Ask any comic book fan who their favorite superheroes are, and there’s a strong chance that they will say Batman. The Gotham-based vigilante is known throughout the world as a force of will unlike any other, while his colleagues know him as an intelligent yet grim hero whose training, keen deductive mind, and willpower make his lack of superpowers an asset instead of a liability. Batman is considered one of the greatest heroes in his universe and in the history of comic books and has inspired countless heroes and people throughout the years. And, although he’s probably never heard of him, The Umbrella Academy‘s Diego Hargreeves, aka Number Two, aka the Kraken, is essentially his universes’ version of the Dark Knight.
In the Umbrella Academy series by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba, Diego Hargreeves is adopted by famous entrepreneur Sir Reginald Hargreeves and trained along with six other children to be an elite group of superheroes. Assuming the identity of “the Kraken”, a reference to his ability to hold his breath underwater indefinitely, Diego has an affinity for knife-throwing that became something more akin to magnetic powers in the television adaptation. He has a problem with authority and doesn’t take orders well from his father “The Monocle” or his brother Luthor, aka Number One. When the Umbrella Academy disbanded, the one-eyed Diego continued to operate as a vigilante, regularly going on patrols and taking down any criminals he could find.
Regarding his similarities to Batman, there are quite a few. They both had the financial backing from their parents to get the best training money could buy, although one could argue Diego has a slight advantage of having a superpower. They both regularly go on patrols in their city, having no problem with using extreme force or inflicting injury to criminals in order to get answers or enact punishment for their crimes. They fancy themselves as detectives who believe in being thorough, they have no problem breaking into places in order to get access to files or perform examinations of their own and they both tend to be paranoid, sometimes using questionable methods or extreme measures to gain information, even in regard to those they care about. They are also human beings, meaning they can both be injured severely and must heal on their own. Both Batman and the Kraken have pushed past major blood loss or injury in order to protect innocent lives.
One of the biggest similarities is their police liaison. While Batman has Commissioner Gordon, the Kraken has Inspector Lupo who is essentially the Umbrella Academy version. If the trench coat, mustache, glasses. and constant smoking wasn’t enough of a hint, Diego often makes unannounced appearances in Lupo’s office or car, much to his chagrin. Like Gordon, Lupo doesn’t have a problem with Diego’s methods as long as he stops the bad guys before it’s too late. Their conversations feel like the kind we’ve seen the Dark Knight have with Gordon dozens of times on Gotham rooftops. Similarly, Diego’s relationship to his brother Luthor – who combines natural super-strength with a jetpack that allows him to fly – mirrors that between Batman and Superman, albeit with plenty of added baggage after growing up together.
He may be rude, reckless, arrogant, and struggle to play well with others, but people have said the same and worse about Batman. Diego Hargreeves remains the reluctant, hyper-skilled badass of The Umbrella Academy, and hopefully one day he’ll be able to make the same progress Bruce Wayne has made over his long and illustrious career.
