The Umbrella Academy Season 3 finally premieres this week, continuing the superpowered, time-hopping adventures of the dysfunctional Hargreeves siblings. As such, here's a quick Season 2 refresher to jog your memory and get you ready for the new episodes.
If you're about to hit play on The Umbrella Academy's new season and are itching to get started, all you really need to know is that the disaster convoy known as the Hargreeves family accidentally created an alternate timeline, in which they have just landed. Here the Umbrella Academy doesn't exist, replaced instead with the Sparrow Academy. Also, the Hargreeves' ghost brother Ben (Justin H. Min) finally moved on during the last season, leaving the new timeline's very-much-alive Ben as the only Ben around, while Diego (David Castañeda) left his previously Temps Commission-aligned super ex-girlfriend Lila (Ritu Arya) in the literal past.
While it isn't explicitly stated, it's strongly implied that this new timeline was caused by the Hargreeves siblings meeting a past version of their dad Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) during their time-travelling adventures in the '60s. His disappointment in the group appears to have influenced his decision to adopt and raise them, with the only one of the original seven who is now a member of the Sparrow Academy being the aforementioned Ben — the one child Reginald didn't meet.
That should be enough to stave off most of your confusion. But if you want to be extra up to date on exactly what the Hargreeves did in Season 2 and where they ended up, we also have you covered.
Here's everything you need to know before diving into The Umbrella Academy's third season.
Number 1: Luther Hargreeves became a boxer and continued pining after his sister
I regret to inform you that the Umbrella Academy's resident giant incest space ape man still has the hots for his sister.
After Five's time travel at the end of Season 1 went awry, the Hargreeves were scattered across the early '60s and forced to fend for themselves. Luther (Tom Hopper) landed in 1962, where he lived a quiet life fighting in underground boxing rings and working security for his new mentor Jack Ruby (John Kapelos). Yes, this is the same Jack Ruby who later killed John F. Kennedy's killer Lee Harvey Oswald, like a messed up historical murder nesting doll.
This was probably the psychologically healthiest situation Luther had ever been in, but it was not to last. He eventually ran into his sister Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), which reignited his inappropriate incestuous desire for her and prompted him to reunite with his siblings, attempt to avert the apocalypse (again), and return to their original time.
Number 2: Diego Hargreeves got institutionalised and a girlfriend
Diego was dropped in 1963, and just like any good red-blooded time-travelling American, he immediately decided he was going to prevent the assassination of JFK. Unfortunately his clumsy attempts to save the president quickly got him institutionalised, where he met — then escaped with — fellow patient Lila. There seemed to be a burgeoning attraction between the two, but because no member of the Umbrella Academy is allowed anything even resembling happiness for longer than 0.2 seconds, it was soon revealed that Lila was a Temps Commission plant working for The Handler (Kate Walsh).
Dragged to the Temps Commission to be drafted as an agent, Diego discovered that his sibling Number 7 (Elliot Page) was the cause of the impending apocalypse (again). He eventually escaped and joined the rest of the Hargreeves in their efforts to prevent the end of the world, while Lila, The Handler, and the Temps Commission tracked them down for a big end-of-season brawl. Lila also revealed she has her own superpower: power mimicry.
The Hargreeves eventually came out on top, with Diego managing to swing Lila to this family's side before returning to his proper time without her. Though considering that Lila is no stranger to time travel, that definitely won't be the last we see of her.
Number 3: Allison Hargreeves was a civil rights activist and happy wife
Allison landed in 1961 which, for those of you unfamiliar with U.S. history, was not a great time to be Black in America. (It still isn't a great time, but I digress.) Taken in by the local Black community, she found work at a hair salon, got heavily involved with the civil rights movement, and married organiser Raymond Chestnut (Yusuf Gatewood).
The couple were happy and in love, with Ray a strong contender for the title of Biggest Sweetheart in The Umbrella Academy Season 2. Even if he weren't, he was certainly a significant improvement to Allison's previous love interest/brother. Then Allison's family showed up, most notably her incestuous flame Luther, and swiftly sucked her back into their messed up shenanigans.
While Ray was accepting and supportive once he learned of his wife's eclectic family, history, and superpowers (if not her penchant for incest), he declined to abandon his life and civil rights work to follow Allison back to her time. As such, she's starting off Season 3 free to resume her unsettling flirtation with her brother. Ray was a wonderful man who deserved better, and it sucks that we probably won't see him again.
Number 4: Klaus Hargreeves started a cult and tried to save his boyfriend
Though most of the Hargreeves siblings were stranded in the past alone, Klaus (Robert Sheehan) was fortunate enough to be flung back to 1960 alongside his dead brother Ben. The two landed the furthest in the past of all their siblings, meaning they had a few years before everyone else showed up. So, of course, Klaus used that time to exploit his powers and start a cult.
After getting sober and living in luxury for several years, Klaus eventually reunited with the rest of his family — then realised he had a chance to stop his former boyfriend Dave (Calem MacDonald) from joining the military and dying in the Vietnam War. (Remember, this isn't Klaus' first trip through time. He previously travelled to 1968 via a stolen Temps Commission briefcase in Season 1, which is when he first met Dave.) Sadly, Klaus' attempt ended with Dave punching him in the face, prompting him to turn back to drinking.
