Diego Hargreeves doesn't possess his biggest comic book superpower in Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, but that can change in season 3. David Castañeda portrays the character in the live-action show based on the Dark Horse Comics by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. Raised by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, Diego was adopted alongside six other gifted children–Luther, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, and Vanya–to form a team of superpowered crime fighters. Aside from being labeled "Number Two," Diego's codename is "The Kraken," which doesn't fit the character's Netflix depiction.
Growing up, Diego emerged as a troublemaker with the habit of brandishing his powers to emulate confidence. Though he had a habit of being cocky, deep down, Diego harbored severe insecurities when it came to not living up to his father's expectations. In the present day, those feelings of self-doubt remain, continuing his rivalry with the group's "Number One," Luther. Aside from being a skilled martial artist, Diego possesses a telekinetic ability, allowing him to alter the trajectory of moving objects. He modified this specific power to become a master knife thrower, but in The Umbrella Academy season 2, Diego also uses it to change the direction of bullets.
Despite his useful abilities, Diego barely uses his powers on the show, electing to serve as a vigilante dependent on hand-to-hand combat. As situations get out of control, which is quite common for the Hargreeves family, Diego is becoming more open with his powers. Still, The Umbrella Academy hasn't given Castañeda's character his primary power from the comics: the ability to hold his breath for an unlimited amount of time, allowing him to swim underwater for long durations. With the landscape of the show drastically changing for season 3, there's certainly still time to give Diego his most compelling power.
Diego's Power Can Fit With The Umbrella Academy Season 3's Direction
Series creator Jeremy Slater has been known to take liberties in his adaptation of the popular comic book series, especially when it comes to the powers of the Hargreeves siblings. According to Castañeda (via Digital Spy), leaving out Diego's underwater powers was a calculated decision, explaining "[Showrunner Steve Blackman] wanted to ground the comic book even more." Essentially, the series wanted to steer away from the overly supernatural powers to further humanize the characters. In doing so, the show rendered Diego's Kraken nickname useless. However, based on the show's direction, it would be beneficial to dive deeper into the Hargreeves siblings' full potential.
With Reginald revealed as an alien and the existence of mysterious universes, allowing Diego to find his true Kraken powers wouldn't be much of a stretch. The Umbrella Academy season 3 is set to introduce the Sparrow Academy, Reginald's new group, which includes a floating green cube. If they turn about to be the show's next antagonists, the Hargreeves siblings will need to rely on their powers more than ever. Considering Reginald was never impressed with Diego's breath-holding ability in the comics, it would be fitting if the Netflix counterpart reveals the newfound power as a way to fight his father's new team.
It's unclear how Diego's underwater power could come into play in The Umbrella Academy season 3. Granted, with time travel and unexplored universes, there's no guessing where Diego and his siblings could end up. The series may alter Diego's comics power, revealing that he can only use the ability under certain conditions. In that case, there's an array of plausible situations that would require the character to hold his breath. With the continuous threats of apocalypses and fiery destructions, holding one's breath could be a life-saving power down the line.