How Superhero Masculinity Is Overturned By “The Umbrella Academy”

The movie “The Umbrella Academy” demonstrates the power of being open about your feelings and being vulnerable.

Superheroes have conventionally portrayed a particular kind of on-stage masculinity. These heroes are frequently combatants who possess a combination of strength, intelligence, skill, and muscle. They don’t exhibit a variety of emotions and are tough, straight individuals. We haven’t had a number of role models to aspire to apart from this constricting norm of masculine heroics till lately. The Umbrella Academy‘s male characters present a disruptive and more accurate representation of masculinity. The Hargreeves siblings demonstrate that gender expression is a fluid continuum rather than a binary or constrictive concept.

Given that his name literally translates to “Number One,” Luther (Tom Hooper) is designated as the group’s alpha male. He is physically fit and robust, and gorilla DNA is even present in him. At first sight, Luther doesn’t seem like much apart from another appealing strong-guy that blindly obeys orders. However, as his character is given room to change and advance, we realize that Luther is much more complex than he appears to be. He is a true himbo who treats his relationships and love with a sincere zeal. After having his first sexual encounter with Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez), Luther dances home as if he were the lead character in a musical that is about to break into song. As soon as he finds out about his brother Viktor’s (Elliot Page) transition, he wants to throw a party to make sure Viktor feels accepted and loved by his family. Luther shows that one can be big and strong while being soft and sweet.

Similar to all hard-shelled confectionaries, David Castañeda’s Diego is hard on the outside and sweet on the inside. Diego appears to be your typical lone-wolf vigilante from the outside. He’s a really good combatant, but he doesn’t trust easily, and he prefers to strike first and ask questions later. Once you get to know him, he proves to be a very tender and caring person. He is obviously in love with Lila (Ritu Arya), but he won’t allow her to be in his life once more until she wins his heart again. Diego is determined to do everything it takes to be a better parent than his own when Lila leaves Stanley (Javon “Wanna” Walton) on his doorstep in Season 3. Diego demonstrates that harshness and gentleness can coexist, much like Luther did.

In actuality, Aidan Gallagher’s Five is a grumpy elderly man disguised as an adolescent. As a result, he behaves differently than one might anticipate from a typical teen. He is jaded and cynical, preferring to enjoy a fine whisky by himself rather than go out and hang around with other teenagers. Five is a merciless warrior who has probably taken the more lives than any member of The Umbrella Academy team has (except for the timelines in which Viktor unintentionally created an apocalypse). Nevertheless, despite his pessimism, he decides to assist his siblings rather than leave this world or let his time pass as a grumpy elderly man. He demonstrates his affection for them in his own special way, whether it is by killing The Commission’s board to secure their safe return or by making an emotional speech at Luther and Sloane’s wedding while being intoxicated.

Robert Sheehan‘s (Robert) character Klaus embodies fluidity. He rejects categorization and is always, without reservation, his own self. Klaus does and wear whatever he pleases, and has sex with whomever he pleases. Fans have categorized Klaus as non-binary even though he hasn’t come out as such in the series because of how free-spirited he is and how little he cares about heteronormative society’s restrictions. In the 1960s, Klaus founds a cult because he finds society to be so constricting at the time, and as he loves to be noticed as well. Due to his abilities, even the most rigid binary we can understand as humans—life and death—has no bearing on Klaus. He has the ability to repeatedly revive himself, communicate with the deceased, and shortly channel their power. Since the start of the show, Klaus has questioned conventional ideas of what it means to be a man and a hero. More than once, rescuing his family and the planet has depended on his abilities and tendency for mayhem.

The Umbrella Academy not just inspires Klaus to be his own version, but it encourages Viktor to do the same as well. In Season 3, Elliot Page’s Viktor resolves to accept his true identity; cutting off his hair and requesting that his siblings call him Viktor rather than Vanya. His family, of course, doesn’t have a problem with his transformation and is happy to have Viktor around. Despite having the strength to nearly end the planet twice, Viktor is also a very kind and intuitive person, and is especially the initial person Five confides in to tell them about the end of the world in Season 1.

Despite his short memory loss, Viktor looks after Harlan as a youngster in Season 2 since he understands what it’s like to be on one’s own in this world. Viktor is willing to assist Harlan when he is an elderly man and is rediscovered in the current timeline. Viktor’s heart is his strongest power, demonstrating that it takes just as much bravery to be weak as it does to save the world.

The characters of The Umbrella Academy demonstrate that heroes don’t have to be masculine to be taken seriously and display a wide range of masculinity outside of the norm. The Hargreeves brothers and sisters demonstrate that men may be rough and sincere, strong and caring, and still save the world. Since we get to witness a more vulnerable side of Luther, Diego, and Five, they are more fully realized as characters. It is crucial that we are able to recognize them as something greater than just the team’s main force. Klaus and Viktor normalize gender presentation as an ever-evolving phenomenon, and they assert that it is acceptable to be wherever you are on the spectrum at any given period. They demonstrate to us the power of being one’s true self, which is greater than any superpower. The Umbrella Academy shows through its characters that displaying your weakness and emotions in public can be powerful. The series challenges our preconceived notions of what masculinity in a superhero should look like by allowing the Hargreeves brothers to be real people with real emotions.