What Vanya's Big Moment On The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Really Means
Contains spoilers for season 2 of The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy's second season finally begins to unravel the mystery of who — or what — Reginald Hargreeves is. Yet, a scene between Vanya and the young boy she saved is now raising another question: What are the Hargreeves siblings?
In episode 4, "The Majestic 12," Vanya (Ellen Page) returns to the Coopers' farm where she's been staying with Sissy (Marin Ireland), Carl (Stephen Bogaert), and their autistic son Harlan (Justin Paul Kelly) after Number Five's (Aidan Gallagher) time jump dropped her in the sixties. Following a somewhat volatile meeting with her brother Luther (Tom Hopper), Vanya's back with some big news. She sits Sissy down to explain that dangerous people are after her. Sissy tears up at thought that Vanya might have to leave for everybody's safety, and in a moment of desperation, declares they can get away from the farm and go off the grid for a few days. Harlan, who has become attached to Vanya but struggles with rapid changes, overhears their conversation and bolts from the house. Sissy and Vanya quickly split up to find him, with Vanya being the one who comes across his sparrow toy floating in a nearby retention pond.
Using her powers, Vanya parts the water and uses mouth-to-mouth to revive a nearly drowned Harlan. As she does, small orbs float from her and into Harlan's body. As the season later reveals, Vanya's passed on some of her power to the young boy, but even more impressive is how that power manifests. In season one, part of Reginald's (Colm Feore) backstory revealed he was likely from another planet — one facing possible destruction. As Reginald said goodbye to someone he loved and prepared to leave, he opened a glass container and released a mass of bright orbs similar to those seen passing through Vanya and into Harlan (via Uproxx).
The orbs suggest the Hargreeves siblings are more than human
Nothing about the Hargreeves' lives has been normal. From the moment of their simultaneous births, these kiddos were destined for weirdness. A total of 43 children — including The Umbrella Academy's seven — were all born on Oct. 1, 1989, to women who had otherwise not been pregnant. Reginald immediately sought them all out, and after adopting the ones he found, uncovered their gifts and trained them to be some kind of superhero team. Now that season 2 has provided a little more information about Reginald's extraterrestrial backstory, we're left to consider the possibility that the siblings and their powers may be of alien origin as well.
In season 2, Reginald unmasks his true form — a green-headed alien — to The Majestic 12 after they carry out the Kennedy assassination. With the same orbs Reginald released seen passing through Vanya to Harlan, this means that despite their human appearance, the Hargreeves are likely not human — or at least not entirely. The orbs Reginald released on his home planet followed him through space to Earth and must have come into contact with the 43 women who bore each of the children. It's just a theory at this point, but it's a pretty good one.
The mass arrival of the alien orbs initiated spontaneous, simultaneous births around the globe, which must have tipped Reginald off. That's how he knew to come "collect" what he had himself released. The implications that the Hargreeves are more than human raises even more questions. Allison Hargreeves had a child, so could her daughter also be like her? And what about Ben who supposedly crossed over in season 2. Did he go somewhere literally out of this world?
Vanya's season 2 heroics have unlocked a significant mystery behind Reginald and his plans. Still, it looks like viewers will have to wait for The Umbrella Academy season 3 to get the real answer.