With a third season already on the way, The Umbrella Academy has developed a loyal fanbase and become one of Netflix's most successful hit shows in recent years. Revolving around an estranged family of adopted superpowered siblings, the story sees unexpected heroes uncovering the secrets of their past and fighting to prevent the future.
With such a loaded premise, it's easy to draw fans in, but even easier to let them down. So far, The Umbrella Academy has enjoyed a fair amount of success with an 8.0 score on IMDb and an 87 percent fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That doesn't mean everything has been perfect, however, as some fans have taken to Reddit to express their unpopular opinions regarding the series.
Updated on June 21st, 2022, by Stuart Kilmartin: Season three of The Umbrella Academy is set to land on Netflix on June 22nd. With a host of returning characters and a slew of new ones as well, season three promises to bring more apocalyptic interdimensional action to our screens. Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page is set to return to the show, and the actor's real-life transition is set to feature prominently in the storyline of the show's third season, with Vanya transitioning to Viktor. Before binging the show's third season, re-visit some of the more controversial opinions about The Umbrella Academy.
Luther And Allison’s Dance Is Awkward
The Umbrella Academy’s use of music is one of its strongest attributes, and the series often has fun dance scenes interloped with the music. These scenes can be hit or miss, but the dance scene between Luther and Allison sticks out to some as one of the misses.
“I like the show so far... but sometimes I feel it doesn't quite know what it wants to be,” says one Reddit user, “The dance scene between Luther and Allison was absolutely awful.” While “Dancing in the Moonlight” is a great song, this scene was not a great way to show their relationship development and felt very jarring and forced to some viewers.
Dolores Was Sorely Missed In Season 2
Largely included as a joke character, it’s easy to assume the mannequin named Dolores would have quickly worn thin on people’s patience. That doesn’t appear to be the case, as Reddit user luchopr27 simply states, “I miss Dolores!”. While Dolores is just a mannequin, she apparently garnered a solid following, considering that comment received nearly 300 upvotes.
User mother_of_squid adds, “I don't know how a 12-year-old and a mannequin became the best couple but they are the best couple.” While Dolores was largely meant to signify Five’s loneliness after so much time spent out in the apocalyptic waste, it would be nice to see the mannequin make a reappearance in season 3.
The Swedes Were Interesting Characters
As agents of the Temps Commission and secondary antagonists in season 1, Hazel and Cha-Cha were always going to be difficult to surpass as fan favorites. The Swedes replace their role in season 2, but take things in a whole new direction. Their quiet and quirky nature might be easy for some fans to ignore, but they certainly left an impression on others.
“I like the Swedes. I saw that some people didn't like them, so I count this as unpopularish,” says user HostaTheIce-LeafWing. Whether they were caught dancing, throwing knives at each other, or hosting a funeral for their fallen brother, The Swedes are always weirdly entertaining and were a nice change of pace from the usual secret agent trope.
The JFK Assassination Plot Sucks
The mission to prevent the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy is one of the core plotlines in season 2 of Umbrella Academy. Diego in particular uses this as an opportunity to redeem himself and make a change for the better, but in doing so only proves he suffers from hero syndrome.
“I find Diego and his obsession with saving JFK in season 2 incredibly irritating,” says Reddit user Nargon 46, “He comes off as very self-righteous and has no sense of the other disasters surrounding the rest of the group.” A major consequence of hero syndrome is hurting others in pursuit of personal recognition, this makes Diego very difficult to root for at times in season 2 and feels like a step backward in what was otherwise a great season for Diego.
Klaus And Dave’s Relationship Isn’t Compelling
Each of the siblings in The Umbrella Academy has relationships that ultimately define the person they come to be, but Klaus’ in particular felt extremely rushed in season 1. User sulky22 says, “Klaus should get a relationship story with the same amount of onscreen development as [the others]... I mean, even Five and Dolores had longer deeper dialogue scenes than Klaus and Dave.”
They go on to point out that Dave only receives three short lines of dialogue in the first season. The pair would be a fan-favorite online, but it wasn’t until season 2 that the show would explore the relationship’s origin and deeper meaning. Even then, some people felt it relied on Klaus’ big personality as a crutch to make Dave seem more likable. Klaus is easily one of the most-beloved characters on the show, but he's also one of the most tragic and his relationship with Dave only serves to highlight this more.
Luther Made The Right Call
One of the biggest themes in season 1 of The Umbrella Academy is Luther’s status as Number One, and with that comes the responsibility of being a leader. However, being isolated on the moon has left him struggling to relate to his siblings and re-establish the chemistry the team once had.
User KindOfABigDeal says, “I thought the portrayal of him as a flawed leader made sense and was a unique take of the strong guy is a natural leader trope.” They also continue on to support Luther’s decision to lock Vanya up, because he was just assessing the risk of the situation and attempting to protect his family. His decisions could be interpreted as good or bad, which may have rubbed some people the wrong way but is a realistic depiction of leadership and bravery.
Season 2 Was A Step Backwards
While season 2 of The Umbrella Academy introduced many new concepts and interesting characters, some believed it to be a retread of the first installment instead of something that builds on the established content. User MonsterHunterJustin says, “It feels like it's just season one all over again with the same story, character motivations, etc. None of the characters feel like they learned anything from the first season, in any way.”
It can be frustrating to get invested in a character just to see them make the same mistakes over and over. While season 2 amplifies the spectacle and features some of the show's best fight sequences, it fails to deliver on the character growth that makes the show special in the eyes of some fans.
Vanya/Viktor Is Annoying
Vanya/Viktor comes from a much different background than her siblings, and overcoming these issues is a central part of their character arc. However, the time it takes them to process these things leads some fans to believe they have a victim mentality. “Vanya sucks, I know a lot of people love her but I just find her to be too much of a victim and she reminds me of people in my own life that I just can't stand,” says user Orobourous87.
While that personality trait can be frustrating to deal with, it’s important to recognize the underlying issues that cause the symptoms of trauma seen in Vanya/Viktor. Unfortunately, the series doesn’t fully expand on this until later and thus leaves a bad impression of one of the show’s most crucial characters on some people.
Pogo Didn’t Deserve Sympathy
As if being an adorable primate butler wasn’t enough, Pogo was utilized heavily in the marketing for the first season of The Umbrella Academy and left viewers excited to learn more about the chimpanzee in human clothes. Unfortunately, Pogo's story would be cut short to the dismay of many new fans.
After learning more about the children’s origin and how Pogo played a large role in it, some fans turned on him. Reddit user Zokathra_Spell says, “The chimp deserved to die,” while user Viviaana adds, “[Pogo] just sitting by as [Reginald] tortures the children makes him look like an accomplice.” Had Pogo been a human instead of a chimpanzee, it’s likely far fewer people would have had sympathy for his death in season 1.
Saving The World Is Getting Tiresome
A central theme of The Umbrella Academy throughout its first two seasons has been the task of sorting out the family's dysfunctional side while also cooperating to prevent the apocalypse. This sounds very interesting on paper but can begin to feel bland if the plot is no longer progressing.
User EmissaryFromHell says, “The ‘End of the World’ gimmick really needs to stop.” Season 1 ended with Vanya struggling to control her powers, a final battle against The Handler, and the end of the world. Season 2 also ended with those same three central plot points. Taking the series in a new direction for the third season could help freshen things up in a big way.