Umbrella Academy: How Exactly Diego’s Powers Work

Umbrella Academy: How Exactly Diego's Powers Work

Diego showed a new side of his powers in The Umbrella Academy season 2, making viewers wonder how exactly his powers work. Let’s take a look.

Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy introduced the audience to the Hargreeves and their superpowers, but season 2 showed a new side of Diego’s powers – here’s how they really work. Created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy made its TV debut on Netflix in February 2019 and was very well received by critics and audiences, getting more viewership than one of the streaming giant’s most popular titles. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that it was renewed for a second season.

The Umbrella Academy follows the Hargreeves, seven adopted siblings with extraordinary abilities. Along with 36 other babies, the Hargreeves were born on the same day, at the same time, and none of their mothers were pregnant when the day began. Eccentric scientist and billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves set out to adopt as many of those babies as he could, but only got seven. Reginald trained them and formed the team called “The Umbrella Academy”, but the siblings ended up parting ways, and didn’t see nor talk to each other until Reginald passed away. The Hargreeves later learned the end of the world was just a few days away and joined forces to stop it – but failed, and they had to jump through time and space to a safer place.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Related: Umbrella Academy: Every Song In Season 2

The jump was possible thanks to one of the siblings, Five (Aidan Gallagher), who has the ability to time travel. Five’s abilities came in handy in season 1, but other members of the Umbrella Academy got the chance to show their superpowers in season 2, especially Diego (David Castañeda). In season 1, Diego was all about knives, showing perfect accuracy when throwing them at his desired target, but in season 2, he used this talent differently and in ways that helped them buy some time. In the season finale, “The End of Something”, The Handler arrives with an army of Temps, who start shooting at the Hargreeves. In order for Five to run inside the house to protect himself, Diego uses his power to stop and redirect all the bullets shot at them, which was very useful. This, understandably, raised a couple of questions about what Diego’s powers are really about.

Diego’s Umbrella Academy Power Explained

The Umbrella Academy Diego In Uniform

In the comics, Diego is known as “The Kraken” for his ability to hold his breath indefinitely, which is a talent that the series decided to leave behind in order to keep it as realistic as possible (within the parameters of The Umbrella Academy, of course). What the series did keep about Diego’s talents is trajectory curving, which is why he is so skilled with knives and never misses. This power is not limited to knives, and he can curve the trajectory of anything he throws or is thrown at him, which is why he was able to stop and redirect the bullets. However, there might a minor inconsistency when looking back at season 1, where Diego was shot in the arm by Cha-Cha and Hazel, though it could be justified by Diego being taken by surprise and thus not being able to act quickly and redirect the bullet.

Diego was thought to be one of the least powerful or skilled members of the team, but showing the extent of his powers in The Umbrella Academy season 2 will surely change the minds of many viewers. At this point, it’s unknown if the series will continue changing the superpowers of the Hargreeves, but so far, Diego’s powers are true to the source material minus the ability to hold his breath.

Does Diego Die In Umbrella Academy Season 3?

Some fans are wondering if Diego is still alive in The Umbrella Academy season 3. In The Umbrella Academy season 2 finale, “The End Of Something”, the five Umbrella Academy siblings avert an impending apocalypse that was due to happen in 1963. Diego, along with his brothers and sisters are set upon by The Handler and the agents of the commission. Diego and the others hole up in a barn, but the Handler appears suddenly, taking them by surprise and ruthlessly gunning them down. Five uses his last remaining energy to reverse time – traveling back a few moments and saving himself, Diego, and the rest of the Umbrella Academy from a certain grisly fate.

Related: Reginald Hargreeves’ Umbrella Academy S3 Return Means More Than You Think

The Umbrella Academy then return to 2019, only to find events have changed. Among other things, like Ben and Reginald Hargreeves still being alive, Diego and his super-powered siblings have been replaced by the so-called Sparrow Academy. Diego is with the group, still very much alive thanks to Five’s skillful application of time travel, an Umbrella Academy mainstay. No character is certain to survive until the end of The Umbrella Academy season 3, and there’s been nothing revealed to suggest Diego won’t be breathing by the final episode. Despite the odds, all five of the season 1 siblings are still alive in the incredibly dangerous world of The Umbrella Academy. Whether all of them manage to continue cheating death until season 4, however, isn’t guaranteed.

Next: The Umbrella Academy’s Complete Timeline (& Alternates) Explained

The Umbrella Academy Season 3 hits Netflix 06/22/2022.

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About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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