The Umbrella Academy’s new season has been confirmed to arrive on June 22 later this year after a new trailer debuted at SXSW. Teasing a confrontation between the titular cast of heroes and the enigmatic Sparrow Academy, season 3 has been described as “massive, incredible, and exciting.” In additional news, Elliot Page’s character will experience some significant and hopeful changes in writing that may make waves in the world of television.
A number of plot points in season 2 that were left unresolved will likely return in force for season 3, presenting new challenges and opportunities for growth for the beloved team of heroes. Between the steady trickle of news and the promise of returning threads from earlier seasons, there are plenty of reasons to be excited. Here are just a few reasons to get hyped for the June 2022 release date of The Umbrella Academy season 3.
4 The Return of Ben
Like the rest of the academy, Ben was one of the 43 children born to instantaneously pregnant mothers on the night of October 1, 1989. His powers allow him to summon Lovecraftian creatures from other dimensions to wreak havoc, a power he exercised for the benefit of the academy until his untimely death. Though the character died, Klaus was able to see and communicate with him for years after his death, thanks to Klaus’ ability to speak with the deceased. Through Klaus’ dissociative and self-destructive journey, Ben is shown to be a grounding force of empathy and stability that guides Klaus through the darkness. Ben would go on to die a second, seemingly more permanently time at the conclusion of season 2 of The Umbrella Academy.
However, the final moments of season 2 revealed the Umbrella Academy had traveled to an alternate timeline with an alternate version of the Umbrella Academy known as the Sparrow Academy. After being confronted with a sinister version of Ben, the apparent leader of the alternate superhero team, audiences were left with the promise of Ben’s return in the flesh, albeit with a different identity.
3 What is the Sparrow Academy?
The Sparrow Academy made their comic book debut relatively recently, and not much is known about their television presence. Made up of mostly different individuals, it stands to reason that the members of the Sparrow Academy were also selected from the 43 children born with superpowers by Reginald Hargreeves. Although the end of season 2 seemed to imply animosity between the two academies, it’s unknown whether the Sparrow Academy are truly antagonistic or evil. The friction between the two teams is likely to erupt in flames as the first issue to be resolved is the presence of two conflicting teams in the same manor.
The Sparrow Academy’s members and names were publicized alongside other news about season 3. In addition to Ben, the Sparrow Academy includes: Marcus, the super-strong leader and potential parallel to Luther; there’s Fei, the nihilistic but hyper-competent Sparrow #3; Alphonso is the hardened but light-tempered crime fighter known as Sparrow #4; Sloane is an idealistic dreamer bent on escaping her confines and exploring the world; Jayme is a street-tough loner whose only friend is Alphonso; and finally, and most strangely, there is Christopher, who plays an existential dread-inducing cube. The description of these characters does little to demystify them or hint at their role in season 3. Only time will tell exactly how this new team dynamic will clash with the original Umbrella Academy.
2 Unmasking Old Reginald
In a series full of insane and mind-bending sequences, there was one scene in season 2 that stood above the rest. After being threatened by the Majestic 12, Reginald Hargreeves took off his human disguise, revealing a twisted alien form, and slaughtered everyone in sight. Though there were a few details revealed about his past and how he created his fortune, precious little is known about his true origins or motivations for assembling the Umbrella Academy the way he did. From details dropped in season 2, audiences know that Reginald Hargreeves was involved with the plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy, and that he made his wealth opening an umbrella business in the early 20th century. With the appearance of the new, altered-timeline Hargreeves comes the promise that audiences will gain more insight on who exactly Hargreeves is and what his plans are.
1 The Debut of Viktor Hargreeves
After Elliot Page came out as transgender and non-binary, it appeared that his portrayal of the character formerly known as Vanya Hargreeves would continue unchanged. In a surprise move, as reported by The AV Club, Netflix revealed that the character would transition as well, becoming Viktor Hargreeves. The details of how his transition will be written are unclear. The decision to write in a gender transition to reflect an actor’s real life transition is an unprecedented, though wholly welcome and inspiring move, and one that promises a new vision of the character that audiences have come to love. The Umbrella Academy season 3 has already teased the idea of new iterations of known characters, and this new plot may add an exciting new angle on that prospect.