The Big Question The Umbrella Academy Fans Have About Allison's Rumors
"The Umbrella Academy" is finally set to make its return for Season 3 in June of 2022, just under two years since Season 2 made its debut on Netflix. "The Umbrella Academy" focuses on the adventures of the adopted Hargreeves family, who were all born with extraordinary super powers. This leads to all sorts of strange and world-altering occurrences, including an impending apocalypse and time travel. In fact, Season 2 ended with a giant cliffhanger involving a completely changed future from the one that the siblings remember.
One power that perhaps doesn't get a lot of attention, however, is the one possessed by Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who can somewhat control minds and change the very fabric of reality by making any sort of declaration with the words "I heard a rumor" starting the sentence. It's been an invaluable power for Allison, who has used it for both the betterment of others as well as for personal gain. But some fans have started thinking about the implications of such a power, and they were left with one major question in regards to it.
Just how limited are Allison's powers on The Umbrella Academy?
On the r/UmbrellaAcademy subreddit, u/milly1630 posted a meme that jokes about Allison Hargreeves using her powers to stop the apocalypse by simply willing it to happen. Obviously, this was meant to be a fun meme, but it opened up discussion over what exactly are the limitations of Allison's powers on "The Umbrella Academy."
u/Shaggerz317 made a good point that she once created a copy of herself in the comics simply by willing it to happen. "I think it's possibly that if she said she heard a rumor the world wasn't ending in three days, it's possible that the world could just end in 4," they added. u/Swordofsatan666 made a similarly dire observation, pointing out that simply saying the apocalypse won't happen at some specific point in the future could cause it to instead happen instantly.
Others wondered if Allison's powers would work in a recording, or if she has the ability to manipulate time. Overall though, the biggest question was why Allison doesn't use her powers more often, and for what seem to be easy fixes, as u/gatitoooooooooo suggested, "The fact that she could end her brothers drug addiction with one line."
The downside to altering reality, of course, is the monkey's paw effect, meaning there are almost certainly dire consequences to Allison's actions. And according to Emmy Raver-Lampman, the actress who plays Allison, this is exactly why we haven't seen the full extent of her powers in use.
Why Allison doesn't use her powers more often on The Umbrella Academy
The uncertainty of Allison's powers in "The Umbrella Academy" almost seems to be part of the point. In fact, actress Emmy Raver-Lampman has her own thoughts on Allison and her hesitancy to use the powers. A big part of Season 2 concerns Allison's involvement in the Civil Rights movement, and there was a lot of speculation over why Allison didn't use her powers to change things more. "She has a biracial daughter in the 21st century, so for her to do a quick fix to solve the problems of civil rights, what are the long-term effects?" Raver-Lampman wondered while talking to Uproxx. "I think it just was not worth the risk."
Raver-Lampman also made an important point in an interview with Elle, reminding those clamoring for a quick Allison fix that "it's not always permanent." She has also noted Allison's problematic use of her powers. "She's only used them for selfish reasons, for personal gain and because her father told her to," Lampman told StyleCaster. There's also this interesting possibility: "I don't think [Allison's] ever fully respected it or taken the time to understand it to its full ability," Raver-Lampman suggested.
Again, though, Allison must know deep down just how unpredictable and dangerous her rumor power can be. So, while it may be an extremely powerful ability that could change the entire scope of reality, the consequences would potentially be too much to justify.