The Umbrella Academy season 3 promises to introduce a slew of new characters, but first, it needs to fix its inconsistent version of Luther.
The upcoming The Umbrella Academy season 3 has to fix Luther Hargreeves' powers once and for all. First released on February 15th, 2019, Netflix's The Umbrella Academy has garnered highly positive reviews across its two seasons to date, with critics praising the series' dark humor and intricately woven plot adapted from creator Gerard Way's original comics. This is not to say The Umbrella Academy's reviews have been without criticism, however, with many audiences finding fault with its characters translating as lackluster propositions compared to their comic book counterparts.
All of Reginald Hargreeves' (Colm Feore) adopted children, in fact, appear muted in comparison with their far more powerful original versions. Klaus (Robert Sheehan), for example, can levitate and communicate via airwaves in the comics, while Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) can warp the fabric of reality itself rather than "rumor" people individually. These potent abilities cause the threat and power level of Gerard Way's comics to scale far quicker than Netflix's two The Umbrella Academy seasons to date, resulting in many of the academy members feeling toned down for the live-action series.
Related: Umbrella Academy Season 3 Already Revealed Its Most Important Episode
Yet by far, the most maligned character in Netflix's The Umbrella Academy is Luther (Tom Hopper), who is at present a pale imitation of his comic book self. The Umbrella Academy has portrayed Luther's abilities in an inconsistent manner, linking his abilities to self-confidence and an extended stint on the moon at will - angering swathes of The Umbrella Academy fans. As a result, here's why The Umbrella Academy season 3 has to fix Luther's powers once and for all, as well as how the Netflix series can do it.
The comic book version of Luther has potent superpowers backed up by a zany origin story that conspire to make him a highly compelling character. Nicknamed "Spaceboy" by the media due to being the youngest astronaut in The Umbrella Academy canon, Luther undergoes a disastrous mission to Mars that results in his human body being mangled beyond recognition. In a desperate effort to save his life, Reginald transplants Luther's head (and consciousness) onto the body of a martian gorilla. While Luther is distraught at his new visage, the metallic gorilla suit keeping him alive enhances his super strength tenfold and allows him to fly - making him a formidable opponent and the rock around which the academy continually rallies.
In contrast, the Luther Hargreeves portrayed in Netflix's The Umbrella Academy is significantly weaker, which has angered sections of the series' fanbase. As audiences have pointed out, Luther's powers seem to wax and wane almost at random, which, alongside his lack of leadership skills from the comics, makes his role at the academy more confusing. The Umbrella Academy season 1 makes a point of showcasing Luther's super strength initially, yet he is roundly dispatched in a hand-to-hand brawl by Hazel (Cameron Britton), who is an enhanced human supposedly far below Luther's strength level. Conversely, The Umbrella Academy season 2 shows Luther taking a rocket blast square to the back akin to the MCU's Hulk with no damage - making his portrayal and power inconsistencies frustrating for many fans.
While the Netflix series has not explicitly explained Luther's powers beyond the title of "super strength," The Umbrella Academy implies that Luther's power levels are based on his own self-confidence. For example, Luther is shown as a young man besting a group of bank robbers with ease, with subsequent scenes revealing him to be a cocky, jovial character at that time in his life. This contrasts heavily with the present-day persona seen in the majority of The Umbrella Academy, with Luther unable to win in a street fight or beat Hazel one-on-one despite his physical size and appearance.
Related: Umbrella Academy Season 3's Violence Will Make Previous Seasons Look Tame
In this way, Luther's powers are directly linked to his personal confidence, which is at an all-time low at the beginning of The Umbrella Academy season 1 after being sent to the moon and partially turned into a gorilla. Luther's most lackluster portrayals in battle in the series to date have come off the back of an argument with his siblings (the Hazel fight) or following a low ebb in his will-they-won't-they relationship with Allison (the bar brawl), indicating his self-esteem needs to be high in order for his super strength to function properly.
As a result, The Umbrella Academy season 3 needs to fix Luther's power inconsistencies once and for all. Aligning Luther closer to his potent comic book counterpart would be the perfect way to up the ante in The Umbrella Academy season 3 as the group faces off against the formidable-looking Sparrow Academy, while simultaneously placating The Umbrella Academy fans unhappy with his current live-action portrayal. Furthermore, The Umbrella Academy can also finally directly tie Luther's power to his confidence by showing Tom Hopper's character besting the Sparrows and his father in the alternate 2019 timeline, restoring his own pride, and overcoming the familial issues that have plagued his psyche throughout the show.
While the Netflix series could certainly do a better job of explaining exactly how Luther's super strength ability works, The Umbrella Academy season 3 can be the perfect springboard to portray the best version of his character. The Umbrella Academy season 2 opener, "Right Back Where We Started," was so positively received precisely because it showed Luther's strength working at maximum capacity - with his siblings needing this version of Luther against the Sparrow Academy. As aforementioned, The Umbrella Academy season 3 will, at last, give Luther a chance to overcome the issues he has with his father and become the academy leader he was marked to be as "Number One" while simultaneously fixing the power problems that have plagued his live-action character to date.
Next: Umbrella Academy Season 3 Hints At A Major Five Change (& It's Great)
Charles Cameron is a Features Editor for Screen Rant specializing in Film & TV. A B.A. graduate of UEL, he spent several years in corporate roles before committing to pursuing his passion of writing full time. A British native, Charles also is an avid football fan and podcast co-creator who loves delivering new content en-masse across various forms of media.