Elliot Page’s “Umbrella Academy” character transitions alongside him
Last Tuesday, Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page shared a first-look still with the caption “Meet Viktor Hargreeves” to announce his character being newly out and transitioned to match his actor’s own journey. Page’s character Viktor, a popular and central character on the show, will from now on be canonically transgender and use he/him/his pronouns.
The official Netflix Twitter account responded to the announcement with a warm “Welcome to the family, Viktor- we’re so happy you’re here.”
Viktor Hargreeves confirmed to come out in Season 3
Page’s personal announcement is the first news of his character’s transition.
Page first publicly came out as transgender and used he/they pronouns in December 2020. Around this time, there were no plans to change the character’s gender from Netflix, though it was confirmed that Page would continue to star on the show and his name was changed in the series’ credits. Additionally, a teaser was released by Netflix earlier in March wherein Page’s character was still featured as a cisgender woman.
Now, however, Netflix has confirmed that Page’s character will come out as transgender in season 3, but it is still unknown how much of Viktor’s identity and transition will be featured in the show. Netflix has also yet to share any new details on the show’s plot.
The third season of The Umbrella Academy started filming earlier in 2021 and is expected to come out on June 22, 2022. Based on a comic book series by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá, the show follows a group of superpowered individuals adopted by billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves to create a superhero group called “The Umbrella Academy.” The latest season will pick up from the end of Season 2, following the Hargreeves siblings as they deal with the aftermath of a violent confrontation with the Sparrow Academy, a group of superheroes reflecting the Umbrella Academy produced by an alternate timeline.
Elliot Page speaks on his experience
While news of Viktor’s transition has only come to light recently, Page has been active in using his position in the public eye to advocate for other members of the LGBT+ community since coming out.
In doing so, Page has also spoken of his own experience, sharing about the difficulty of living with gender dysphoria and the tremendous improvements transitioning has brought to his well-being. “I wanted to share with people just how much it has changed my life, and I want people to know that not only has it, you know, been life-changing for me. I do believe it’s life-saving, and it’s the case for so many people.”