We last left the Hargreeves siblings at the end of Season 2 counting down the arrival of the apocalypse, then traveling out to find themselves in a parallel universe with the Sparrow Academy.
Then with the Season 3 trailer, we were all given a sneak peek at the showdown between the Umbrellas and the Sparrows. The two squads bicker, pummel, insult, and stare intensely at each other. It’s safe to say that they don’t care for each other. Now, let’s recap before getting into further detail for season 3.
SEASON 2 RECAP
At the end of the group’s adventure in Dallas, they successfully fight off The Handler and her Commission stooges. Herb, the new head of the Commission, helpfully lets them take one of his time machine briefcases, and the Hargreeves siblings return to 2019, the year they left at the end of Season One.
But this 2019 they enter is way different than the one they originally left behind. The mansion they know still stands, but in this new timeline, their brother Ben is alive and well, and so is their father, whereas in their old timeline, his death had been the catalyst that had reunited them. As they meet, neither Ben nor the father they knew recognize them and make it known that the gang hasn’t entered the Umbrella Academy but the Sparrow Academy.
So, what IS the Sparrow Academy?
With that jarring cliffhanger, it’s safe to say that this new season will be tackling the intricacies of the Sparrow Academy across its ten episodes. Not much is known yet about this strange academy, but viewers are given glimpses of the occupants’ new superpowers.
The comics by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá on which the show is based offer some clues. In Volume Three, “Hotel Oblivion,” it’s revealed that Reginald stashed all the villains defeated by Umbrella Academy in a prison located deep in space. After they break out and make their way back to earth, they all seek revenge on the Hargreeves clan. The Umbrella Academy is having a tough time fighting off all the baddies until they get an assist from superheroes that look like them but wear bird patches instead of umbrellas.
Gerard Way revealed some of the plot points from the comic’s fourth volume titled ‘Sparrow Academy’ in an interview with Forbes.
“[It] deals with a very big reveal in the Umbrella Academy universe, something that had been secret for a long time, and our siblings learn a lot about what was happening behind the scenes, as well as discovering the true nature of some characters that have been with them since the beginning…The series finally starts to answer the question: ‘What about the other babies born on that day, in that moment?’ The Umbrella Academy siblings are not alone in the world anymore.”
It appears that Reginald Hargreeves adopted way more than seven special kids, and that trained this new group under the banner of the Sparrow Academy. Umbrella Academy Season 3 drops today June 22, 2022, on Netflix.
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