In a world of supernaturally gifted and emotionally stunted adults, The Umbrella Academy is at its core a family drama. Following the lives of seven adopted siblings, they fight forces surrounding them that usually involve the apocalypse. And not just one.
After Vanya caused the end of the world in season one, Five dumped them in the 1960's to escape it. These siblings seem to have the difficult task of stopping the apocalypse, but after their time jump, they all went through changes and developments. Some for the better, and some worse.
10 Better: Diego
At first glance, Diego Hargreeves was not the favorite in the Umbrella Academy popularity contest. A little rough around the edges, he had no patience for Vanya’s rebellions or their father’s covert plans.
Season two opened with Diego in an asylum. After Five had dropped in the ’60s, Diego’s first stop was to kill Lee Harvey Oswald, hoping to save Kennedy’s life. His assortment of knives landed him in a hospital. This was only the first of Diego’s attempts at bettering himself. Diego was the one out of the siblings with the most heartfelt story.
9 Worse: Klaus
Although usually an entertaining thrill ride, Klaus always had the unique ability of taking zero responsibility. In the first season, he had painful character development after watching the love of his life die in Vietnam. After landing in the '60s, all of that went away.
Klaus instead became the leader of a cult. Although his love for Dave was still evident, everything Klaus did hurt him in the long run.
8 Better: Allison
Allison had learned time and time again the devastation that came with her power. She felt as though she had a second chance when she was dropped into a new life. After marrying Raymond Chestnut, she hadn’t used her power for a year.
On top of this penance for all the bad she had done with The Rumor, Allison also got involved with local politics. Dallas was a hotbed for social activism at the time and it was a no brainer that Allison would become the best version of herself once her powers were stripped away.
7 Worse: Five
Always on the path to save the world, Five had one of the most tumultuous character arcs. There was no one like him on this series or any other for that matter. A middle aged man who had been thrown into an adolescent body was bound to cause some residual issues.
Five’s intent to save the world became an obsession, one that encouraged him to do anything. Five became reckless in the sixties, believing just about anything would get them home. After murdering the entire board of the Commission, he also went on a tear, coming close to murdering his past self.
6 Better: Vanya
Vanya’s trajectory was as redemptive as anyone could get without overkill. After causing the first apocalypse, Vanya fell into the '60s with no memory of it. She encountered a housewife Sissy and her son Harlan, and came to love them both.
Vanya’s chance at happiness always seemed to get smashed, but she always found a way to carry on. Vanya regained her memories and found her siblings again. Even after the damage she had caused, she could finally rely on family to help her through.
5 Worse: Reginald Hargreeves
Although Reginald was not present for the first apocalypse, his influence still reverberated down to his children. If it hadn’t been for Reginald gaslighting Vanya and drugging her as a child, it would be unlikely that the apocalypse would ever happen.
And although not intended, Reginald was responsible for the death of Kennedy. When his children came to ask for his help, it was natural that he would not know them. But what destroyed his relationship with his children was his inability to accept them in any timeline. He rejected them in the sixties and when the Umbrella Academy traveled back to what they thought was their 2019, they found their father still alive, and ready to reject them all over again.
4 Better: Ben
Trapped in purgatory and connected to Klaus, it wasn’t difficult to understand Ben’s tragic predicament. At first, it seemed as though he should be thankful that he was clinging to some semblance of life.
Season two introduced just how painful it was for Ben to be connected. And even though he had to possess Klaus to interact with the corporeal world, he still was able to be the key element in stopping the apocalypse. He was the one that found Vanya after she disappeared into herself, her guilt overcoming her. Ben sacrificed his grip on the mortal plane so that Vanya could continue. And he never blamed Klaus for it.
3 Worse: Luther
Season one and two Luther were entirely different from each other. While during the first apocalypse, Luther had taken an undeniable part in pushing Vanya into destructive actions, season two was another game altogether.
The trauma of traveling to the sixties did not treat Luther well. Losing Allison destroyed him, pushing him into the path of Jack Ruby. And even though he did admit his part in Vanya’s destruction, Luther became a dumbed-down version of himself. He did everything Five told him to do and did not carry out any action for himself except pining for Allison.
2 Better: Hazel
Hazel was a morally grey character throughout the first season of The Umbrella Academy. He was a murderer, and while he did have some sense of remorse, that had more to do with how the life of a Commission hitman had become inconvenient.
Hazel’s relationship with Agnes changed him. In season two he found Five to warn him about the impending apocalypse. He was no longer tied to the Commission and had a defined sense of right and wrong.
1 Worse: The Handler
No one was worse than The Handler. Even when it seemed that she could be redeemed through her relationship with her daughter, Umbrella Academy made it clear that some people are not worth the trouble.
She adopted her daughter for the sole purpose of using her for her power. Lila was a figurative sister to those of The Umbrella Academy, one of the mysterious babies born with powers. The Handler was responsible for the murder of Lila’s parents and was only interested in the power Lila could give her.
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