The Umbrella Academy premiered its third season, bringing the dysfunctional Hargreeeves siblings back for another round of shenanigans. This time, they face another group of chaotic brothers and sisters, the Sparrow Academy, causing danger and hilarity.
The Hargreeves aren't the only group of dysfunctional siblings in comics. Indeed, Marvel and DC have their fair share of complicated and troubled relationships between brothers and sisters. Fans love to see this complexity unfold because these siblings can occasionally be hard to relate to and root for, but they remain incredibly compelling figures, despite their ups and downs.
The Hargreeves Family
The Hargreeves family are the protagonists of The Umbrella Academy series. A group of superpowered individuals adopted by The Monocle, AKA Sir Reginald Hargreeves, the siblings become estranged and reunite after nine years when Sir Reginald dies.
The siblings mean well, but their personalities are too different. Their time apart also made them fall victims to their own ways, further complicating their dynamic. However, the first two series -- Apocalypse Suite and Dallas -- show their continued efforts to work as a team, becoming closer and reestablishing their makeshift family. It's not always an easy ride, but the Hargreeves siblings do their best to make their situation work.
Pietro & Wanda Maximoff
Life was never easy for the Maximoff twins. Their origins have undergone a few retcons, but their traumatic past is always a staple. From being experimented on by the High Evolutionary to seeing their mother die at his hands, the Maximoff twins only found solace in each other.
Although their relationship is usually understanding and supportive, there's always a weird vibe around them, mainly because of how close they are. The Ultimate Comics Universe takes this to the next level, overtly hinting at an incestuous relationship between them and even confirming it via Wolverine. Wanda and Pietro have always had a bizarre co-dependent relationship, but their ill-conceived affair is one of the strangest romances in X-Men comics.
Starfire & Blackfire
Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran is a staple of the Teen Titans. While other members have come and gone, Kori remains with the team, eventually becoming the Titans' face. Her backstory is complicated, and she comes with her fair amount of baggage, especially with her sister, Komand'r.
Starfire and Blackfire's dynamic changes depending on the writer. Sometimes, Blackfire is a soulless and manipulative supervillain, envious of her sister. Other times, she's a misunderstood antihero with a love-hate relationship with Starfire. However, their interactions are always compelling and intriguing, leaving fans wanting more. Starfire and Nightwing's relationship might be more famous, but Kori's sibling rivalry with Komand'r might be more interesting.
Lex & Lena Luthor
Lex and Lena Luthor's relationship is more convoluted than DC's pre-Crisis history. They started as brothers, became father and daughter following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and became siblings again after the Infinite Crisis.
The struggle in their relationship is always over control. Lex needs to control everything in his life, including his sister, something Lena bitterly resents. At one point, when Lena becomes paralyzed from the waist down, Lex refuses to give her a treatment that might potentially cure her because he didn't invent it. Lex is one of Superman's most powerful villains; in fact, the oldest Luthor might be one of DC's mightiest and most dastardly beings.
Aquaman & Ocean Master
Ocean Master is one of DC's most underrated villains. Often portrayed as Aquaman's envious brother, Ocean Master wants Atlantis' throne for himself. He has a pirate background and has no interest in anything that doesn't directly benefit him.
Recent portrayals changed Ocean Master, turning him into an antihero and deepening his bond with Aquaman. The two brothers still quarrel because of their inherently different ideologies, but they come from a place of genuine concern for their people and Atlantis' well-being and stability. This not only adds more complexity to Ocean Master's characterization but also strengthens his connection with Aquaman, adding some welcome layers to their previously simplistic dynamic.
Black Bolt & Maximus
Inhumans were never as famous as the X-Men, spending their time as a lesser part of the ever-expanding Marvel universe. However, the Inhuman Royal Family has some of the best dynamics in Marvel Comics, especially the rivalry between Black Bolt and his brother, Maximus.
These two brothers share an openly antagonistic relationship from the moment they first meet. Due to an incident, Black Bolt directly affected Maximus' sanity, thus increasing the animosity between the two and setting Maximus on a life-long quest to usurp his brother's throne. Their relationship is admittedly one-dimensional: Maximus is evil, Black Bolt isn't. However, there's something intriguing about their continued struggle, especially because Black Bolt's stoicism is the perfect antidote to Maximus' deranged antics.
Thor & Loki
The Gods of Thunder and Mischief share one of the most interesting dynamics in Marvel Comics. Loki's character fluctuates between evil mastermind and misunderstood pariah, which explains Thor's continued patience with his wildly erratic antics.
The best Thor storylines in the comics take advantage of the brothers' contrasting natures and use them to tell a classic good vs. evil story. Loki often avoids direct conflict with Thor -- whether out of fear for his brother's power or some semblance of affection. However, his insistence on taking over Asgard prevents him from developing a genuine bond with Thor; therein lies the tragedy of their connection, a fascinating misery that keeps fans invested in this relationship.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Nowadays, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are part of a massive franchise that includes television series, movies, video games, and everything in between. Thus, it's easy to forget they started as a comic book back in 1984. The protagonists, the titular TMNT, became popular thanks to their creative concept and relatable sibling dynamic.
The Turtles have distinct personalities that often clash, mirroring many real-life families. However, they always stay together, understanding there's strength in their unity. Their bond with their master, Splinter, is also heartwarming, with each of the Turtles sharing a unique connection with him.
Charles Xavier & Cain Marko
Professor X is arguably the most complicated character in the Marvel mythos. A powerful telepath and the X-Men's father figure, Xavier is also manipulative, cunning, selfish, and undeterred, qualities he shares with his villainous half-brother, Cain Marko, AKA the Juggernaut.
What's fascinating about these two characters is how similar they are, despite being polar opposites in every way possible. Whereas Xavier represents the mind's true power and potential, Marko is the living embodiment of pure, unadulterated, brutish physical force. Marko's relentless pursuit of Xavier provides some of the most enduring and high-stakes conflicts in the X-Men comics, especially when Xavier feels compelled to put his brother in check.
The Endless
Neil Geiman's Sandman is one of the best non-superhero graphic novels and one of the all-time best works on the medium. Geiman's philosophical exploration of dreams introduces the protagonist, aptly named Dream, and his siblings, the Endless, anthropomorphic representations of metaphysical concepts.
The other Endless -- Destiny, Death, Despair, Desire, Delirium, and Destruction -- have distinct and fascinating personalities that make them instantly memorable despite having a relatively small role in the story. The Endless are chaotic individually, but together they take the concept to another level. Desire and Dream are openly antagonistic to each other, but every Endless has enough chaotic energy to secure them a place in the pantheon of great dysfunctional families.