The Umbrella Academy season 3 is going to be a massive deal for Netflix subscribers when it arrives. The show's second season was recently nominated for four Emmy awards and, alongside the critical acclaim that it received upon launch, season 3 will need to be just as good if Netflix's live-action adaptation is to continue pulling in viewers.
Not much is known about the next instalment in the streamer's live-action adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's comics. However, we suspect that there may be new flashbacks to when the superhero group were kids, if a recent Instagram post for The Umbrella Academy season 3 is anything to go on.
If you want more on the latest surrounding The Umbrella Academy season 3, you've come to the right place. Below, you'll find out when its expected release date is, what the comics can tease about season 3's potential plot, new cast members, when the trailer could drop and more.
We're entering spoiler territory for the first two seasons and the comics, so be wary.
Release date: There is no official release date for The Umbrella Academy season 3 yet, but filming is reportedly almost done as of August 2021, according to Elliot Page in a recent Instagram Story. Still, with heavy effects work to be done, we wouldn't expect it before the middle of 2022.
Cast: Along with the usual ensemble cast, Sparrow Academy brings a bunch of new faces to the show: Justin Cornwell as Marcus Hargreeves/Number One, Britne Oldford as Fei Hargreeves/Number Three, Jake Epstein as Alphonso Hargreeves/Number Four, Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane Hargreeves/Number Five and Cazzie David as Jayme Hargreeves/Number Six are new to the show in season 3.
Story: With episode titles for season 3 now revealed and the Sparrow Academy cast confirmed, there's a lot to dig into about how season 2 could lead in to this next set of episodes. Check out our analysis of that below.
With the episode titles revealed for The Umbrella Academy, check out our expert analysis of what they could mean based on our knowledge of the comics.
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The Umbrella Academy season 3 release date: 2022?
The Umbrella Academy season 3 release date: 2022?
We don't have a release date for season 3 yet. Filming only began in February, with the show's official Twitter account and Deadline reporting as much late in 2020.
It's unclear when shooting will wrap at this point – any end date will depend on potential Covid-19 factors – but the same Deadline article has alleged that filming will finish in September.
Oh my god! We're back! Again! It's official. Production for S3 of The Umbrella Academy begins in February pic.twitter.com/tZxyezzCOcNovember 10, 2020
Of course, Covid-19 could throw those plans out of the window. In an April interview with Collider, Tom Hopper – who plays Luther/Number One – revealed that season 3's production is taking longer than it should due to the pandemic. The actor explained that the cast and crew had "shorter days" on set as a result of Covid-19 protocols, so the shoot's length would be "longer" than initially planned.
"We're not that far into it at the moment, so we've got a long way to go," Hopper said. "But it's good. The great thing is the material, the work is amazing, so every day on set is, like I say, a joy and so much fun.”
At least we know that filming is currently taking place, though. Recently leaked on-set photos revealed that production was still on course and, while they don't give anything away about the plot, it looks like Luther has got himself into a spot of bother with some of the Sparrow Academy.
Check out the images, which were uploaded to the Netflix Updates Twitter account (after initially appearing on the Sean Movies Instagram page) below:
The Umbrella Academy & The Sparrow Academy on the set for Season 3! #TheUmbrellaAcademySeason3 pic.twitter.com/q5BiWF6tsoMay 12, 2021
If the September production end date is met, we could see season 3 air in early or mid 2022. As we say, that's entirely dependent on how well principal photography goes between now and then, but we'll let you know when we hear more.
The Umbrella Academy season 3 trailer
The Umbrella Academy season 3 trailer: is there one?
Unsurprisingly, no. As we mentioned, filming only begun in mid-February, so teaser or official trailers won't land for many months.
If our suggested Q1 2022 release date ends up being true, we might get one around the 2021 holiday season, but not before then.
The Umbrella Academy season 3 plot
The Umbrella Academy season 3: what can we expect from the plot?
With two world-ending apocalypses already averted, there’s a good chance that preventing some kind of Armageddon will be on the agenda again. It would be a refreshing change of pace if it didn't but, considering that there's always an apocalyptic threat in the comics, expect another one in season 3.
That's looking even more likely, too, when you consider season 3's episode titles, which you can see in the next section.
What we do know is that The Umbrella Academy will butt heads with an eerily similar group of superpowered beings. The final scene of season 2 introduced us to The Sparrow Academy, a seemingly alternate reality group with their own set of abilities. The Sparrow Academy were introduced in the final moments of The Umbrella Academy's most recent graphic novel volume – Hotel Oblivion – so they aren't an original superhero group that's been developed for the show.
Recently, some of the show's stars – Elliot Page, Tom Hopper and Emmy Raver-Lampman – spoke about the "delightful surprises" that are coming in season 3. Naturally, the trio didn't give anything significant away, but it seems like The Sparrow Academy will have something to do with those intriguing plot teases:
What excites The Umbrella Academy stars Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman about Season 3? pic.twitter.com/SsC5uo2sidMay 13, 2021
We'll dive into how The Sparrow Academy could factor into season 3 in the comics section below but, for now, let's briefly recap the end of season 2.
