In the Umbrella Academy comic books, it’s revealed that Five and Luther are related, but the Netflix show has yet to mention the connection.
Warning! Spoilers for The Umbrella Academy comic ahead.
Over the course of its opening two seasons, The Umbrella Academy has yet to answer a question the comics resolve: are Number Five and Luther twins? In both media, the titular Umbrella Academy is a group of reluctantly superpowered individuals who fought crime together in their youth under the supervision of their extraterrestrial foster father. In their malaise-ridden adulthood, they are repeatedly brought together to avert apocalyptic disasters which often revolve around their most volatile and powerful member, Viktor.
The origins of the Umbrella Academy date to 1989, when Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven children from all over the world who had no obvious relation beyond their mysterious origin, all being born at exactly the same time to women who were not pregnant (the same woman, in Luther and Five’s cases). The Umbrella Academy then spent the beginning of their superpowered lives as foster siblings undergoing brutal training before dire circumstances (including Ben’s death and the disappearance of Five) drove them apart, only to reunite years later at Hargreeves’ funeral.
However, certain ties bind some members of the Academy together more strongly than others. In the comics, the connection between the time-traveling Five and the Umbrella Academy’s leader Luther has been shared since their fateful single day in the womb. The show hasn’t yet fulfilled the same narrative thread – so are Number Five and Luther twins in the show? And, if not, why not?
Are Luther And Five Twins In The Show?
In the comic books, it is revealed that the Umbrella Academy’s Luther and Five are twins, making them biologically related, unlike the other members of the group or any of the other known superpowered people. But are Number Five and Luther twins in the show? As the two are fraternal twins, the fact that they are brothers could be kept secret until the full reveal of the Dallas arc, when Carmichael, the goldfish, professes his knowledge of it. Yet while it was a huge revelation in the source material, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy likely removed the link because it was related to a similarly excised plot point from the Dallas arc: the killing of JFK.
Although there is a subplot in the show mentioning Hargreeves’ involvement in the incident, the arc is much more prevalent in the comics, as Carmichael threatens to kill Luther and Five’s mother as blackmail to drive the assassination. Without this kind of personal danger, the revelation of the boys’ mother would likely have only served to clutter the world of a season that already introduced a number of significant new characters, including Viktor’s love interest Sissy, Allison’s husband Raymond, and the mysterious Lila Pitts, in addition to making greater use of complex plot devices like time travel and alternate histories. This is why the issue of whether Number Five and Luther are twins is yet to be fully addressed before season 3.
Will Season 3 Explore Luther And Five’s Link?
As season 3 launches, it looks as though The Umbrella Academy will continue to keep this key information back. It’s important to note that while the audience is aware that Five and Luther are twins in the comics, the characters themselves are currently ignorant. As such, the potential narrative impact of the familial bond hasn’t been explored in any medium. This could even mean that the showrunners have decided that exploring this potential storyline doesn’t actually add to the tale they want to tell for now. The emphasis on the Sparrow Academy, as revealed in The Umbrella Academy season 2 finale, suggests that they will be the main focus of season 3, rather than exploring the relationship between Five and Luther.
Of course, just because The Umbrella Academy hasn’t yet mentioned Five and Luther’s connection, that doesn’t preclude the show from adding it in a future season. It’s worth noting that Luther and Five were often paired up in season 2, establishing a dynamic that could be expanded upon and deepened later by giving them a literal fraternal bond. And although The Umbrella Academy does deviate from the comics’ story fairly often, the introduction of Lila (a character unique to the Netflix series) and an alternate-timeline Sparrow Academy suggests that the show will explore the unusual nature of the 43 people with superpowers in The Umbrella Academy in more detail than the comics. and a blood connection between Five and Luther would fit perfectly within such an exploration.
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The Umbrella Academy Season 3 debuts 06/22/2022 on Netflix
