You Don’t Really Know Your Comics

After only less than a week of the second season of The Umbrella Academy airing on Netflix, I’m already behind on this information, but because it’s the purpose of this blog and I really want to, here’s some more background on the latest comic instalment of our favourite dysfunctional super family.

As seen at the end of this seasons last episode, the show has decided to bring the Sparrow Academy onscreen in the upcoming story. So, here’s your guide to the individual Sparrow Academy characters and everything we know or can guess about them, as seen in the comics. Keep in mind, these characters were the most recently introduced things in the series, appearing in the last issues of Volume Three: Hotel Oblivion. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know anything! Because we also need some nicknames for them all, let’s come up with some too:

Number One

The first character is Number One. The hero, which refers to Luther as his brother, and appears to lead the team, has super strength and is seen punching, smashing and throwing his opponents. He is a strong-willed, dominant, powerful and confident foe who does the second most speaking (next to Carla). His costume follows the strawberry red and burgundy pallet, with a more classic superhero look. He bears a white belt, burgundy mask, gloves, boots and accents, and his outfit is tight-fitting strawberry-red spandex complete with the Sparrow Academy logo. With his pale skin and blonde hair, as well as his powers, he seems to resemble Luther, and is possibly another version of him from another reality. This might be possible due to the nature of the way they entered The Umbrella Academy’s universe in the comics, and the overlapping, altered timelines of the show. However, it is important to note that there is no definitive confirmation that he possesses super strength, and his dominating fighting abilities could just be due to enhanced combat training. It’s important to note that the similarities could be a red-herring.

Name: So, because of the connection to Luther, if he were to be named anything it would probably be something to do with him and his names. He might be also named Spaceboy, or just referred to as Number One. At least, he has an identifier, and he is one of two Sparrows who is actually given somewhat of a name to recognise them by. If not, his super hero name should be something to actually do with his strength, and not Luther’s later space exploration. As for his actual name, if it follows the same rules as the others, in which Grace gave them all names that related to their place of origin (like Vanya being Russian), Number One will most likely be simply given a name from his place of origin. If this is in fact just another Luther, then that means he’ll probably be named Luther again. What names do you think he should have? I think a cool strength and size based name for him, that really represents his leadership, dominating personality and skills, would be “Goliath”.

Carla (“The Credence”)

Carla is the character that we have seen the most, and yet might know the least about. At least, everything about her is not confirmable and is a little mysterious. Carla is the first of the Sparrow Academy to be shown, introduced in issue five of “Hotel Oblivion” to Vanya by Grace.

When Grace knocks Vanya out of her wheel chair at the new Eiffel Tower, Vanya tells her “I can’t walk!” to which Carla appears around the corner and tells her “I don’t believe you.” Vanya’s legs then suddenly work, and she is able to walk. The phrase, which appears to be a distinctive set of unique/strange key words, akin to Allison’s phrase “I heard a rumour...” implies that she has the ability to, also like The Rumour, alter reality. It is unclear if this is really the premise of her power, and whether the phrase is necessary to activate/channel it. This is because she also says afterward when Vanya asks how she did it, “Because I said so.” So Carla probably has reality changing abilities, or perhaps the ability to change people’s beliefs. She has brown skin, long and curly light brown hair kept tied in a ponytail, and wears a strawberry-red coat, knee high socks and mask, and a burgundy dress. Unlike all of her thin, black-lipped sisters, she has bright red lipstick and large lips.

Her personality is kind and fun, and she is friendly to Vanya as she guides her up to the Sparrows base in Norway. She speaks the most in the volume, as well as appearing the most. Her fun and light, kept up hair evidences a happier demeanour, as well as the fact that she is always smiling, unlike most of the characters, and her loose fitting, open way of wearing her clothes shows that she might be more carefree and relaxed. In what we’ve seen, she is confident and sometimes simplistically mysterious, un-phased by things. She expects Vanya to blindly follow her with little explanation, and to trust in her when she takes her to “family”. And because the often sceptical Vanya does so, it indicates how comforting her presence is.

Another mysterious aspect to Carla is her name. By having an actual name, it shows that the others must as well, and that they also might follow a similar naming structure to how Grace named the students of The Umbrella Academy. While my initial assumption was that Carla was born in a South American country due to her name and brown skin tone, (Like Diego,) I discovered that the name Carla actually originates in Germany. Though there are certainly many brown people in the late 1980’s Germany, the countries history makes her race a considerable factor against the idea that she is from there. Carla, although a German name, has also been claimed as an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese name as well, so it’s not a reach to say that she may be from there.

Name: As for her super hero name, I don’t personally have any guess as to what it might be, or any good creative ideas for it. What are your ideas? I think it will relate somehow to faith, belief, importance or influence. And while it may be difficult to have her follow the naming structure for the rest of the heroes, (“The _____, like The Horror and The Seance) she could always have a unique one, like Luther does (Spaceboy). My best name to propose is “The Credence” (“credence” being a synonym for belief).