Having spent the first season in their native 2019 before time traveling to the 1960s in season 2, the Hargreeves now find themselves in a parallel dimension. While they’ve seemingly got over many of their issues with one another, though, their lives aren’t about to get any easier.
In this reality, Sir Reginald Hargreeves – the surrogate dad whose death begrudgingly brought the siblings back together in season 1 – is alive in this alternate universe. It doesn’t take long for his famously cold style of parenting to come to the fore, as he reveals that the familiar-looking house “isn’t your home”. It is, in fact, the headquarters of The Sparrow Academy.
Normally, The Sparrow Academy's floating green cube member would grab Luther and company's attention (more on this in a bit). To the shock of the group, though, Ben Hargreeves – the family's deceased brother who gave his life (again) to save Diego, Allison, Klaus, and Vanya in season 2 – is revealed to be The Sparrows' vice-captain. It isn't the lovable Ben that fans are used to either.
“Dad, who the hell are these assholes?” he asks. It's not a greeting you'd expect from Ben, so we can expect this version to be more impatient and less lovable than his predecessor.
Justin H. Min, who portrays Ben, has revealed that he didn't expect to return after season 2. Given that Ben isn't part of the Sparrows in the comics, it was a surprising turn of events for Min and viewers:
The Umbrella Academy star @justinhmin initially thought "Can you hug me as I go?" was the last scene he would ever film for the show... pic.twitter.com/G9I1CA1ZPIJune 23, 2021
Hopper recently told PureWow that season 3 would introduce a "very exciting dynamic" to the series. In our view, this means that there'll be plenty of back and forth between the two superhero groups, with each learning something from the other. We'll have to wait to find out if that's truly the case, though.
Finally, we could get a couple of new flashback scenes to when The Umbrella Academy's members were children. Ethan Hwang, who has portrayed a young Ben Hargreeves in the past two seasons, recently posted an Instagram photograph that showed him reuniting with Justin H. Min:
Sure, the duo could just be hanging out, but it's too much of a coincidence (in our opinion) that they've met up while filming on season 3 is ongoing.
If young Ben is returning, it presents us with two possible explanations.
The first is that we're getting flashbacks to Ben's childhood as an Umbrella Academy member, either on an individual basis or as part of the group. Could we find out how he died? It's something that would answer some longstanding questions we have about the fan favorite.
If that isn't the case, we could see a young Ben as part of the Sparrow Academy. This would allow us to see how the Sparrows' version of Ben grew up and why he's the antithesis of the Ben we knew from seasons 1 and 2.
The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode titles
The Umbrella Academy season 3 episode titles: what are they?
As we mentioned earlier, we finally know what the titles are for each of season 3's episodes.
Showrunner Steve Blackman revealed their names during Day 2 of Netflix Geeked Week (Tuesday, June 8), and you can see what the titles are in the list below:
- 301: Meet the Family
- 302: World's Biggest Ball of Twine
- 303: Pocket Full of Lightning
- 304: Kugelblitz
- 305: Kindest Cut
- 306: Marigold
- 307: Auf Wiedersehen
- 308: Wedding at the End of the World
- 309: Six Bells
- 310: Oblivion
Fans of the comics (ourselves included) know what some of those titles are referencing. As for us, we took a deep dive into the comics to see what they could tease about season 3's titles, and you can read that article here.
The Umbrella Academy season 3 cast
The Umbrella Academy season 3 cast: which stars are returning?
As you might expect, the series' seven main cast members will be back for season 3:
- Elliot Page as Vanya Hargreeves/Number Seven
- Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves/Number One
- David Castenada as Diego Hargreeves/Number Two
- Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves/Number Three
- Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves/Number Four
- Aidan Gallagher as Five/Number Five
- Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves/Number Six, but he'll be Number Two in The Sparrow Academy this time around
Colm Feore (Sir Reginald Hargreeves) and Ritu Arya (Lila Pitts) are also expected to return, but confirmation on that front is yet to be forthcoming. We may also see Adam Godley (Pogo the chimpanzee) and Jordan Claire Robbins (Grace Hargreeves/Mom) back as alternate-dimension forms of their Umbrella Academy counterparts but, again, we're yet to see an announcement on their returns.
Arya recently posted an Instagram video that showed her training to be a ninja for, well, something. We don't know if this is for The Umbrella Academy season 3 but, given it's in production right now and Lila's past as an assassin, it could be her practising for some action-heavy scenes.
Check out the post below:
The Umbrella Academy season 3: who has been cast as The Sparrow Academy?
Spoilers for The Umbrella Academy comic book volume 3: Hotel Oblivion.
