Some mystery surrounds the time-traveling assassins Hazel and Cha Cha. Fans may be surprised by the iconic duo's character arcs, and actor's insights.

After a successful second season, the eccentric characters of Netflix's superhero series The Umbrella Academy are now familiar to an expansive and enthusiastic fanbase. As viewers deliberate over what might come of the dysfunctional Hargreeves family, some mystery still surrounds the time-traveling assassins and partners, Hazel and Cha Cha.

While these elusive antagonists are denied major roles in Season 2, Hazel and Cha Cha are at the heart of some of Season 1's most memorable moments. Many secrets lie behind these complex characters and their iconic scenes, including insights that have been revealed by the actors who portray them. Whether these details pertain to their unique dynamic, character arcs or aesthetic presence on screen, there are many surprising aspects to Hazel and Cha Cha's existence within the Umbrella Academy universe.

10 Hazel And Cha Cha Switched Masks For The Netflix Series

There are several ways in which the Hazel and Cha Cha seen in the Netflix series differ from their comic book counterparts. In the comic book series created by Gerard Way, Hazel and Cha Cha are ruthless killers and agents of the Commission. In Jeremy Slater's Netflix series, Hazel and Cha Cha occupy the same roles and possess similar ferocity in their fighting skills, but are given more complexity as characters. This humanization of the pair is achieved in part by having the characters switch masks. While the Hazel of the comics dons a bright pink puppy dog mask, complimenting Cha Cha's grinning blue-and-yellow bear, the pair swap headgear for their on-screen appearance. This switch emphasizes that the masks, as well as the jobs they represent, are not integral to either Hazel or Cha Cha's identities.

9 Both Hazel And Cha Cha Are Men In The Comics

Viewers of the Netflix series are not told much about Hazel and Cha Cha's past, but they are allowed to see the agents in all their violent glory. Cha Cha, played by singer/songwriter and actress Mary J. Blige, is striking in her severity, stamina and skills in combat, with manicured bangs and an immaculate suit. While the Cha Cha of the comics is similarly strong and fearsome, he is also a man. This change does little to alter Cha Cha and Hazel's subplot—which is expanded in the series for unrelated reasons—but it is indicative of the Netflix series' tendency to make these characters more distinctly different from one another. For example, while both Hazel and Cha Cha obsess over sugary treats in the comics, only Hazel is shown to be particularly sweet-toothed in the series.

8 Mary J. Blige Didn't Have To Audition For The Role Of Cha Cha

Unlike many members of The Umbrella Academy's talented cast, Mary J. Blige didn't go through the standard process of auditioning for the role of Cha Cha. The actress, who has won multiple awards for her accomplishments in the music and film/television industries, landed the role shortly after reading the script.

After receiving an Academy Award nomination for her role in Mudbound, Blige was enthusiastic to portray a character who was completely different to the more maternal Florence Jackson. She found this opportunity in Cha Cha, who allows Blige to successfully flex both her range as an actress and her ability to thrive in an action-heavy role.

7 Cameron Britton, Who Portrays Hazel, Is Ed Kemper From Mindhunter

Fans of Joe Penhall's Mindhunter will already be familiar with Cameron Britton's Award-winning performance as the unsettlingly polite murderer Ed Kemper. For those less familiar with the psychological thriller series, however, witnessing Britton's bone-chilling portrayal of the real-life serial killer might come as quite a shock. Indeed, despite his distinct voice and notable built, Britton's transformation into Kemper makes him almost unrecognizable to those who know him primarily as the hitman with a heart of gold, Hazel.

6 In The Comics, Hazel And Cha Cha Are The Reason Klaus Is Sent To Heaven

While nobody could forget a reanimated Reginald Hargreeves shaving Klaus' face in heaven, the incident that led to this event in the Netflix series is significantly less noteworthy than that which occurs in the comics. In Episode 7 of Season 1, "The Day That Was," Klaus wakes up in a monochrome forest after hitting his head on the floor of a nightclub. By contrast, the Klaus of the comics is shot in the head by Hazel and Cha Cha and sent to a desert-dwelling cowboy—an event that makes his trip to the afterworld seem much less ambiguous.

5 Mary J. Blige Did A Lot Of Her Own Stunts

Throughout Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy, Cha Cha is shown to be an unapologetically ruthless and relentless fighter, holding her own against even the formidable Hazel. These fast-cutting combat scenes are even more impressive upon considering Mary J. Blige's role in their production.

In an interview with CBR, Blige describes her determination to perform most of her own stunts, and the work it took to achieve this goal. Training every day during the shoot, she eventually inspired co-star Cameron Britton to do the same, and the two took to taking kicks, throwing punches, firing guns and, in Blige's case, hanging from cables.

4 Cameron Britton Prepared For The Role By Watching Rick And Morty

As illuminated in an interview with Cameron Britton, the connection between a character like Hazel and the incorrigible anti-hero Rick from Rick and Morty is one that goes beyond similarities in occupation. These are deeply dissatisfied men who regularly time travel and commit heinous, hurtful acts against others, often without a lot of remorse. While Hazel eventually wakes up to the unfulfilling and unsustainable nature of his lifestyle, Britton draws upon Rick and Morty to understand how this character might feel prior to this realization. This technique allowed Britton to access the emotional numbness and disconnect that Hazel exudes at the beginning of Season 1.

3 Hazel's Romantic Subplot Was Invented For The Netflix Series

One of the sweetest additions to Season 1, Hazel's romance with waitress and bird-watcher Agnes is an integral part of his significant character arc over the course of the series. The gentle intimacy that develops between these characters, however, is one that never transpires in the comics. In fact, the love that Hazel has for Agnes never extends beyond an appreciation for her desserts, as he forces her to serve himself and Cha Cha pie during their torture of Klaus. Although this sugar-obsessed and irredeemable Hazel is morbidly entertaining, viewers can also appreciate the happier Hazel that is born from his relationship with Agnes.

2 In The Comics, Hazel And Cha Cha Save Christmas

For all the crimes they commit in the Netflix series, the Hazel and Cha Cha of the Umbrella Academy comics are even more terrifying in their psychotic thirst for violence. It is surprising, then, that these very characters should succeed in saving Christmas, even if it is by accident.

In a one-shot story entitled Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas: Tales from the Umbrella Academy, the pair kill an unconventional villain who sought to expose the inner-workings of Santa's delicate system and destroy Christmas forever.

1 Hazel And Cha Cha May Return In Season 3

While Hazel and Cha Cha's deaths seem fairly definite by the end of Season 2, there is still reason to believe that they might return. The Hargreeves' arrival in an apparently alternate dimension—one in which both Ben and Reginald Hargreeves are alive—is enough to ignite hope in any Hazel-and-Cha Cha fan. Furthermore, the sight of an agent carrying Cha Cha's distinct dog mask in the eighth episode of Season 2, "The Seven Stages," challenges the assumption that Cha Cha died in the initial apocalypse of Season 1. Considering these facts in conjunction with the power that Hazel and Cha Cha have access to at the Commission, the return of these fan-favorites seems increasingly likely.

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