Despite its often irreverent tone, The Umbrella Academy also had a penchant for brutal moments. Between the numerous timelines and apocalypses, the Hargreeves siblings and the eccentric cast of characters surrounding them all experienced their fair share of emotional and physical pain. These hardships began at a young age for the Hargreeves, as their father, Reginald, treated them with an abject coldness, referring to his children only by number as he trained them to become the Umbrella Academy, and isolated Viktor from his siblings.

Even after becoming adults and after Reginald’s death, the Hargreeves were still negatively impacted by the long-term consequences of how Reginald treated them during their youth. They soon learned that there were harsher and more unjust forces in the world than their father, who, despite his problematic approach, tried to prepare his children for some of these threats. From the beginning to The Umbrella Academy‘s ending, there was no shortage of brutality that the characters and the audience faced.

10. Reginald Reveals His Alien Form And Kills The Majestic Twelve

Season 2, Episode 9: “743”

When a member of the shadow government known as the Majestic Twelve threatened to blackmail Reginald if he did not cooperate with them, Reginald took off his human mask and revealed his alien form. He then proceeded to savagely kill every member of the Majestic Twelve. The camera lingered on Reginald’s human mask draped over a chair while the sounds of blood splattering and horrified screaming could be heard within the room.

Reginald being an alien was teased earlier in the series, but it was still jarring to get a glimpse of the back of his alien head, and then pull off his human face as if it was part of a Halloween costume. The choice to focus on the temporarily discarded face instead of on the sight of him actually killing the Majestic Twelve was effective as it left more to the imagination. It was terrifying to realize that even a shadow government powerful enough to assassinate the U.S. president could be taken down by Reginald in his alien form.

9. The Timeline Is Changed Right As Every Hargreeves Sibling Is About To Get What They Need

Season 1, Episode 6: “The Day That Wasn’t”

 

Just as “The Day That Wasn’t” episode was about to end, all the Hargreeves siblings were about to get what they needed. A sober Klaus was able to see the ghost of his beloved Dave and was on the cusp of receiving the closure he needed. Viktor discovered that Leonard Peabody/Harold Jenkins had Reginald’s diary, which revealed the truth about Viktor’s powers and his past, which could have prevented Viktor from going on to cause the apocalypse.

All of these rewarding and game-changing developments were undone as the events of this day were erased when Five time-traveled back to this timeline with the knowledge that the Commission’s mission was now to protect Harold Jenkins.

Luther and Allison enjoyed a magical dance and found happiness together while Grace was about to share secrets she had been hiding from Diego. All of these rewarding and game-changing developments were undone as the events of this day were erased when Five time traveled back to this timeline with the knowledge that the Commission’s mission was now to protect Harold Jenkins. It was difficult watching Klaus, Luther, Viktor, and other characters struggling and making self-destructive decisions after the progress they made in this episode.

8. Luther Imprisons Viktor

Season 1, Episode 9: “Changes”

When Luther learned of the dangerous powers within Viktor, he made the unwise decision to imprison his brother in a containment cell that Reginald constructed many years ago. Part of what made this development so devastating was that Luther initially deceived Viktor, telling him everything was going to be okay, and hugging him, all so he could use his strength to make Viktor unconscious and imprison him. When Viktor became conscious again, he cried, banged against the glass, and pleaded to be released, with Luther refusing to let his brother go.

Luther thought he was doing what was necessary to lead the Umbrella Academy and protect his siblings, but this decision led Viktor to being consumed by his unparalleled powers, and causing the apocalypse. Even though Luther came to deeply regret what he had done and worked to amends with Viktor in later seasons, it was challenging to look at Luther the same way again after this betrayal. There was an unsettling coldness eerily reminiscent of how Reginald treated his children.

7. A Shell-Shocked Klaus Returns From The Vietnam War

Season 1, Episode 5: “Number Five”

Until Klaus unintentionally time-traveled to the 1960s and fought in the Vietnam War, he was largely presented as an amusing and free-spirited individual who refused to take anything or anyone seriously. His experiences during the Vietnam War changed him as he met and fell in love with a fellow soldier, Dave, and was there when, without warning, Dave was killed. When Klaus first returned to the present-day timeline, what happened to him had not yet been revealed, but it was already agonizing to see him sitting on a bus, shell-shocked and holding the Commission briefcase with bloodied fingers.

Dave returned in season 2 when Klaus and all his siblings time-traveled to the 1960s.

This moment gained even more emotional weight when it was revealed that Klaus genuinely opened himself up to another person, only to lose the love of his life during a senseless war. Even worse was the fact that, due to the time travel involved, precious few were able to understand and support Klaus given the nature of his experiences. Robert Sheehan proved that he was just as adept in his humorous portrayal of Klaus as he was in his dramatic portrayal of the character.

6Viktor Slices Allison’s Throat Open And Nearly Kills Her

Season 1, Episode 8: “I Heard A Rumor”

When Allison confronted Viktor and tried to warn him about the dangers of Leonard, Viktor lost control of the powers he only recently discovered he had, and sliced Allison’s throat open. A gleeful Leonard took Viktor away before he could help Allison, leaving her to bleed out until she was later found by her other brothers. Allison previously made some cruel remarks to Viktor, and unwittingly played a role in repressing Viktor’s powers, but she had good intentions in this scene and only wanted to help her brother.

