With the number of characters The Umbrella Academy features, the show manages to give each character a vivid and unique personality. However, as in most shows, all of the characters experience a moment where they go against their personalities.
Within just two seasons, the characters have their fair share of ups and downs. Whether it's Luther spending a night at the club, Vanya wanting her family's help, or Reginald actually acting fatherly, everyone has a moment where they say something that's not true to themselves.
Reginald
"I suppose Homer will have to wait."
A renowned scientist and wealthy entrepreneur, Reginald Hargreeves, acted as a father figure, adopting and naming the group of super-powered kids. However, he failed to name the kids themselves, calling them by a number he deemed them by usefulness. This is one of the many cold-hearted things he does to the kids, including experimenting on them for his interests.
During a montage from season 2, Hargreeves shows a rare moment of kindness. As he reads aloud to baby Pogo, his fatherly side briefly appears. He clearly enjoys the bonding time, getting lost in the moment, and needing Grace to tell him that the chimp is asleep. This leads him to put the book down and say, "I suppose Homer will have to wait," seemingly the first time he's put another being's needs above his curiosity and experimentation. Also, in the montage, Hargreeves seems to genuinely make Pogo a part of the family, more than he ever does with The Umbrella Academy.
Sissy
"Maybe you should watch how you talk to me for once."
Sissy seems only to have been a brief role in The Umbrella Academy, but her character has an entire arch thanks to Vanya. At first, she plays the role of a typical housewife abused by her husband and unable to stand up to him.
However, towards the end of season 2, Sissy finally takes a stand to prevent her husband from taking their child away. She holds him at gunpoint and eventually says, "Maybe you should watch how you talk to me for once." This is not only out of character for her, but it's her turning point, the point where she finally allows her needs to come before serving and pleasing her husband.
Ben
"Nobody needs your shit, Klaus. It's why you're always alone."
Though dead, Ben's character is very much alive in the Netflix original series. His spirit attaches itself to Klaus, and he acts as Klaus' voice of reason. Most of the time, he's scolding Klaus for being an addict and saying he's been watching Klaus make the same mistakes for years. Ben encourages Klaus to stay sober when he is sober for a bit.
However harsh he is, Ben's not mean and never puts Klaus down. He wants the best for his brother. After reaching a boiling point, he says, "Nobody needs your shit, Klaus. It's why you're always alone." He says it in selfishness, intending to hurt Klaus, which he never does until this point. He always sacrifices himself for everyone else, but this is a time where he acts for himself.
Lila
"Is it okay that I don't hate you like I hate most people?"
Lila enters season 2 as a fellow patient at the hospital Diego is sent. She comes off as very confident with a hard shell. She's also full of witty and sarcastic remarks.
Lila quickly becomes Diego's love interest. In a spontaneous most of sharing feelings, she asks Diego, "Is it okay that I don't hate you like I hate most people?" She hardly ever exposes her feelings, which is the closest she gets to telling Diego she loves him. She confides in Herb right before going back to her usual self and threatening him not to tell anyone.
Vanya
"I need your help, too. I'm scared. And for the first time in my life, I don't want to do it alone. I want my family by my side."
Vanya always feels like an outsider in the family. There's an episode in season 1 titled "Extra Ordinary," where it exposes her writing and publishing a book about how awful it was growing up without powers in a house full of powerful people. She experiences many other things to make her hate her family.
Yet, she admits this, "I need your help, too. I'm scared. And for the first time in my life, I don't want to do it alone. I want my family by my side." It's something rare to see in Vanya, who navigates most of the series so far with partners outside of the family. She isn't the type to rely on others, having been isolated most of her life. But at this moment, she finally feels open to asking for their help.
Diego
"I know what it's like to live with dangerous people. Difference is they love me back."
Diego has a hero complex. He's always trying to play the lone vigilante. Because of this, Diego comes off tougher than he truly is. He has difficulty being Number Two when he thinks he deserves to be Number One. This makes him stubborn and somewhat immature.
He has a deeper side, though. Most of it comes out around his mom or Lila. In this instance, when he tells her, "I know what it's like to live with dangerous people. Difference is they love me back," he shows a vulnerability that's only seen a few times before. Diego loves Lila, and he wants her to know they're similar and that she has a chance to be loved. It's an unexpected side of Diego that comes from their family coming together and accomplishing something.
Number Five
"I do have a lot of growing up to do."
Number Five is an older man in a young person's body, quite literally. He's pretty typical in that he's grumpy and cynical. He's also tremendously smart, too smart for his own good.
Still, Number Five lacks people skills. He lived alone in an apocalyptic world for most of his life, so it's only natural. But when he tells Delores, his mannequin girlfriend, "I do have a lot of growing up to do," it's unexpected. Before that, he only expresses his superiority and how much more life experience her has than his siblings.
Allison
"I heard a rumor that you shut your damn mouth."
Allison rarely uses her power. After using it to force her daughter to sleep, she went on hiatus. She's a pretty kind, well-meaning person, but her power has been her downfall a few times.
In an instance of intense anger, Allison uses her power to injure a white's only diner employee. A build-up of using it to prove her powers to Ray leads to her getting a power high and using it against the man. She says something she usually wouldn't, "I heard a rumor that you shut your damn mouth." This literally sews his mouth shut, and she makes him poor scolding hot coffee on his bare skin. He deserves to be punished, but this is not the right way, and she knows it.
Klaus
"Where has it gotten me? Nowhere. I can't talk to the person I love. People still don't take me seriously. I wanna be numb again."
Klaus is quite a character. He's kooky and out there and high most of the time. But he's somewhat of a fan favorite because he's carefree and doesn't take many things too seriously. He's basically seen as the joke (and burden) of the family, even when he is sober, which is rare.
Perhaps one of the saddest quotes from Klaus comes when he's on the verge of relapse. He discusses sobriety with Ben, saying, "Where has it gotten me? Nowhere. I can't talk to the person I love. People still don't take me seriously. I wanna be numb again." This is a low point for Klaus. He loses the goofy, loving part of himself that everyone loves so much. It's understandable, being sober and having no one believe him because his powers make him act so strangely. But it's also sad. And though wanting to be high is nothing new for Klaus, wanting to be numb is an entirely new take as to why he's high all the time.
Luther
"I wanna be Number Four."
Thanks to Reginald's upbringing, Luther has some major daddy issues. He constantly needs to be Number One, the leader, as deemed by his father. He feels the need to take responsibility for the family. He felt so dedicated to his role that he never moved out of the house and lived his own life.
However, after discovering that he was sent to space for no reason, he's so down that he claims, "I wanna be Number Four," to Klaus, who is Number Four. This statement and the actions he takes afterward are extremely uncharacteristic. He's loyal and responsible, and with the night he endures after this statement, he's the exact opposite. But after all those years, he deserves to let loose for one night.