The Umbrella Academy is full of characters with tragic backstories that explain their dysfunctional behaviors and abilities. Determining who has the saddest story requires looking at the depth of trauma, loss, and hardship each character endured in their early lives.
Luther Hargreeves
Luther was adopted by Reginald Hargreeves and designated Number One of the Umbrella Academy. He gained enhanced strength from experimental treatments by Reginald. As a child, Luther strove to be the perfect leader and please his father. He was intensely loyal to Reginald and the Umbrella Academy. As an adult, Luther continues trying to be the ideal leader and do the right thing.
Luther’s backstory is sad because Reginald was extremely abusive and manipulative towards him. Reginald deliberately turned Luther against his siblings and stifled any chance at a normal life. The experiments left Luther with a permanently disfigured body. Reginald even tricked Luther into thinking he was saving his life by sending him to the moon for 4 years in isolation. This cemented Luther’s identity solely as a leader and hero. Luther never got to develop a real sense of self or life beyond the Umbrella Academy.
Key Pains:
- Manipulation by Reginald Hargreeves
- Isolation from siblings
- No freedom or individual identity
- Physical disfigurement from experiments
- 4 years alone on the moon
Klaus Hargreeves
Klaus was adopted by Reginald for his ability to communicate with the dead. Reginald designated him Number Four. As a child, Klaus feared his powers and the spirits that constantly tormented him. Reginald forced Klaus to sharpen his abilties through cruel methods like locking him in mausoleums. This traumatic childhood led Klaus to turn to drugs and alcohol to numb his powers.
Klaus’ backstory is sad because his abilities brought him nothing but pain and terror. The spirits kept him from having any peace or normalcy. Reginald’s harsh methods worsened Klaus’ fears. With no one to help him cope, Klaus had no choice but to numb his powers. This led to a lifetime of addiction and inability to reach his full potential as a person.
Key Pains:
- Inherent fear of spirits and abilities
- Terrorized by spirits from childhood
- Abuse and trauma from Reginald
- No support system or way to cope
- Turned to drugs and addiction
Diego Hargreeves
Diego was adopted by Reginald for his ability to curve the trajectory of anything he throws. Reginald designated him Number Two. As a child, Diego strove to prove himself to Reginald as capable leader. He was isolated from his siblings and made to train endlessly. This turned Diego into a reckless vigilante constantly seeking to win.
Diego’s backstory is sad because he never got the chance at a real childhood. Reginald denied him friends and family. The constant isolation and competition made Diego desperate to prove his worth. He never developed maturity or healthy relationships. Diego’s vigilante lifestyle is his way of trying to find purpose after a childhood devoid of love.
Key Pains:
- Isolated from siblings by Reginald
- Forced to compete and train endlessly as a child
- No nurturing or guidance from parental figures
- Reckless and immature due to lack of development
- Resorts to vigilante lifestyle for purpose
Allison Hargreeves
Allison was adopted by Reginald for her ability to manipulate reality through lies and suggestions. Reginald designated her Number Three. As a child, Allison used her powers frivolously without guidance. She rumored her actress mother into giving her a better childhood. The realization her life was a lie caused Allison’s abilities to backfire, disfiguring her.
Allison’s backstory is sad because her powers corrupted her life from the start. She never learned right from wrong or developed real relationships. The discovery of her mother’s manipulated love was the first true trauma in her life. Allison’s disfigurement only made her more insecure and isolated. She struggles to rediscover her identity and purpose after the facade of her abilities cracked.
Key Pains:
- No moral guidance in using powers
- Manipulated her mother’s love and memories
- Identity crisis after reality backfired
- Disfigurement added more insecurity and isolation
- Lost sense of self without powers to hide behind
Number Five
Number Five was adopted by Reginald for his ability to jump through space and time. As a child, Five excelled at his spatial jumps and time travel theoretically. But Reginald pushed Five too far too fast. At 13, Five accidentally projected himself into a post-apocalyptic future he couldn’t escape from.
