaus' telekinetic abilities, but don't go back in time, they just keep on living, the only thing destroyed being their house. Vanya loses her memory, Allison won't be talking anymore because of her damaged vocal chords, all the other guys trying to keep on going with their life, until another threaten comes – but we're talking about that in another post.

Original Image Link

If I have to be honest, I preferred the show's finale. I just liked so much more that they created the character of Leonard, and that it was him to trigger Vanya's abilities, making her not a total negative character. In the comics it is her, heartbroken for her siblings' behaviour, who decides to join the Orchestra Verdament and destroy the world with them, although they brainstorm her after.

In the show though, Vanya becomes a villain because she can't stand that everybody around lied to her since she was a child, and she's been used ever since. She goes berserk because she can't handle the lack of love from her life, not because she is upset.

And you, did you love the show? Did you read the comics too? Would you like to see a second season? Who is your favourite character? (Mine has to be Klaus!!).

Also, if you watched the show, can I ask you a question? What do you think of Number 5?

Now, what I write here is only my supposition, but it keeps on rolling in my mind the idea that 5 has so much to tell us. To start, he is the only one with no name. Everybody calls him only by his number, including his siblings. And is it a chance that he came back the very day of his father's death? I might be totally wrong, but I have the feeling that Number 5 is in fact Reginald Hargreeves himself... If he is an alien, he might have the ability to time travel, and find out about the apocalypse: in both the comics and the show he says he created The Umbrella Academy to save the world, so he might find these powerful babies and train them to be superheroes. Something goes wrong though, they lack their father's love and grow up sad and lonely, especially Vanya, who causes the Apocalypse. How to make up to all this? Maybe rewinding time and including Vanya in the circle this time?

Well, the comics don't say anything about that (I still have to finish reading Volume II and III), so we shall see what the show will reveal if they're making a second season.

Let me know what you think! Lots of love,

M.