Umbrella Academy features many great, unique characters. Vanya Hargreeves ranks among the best characters in the franchise, and one of the most important in both the streaming series and the comic books it is based on. Comic book fans may know her better as the White Violin.
Vanya Hargreeves endures as something of an enigma in the original Umbrella Academy comics, written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. Her powers and past form the crux of the earliest storylines, some of which were adapted for the Netflix television series. The complex and tragic saga of the White Violin likely points to some of her future in the show going forward.
Updated on June 22nd, 2022, by Darby Harn: In The Umbrella Academy's third season on Netflix, Vanya becomes Viktor, with the character coming out as trans. When referring to the comic character Vanya in this article, she/her pronouns are used, and when referring to the live-action character Viktor, he/him pronouns are used. Though Viktor's unique story is original to the series, the comics contain insights into the character that may inform how his story evolves in live-action. Vanya remains a fascinating comic book character worth exploring by fans as they prepare to meet Viktor and try to guess where this always unpredictable story goes next both in the comics and on-screen.
Number Seven
Dr. Reginald Hargreeves, a wealthy scientist, adopted Vanya Hargreeves and 42 other children, all of who possessed some kind of superhuman power. Except for her. Vanya displayed no super ability and was told she had none.
Despite this, Hargreeves adopted her. He encouraged her music lessons, in particular the violin, but otherwise was dismissive of her. Vanya felt so unwanted and alone that she very often wanted to run away even though it was the only home she knew.
Born On The Same Day
Vanya shares a unique distinction with dozens of other superpowered children - they were all born on the same day. In the Netflix series, Vanya arrives on the 12th hour on the first day of October 1989, along with 42 other children.
In the Umbrella Academy comics, the event takes place much earlier, in an unspecified time in the 1950s, though the births all occur at 9:38 P.M. perhaps a key plot point to before season three begins.
The White Violin
It turns out everything Dr. Hargreeves told Vanya about her lack of powers was a lie. She discovers as a young woman that not only does she have superpowers, but she in fact has the coolest powers among the Umbrella Academy. She embraces her power and names herself the White Violin.
Vanya's power is ironically communicated through music. She can generate unimaginable power and destructive potential by playing a single note on her violin (or other instruments). The extent of her power is such that she could actually destroy the world.
The Meaning Of Her Name
Though Vanya's transition to Viktor in the Netflix series doesn't occur in the Umbrella Academy comics, her name takes on a poetic resonance now. Vanya serves as a name for men and women in real-life and means different things in different languages.
In Russian, it's masculine, a diminutive form of Ivan, meaning "God is gracious." In India, Bulgaria, and elsewhere, Vanya is feminine.
Silent Observer
Before her realization, Vanya spends much of her childhood in bitter frustration. She gets left on the sidelines and is rendered a silent observer as her brothers and sisters engage in various adventures. She only watches as the Umbrella Academy battles the Zombie Gustave Effiel.
She watched with her father aboard their airship Minerva as Effiel turned his tower into a giant robotic monster and used it to terrorize Paris. This sequence is among the many changes from the comics to the Netflix streaming series.
The Minerva
Vanya spends most of her time as a child on the Minerva, a highly advanced airplane that dwarfs any other in size. The plane serves as Dr. Hargreeves personal base and home in some ways and ferried him across the world to collect his children.
The airship confounded in its ability to simply stay airborne, given its size, and some believed the remains of King Amen-Kharej IV, an ancient Egyptian monarch, supplied the plane with its mystical power.
Writes A Tell-All
An aspect of the Umbrella Academy comics that did carry over into the series for Vanya is her writing a tell-all autobiography about her experience growing up. Extra-Ordinary: My Life as Number Seven spilled all the tea on Dr. Hargreeves and Vanya's distant, complicated relationship with her family.
The book became a best seller and a point of contention among the Umbrella Academy as it revealed many painful and embarrassing family secrets. One member who did appreciate it was Number Five, who can jump in and out of time.
Doctor Terminal
Though Vanya generally gets left out of the Umbrella Academy's missions as a child, she does participate in a battle with Doctor Terminal in The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite 3. He initially kidnapped Rumor and injured her before the others showed up.
Vanya helped fight him on numerous occasions, ultimately leading to Doctor Terminal's incarceration in Hotel Oblivion in later comics.
