Man, I dove deep into Gerard Way's 'The Umbrella Academy' comics after binging the Netflix show, and Alphonso was one of those characters that made me go, 'Wait, was he always there?' Turns out, nope! He’s a Season 3 addition for the TV series—part of the Sparrow Academy lineup. The comics focus way more on the original Hargreeves siblings, with Sparrows being a loose framework. But hey, the show’s version of Alphonso (that tragic, scarred face and his morbid humor?) is such a fresh twist. Makes me wonder if Gerard might sneak him into future comic arcs.
Honestly, the way the show expands on the comic’s universe is wild. Like, the comics have 'Hotel Oblivion' and 'Dallas,' but the Sparrows get way more screen time than page time. Alphonso’s TV backstory—using his pain as a weapon—feels like something straight out of Way’s emo-rock sensibility, though. Maybe he’ll retroactively appear in a spin-off comic? Fingers crossed, because his dynamic with the others is gold.