The DC Superhero Show Fans Think Might Be Even Better Than Umbrella Academy
As Disney and Warner Bros. found success with their Marvel and DC-based comic book movies in the 2010s, other studios scrambled to get in on the action. As a result, otherwise niche stories and universes that hadn't yet reached the mainstream had an opportunity to shine. One of the most successful stems from streaming giant Netflix in the form of "The Umbrella Academy," which adapts Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá's Dark Horse Comics title of the same name into television form. Since debuting in 2019, it has extended to three seasons and 30 episodes.
In this timeline, 43 women simultaneously gave birth on October 1, 1989, at 12:00 PM despite showing no sign of pregnancy beforehand. Of the children born, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) adopted seven of them to turn into the superhero team known as the Umbrella Academy. With Reginald now deceased, the series follows the team's exploits in not only preventing the apocalypse but learning to work together and embrace their special abilities. It's an interesting premise and has consistently drawn Netflix subscribers in, but it's certainly not everyone's favorite show.
According to many viewers, "The Umbrella Academy" pales in comparison to another similar show that resides under the DC banner. Here's how they ultimately came to this conclusion.
Some believe Doom Patrol is superior to The Umbrella Academy
In 2019, Reddit user u/kingslayer-0 posed a question to the site's community of television enthusiasts: is "The Umbrella Academy," "Doom Patrol," or "Titans" the better show? The original post and some folks in the comments gave "Umbrella Academy" their vote, and "Titans" didn't find much support among the crowd. "Doom Patrol" received heaps of praise from the majority of replies. "Doom Patrol is even easily the best of the 3. Whether it comes to acting, production quality or just writing in general," claimed u/ummhumm, and no one came around to disagree with them directly. Meanwhile, a few were just curious why "Deadly Class" didn't get a shout-out.
Much like "The Umbrella Academy," "Doom Patrol" follows a band of misfits who have no business saving the world yet constantly find themselves having to do it anyway. Along the way, they learn to love themselves and appreciate one another regardless of their perceived imperfections and petty disagreements. At the same time, for as much as it's about emotional journeys and evolving character dynamics, "Doom Patrol" hasn't been afraid to get incredibly weird and sometimes meta throughout its three seasons. In fact, as showrunner Jeremy Carver admitted in an interview with Collider, even he doesn't exactly know how to describe it succinctly to people.
Despite its quirks and occasionally off-putting moments, "Doom Patrol" has become a fan-favorite DC show since it arrived in 2019. Whether or not it's better than "Umbrella Academy" is entirely up to individual interpretation, but based on this Reddit thread, most would choose it over the Netflix hit any day.