Nevertheless, he still helped the rest of the Umbrella Academy stop the apocalypse — and found some measure of absolution for his guilt at preventing Ben from moving on to the afterlife. It will be interesting to see how Klaus manages in Season 3 without his ghost brother nagging him to make better decisions. Then again, it's not like he actually listened to Ben's advice most of the time.
Number 5 attempted to herd his siblings and fought himself
While his siblings were making new lives for themselves in the '60s, Number 5 (Aidan Gallagher) attempted to corral them all like herding a bunch of cats. It went about as well as you'd expect.
Landing in the middle of the apocalypse in November 1963, Five learned that this global disaster was the domino effect of him and his siblings travelling to the past. Thus, in order to prevent it, he time travelled ten days earlier and tried to convince the Hargreeves to return to their own time.
Frustratingly, several were less than amenable to the idea. Five eventually got his siblings more or less on the same page, then made a deal with The Handler: In exchange for him assassinating the members of the Temps Commission's board, she'd give him a briefcase he could use to bring his siblings back to their correct time. Unfortunately Five could not catch a break, and was forced to abandon the briefcase when not everyone made it to the rendezvous before it activated. He then tried getting another briefcase from his past, physically older self, which didn't work out either.
Five eventually worked with his siblings to stop Number 7 from destroying the world (again), without having to flee the time period in the process. However, the Hargreeves were subsequently confronted with an army of Temps Commission agents, including Lila and The Handler. They defeated the agents and Lila was eventually swayed to their side, but The Handler shot all seven siblings plus Lila, instantly killing everyone except Five, the one sibling who can time travel.
Five jumped back in time just a few minutes to stop The Handler, resulting in her being shot to death by Swedish mercenary Axel (Kris Holden-Ried). After that, Five finally got approval from the Temp Commission's temporary Chair Herb (Ken Hall) to use a briefcase, returning his family to their original time — though not their original timeline.
Number 6: Ben Hargreeves saved the world and finally moved on
Longsuffering Ben spent much of Season 2 the way he spent Season 1 — dragged along on Klaus' personal self-destruction tour like a ghostly Jiminy Cricket. Last season did see Ben granted more agency, as he fell in love with a cult member named Jill (Mouna Traoré) and learnt how to possess Klaus. However, his most significant moment was when he became the key to preventing the apocalypse, as he was the only one able to withstand Number 7's power.
Seeing that the other Hargreeves were unable to reach Number 7 through the overwhelming waves of power emanating from him as he lost control, Ben made his way to his brother and jumped into his body. Reaching Number 7 inside his own mind, Ben spoke to and comforted him, calming him down and helping him rein in his power.
Sadly, doing this caused Ben to finally move on to the afterlife, hugging Number 7 as his ghostly body disappeared. As he did so, he told Number 7 to pass on a final message to Klaus: It wasn't his fault Ben hadn't moved on earlier, and he'd simply been scared to go into the light.
While this may be the last we see of the Umbrella Academy's ghost-Ben, the Sparrow Academy's very much alive alternate reality Ben will appear in Season 3. It looks like he won't be anywhere near as nice though.
Number 7 got amnesia and fell in love
Though not really a spoiler if you've paid any attention to celebrity news, it's been confirmed that Elliot Page's character Number 7 will come out as trans in Season 3, and begin using the name Viktor Hargreeves.
Number 7 landed in 1963 and, in a very Back to the Future move, promptly got hit by a car. Affected by amnesia, he was taken in by the driver, Sissy Cooper (Marin Ireland), and stayed with her, her unpleasant husband Carl (Stephen Bogaert), and their non-verbal son Harlan (Justin Paul Kelly) on the Coopers' ranch.
During this time Number 7 and Sissy grew very close, eventually beginning a secret romance. Some of Number 7's siblings did find him and offer hints about his past, including his role in instigating the apocalypse. However, he decided to stay with the Coopers after saving Harlan from almost drowning in a lake — and unknowingly transferring some of his power to the boy when reviving him.
Things came to a head when Sissy and Number 7 decided to take Harlan and run away together. Stopped by police at Carl's behest, Number 7 was turned over to the FBI and violently interrogated under suspicion of being a Russian spy. This torture caused Number 7 to begin regaining his memories and losing control of his power, which threatened to destroy the FBI building and spark the apocalypse. (In the future Five was trying to prevent, the U.S. government believed the building's destruction was an attack from Russia, sparking World War III.)
Fortunately, Ben helped Number 7 regain control and averted the apocalypse. Number 7 and the other remaining Hargreeves then returned to the Coopers' ranch to help Harlan, who The Handler wanted to recruit, and had a big showdown with the Temps Commission. Ultimately emerging victorious, Number 7 then took his power back from Harlan, bid a fond farewell to Sissy, and returned to his own time with his siblings.
Where, of course, they immediately ran into an alternate version of their deceased brother Ben looking at them like strangers. No matter what happens next, it's bound to get messy.
The Umbrella Academy Season 3 premieres June 22 on Netflix.
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