The Umbrella Academy: Did you spot the Gerard Way easter egg?
19 February 2019, 16:27
Comic book creator Gerard Way gets a very very small, very very subtle on-screen shout out in the first episode of season one.
It’s barely been one week and Netflix have managed to ruin our lives once again (in a good way) with the release of The Umbrella Academy.
For those not in the know, the superhero Netflix show is based upon a comic book series of the same name written by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and illustrated by Brazilian comic book artist Gabriel Bá.
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While there's a handful of differences between the show and the comics, there's also quite a few references and easter eggs littered throughout the ten episodes that fans of the comics will love. And there's also one subtle shout out (an almost-cameo, if you will) to Gerard Way in the first episode and we bet you didn't even clock it.
In episode one, all the Hargreeves children arrive home following the death of their father Sir Reginald Hargreeves. As Vanya wanders around the place she used to live, she finds her autobiography in the bookcase. She picks it off the shelf, takes a look at the front cover and then turns it over to read what's written on the back.
On the back page, there's a short blurb about the contents of the book: "Vanya Hargreaves is well known for her virtuosic skills as a violinist. Less understood is the role she played as one of Reginald Hargreeves’ adopted children, standing alongside - but never counted among - the famous Umbrella Academy super kids. This is her story, in her own words."
Underneath that is a quote from none other than... Gerard Way.
Here's what the blurb says, in Gerard's words: “An incredible read… a revealing portal into the amazing life of many Hargreaves and the life she has lived. I couldn’t put it down!”
Not only is it a cool Easter egg for fans of both Gerard Way and The Umbrella Academy comics, it also low-key confirms that Gerard Way is actually a part of the UA universe. (Well, unless of course there's someone else called Gerard Way who coincidentally ended up writing a recommendation for Vanya...)
Whether or not Way will ever make a cameo in the series remains to be seen but even if he *was* planning a small appearance at some point in season two, we might have to wait a while for that anyway. In an interview with Indie Wire, Way and showrunner Steve Blackman revealed that one season of the show takes a whopping 18 months to make.
