Who The Umbrella Academy’s Most Powerful Character Is Now (After Season 3)

Two characters previously regarded as the least powerful in The Umbrella Academy have had new abilities revealed that change their previous status.

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Umbrella Academy season 3.

The Umbrella Academy season 3 reveals new powers to some of the main characters that have caused a major reshuffle in who the most powerful member of The Umbrella Academy is. Two of these characters were always placed at the bottom of the pecking order in terms of power during their childhoods. Now, they are two of the most powerful characters that have been featured not just in the series – should their abilities be returned to them after The Umbrella Academy season 3 ending, of course.

When introduced, the members of The Umbrella Academy were assigned numbers. Though never confirmed, one likely theory on the order of the Umbrella Academy’s numbers is Reginald placed them according to how useful their powers were to him. Since Klaus was number 4, and Viktor number 7, they weren’t as useful to him since they were more volatile than Luther (number 1) or Diego (number 2). However, season 3 clarifies that the debate on who is the most powerful member of The Umbrella Academy lies between Klaus and Viktor, and suggests it always has been between this pair.

Though Viktor has the potential to overtake him, The Umbrella Academy season 3 reveals Klaus’ immortality and ability to exist in the afterlife, which makes him the most powerful member of The Umbrella Academy. Klaus was inadvertently shot by Stanley with a crossbow but managed to miraculously survive the arrow directly to his heart. His subsequent trip to the afterlife and back proved Klaus could use his power to resurrect himself, since he is, and always has been, immortal.

Why Klaus Is The Umbrella Academy’s Most Powerful Member – Not Viktor

This, coupled with his ability to self-heal after his regeneration, makes him a difficult candidate for Viktor to be compared to in terms of power. Towards the end of the new season, Viktor absorbs Harlan’s similar powers that rely on drawing power from soundwave vibrations. Whether this means Viktor will now be twice as powerful as he used to be will only be confirmed by the next season. However, Klaus gets to actively practice with his powers for more throughout the show – including his season 3 training montage with Reginald – so his abilities are far less volatile than Viktor’s shaky grip over his own, and it is difficult to know how well he will adjust to an already potent version of the power he finds difficult to control. Since Viktor’s sound energy powers are so much more volatile than Klaus’, it makes the latter the most powerful by season 3, even though the potential of Viktor’s abilities are theoretically more expansive.

That said, the potential of Klaus’ power isn’t exactly limited, since he can access the abilities of anyone who has died and communicate with spirits. Given Klaus’ propensity to seek counsel from the dead, such as his mother in season 3, he could take on the advice of previous individuals with superpowers. Not only that, he could harness their powers by manifesting them, much as he has already proven to with his brother, Ben Hargreeves, in The Umbrella Academy season 2.

The very nature of the pair’s abilities has always left them in the running for the most powerful member of the Umbrella Academy, but their personal lives restricted their recognition as such. Both were mistreated by Reginald, and Klaus struggled with drug addiction while Viktor was always excluded by the family. However, by The Umbrella Academy season 3, Viktor still hasn’t entirely grasped his abilities, perhaps due to the instability of soundwaves. Comparatively, Klaus has a wealth of power to draw from: the afterlife. The ending may put such debates to task since their powers are seemingly taken away from them. For The Umbrella Academy to gain their powers back will be their greatest challenge yet – and one they may have to tackle without the abilities they’ve been honing for the entire series.