My Chemical Romance are finally getting back together, but how will their reunion affect Netflix's The Umbrella Academy? Centered on the lives of 6 dysfunctional adopted siblings with superpowers (and a ghost), The Umbrella Academy is based on comic books drawn by Gabriel Ba and written by the lead singer of My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way. The first season of the adaptation was a huge hit for Netflix, proving to be a quirky, gothic alternative to standard superhero fare, and a second run was quickly put into production.
Despite finding success as a comic book writer, Gerard Way is perhaps best known for his musical career. My Chemical Romance exploded into the mainstream with their 2004 album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and enjoyed greater success throughout the 2000s before eventually breaking up in 2013, much to the disappointment of their legions of fans worldwide. After years of endless speculation, My Chemical Romance announced their highly-anticipated reunion on Halloween 2019 and the group's comeback show will be held in December.
While the return of My Chemical Romance currently has fans bouncing off the walls with excitement, this could potentially impact The Umbrella Academy's second season, as well as the series' long-term future. Firstly, there's the writing of the Umbrella Academy comic books to consider. With only 3 volumes published thus far, the Netflix adaptation has precious little in the way of comic content to draw inspiration from, and this could lead to The Umbrella Academy either cutting short, or heading into entirely TV-original stories sooner rather than later.
The reason for this shortage in material is the hiatus taken from 2009 to 2018, with Way citing a number of reasons for the break, including the pursuit of a musical solo career. One would assume that My Chemical Romance would be a more time-consuming venture than Gerard's lone endeavors, and this might suggest another lengthy delay before The Umbrella Academy vol. 4 is released. With that said, it's also important to note that the initial two Umbrella Academy volumes were written while Gerard and his band were very much still together. Subsequently, there is a definite possibility that the singer could balance his musical and comic duties simultaneously, and ensure the Netflix series has plenty of stories to adapt.
Aside from writing the comics, Gerard Way has also taken a keen interest in how his story is translated to live-action. The franchise's creator acted as an executive producer on The Umbrella Academy season 1 and appeared to offer a significant hand in the making of the series, while also having some degree of on-set presence during filming, judging by the singer's social media posts. Unlike comic writing, this might be something Way struggles to maintain in The Umbrella Academy season 2 and beyond, given the demands of a touring band that looks set to record new albums and reconquer the world.
While it's possible that the lack of first-hand input from Gerard Way could affect how future seasons of The Umbrella Academy adapt certain elements of the comics or the tone the series takes from now on, it's possible that this was always the plan. The Umbrella Academy showrunner, Steve Blackman, worked closely with Way during the conception of the series and has already taken the story in a very different direction. As such, it made sense for The Umbrella Academy's original creator to take an immediate interest in the first season, guiding the path on which the Netflix series would begin its existence. Heading into season 2, however, The Umbrella Academy has found its groove, and Gerard's role can perhaps afford to be scaled back without negatively impacting the quality or consistency of the series, and allowing the singer more time for his other career.
The Umbrella Academy season 2 is currently without a release date. More news as it arrives.