A large portion of the cast of The Umbrella Academy gathered for Netflix’s Geeked Week on June 6 to stir up hype for the upcoming third season.
Aidan Gallagher (Five), Justin H. Min (Ben), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison), Tom Hopper (Luther), David Castaneda (Diego), and newcomer Genesis Rodriguez, who plays the Sparrow Academy’s Sloane, gathered for a panel hosted by Felicia Day. They dug into details about season three, dropping tantalizing hints and coy nods to the upcoming action, and answered fan questions about their endlessly entertaining characters.
One such question was posed to Raver-Lampman, whose character — Allison, or Number Three — has experienced quite a bit of heartache over the last two seasons. After getting her throat cut and temporarily losing the ability to speak, Allison spent season two not only miles — and decades — away from her daughter, but also trapped as a Black woman in 1960s Dallas. It was a fascinating rewrite of real history, but it was immensely hard on Allison.
Headed into season three, Allison has quite a bit of healing to do. With this in mind — alongside the huge amount of fighting that will inevitably follow — one fan directed a question about strength Raver-Lampman’s way. While it’s almost inarguable that Allison is one of the strongest (and most stable) members of the Umbrella Academy, emotionally speaking, the question of who the strongest fighter is still stands. Luther is clearly the strongest physically, but that doesn’t mean he’s set to devastate in a super-powered fight.
The award for “Most Powerful Character” goes to Lila, according to Raver-Lampman. The character, introduced in season two, has the ability to absorb powers, setting her apart from the rest of the cast. While she does need to be in close(ish) proximity to do so, Raver-Lampman accurately notes that “you’re always going to be matched by your equal if you go up against her.”
Lila’s “chamelon” character is certainly a force to be reckoned with, but she doesn’t boast the most impressive power on the team, if you ask other members of the cast. Earlier in the interview, both Hopper and H. Min put in their votes for the strongest Umbrella Academy character, and they didn’t land on Lila.
In fact, both actors believe it is Allison who boasts the lofty title. They noted that her ability to influence the mind — with only the four simple words “I heard a rumor” — is far more powerful than Lila’s, or anyone else’s, ability. While Lila can mimic this power when in close proximity to Allison, she doesn’t have the control over it that Allison does, and she must be nearby to use it. Allison can harness this ability whenever she wants, to get whatever she wants, and that is nothing to shake a stick at.
It remains to be seen which of the Umbrella Academy cast is correct in their assessment of power levels. Perhaps we’ll get an answer in season three, which is set to drop on Netflix June 22, 2022.