“The Wretch” (Unknown)

(The quote “Me?” in the speech bubble in the picture above is not actually spoken by The Wretch. It is said by Number One. She hasn’t yet spoken in the comics)

One of the more mysterious characters from the lot, this unknown woman is seen as a more reserved, inward character based on all of her meek and guarded postures, her tendency to stay behind her siblings, and her lack of speaking, as well as her clothes. She is pale, with either sandy/dark blonde or light brown looking hair, a strawberry red mask, and is wearing the same burgundy and red spandex and boots as most of her siblings, but covers it with a large light blue shirt/gown that she wears over top of it. She doesn’t, however, appear to wear gloves like some of the others. With a more shaggy and informal appearance in comparison to the others, with unkept, oddly cut short hair and bangs and a difference in wardrobe, she reflects a personality and character that might be relatable to pre-The White Violin Vanya (or show Vanya entirely).

She may be the outcast of the family, or at least play somewhat into that position for her overall dynamic. She is always frowning in a solemn, more reflective way. She looks away, is quiet, and stays back, besides when taking charge in battle, in which her strength really shines in opposition to her previous lack of spotlight. Her ability is to shoot and point a black laser from her face, or some sort of dark beam.

Name: It was hard to brainstorm any name for her. She doesn’t appear to have anything initially distinct that indicates any geographical traits, and I don’t have any creative ideas for names relating to her Cyclops-like superpower. But, because of her shaggy look and informal manner, and the text that appears when she shoots her beam, I’ve decided to temporarily dub her “The Wretch”.

“The Murder” (Unknown)

This character is one that I’ve already helped “nickname” and identify in my previous post explaining her, which I wrote before this season aired. Please do go check that post out!

Eleanor’s power is to either summon and order, or transform into a flock of black birds. It is unconfirmed whether the birds are crows, ravens, sparrows or something else entirely. Her appearance, unlike the classic style superhero spandex her siblings sport, is comparable more to a school girl uniform, and looks akin to Carla’s outfit. She appears to wear the same burgundy dress/skirt and knee high red socks that her sister Carla wears, but instead buttons up her entire coat and tucks the collar in formally instead of leaving the piece unbuttoned and free. The coat also has dark cuffs instead, and a sparrow logo on the sleeve. Perhaps most uniquely, Eleanor doesn’t wear a superhero mask, and instead rocks a pair of rectangular, black sunglasses. Her raven-black (pun intended) hair is tied back in a very loose bun.

Her personality appears to be more closed off, like The Wretch, but with more of a silent-type energy than a shy thing. She is still clearly brave, blunt, and confident, with good posture and proud but casual physicalities. She takes care of her opponents simply and with ease, unphased by danger. She moves into action on command, and she’s totally badass. However, she reads as kind of cold, frowning and bored by things, and quiet and observant. Her clothing evidences her to be formal and well kept, as well as introverted. Overall, she seems to be unkind, but cool.

Name: The name posed by @kekeriki was “Eleanor Nevermore”. Both the first and last name of her are for multiple reasons references to the works of Edgar Allen Poe, the famous poet and author of “The Raven”. Although she would still need to be named Hargreeves (Eleanor Hargreeves), the name Eleanor would work well, seeing as the name has primarily French origins, and Eleanor herself looks quite French. Her superhero name, though, should be “The Murder” if it’s a flock of crows, because a flock of crows is called a murder. But if it’s a group of ravens, then she would be called either “Unkindness” or “The Conspiracy”. As for sparrows, if that’s what she becomes, (which I highly doubt due to the appearance and nature of the birds) then she would be called “The Host” or “The Quarrel” for the same reason. My personal favourites are “The Murder” because of how cool it sounds and “Unkindness” because it also fits her personality.

“The Voodoo” (Unknown)

(The quote “The pain!” displayed above is not actually a quote from The Voodoo, but rather one of his victims. He doesn’t talk yet in the comics)

Voodoo is one of the hardest to discern due to his concerningly off-putting power and appearance, but leaves a lot of exciting interpretation up in the air at the moment. With the ability to cause himself pain, then transfer the effects onto his enemies like a human voodoo doll, his disturbingly awesome actions take out many in seconds, because he can project the impact to multiple people at once, with good range too.

He even looks like somewhat of an overused voodoo doll, too. It is unclear whether his face is a ragged bag or a lump of scarred flesh, but it is probably the latter, due to the similar appearance of his hands to the colour and scars of his face. Or possibly, he could be disfigured from birth, or have non-human genes. It is most likely the result of years upon years of endless self-induced physical trauma in battle relating to the nature of his power. His costume is very similar to Number One’s and Number Two’s, save for a lack of gloves on his large, beat up hands and white accents along with burgundy on his spandex, but he bears the same colour scheme and layout of his outfit, with burgundy boots and a white belt to match.

