Vanya Hargreeves is (Finally) Gay
by Alice
Warning, massive The Umbrella Academy seasons 1 and 2 spoilers ahead!
A Note From The Author: On December 1st 2020, Elliot Page announced that he was coming out as a trans man and is now using he/him or they/them pronouns and self-identifies as queer. You can read his statement here. I am so proud of him for his bravery and honesty and I wanted to make sure that this article was updated to express Elliot’s true identity. While Elliot is a man, Vanya Hargreeves (as far as we know) identifies as a woman, and as such when referring to the character I will be sticking to she/her pronouns. We’ll see if the show changes the character to reflect the actor’s identity, but for now please enjoy this updated write up and be sure to check out The Umbrella Academy!
Fans of The Umbrella Academy rejoice! Vanya Hargreeves AKA Number 7 is finally getting a chance to be her truest, gayest self.
Vanya Hargreeves is one of seven superpowered siblings in the Netflix original show The Umbrella Academy, a currently two-season long show based on the comic series by My Chemical Romance frontrunner Gerard Way. Portrayed with raw honesty and fragility by the great Elliot Page, Vanya spent all of season one in what looked like a grey Instagram filter.
The filter probably has a cool name like Foggy Night or Severe Depression
Her skin was sallow and plain, her hair limp, and nary a smile touched her face even when dancing to Tiffany’s I Think We’re Alone Now in the iconic scene from the first episode. She entered a chemistry-free relationship with the first man to ever pay attention to her, the creeptastic Leonard Peabody AKA Harold Jenkins (played by the terrifying John Magaro), and those of us watching who know and love Elliot Page were turned off instantly the moment they kissed for the first time. This is ELLIOT PAGE we’re talking about here, one of the millennial queer icons! We watched him struggle to find chemistry with a young Michael Cera in Juno, we cheered for him when he came out of the closet (twice!), and then there he was, locking lips with a villain and the two of them putting out all the sexy vibes of an overcooked bowl of ramen.
Ugh.
Her skin was sallow and plain, her hair limp, and nary a smile touched her face even when dancing to Tiffany’s I Think We’re Alone Now in the iconic scene from the first episode. She entered a chemistry-free relationship with the first man to ever pay attention to her, the creeptastic Leonard Peabody AKA Harold Jenkins (played by the terrifying John Magaro), and those of us watching who know and love Elliot Page were turned off instantly the moment they kissed for the first time. This is ELLIOT PAGE we’re talking about here, one of the millennial queer icons! We watched him struggle to find chemistry with a young Michael Cera in Juno, we cheered for him when he came out of the closet (twice!), and then there he was, locking lips with a villain and the two of them putting out all the sexy vibes of an overcooked bowl of ramen.
The power in this picture is immense.
Now of course I’m being a little facetious when I say that her lesbian or bisexual identity (it’s never clarified) is what makes all of that possible, but am I actually? Vanya’s backstory is one of tragedy and abuse and that clearly colors (literally and figuratively, remember the gray filter?) the character, but it’s obvious to anyone watching that Elliot Page simply becomes a better actor when he’s allowed to be a bit more authentically himself. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of Mr. Page, he is plenty talented, but his confidence and comfort in the role and how comfortable and confident he’s making Vanya is a stunning change from season one to season two. He channels a truth within himself, a power that was lacking in season one (again, literally and figuratively since Vanya’s superpowers actually manifest with some usefulness in season two) and uses that power to give us a Vanya that isn’t just a sad puppy we feel bad for, one that gets tossed around and manipulated by Leonard/Harold. Even with no memory of the emotional breakthroughs and actual superpowers she discovered in season one, the minute that Vanya is allowed to fall in love and live her life on her own terms, she finds herself doing the right thing and hoping for a better future. She is no longer living her life as third chair to someone else, she is powerful and wonderful on her own.
This was the first chair- Helen, see how Vanya looks at her? They probably should have just gotten together and none of this apocalypse stuff would have happened.
Without all the negative influence of all the terrible men in her life and nice blank slate to start with in 1960s Dallas, Vanya Hargreeves is funny, sharp, and honest. She loves who she wants and takes control when tragedies strike. She saves the life of the little boy she looks after and tries to convince Sissy to leave her terrible husband. This is the Vanya who was robbed from us by the likes of Reginald Hargreeves and his merry band of dysfunctional children, none of whom appreciated or took care of Vanya growing up. We are gifted a chance to see what she could have been if the Umbrella Academy was never formed, if she hadn’t been drugged out of her emotions from an early age. It makes for a wonderful character study and a great acting exercise for the great Elliot Page, and I for one am grateful we got the chance to see it.
And here’s hoping for more! Look how happy she is!
Go check out The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, read the comics by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, and find Alice White on Twitter and on Instagram @alicewhiteTHP.
