The Umbrella Academyis about the dysfunctional Hargreeves family, a group of superhuman siblings who suffer massive trauma at the hands of their adoptive father. Each child responds differently, mirrored by their unique gifts. Viktor Hargreeves was deceived by his father, leaving him without his power for his first thirty years. That terrible decision becomes a bit more understandable when The White Violin truly finds his strength.
When Viktor is introducedinThe Umbrella Academy, he’s the black sheep of the family. He’s left out of their bonding experiences as superheroes, he never quite fits in with his brothers and sister, and he earns their ire by writing a book and sharing their inner secrets. He’s shifted from protagonist to antagonist more times than any other character in the show, but Viktor is a hero at heart.
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What are Viktor’s Powers inThe Umbrella Academy?
Fans have seen Viktor do a lot of wild things inThe Umbrella Academy, butthe power that underpinsall of his accomplishments is sound manipulation. Viktor can access the kinetic and potential energy contained within sound waves and use it to do almost anything. He can absorb sound from any source and transfer it into useful energy. When he’s charged up with an appropriate amount of power, his skin, eyes, and hair begin to glow. Viktor can wield energy like an extra limb, granting hima version of telekinesis. He can also fire it out in laser-like blasts. Viktor can also fly or levitate others, create an impermeable force field, or produce a wave of concussive force. His power seems to have a slight reality-altering effect, including a few moments from season one in which he alters the weather. Viktor’s sonic power makes him capable of almost anything.
In the earliest uses of Viktor’s powers, he demonstratestelekinetic control over theworld around him. He gradually becomes more powerful, accessing new depths to his sonic gift. As fans know, Viktor becomes The White Violin in the first season finale. The world comes to an end when he becomes overwhelmed with sound and fires a laser into space. That blast destroys the moon, sending a chunk of that celestial body hurtling toward the Earth to cause the apocalypse. In season two, he’s trapped and interrogated by the FBI, resulting in a massive explosion of power. His strength is mistaken for a nuclear bomb, resulting in another apocalypse. Though it sometimes seems likeViktor can do anythinghe wants to, his power is somewhat limited. Luckily, his limits are comically easy to surpass or get around.
How does Viktor control his power inThe Umbrella Academy?
Viktor behaves a bit like a tuning fork. His power resonates with ambient sound in order to create its effects. This means that he’s limited by the sources of sound around him. He can save up energy for long periods of time, but his supply isn’t endless.In the comics, TheWhite Violin is almost entirely dependent on the instrument. Theoretically, Viktor’s kryptonite would be a sensory deprivation chamber. If he’s deprived of all sonic energy, he’s basically powerless. However, Viktor’s own heartbeat is enough to make him unstoppable. The slightest buzz of a florescent bulb, the hum of an engine, or the rhythm of his own pulse grants Viktor a seemingly limitless font of energy.
In his first full appearance, Viktor uses The White Violin which grants his comic book counterpart her name. The violin grants Viktor a more complete level ofcontrol over his powers, but it was destroyed in his first conflict with his siblings. As this exchange demonstrates, Viktor is most dangerous with a musical instrument, and he can become overloaded with sound. The aforementioned laser that destroyed the moon wasn’t a conscious choice by Viktor, it was the result of a gun being fired next to his ear. That sudden influx of sound caused him to vent all of his energy at once, resulting in his most destructive feat to date. The writers have moved away from Viktor’s violin, preferring to depict him wielding his gift with empty hands. It makes him a bit less distinct, The return of the violin would be a substantial upgrade and a return to his most iconic appearance.
The White Violin is extraordinarily dangerous. He may be the mostpowerful sibling in the Hargreeves family, but his lack of control makes him a huge problem no matter which side he’s on. His initial powerlessness mirrors his small personality, cowed into silence by an abusive and neglectful father. His outburst of power allows him to reclaim some of his personality, gradually building to Viktor affirmatively deciding who he is. Number 7 grew up being unappreciated and underrated, but the world knows Viktor Hargreeves now. His unique power makes him capable, but his understated subtle personality makes him one of the most interesting characters on the show.
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