In the new trailer for Netflix’s upcoming third season of The Umbrella Academy, we see the superpowered siblings face off against a seemingly similar cohort, the Sparrow Academy. But for those of us who need some catching up to do from the previous two seasons, just what is the Sparrow Academy, anyway?
As some fans of the show may know already, the Umbrella Academy was formed by Colm Feore’s Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who adopted seven of the 43 children who were born on the same day in 1989 to mothers without prior signs of pregnancy, with the intention to train them in case they needed to save the world. The titular team members all happened to have superpowers, as well.
In season two, members of the Umbrella Academy find themselves scattered throughout the 1960s — having traveled back in time — after escaping an apocalypse brought on by Elliot Page’s Viktor Hargreeves at the end of season one. While in the ’60s, the team must reunite and find a way to revert the timeline once again. They seemingly succeed, but it results in a sort of butterfly effect in which Reginald selects different children for his cohort of superpowered trainees, who would later grow up to become the Sparrow Academy.
Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, Justin Cornwell as Marcus
Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, Justin Cornwell as Marcus
Pogo in episode 305 of The Umbrella Academy
Pogo in episode 305 of The Umbrella Academy
Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves
Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves
David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher as Number Five
David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher as Number Five in episode 301
Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, Ritu Arya as Lila Pitts
Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, Ritu Arya as Lila Pitts in episode 303 of The Umbrella Academy.
Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Javon 'Wanna' Walton as Stan
Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Javon 'Wanna' Walton as Stan
Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves
Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves
Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Justin Cornwell as Marcus
Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Justin Cornwell as Marcus
Britne Oldford as Fei, Christopher, Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane
Britne Oldford as Fei, Christopher, Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane
Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane, Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Cazzie David as Jayme, Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves, Christopher, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Jake Epstein as Alphonso, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Britne Oldford as Fei
Genesis Rodriguez as Sloane, Tom Hopper as Luther Hargreeves, Cazzie David as Jayme, Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves, Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves, Christopher, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Jake Epstein as Alphonso, David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves, Britne Oldford as Fei
Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves
Robert Sheehan as Klaus Hargreeves
Colm Feore as Reginald Hargreeves
Colm Feore as Reginald Hargreeves
Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves
Aidan Gallagher as Number Five, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Allison Hargreeves, Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves
Cazzie David as Jayme, Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves, Christopher, Jake Epstein as Alphonso
Cazzie David as Jayme, Justin H. Min as Ben Hargreeves, Christopher, Jake Epstein as Alphonso
Umbrella Academy poster
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With the original Umbrella Academy members returning to the present, they come face to face with the Sparrow Academy and presumably do battle with one another. Interestingly, as the trailer indicated, the original Umbrella Academy members also exist in the now-changed present, but presumably, they are simply superpowered nobodies — not part of any highfalutin team. It remains to be seen whether the OG Umbrella Academy members will encounter their alternate timeline selves and create some kind of singularity — or be forced to battle to the death — by doing so.
Now that you know the setup for The Umbrella Academy season three, hopefully, that will clear the way for you to binge your way to comic book-inspired bliss when the show hits Netflix on June 22.