Netflix Introduces Elliot Page's Viktor Hargreeves For The Umbrella Academy Season 3

It's rare these days for a noteworthy Twitter post to bring anything but unadulterated exhaustion, but Netflix broke through the chaos today to casually drop a bit of lovely news. 

Elliot Page will be returning to "The Umbrella Academy" this year, but his character has been through some changes since we last saw him. World, meet Viktor Hargreeves.

The actor himself posted a first look image of the character on his official Twitter. In the image, Viktor sits at a diner bar in a leather jacket, sporting a new, short hairdo. The photo offers no explanation beyond the caption "Meet Viktor Hargreeves," but doesn't need to. It's safe to assume that the writers behind "The Umbrella Academy" decided to write the new season to accommodate Elliot's own transition, with the character we've grown to love over the past two seasons changing their name, appearance, and presumably pronouns.

Season 3 will also explore at least one alternate timeline, which could easily be used as a jumping-off point to introduce Viktor as a new variation of Page's previous character if writers choose to go that route.

Gerard Way's "Umbrella Academy" comics initially introduced the character of Vanya in 2007. The character began as an outsider in the series' family of superheroes who was eventually manipulated into becoming a villain called The White Violin. Vanya's character undergoes perhaps the most dramatic transformation of the series, evolving from a meek, apparently powerless sibling into an apocalypse-causing supervillain, before eventually being somewhat redeemed.

The Netflix show has already diverged significantly from the comics, giving Vanya a great second-season arc that saw the character get amnesia, reconnect with the Hargreeves siblings, and even fall in love with a farmer's wife (Marin Ireland) while helping to co-parent her son. With the introduction of Viktor, the series seems to be indicating that the next step in the character's already compelling journey of self-discovery involves coming out as transgender — or, as previously mentioned, being impacted by alternate timeline variations. 

I think it seems like the most natural fit for the story to have the hero also known as Number Seven come out as trans. Plus, it mirrors Elliot Page's own experience as a non-binary trans man.

This announcement may seem minor, but it actually indicates a beautiful show of support from the team behind "The Umbrella Academy," the sort that's all too rare during this time of heightened anti-trans sentiment, legislature, and violence. When Page first came out publicly, Variety reported that the show planned to have the actor continue on in the role but had no plans to change Vanya's story from that of a cisgendered woman. Obviously, that plan changed over time, and it's incredibly special to see a series work as a team to best represent its cast members' identities.

As if Page's own post introducing Viktor wasn't enough to make us tear up in the middle of the workday, the official Netflix account retweeted the photo, adding an official warm welcome for the character. "Welcome to the family, Viktor," the account posted. "We're so happy you're here ❤️"

"The Umbrella Academy" is set to return for its third season on June 22, 2022.