mask or menace | info

[evoque]

ABOUT

ABILITIES

EXTRA

HISTORY

CODE BY

KLAUS HARGREEVES (0.04)

klaus hargreeves NAME number four ; prophet ; the seance NICKNAMES 10/01/1989 BIRTHDAY hero AFFILIATION

tour guide for 'web of lies' murder mystery tours JOB jeopardy #003 RESIDENCE (spoiler) end of season 2, suitcase jump CANON POINT - -

PERSONALITY

much like the rest of the Umbrella Academy siblings (of which there were 7), Klaus is very much defined by his upbringing - more specifically by the shitty (non-existent) parenting skills of Sir Reginald Hagreeves. His formative years were spent under Reginald's rigorous tutelage, heavy-handed and regimented. They were all more experiments rather than children. Taught languages, history, strategy, combat - they were to be heroes, or soldiers, not someone's kids. It's these years that introduced a foundation of trauma, fear, and unhealthy coping mechanisms in the young and soft-hearted Klaus (who, similarly to the rest of his dysfunctional family, wasn't even given a name until his robot-mom came up with it. Prior to that, they were all referred to by numbers, signifying the magnitude or usefulness of their powers.) It was a dehumanizing environment, and arguably, the siblings kept each other sane. Sort of.

One of the defining experiences of his childhood was being locked in a crypt, and forced to be trapped with the ghosts his powers brought forth. Instead of shocking him into acceptance and growth, as Reginald likely hoped, this made Klaus afraid of his own abilities, and later in life , sent him down the rocky path of substance abuse and avoidance (starting as early as 13!). One of the second most defining moments was the loss of Five (for a while, at least), and the death of Ben, where the children were effectively blamed for it, and not given any time to cope. (offset, of course, by Klaus manifesting Ben, and the latter sticking around.) During his highs, he is unable to use his powers - and thus, unable to confront his fears, or explore his capabilities. Simply put, he is afraid, and he runs from that. This behavior led him to be seen as an unreliable junkie, only interested in getting his next fix. In the first season especially, we see Klaus's complete and utter disregard for his own well being - he doesn't give a shit if he dies, coming very close to overdosing on several occasions. He's admitted himself in being unable to maintain any relationship for longer than 3 weeks, more concerned with finding a place to sleep than establishing a connection.

Fast forward to, naturally, being tortured by shady Commission assassins for a few days, then being promptly booted into the past when he stole their time-traveling suitcase, hoping that it was filled with some cash. Instead, he got dropped straight into the Vietman War, promptly swept up into the force. He spent 10 months there, fell hopelessly in love with a soldier named Dave, promptly had him die in his arms from a bullet wound in the middle of a fire fight, before being transported back to 2019, with war and blood and more ghosts under his fingernails. As if he needed any more PTSD.

But Klaus's return also marked a turning point in his addiction - where his desire to conjure Dave - and later, to explore his abilities - was stronger than his need for the numbing high - which showed a strong mark of willpower (even at points where Klaus was struggling).

We see his abilities grow after that - namely in him being able to manifest Ben (their dead brother, and near-constant companion to Klaus) in more solid ways. And on the topic of Ben - he's shown to appear to Klaus the fastest after he sobers up. In season 1 especially, he was shown to be Klaus's voice of reason, and biggest advocate for sobriety. He helps direct Klaus into using his powers to help him against his torturers. While Ben is still distinctly his own person - which leads to disagreements and (spoilers season 2) the non-consensual possession - he is shown to deeply care for Klaus (and the rest). And i think Klaus is very used to having Ben around - having relied on him, sometimes for granted, a bit too much. Having Ben gone will force Klaus into either a spiral or growth, or both. Klaus had implied feeling guilty, thinking he kept Ben here instead of seeking the light (though in the end, it wasn't his fault but Ben's choice).

(more spoilers for season 2 ahead) In the second season, we see Klaus grow even more, with the heavy implication of him giving up a lot of his addiction, and instead following a quasi-enlightened path of a (false)prophet, and accidentally forming an entire cult. A fame that, while being fun at the start, Klaus is shown to dislike immensely by the end. Partially, because he feels responsible for these people, and partially, I think, because it's too much. It was definitely a case of "let me see how far i can push this", and being in a bit over his head.

To summarize, to boil him down (as there are a lot of aspects, and it's teetering too much on me just retelling every scene he's in) - Klaus is deeply flawed. Trauma shaped him, and PTSD from a war he never signed up for rears its head often enough. He's shown to keep people at arms length, relying a lot on his charisma to get him what he wants (case and point with the cult - it takes someone charismatic to get people to listen, and follow them. Klaus fits the bill). He's sarcastic and witty and, quite honestly, pretends to be dumber than he is. In better moments, he's laid back, and generally willing to listen. At times, he's still shown to be the voice of reason (when heard). He's shown to be deeply empathetic, and at the end of the day, he would die for each and every one of his siblings. He's the sort of person that, once he decides something, it is difficult to dissuade him otherwise. He's stubborn, and reckless, and underneath it all, still a little lost. But in the end, he's braver than he thinks.

APPEARANCE

APPEARANCE_INFO

ABILITIES

ABILITY

ABILITY_INFO

EXTRA

ADD WHATEVER YOU LIKE HERE OR DELETE IT! Run a REPLACE ALL on the word extra in lowercase (use a single word), then alter the text title above and in the sidebar if needed. If deleting this section, remember to also delete the corresponding sidebar nav link.

HISTORY

Event

HISTORY_EVENT