Five lived in total isolation for decades in the future with only a mannequin named Dolores to talk to. His sole mission was trying to return to his timeline. When Five finally projected back, he returned as a 58 year old in his 13 year old body. Five struggles to readjust and is constantly fighting against the Commission to prevent another apocalypse.
Key Pains:
- Pushed too hard at young age by Reginald
- Accidentally trapped himself in post-apocalyptic future
- Spent decades totally alone
- Social isolation for most of life
- Struggles with physical vs mental age
Ben Hargreeves
Ben was adopted by Reginald for his ability to summon tentacled monsters from his body. Reginald designated him Number Six. As a child, Ben felt like a prisoner in his own body. The monsters were unpredictable and caused destruction and harm when he summoned them.
During a mission with his siblings, Ben lost control of the monsters entirely. The monsters overcame him and killed him gruesomely at a young age. Ben remains as a ghost, tethered to Klaus’s ability to manifest spirits. He struggles watching his family repeat their dysfunctional patterns while being unable to talk to anyone except Klaus.
Key Pains:
- No control over destructive, monstrous ability
- Felt like a prisoner in own body
- Killed at young age by own powers
- Trapped spectating his siblings’ lives
- Can only interact with Klaus
Vanya Hargreeves
Vanya was the only non-powered child adopted by Reginald. Reginald designated her Number Seven and excluded her from the Umbrella Academy. Vanya was isolated, neglected and constantly told she was worthless by her father. She was forced to suppress her powers by Reginald, unknowingly stunting her true potential for years.
Vanya’s backstory is sad because she was denied any chance at feeling loved, wanted or special her whole life. She was medicated and manipulated into believing she was ordinary and talentless. Only after Reginald’s death did she realize she had powers all along, underscoring how terribly she was failed by her adoptive father.
Key Pains:
- Excluded and neglected by Reginald
- Told she was worthless without powers
- Forced to suppress abilities with medication
- Isolated from siblings in the Academy
- No chance to develop identity or self-worth
Comparison of Backstories
While all the Umbrella Academy siblings endured trauma, some backstories are more devastating than others. To summarize the depth of hardship each character faced:
| Character | Level of Trauma | Lasting Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Luther | High | Moderate |
| Klaus | Very high | Very high |
| Diego | High | High |
| Allison | Moderate | Moderate |
| Five | Very high | High |
| Ben | Very high | High |
| Vanya | High | Very high |
Based on level of early trauma and lasting impact, Klaus, Five, Ben and Vanya seem to have the saddest backstories out of the siblings. But who’s is truly the most tragic?
The Saddest Backstory
After looking at all the pain and burdens placed on the seven Hargreeves siblings since childhood, Klaus arguably has the saddest backstory overall:
- He never found any way to cope with his terrifying powers, unlike his siblings who viewed their abilities as strengths
- The spirits that haunted Klaus created a lifelong trauma he could never escape from
- Drug addiction consumed most of his life trying to numb his abilities
- Reginald’s abuse and isolation left him utterly lost in life
- Klaus was denied any chance at normalcy or freedom from suffering from the start
Klaus exemplifies how powers can seem like a curse when uncontrolled. He was handed terrifying abilities and no help learning to manage them. He never got the chance to form healthy relationships or become his own person outside of the spirits. Klaus’ backstory shows the immense burden of having powers thrust upon you at a young age without proper support. His lifelong pain and addiction underscores just how deeply tragic his experiences as a child truly were.
Conclusion
The Umbrella Academy characters all share the pain of being exploited for their powers under an abusive adoptive father. But Klaus experienced a uniquely relentless and profound suffering from the start of life due to his uncontrolled connection to the dead. The sheer helplessness and trauma from his abilities plagued Klaus like no other sibling. He represents how powers can become a living nightmare without nurturing and guidance. For this reason, out of the equally sad backstories of the Hargreeves children, Klaus seems to have endured the deepest scars from his early experiences.