After what feels like 84 long years, The Umbrella Academy season 2 will finally premiere on Netflix this Friday. To say I’m excited is an understatement, especially considering the events of the season 1 finale. If you have yet to binge your way through the first season I’d turn back now and hit up Netflix, before I spoil the entire thing for you.
The last time we saw the family of misfits together, they completely fucked the world by accidentally triggering the Apocalypse. To try and undo the mess, Number Five (Aiden Gallagher) used his superpower abilities to send his family back in time to stop it.
Five’s powers aren’t perfect though so the family were split mid-time jump, causing each member to arrive at a different point in time in Dallas during the 1960s. Five arrives last in 1963, only to find out that he has 10 days to stop a different Apocalypse. And that’s where we’re at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me0eoCwLj-A
“I think it’s wilder, crazier, and funnier,” Justin H. Min, who plays literal ghost Ben Hargreeves told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“For me personally, it was way more exciting and fun to watch than season 1,” he said.
When we first met Ben, otherwise known as Number Six, it was via Klaus’ ability to talk to the dead. Ben died during a mission back in the day, but we never actually learned how.
Justin described Ben as a bit of “tagalong character to Klaus” in season 1. He couldn’t really do anything without Klaus, played by Robert Sheehan, because Klaus was the only one who could speak to him.
“But we see in this second season that Ben has a bit more agency, a bit more independence, an ability to fight for what he wants, and ultimately he helps his family in the way that he sees fit,” Justin revealed.
Ben’s death, however, is still a bit of a mystery.
“There are definitely hints,” Justin said, “there are more things revealed about his death, you’ll definitely get something this season.” And that was that.
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Secondary to seeing more of Ben in season 2, the stans are heaps keen on the Ben and Klaus content. In the trailer alone, the adoptive brothers end up playing fisticuffs in the middle of a road, which is hardly a surprise. But it’s not going to be all shits and giggles.
“Ben and Klaus are actually together the longest when they’re spread across the timeline,” Justin explained, describing their relationship as one of the cruxes of this season.
“They’re the first ones to step foot into the 1960s so they’ve been together for three years, before their siblings arrive. And you sort of see the deterioration of the relationship, because to them, the rest of their family has died,” he said.
If that’s not concerning enough, Justin added, “Towards the end of the season, there’s an incredibly heart-wrenching emotional moment with Ben… and I think that’s about as much as I can say about that.” Lord.
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Season 2 hype aside, Justin said the response to his character, an Asian American, has meant so much to him. We might not have seen a lot of Ben’s powers throughout season 1, but we know they’re badass. I mean, he can unleash huge tentacle creatures from his stomach.
When the show first premiered, Justin hadn’t really thought about his role in a wider sense. He was still trying to wrap his head around being in a global series on Netflix. But after he started receiving messages from fans, Justin started to realise how important Ben had become to Umbrella Academy‘s Asian audience.
“I had so many Asian Americans message me and email me to tell me how exciting it was to see this superhero that looked like them,” Justin shared.
“It was incredibly moving and inspiring for me,” he said, “I’ll have parents message me and tell me that it’s the first time their kids have seen an Asian superhero.”
In fact, Justin said the response to Ben is one of the reasons why the writing team continue to evolve his character.
“It’s really the fans that continue to rally behind him and ask for more Ben and for more Ben screen time,” he said.
“And it’s pushed me to work as hard as I possibly could to make them proud and to continue to move the needle forward for the community,” Justin concluded.
“I just want to do my part in actively fighting for more diversity both onscreen and offscreen as well.”
The Umbrella Academy season 2 premieres Friday on Netflix.
Season 1 dropped last February so to help jog your memory, the cast put together a very handy and detailed recap.
This is neither here nor there, but Justin is an absolute hoot on Twitter.
two types of interviews: pic.twitter.com/Glv896LqAr
— Justin H. Min (@justinhmin) July 17, 2020
