The Umbrella Academy's newest compelling superhuman, Lila Pitts, has something in common with a villain set to appear in Black Widow. The film will follow the titular figure, aka Natasha Romanoff, and still stands as the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Meanwhile, Netflix's live-action adaptation of Gerard Way's comic book series recently debuted its second season by thrusting the powerful Hargreeves siblings into another disastrous scenario with the world's fate hanging in the balance. To disrupt their mission, the series introduced Ritu Arya as a character with abilities far more dangerous than what the Hargreeves family was prepared for.
The Umbrella Academy season 2 introduced a handful of new characters including Carl and Sissy Cooper, in addition to Harlan, their young son that received powers after being saved from Vanya. The most prominent addition to the series, however, was Lila, a woman that Diego first met at a psychiatric institution. Following their escape, Lila joined Diego and the Hargreeves family endeavors before it was revealed that she was working undercover for the Handler. In fact, Lila was raised by the Handler since the age of five after her parents were killed. Despite believing that they were murdered in a home invasion, it was later unearthed that the Handler set up the assassination because Lila was one of the 43 special children born on October 1, 1989.
Like the Hargreeves siblings who were also born on the same day, Lila possessed a unique set of powers. The noteworthy ability being her power to mimic those of the Umbrella Academy. While in close proximity to superhumans, Lila was able to mimic powers one at a time. She put this on display during a showdown on the Cooper family farm in the season 2 finale. For example, she used teleportation when fighting with Five, the "rumor" power in contact with Allison, superstrength while battling Luther, and sound absorption while facing off with Vanya. The mimicry closely resembles the notable powers of Taskmaster, a Marvel villain set to make his debut in Black Widow. While comparing Lila and Taskmaster, the latter has a bit of a disadvantage.
How Taskmaster's Powers Differ From Lila's In The Umbrella Academy
Whereas Lila had the ability to absorb powers that would be categorized as superhuman, Taskmaster can only replicate an opponent's physical movements. In what was dubbed "photographic reflexes," Taskmaster is known for studying the movements of others and duplicating their movements. Despite becoming highly skilled in the means of combat, weaponry, and athleticism, his powers don't consist of superhuman strength. In time, Taskmaster has a history of learning to move at near-superhuman speeds, but his powers still hold restrictions.
It's important to note that Lila serves as an original character created for The Umbrella Academy season 2. She doesn't have a comic book counterpart like many of the other characters on the show. While developing the Netflix series, it's possible that Taskmaster was the inspiration behind Lila's conception. Seeing as the character has roots in comics, there are obvious connections between the two figures. Based on early Black Widow footage, it seems like the live-action adaptation kept hold of Taskmaster's ability to go toe-to-toe with opponents through replication. It will be interesting to see how his arc plays out and whether Lila shares more in common with this villain when she undoubtedly returns in season 3.
