Fans hated Luther after The Umbrella Academy's debut season, but the latest adventures of the Hargreeves family set things straight. Played by Tom Hopper, Luther is the Umbrella Academy's Number 1, and he once led the superhero team with an unerring sense of justice and confidence. Luther was hopelessly loyal to Sir Reginald and was the only sibling still actively working for him when the story began. Luther was resolute in his moral beliefs and felt an innate drive to lead the Academy, even as fully grown adults, but his world began to crack when he uncovered his father's moon mission deception. After this shock reveal, the ape-bodied giant broke out into the world and experienced things he had previously rejected, like nightclubs, rebellion, drugs and sex.

While Luther might've loosened up a little in his extra-curricular activity, his attitude towards the other Hargreeves siblings remained, and he continued to lead them with remarkable incompetence. Luther locked up Vanya after she attacked Allison, inadvertently triggering the emergence of the White Violin. Luther then tried to keep Allison out of harm's way when confronting Vanya, even though The Rumor might've been able to make a difference. Essentially, Luther's love for Allison pushed him to make stupid decisions, and headstrong characters making poor choices don't exactly endear themselves to the audience (even if they are still effective, compelling characters). And so it proved with Luther, who The Umbrella Academy fans quickly rounded upon following season 1.

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Fortunately, The Umbrella Academy season 2 redeems Luther in one of the show's best character arcs yet. Luther's first step towards redemption is a simple one: apologizing. When Luther first locates Vanya in the 1960s, he admits wrongdoing in locking her up, not just from a tactical perspective, but also as a brother to a sister. Luther's genuine apology triggers a shift in his overall demeanor - he's less domineering in season 2, listening to his siblings more instead of misguidedly trying to lead the way in every scenario. It's evident that Luther's treatment of Vanya has been bothering him greatly since the time jump, but Luther's apology isn't just a selfish attempt to relieve emotional weight from his hairy shoulders. It feels like Luther has already accepted the burden of his actions, regardless of the apology, and his only intention is to put things right with his sister.

Luther sitting in a car in Umbrella Academy, Season 2

That theme of acceptance is key in Luther's Umbrella Academy development. In season 1, the other Hargreeves siblings had already realized their father was a terrible person, and acknowledged they were deeply flawed as a result of their unconventional upbringing. As the only character who experiences this revelation on-screen, Luther was the exception, and viewers watched Tom Hopper's character unravel after discovering his father was lying about the moon mission. Conversely, the other Hargreeves siblings had unraveled years ago and were in various stages of putting themselves back together. By the time Luther returns in season 2, he's on that road to recovery. Luther knows his own flaws, can see where he went wrong before, and accepts he isn't the dutiful, heroic leader he thought he was, putting him on an even level compared to the rest of the Academy.

But perhaps the most important step in making Luther a sympathetic character in The Umbrella Academy season 2 is how he often takes a backseat. Even after his breakdown, season 1 Luther still seeks to take charge, inevitably with bad results. In the 1960s, however, he shows the same kind of self-depreciating, jaded apathy as his siblings. Luther doesn't want to lead the Academy, nor does he believe he should lead them. He doesn't even care if Diego does the leading instead. When Number Five is rallying around his siblings trying to stop yet another apocalypse, he perhaps expected Luther to jump to his aid first, but the super-strong simian turns him down. This shows just how far Luther's ego has diminished, and while he's still coming to terms with everything, there's an emotional evolution happening in the character's head. By reigning Luther in as the dominant, disruptive force in House Hargreeves, The Umbrella Academy removes the main reason everyone hated him in season 1, blending Luther into a team player instead of a idealistic man-child with his head in the sand.

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