‘The Umbrella Academy’: Why Sir Reginald Hargreeves Manufactured Diego and Luther’s Rivalry

In The Umbrella Academy, Luther (Tom Hopper) and Diego (David Castañeda) have a sibling rivalry that feels very similar. As two brothers, they’re constantly bickering about who is top dog. 

While their rivalry might seem typical, some fans think Sir Reginald (Colm Feore) manufactured their competitiveness. Did Sir Reginald pit Luther and Diego against each other from an early age on purpose?

Diego felt second to Luther, both in status and in his abilities 

In The Umbrella Academy, the Hargreeves siblings have several different monikers. Their adoptive father calls them by their assigned numbers. In the public eye, each sibling is known by the name that coincides with their ability.

One fan theory says the Hargreeves sibling’s numbers signify the strength of their powers. As Screen Rant pointed out, Vanya (Ellen Page) is the strongest as Number Seven. The rest of the siblings are numbered in descending order based on the strength of their power.

Ironically, this theory makes Luther the least powerful of the Hargreeves, with super strength paling in comparison to Diego’s throwing manipulability or Five’s (Aidan Gallagher) ability to travel through space and time. 

Diego holds a grudge against Luther in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ 

Sir Reginald rarely, if ever, referred to his children by name. Instead, he took a militarized approach to raise the extraordinary siblings.

As Number One, Luther felt obligated to lead the pack. Diego, or Number Two, always resented being second to his brother. 

Throughout season 1 of The Umbrella Academy, it’s clear Diego is driven by the need to prove he is worthy of the respect he feels Luther receives. Diego and Luther would often bicker about their status in the Hargreeves family, but their attitudes changed in season 2.

Diego and Luther become ‘Team Zero’

After Luther, Diego, and the rest of the Hargreeves siblings accept how awful their father’s upbringing was, they begin to heal.

Even Diego and Luther grew closer when they realized if they worked together, they could accomplish more. Diego started the idea of “Team Zero,” or the Hargreeves siblings operating as one — no assigned numbers involved. 

Throughout season 2, Diego and Luther would frequently refer to “Team Zero” to remind themselves that they were in the fight together. 

Fans think Sir Reginald purposefully made Luther and Diego enemies 

Up until season 2, “Diego versus Luther” was a central theme in The Umbrella Academy. While their feuding may have seemed like the typical sibling rivalry, some fans think Sir Reginald purposefully pitted them against each other.

A discussion on Reddit led one fan to point out a fan comment that read: “Reginald pitted the two against each other as kids was so they wouldn’t come up with stupid plans [that would] get them all killed.” 

That fan theory could be true. There’s no doubt raising a group of super siblings required a careful strategy. Reginald thought it was best to hinder Vanya’s abilities because he didn’t know how to control them. It’s totally possible he could have pit Luther and Diego against each other so they didn’t get smart and retaliate against their less-than-loving father.

However, it’s more likely that Sir Reginald gave his children numbers to prevent himself from growing to love them.