It was chilling to watch Viktor’s screaming suddenly escalate into the power to cut Allison’s throat open without even touching her. It was even more brutal to watch Leonard grinning while Viktor panicked and immediately regretted what he had done, putting Leonard’s manipulations on full display. At the time, it was unclear whether Allison would survive this, and it was a tragic outcome after Viktor and Allison reconnected during early parts of season 1.

5. Reginald Murders Young Ben & Jennifer

Season 4, Episode 4: “The Cleanse”

One of The Umbrella Academy‘s long-running mysteries was how Ben died, and how it connected to something called the Jennifer Incident. The truth was that Reginald shot and killed both Ben and a girl named Jennifer. He did this because they nearly touched each other, and the marigold within Ben and the durango within Jennifer would have been apocalyptic when fused together, leading to the world-ending Cleanse as seen in The Umbrella Academy season 4.

Even though most of the Hargreeves children were on the mission and witnessed this happening, they could not remember it because Reginald had the memories wiped from their minds. Reginald committed many terrible deeds over the years, but killing one of his children, especially when he was young and did not understand the dangers of what he was doing, was a new pinnacle of ruthlessness. The truth of Ben’s death was more upsetting than many of the potential theories discussed throughout the show’s run.

4. The Hargreeves’ Final Sacrifice

Season 4, Episode 6: “End Of The Beginning”

Sometimes a story has to end with the protagonists making a sacrifice. Then there is The Umbrella Academy, where the Hargreeves not only sacrificed their lives, but were erased from all history as if they had never existed. Five realized it was the only way to fix the universe since he and his siblings were the source of all the broken timelines and apocalypses, but regardless of the necessity, it proved to be a divisive way to end the series.

Saying goodbye to the characters in the final season of their story was expected to be emotional, but having them all die and erased from their universe felt needlessly harsh. It was troubling to watch Viktor, Five, Klaus, Allison, Diego, Luther, and Lila all be killed in one fell swoop, with little time passing between Five’s realization and their sacrifices. Such an ending will make it difficult to ever rewatch The Umbrella Academy‘s series finale.

3. Viktor Kills Pogo And Destroys The Hargreeves Home

Season 1, Episode 10: “The White Violin”

 

When Viktor broke out of the containment cell that Luther placed him in, his power destroyed the entire Hargreeves home. The worst part of this was before the house came crashing down, when Viktor confronted Pogo, and demanded to know whether Pogo had known the truth about Viktor and his powers, with Pogo admitting that he did. Seeing Pogo hurled and skewered against the wall was one of The Umbrella Academy‘s cruelest deaths.

Pogo’s origins and history with Reginald was revealed in season 2.

Pogo was complicit in many of Reginald’s secrets, but he loved the children and only did his best to protect them and Reginald, as did the children’s robot mother, Grace, who was also destroyed when Viktor obliterated the house. While various versions of Pogo appeared in each of the following seasons, none were as endearing and well-developed as season 1’s Pogo. By the end of the series, Pogo’s death is still the most upsetting one to watch.

2. Allison & Ray Are Harassed By Racists During The 1960s Sit-In Protests

Season 2, Episode 3: “The Swedish Job”

While participating in a sit-in protest at a diner, Allison, her husband, Raymond Chestnut, and their Black peers were harassed by racists, including the police, who stood behind them repeatedly chanting, “Get out!” Matters escalated when the racist diner owner intentionally spilled a cup of hot coffee on Allison, causing her and Ray to get up, with the police responding by arresting Ray, dragging him away, and beating him. Allison had to use her “I heard a rumor” power to get the police to stop beating her husband.

The Umbrella Academy did not shy away from showcasing the bravery of those involved in the Civil Rights Movement and the dangerous, violent bigotry they faced that still exists in present times.

This scene would have been brutal to watch under any circumstances, but felt particularly and tragically relevant when season 2 was released only a couple of months after the real-world police brutality that led to George Floyd’s death in 2020. Years later, the scene is still just as horrifying and relevant to watch due to ongoing incidents of systemic racism and police brutality. The Umbrella Academy did not shy away from showcasing the bravery of those involved in the Civil Rights Movement and the dangerous, violent bigotry they faced that still exists in present times.

1. Allison Sexually Assaults Luther

Season 3, Episode 5: “Kindest Cut”

Allison and Luther’s romantic relationship had always been problematic, since they were siblings who had been raised together. The disturbing Allison and Luther scene in “Kindest Cut” went far beyond just being problematic, though, as Allison used her “I heard a rumor” powers to force Luther to kiss her even though she did not have his consent to do so. She only stopped when Luther found himself unable to breathe.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 took Allison in a more villainous direction, building to her betraying her siblings and making a deal with Reginald before reneging on said deal at the last minute. Sexual assault should be treated with the utmost sensitivity in stories, though, and should not be used to simply make a character suddenly more villainous. The lack of sensitivity in how this moment was handled and how it was mostly ignored in later episodes makes it The Umbrella Academy‘s most brutal moment.