Since its debut in theaters and premiere on Disney+, the world is buzzing about the members of the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe's group of heroes, the Eternals. With characters like a super-strong man, a person with mind control powers who still needs to learn how to use them responsibly, and an older person trapped in the body of a middle schooler, fans of Eternals may be wondering where they've seen these kinds of dynamics before.
It turns out that having a father figure who lies to you isn't the only thing that the Eternals and The Umbrella Academy have in common. Fans of both media might be speculating which characters would be the best of friends, would have the best fight, or just plain have the most parallels.
Sersi & Luther
Chosen by Ajak and chosen by Reginald Hargreeves, both Sersi and Luther are forced to become the leaders of their respective groups. While Luther's power is more aligned with Gilgamesh's, Sersi is the one who shoulders the same responsibility that Luther does.
Both make some questionable decisions that lead to either the end or almost end of the world. Sersi places her trust in Ikaris, while Luther decides not to trust Vanya, and tries to lock her up. Heavy is the head that holds the crown, as Sersi and Luther both find out.
Druig & Diego
The fire starters. The ones who challenge authority. Druig's power might be like Allison's, but his role in the story is more like that of Diego's. Druig and Diego are both shown to constantly go or at least try to go against the wishes and orders of their respective leaders.
Sick of being bossed around, Druig takes matters into his own hands when he leads a community of mind-controlled people into the rainforest. Sick of being number two, Diego goes off on his own as well to become a vigilante. Both are running away from their families, and both find their way back in the end.
Phastos & Allison
Phastos and Allison spent their whole lives using their powers with reckless abandon, to discover later in life the negative impacts that they had. Both now struggle with using their powers for anything but are forced to under extenuating circumstances.
A lot of their characters also revolve around their families, which is the sole motivation for both of them. Allison spends all of season 1 trying to be there for her daughter when forces are keeping her at bay, and Phastos saves the world to save his husband and son. While Phastos is reunited with his family at the end, Allison's daughter's fate is still up in the air at the end of season 2.
Thena & Klaus
Thena and Klaus are different people with one key similarity: debilitating illnesses that cause harm to themselves and others. Thena suffers from Mahd Wy'ry, while Klaus is an addict. In Eternals, Thena's episodes parallel Klaus' Umbrella Academy episodes of withdrawal and addiction.
Notably, they each rely on others to help them through their struggles. Thena relies on Gilgamesh to hold her back, and Klaus relies on Ben and others, such as when he asks Diego to tie him up so that he won't be able to go out and get drugs. While Thena's illness almost kills others, Klaus' illness almost kills him.
Sprite & Five
This one... okay, it might be a bit obvious. Five is 58 years old. Sprite, as an Eternal, is over 7,000 years old. Both of them, though, are stuck in the bodies of preteens.
Still, both Sprite and Five still have some maturing to do. Five's maturity was stunted because of his decades spent alone in the post-apocalyptic Earth (save for his girlfriend, a mannequin named Delores). Sprite, while being much older than Five, has never had the opportunity to grow neurologically at all, being in the same unchanging body for thousands of years. Now, after the events of both media, they both finally have the chance to grow up.
Gilgamesh & Ben
Gilgamesh's and Ben's roles both stem from the fact that they are often the only person who is there to support someone through their illness, namely Thena and Klaus. They are both sweet-hearted people who see the good in their loved ones, even when they are hurting themselves or others.
They are both incredibly strong and capable fighters, but they choose to love more than fight. Both of them tragically died early, and both characters left the scene by protecting those they love. Gilgamesh died protecting Thena, and Ben moved on after preventing Vanya from starting another apocalypse.
Ikaris & Vanya
Both Ikaris and Vanya can fly and make their eyes glow, as well as cause some serious damage to people and property. Yet, the more important thing is the parts they play in their plots, particularly when it comes to the end of the world. Both of them tried to end the world, with Vanya actually succeeding.
Both of their plots to end the world began with them learning a big secret that their father figure had kept from them. Ikaris learned about the Emergence from his fellow Eternal, Ajak, who he then killed. Vanya, meanwhile, learned that she had god-like powers from her boyfriend, Harold Jenkins, who she then also killed. The key difference is that once Ikaris learned about the Emergence, he wanted to obey his creator Arishem and fight to make it happen, while Vanya ended the world by accident in an attempt to get revenge on her own father figure.
Ajak & Grace
As there are ten Eternals and only seven members of the Umbrella Academy, some Eternals had to be matched up with other characters. Ajak draws an obvious parallel to Grace in the fact that they are both the mother figures of their respective groups, but it runs deeper than that.
Grace is a robot, and in a way, so is Ajak. They were both created by the father figure (Reginald and Arishem) for the sole purpose of being the mother to their groups. They both knew secrets that the father figure was keeping from everyone else, and when Grace spilled her secrets, Five erased that day. When Ajak spilled her secrets, Ikaris killed her. Both actions ensured that their secrets would not get out until much later.
Kingo & Lila
Kingo and Lila are both so invested in their work that it causes harm to the people they care about. Lila causes harm to Diego in her work for the Commission, and Kingo abandons Sprite to pursue a Bollywood career.
An interesting similarity, though, is how both characters handled their final battles. Kingo refused to fight at all, being unwilling to hurt any of the people he loved. Lila fought against the Academy, up to the point where they cornered her and Diego talked her out of hurting them. Eventually, Lila chose to also escape the battle, because she couldn't bring herself to hurt Diego anymore.
Makkari & Eudora
Makkari and Eudora both represent a strong moral compass in their respective stories. In a deleted scene, Makkari talks to Sprite about how she believes that despite everything, humans are precious and deserve to be saved. Eudora Patch believes in much the same thing.
They also both have a twist in their character arcs towards the end. Makkari, upon seeing Ikaris almost kill Druig, abandons all pretenses and focuses her energy into a rage as she fights Ikaris. Eudora, after a season of doing things by the book, decides to try things Diego's way after learning that Diego's brother was in danger. Both will do anything for the side of good, even when it costs them.