New Umbrella Academy characters may solve a big mystery in season 2
The Umbrella Academy's first season ended just as our dysfunctional heroes escaped the apocalypse, bound for an unknown time and location. We don't know where and when they'll end up just yet — although we do have a few ideas.
However, what we do know is that they're about to meet a number of new characters in season two who could help unlock one of the show's biggest mysteries.
Both the original comics and Netflix's TV adaptation start on October 1, 1989, when 43 women around the world inexplicably give birth all at the same time. Immediately recognising their potential, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) sets out to adopt as many of the babies as he can in a bid to train them in the use of their powers.
Hargreeves only managed to adopt seven of the children, and so far we haven't seen any of the others even getting a mention on the show beyond this initial set-up. Presumably, each of these remaining 36 kids must have had powers too, so why weren't there more super-powered heroes and villains running around in season one?
Although it hasn't been confirmed just yet, details surrounding three new characters cast in season two hint that the show will finally start tackling this mystery when The Umbrella Academy returns in 2020.
The first of these new additions is Ritu Arya (Humans), who'll play Lila, "a 'chameleon' with a twisted sense of humour who can be as brilliant or insane as the mission requires".
Next up is Yusuf Gatewood, star of Good Omens and The Originals. His character is "a born leader and devoted husband" called Raymond who possesses "the smarts, gravitas, and the confidence to never have to prove it to anyone".
.@YusufGatewood is Raymond
☔︎ Born leader and devoted husband.
☔︎ Has the smarts, gravitas, and confidence to never have to prove it to anyone.
☔︎ Has the innate ability to disarm you with a look. pic.twitter.com/zVPgj5DF3l— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) September 10, 2019
The final addition is Marin Ireland (who's also set to do another comic-book adaptation in Y: The Last Man). She'll play Sissy, "a fearless, no-nonsense mum from Texas" who married "for all the wrong reasons."
.@MarinIreland is Sissy
☔︎ Fearless, no-nonsense Texas mom.
☔︎ Married young for all the wrong reasons.
☔︎ Eager to rediscover what life and love has to offer. pic.twitter.com/e2ycutWiej— Umbrella Academy (@UmbrellaAcad) September 10, 2019
On the surface there's not much to learn about these new characters aside from their superficial personality traits. However, if you dig a bit deeper, it seems like at least two of them possess powers of their own and if so, then they must be related to the Hargreeves children we grew to love in season one.
Not only is Lila described as a "chameleon", hinting at some kind of camouflage or shape-shifting abilities, but she also takes part in missions, much like the Umbrella Academy students did back when they were kids.
Raymond is described as a leader, which also implies some kind of mission-based work and most intriguingly of all, he also possesses "the innate ability to disarm you with a look".
On most shows, this would simply work as yet another character trait, but on The Umbrella Academy, it's entirely possible that this "ability" is actually a superpower. Just like Allison Hargreeves (Emmy Raver-Lampman) can manipulate reality with her words, maybe Raymond can achieve something similar with just a glance.
So far, Sissy's casting description doesn't hint at powers in the same way that the other two do, but there's still plenty more to learn before season two arrives on Netflix next year.
Unfortunately, each of these three characters are originals created for the show, so there's no use looking to the comics for answers.
When asked whether the other 36 children will appear one day on screen, both showrunner Steve Blackman and comics author Gerard Way were coy in their response, telling TVGuide that "it was a really good question that they couldn't answer".
Such reluctance certainly hints that this plot line is something the show's creators are considering, whether it turns out these three new characters are super-powered or not. Last year, Way told EW that The Umbrella Academy will "morph into its own thing" on Netflix and if we're right, then this new direction could be one way of achieving this.
However, even if these new additions do indeed possess special abilities, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be allies to The Umbrella Academy. Now that Hazel and Cha-Cha are (probably) out of the picture, Lila, Raymond and Sissy could very well turn out to be the new Big Bad(s) of season two, helping The Commission defeat our heroes once and for all.
The Umbrella Academy season two is expected to arrive on Netflix in early 2020, while the first season is currently available on the streaming platform.
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