Everything The Umbrella Academy Trailer Tells Us About Netflix's New Series

WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers from The Umbrella Academy's comic book volumes, and therefore may contain spoilers for Netflix's upcoming live-action adaptation.

With the release of the first trailer for Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, fans have finally gotten a taste of the comedic chaos and action to come when the adopted children of Sir Reginald Hargreeves step out to save the world from an impending apocalypse.

Perfectly summing up the over the top style of the Dark Horse series, the zany trailer clocks in at over two minutes and sets up these reluctant superheroes as mankind's last hope. Now, for those of you new to the franchise as well as anyone who need a refresher, let's look at the trailer's key moments.

THE ORIGINAL CREW

We're quickly introduced us to Colm Feore's Sir Reginald (a space alien masquerading as a human, although we're not sure if the series will change this) and his recruitment of super-powered babies. In the books, 43 kids were born to women who randomly appeared pregnant on a fateful day, with Reginald proceeding to adopt seven survivors who were left behind or given up for adoption. Here, we actually see him attempting to purchase one of the kids, but what's most intriguing is that when he does go on to introduce them to the world, it's a team of six, rather than the seven he debuted in the comic.

This clearly illustrates he'll be hiding Ellen Page's Vanya (aka Number Seven) from the rest of the world. In the comics, he deemed her lack of powers as something which didn't make her special, and so she wasn't a part of the team's missions, even though she's an official member of the team. Here, though, she's been left out completely.

Ironically, we also catch a glimpse of the Horror, who didn't participate in the original books as he was dead from the very beginning. This hints that we might actually see his death on-screen, and how it impacts the rest of the squad.

THE CATALYST OF DEATH

Just like the source material, the team grows apart due to them being a dysfunctional family with clashing, ever-divergent personalities and whatnot. In the comic, they end up reunited thanks to the death of their father, placing them on a collision course with the apocalypse. The trailer dives into this angsty scene off the bat, showcasing the funeral, with the team's housekeeper and the chimp-in-charge, Pogo, overseeing things.

It's clearly an awkward moment of grief as they haven't been together for years. and when Pogo asks. "Does anyone wish to speak?" -- hearing David Castañeda's Diego (aka Number 2 / The Kraken) admit "He was a monster!" more or less sums up their camaraderie, or lack thereof. The way Robert Sheehan's Klaus (Number Four / The Séance) laughs basically highlights the show's dark comedy, and that, yeah, these won't be the X-Men banding together after losing Professor Xavier.

THE APOCALYPSE SUITE IS READY

In the first Umbrella Academy volume, The Apocalypse Suit, the family was warned that Reginald's death would signal the apocalypse, and they needed to unite for the greater good. They put aside differences to fight off Dr. Terminal's robot army, but soon realized the threat would come from within, as Vanya would be the one who'd turn on her family after resenting them for being an outcast, and help raze the world.

We're not sure if the show will follow this route, but so far, the trailer seems to be sticking to the comic's arc with Aidan Gallagher as Number Five / The Boy being the one who discovers the world will end in eight days. He jumps into the future and gets stuck there, as in the comics, with the trailer painting a grim spectacle of buildings on fire and the planet in an overall state of destruction. Number Five will then jump back to the past to get his family on the same page, which, as the trailer shows, is easier said than done.

NEXT PAGE: The Umbrella Academy Trailer Breakdown: Meet Your New Favorite Characters

THE TEMPORAL ASSASSINS

In the comic's second volume, Dallas, Number Five's jumping around the timestream would see two temporal agents come to eliminate him and fix potential cracks he made in continuity. Of course, we later find out he was actually part of their agency, fixing history through a series of key assassinations. It remains to be seen how Netflix will merge the two chapters, but footage here indicates the agents want to set things right, even if it means killing the Boy and the rest of the Umbrella Academy.

It's a fanboy moment seeing Mary J. Blige's Cha-Cha and Cameron Britton's Hazel with their suits and guns, but most importantly, donning their quirky masks! They're a signature aspect of the killers' arsenal, and we see them going after the Kraken, the Boy and literally setting the world on fire. Simply put, this looks like the show has successfully brought two of the comic's most popular characters to live-action, in a big way.

SISTER, SISTER

In Apocalypse Suite, Vanya turned on her family, and in a climactic battle, she was hospitalized after taking a gunshot to the head. Paralyzed, she'd remain bed-ridden with Allison (to be played by Emmy Raver-Lampman in the show) sticking with her through thick and thin, believing she could be redeemed as she had been brainwashed into becoming an assassin who murders via her musical prowess with the violin.

The trailer packs a nice shot of the sisters having a drink and exclaiming, "Yay! Sisters!" which sets the tone for their bond. They were a huge part of the emotional beat of the books, so it's good to see the foundation laid down here in case Vanya does truly transition into an enemy of the Umbrella Academy. Despite relentlessly setting out to kill her siblings, she did love them, after all, and the show is clearly laying groundwork for Allison to be Vanya's true north.

THERE'S ALWAYS TIME FOR ROMANCE

In the comics, Luther / Number One pined for Allison since they were eight, and they even came close to starting a romance with a rooftop kiss when they got older. But her past, having a failed marriage and a daughter Claire, not to mention their priority was saving the world and their own family, all complicated things. The books never fully dove into their love for each other, but it seems that'll change with this series.

There's a quick shot of what appears to be a dream or fantasy of Tom Hopper's Luther dancing with an elegantly-dressed Allison. It sets the stage for romance, tension and a whole lotta drama, but for longtime fans of the books, it's a nice nod to what they felt for each other and eventually had to hide from their siblings. Given that Season 1 consists of 10 episodes, that's more than enough time for the creative team to flesh out their relationship a bit more, and help them act as the level-headed leaders of the team -- sacrificing their feelings for each other to keep the team on an even keel.

Arriving on Netflix Feb. 18, 2019, The Umbrella Academy stars Ellen Page, Mary J. Blige, Tom Hopper, Cameron Britton, Robert Sheehan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Adam Godley, Aidan Gallagher, David Castañeda, John Magaro, Ashley Madekwe and Colm Feore.