This is where things get interesting. Hotel Oblivion's ending only gives us one real name and one moniker, with the latter being the group's leader aka Number One. The only other Sparrow Academy name that the comics gives us is Carla, who takes Vanya to meet the group before they rescue The Umbrella Academy from being defeated by a seemingly endless number of supervillains.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Carla will feature in season 3 – unless her reveal is being held back – as Netflix has already confirmed The Sparrow Academy's cast and their names. Here is who you can expect to see as the superhero group in season 3:
- Justin Cornwell as Marcus Hargreeves/Number One
- Britne Oldford as Fei Hargreeves/Number Three
- Jake Epstein as Alphonso Hargreeves/Number Four
- Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane Hargreeves/Number Five
- Cazzie David as Jayme Hargreeves/Number Six
According to Netflix (as reported by IGN), The Sparrow Academy members will differ in some from their Umbrella Academy counterparts.
Marcus is said to be a born leader who is "as smart as he is strong", while Ben is a "Machiavellian tactician" who is focused on usurping Marcus as leader. Fei is a misanthrope who, despite her tough exterior, longs for friends, and Alphonso is a pizza-loving, beer-swilling humorous individual who bears physical and mental scars from years of fighting crime.
Sloane is a "romantic" who "feels a higher cosmic being" calling to her, while Jayme is a lone-wolf who enjoys giving out "fear-inducing snarls" at anyone she deems below her. We'll also be getting Christopher/Number Seven, who is the group's existential dread-inducing psykronium cube, but there's no word yet on who will be voicing this team member.
Steve Blackman, The Umbrella Academy showrunner, has also teased a storyboard image of the Sparrow Academy members on Instagram. This sketch doesn't give anything away, as you'd expect, but it's cool nonetheless:
The Umbrella Academy season 3: what questions need answering?
Spoilers for The Umbrella Academy comic books and season 2 on Netflix.
Over the course of its two seasons, The Umbrella Academy has built up an intriguingly complex mythology, and that means plenty of questions to answer.
Fans of the TV series still don't know why 43 children were unexpectedly born on October 1, 1989, to mothers who weren’t pregnant when the day began. Or even what happened to most of those kids. Gerard Way's and Gabriel Bá's comics reveal how this came to be in the opening pages of volume one – Apocalypse Suite – but, in case this revelation comes to light in the show, we won't divulge it just yet.
In the comics, 13 of that number are known as The Umbrella and Sparrow Academy members. However, the show also introduced Lila as a potential 14th who we haven't seen in the graphic novels yet. That means that there are still 29 or 30 – depending on the medium of your choice – who are yet to be revealed. The problem now, of course, is that the TV series could move ahead of the comics (like Game of Thrones did) and unveil those individuals, or plot points that may come to the comics in the future. Either way, we might see more superheroes (or supervillains) emerge as part of season 3.
We also don't know why Ben doesn't recognize his siblings from the old timeline, even though Sir Reginald does. And why is he no longer a spirit? “He’s alive and not a ghost,” Min confirmed at a Cable Telecommunications Association for Marketing panel (reported by Syfy Wire). "Hopefully, if we get a season 3, you’ll get to see he has quite a different personality and appearance.”
Spoiler alert: There are 43 sparrows hidden throughout Season 2 of @UmbrellaAcad. Bet you can't tell us where they all are. pic.twitter.com/YFM4WiapBTAugust 6, 2020
Then there’s questions over season 2's other big reveal. Since he removed his human mask, we now know that Sir Reginald Hargreeves is an alien. Again, the comics reveal his true identity in Apocalypse Suite's first few pages, and this one we can spoil due to the finale's revelation.
In the comics, Sir Reginald is a world-renowned scientist, entrepreneur, inventor, and Olympic gold medalist. Oh, and a space alien. His true form hasn't been revealed in the graphic novels yet, but it's nailed on that the TV series will show that at this point.
Harlan, Missy's kid who is shown to have telekinetic powers at the end of season 2, is also a major mystery. If – and it's a big if – he has an alternate version in The Sparrow Academy's universe, he could end up being a friend or foe to them and The Umbrella Academy.
There's also the fact that we don't know who the villain is for season 3. With The Commission under new, friendlier leadership following The Handler's supposed death in season 2, it's unlikely that they'll be the bad guys again. How about, then, if season 3 starts introducing the comics' supervillains into its TV adaptation? It's possible that The Sparrow Academy are dealing with a threat far bigger than any that The Umbrella Academy has – you know, discounting two apocalypses – which means the Sparrows would need the latter's help.
What could that threat be? Well, any number of the superpowered bad guys in the comics. Dr. Terminal, The Perseus Corporation or even a fellow superhero like The Scientific Man would be major adversaries for the teams. Something of that ilk that would require them to eventually set their differences aside and team up would make for a pleasing season 3 plot line.
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