Not much is identifiable about his personality, seeing as he has no clear facial features (although he can clearly see and hear, and he appears to have a very droopy, disfigured set of eyes, though I’m not sure) and doesn’t speak at all, but he seems to be costrained, pained and tortured if those are in fact his eyes we can see as slits in the closeup and from far away. He doesn’t strike me as overbearing or having a loud personality, though. His pain tolerance is strong and his witty instincts are something evidenced by his power relying partly on his choices and quick-thinking, like Allison’s or Five’s.

Name: The name I came up with, for obvious reasons, was “The Voodoo.” Based on his voodoo-doll-like power, the superhero nickname fits.

“Number Two” (Unknown)

(The speech bubble above reading “We’re here to take control” is actually a quote by Number One, not her. She has yet to speak in the series)

Number Two is the least known about character thus far in terms of how much we’re able to connect or guess about her. Demonstrating no powers during the final battle, and not saying anything throughout the duration of her time in the novel, she is difficult to nickname. But, if we consider numbers, she can be identified. Whenever she is in formation with her siblings (which is the only way she’s ever shown,,,) she is always at the forefront and only ever overshadowed by Number One, the leader, for obvious reasons. She is always second to him, standing at his side and second to the front. In previous comics, The Umbrella Academy would form up this way as well, with Luther leading the group and Diego always right behind him at his side, his Number Two. So, I’m guessing and assuming that she is in fact The Sparrow Academy’s Number Two, and that’s what I’m calling her.

Her appearance looks like that of a female version of Number One. With an identical superhero outfit to him, except fitted for her slender female body, and long, tied back wavy blonde hair of the same colour as his, the similarity is almost twin-like (more twins?? Like Luther and Five??).

What I think is that there is a specific reason Gerard and Gabriel decided not to demonstrate what Number Two can do yet. Her powers must be something important that they wanted to save for later by not having her use them. Maybe doing so would have revealed something bigger in the overall storyline, or a reveal they’re saving.

Name: For now, because there is so little shown about her, I’m sticking with “Number Two”, but I would love to see anyone’s ideas for names for her!

“The Cube” (Unknown)

(This quote was not actually by The Cube, but rather from Carla. The Cube hasn’t talked yet, and we don’t even know if he can)

Initially, the first time I read it, I didn’t even realise this was a character. They blend into the background and are easily overlooked. It’s a shiny, dark, floating cube, and in the show, it appears to emit a green glow and be more detailed. Then I realised that Mr. Calhoun refers to seven “weirdos” running around the city (he’s talking about the sparrows). The cube also appears in the final scene of Season Two Episode Ten. So I suppose this is is a sentient being, a superhero and a family member of The Sparrow Academy.

This notion begs a lot of questions, though. Is this being a human? Is it one of the other 36/37? What are it’s abilities? We have not yet seen them fight, or even indicate that they are capable of intelligent thought or have human characteristics. Is this some kind of robot, invention or alien technology from Reginald? The mysterious character leaves a lot for us to try to guess.

Name: So far the fandom has essentially pitted the name “The Cube” on it for obvious reasons, as well as “The Block”. It’s the name everyone seems to be using to identify them, and the name that I’ve been using. But I would love to hear a cooler name suggestion, or any theories on this strange character!

So there you have it. There’s all we know or can try to guess about the mysterious new strawberry red and burgundy academy coming to season three and volume four of The Umbrella Academy. Some of this (mostly the personalities) were my interpretation, and should of course be taken with a grain of salt, so I encourage you to research these guys on your own! Do you think they’re friendly or hostile? Do you like the name ideas? What are your name suggestions?

Some of his other inventions include the televator, an invention that makes teleportation between any elevators possible, the mobile umbrella communicator, and the levitator, which the academy uses to fly during missions.

This strong power of his may be explored in the show due to the interesting suggestion Reginald makes to Klaus in the afterlife. He tells him that he has hardly tapped his potential. This reeks with foreshadowing of this particular ability manifesting itself in the future.

As an interesting little Easter egg, their first song is titled “I Don’t Wanna Kill the President”, which the academy does in Volume Two: Dallas.

So, because the story says “forty-three women around the world gave birth”, and one of them gave birth to the twins, this means that there are actually up to forty-four children. So we shouldn’t be asking “Who and where are the other thirty-six children?” We should be asking “Who and where are the other thirty-SEVEN?” This is of course assuming that the show keeps this detail. However, the comic specifies that it was forty-three children, not women. Interesting that they phrase it so uniquely and specifically in the show though...

So, keep this in mind as we await season two!