Warning: This post contains full spoilers for The Umbrella Academy Season 3. If you're not finished yet, check out our The Umbrella Academy Season 3 Review.
It’s the end of the world as they know it, and they still feel fine! Ok, probably not actually, but at least one member of the Hargreeves family is pretty thrilled with how things shook out.
Things this year were more character-focused than past entries, but it works in the show’s favor. Giving the Hargreeves children the opportunity to explore and reflect on their own emotions and intentions rather than sniping at each other constantly gives the audience the opportunity to empathize more than they may have in the past. But don’t worry — there’s still plenty of in-fighting to go around.
The Umbrella Academy Season 3 Ending Explained
The end of the season sees The Umbrella Academy successfully best the Kugelblitz with the help of their deranged father, Reginald (Colm Feore). And no, it wasn’t because he wanted to actually save their lives. He’s still the maniac you remember, only this time with alien tentacles. Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) snaps out of her loss-induced rage long enough to save her siblings, and Viktor (Elliot Page) decides not to wipe his sister out in favor of trusting her and hopefully repairing their incredibly damaged relationship.
The good news: Viktor wasn’t the one who ended the world this time! The bad news? Well, the world still ended. Season 3 once again sees the team with another hard reset, this time without (most of) the Sparrow Academy that they so resented. And without their powers.
What Happened to Sloane?
Luther (Tom Hopper) finally got his happy ending, but his domestic bliss was short-lived. First, the Umbrella Academy’s giant was unceremoniously murdered by his father shortly after his wedding in an attempt to bring the remaining Sparrows and Umbrellas together to stop the Kugelblitz. Now, when the timeline was reset, Luther was inexplicably brought back from the dead. But his wife, Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez), the Sparrow Academy’s Number 5, was missing from the group when they found themselves in the new universe.
The Sparrow’s version of Ben, however, remains alive and well with the rest of his dysfunctional family. This disproves the theory that only Umbrellas made it to the new universe alive, but does little to tell us what actually happened to Sloane. Did she somehow trade places with Luther in the void? Because that’s most certainly not going to go over well with Luther.
Will the Sparrow Academy Return?
Most of the Sparrow Academy met pretty untimely ends (their Number One played by Justin Cornwell was done dirty, if you ask me) in Season 3. Will we see their characters return in future seasons? One theory about Sloane could be that the Sparrows simply don’t exist in this timeline, but the Umbrella Academy still walked around just fine in a world where they were never born. Perhaps the warring siblings will meet again and be forced to get along while powerless.
Can Allison and Viktor Repair Their Relationship?
Season 3 put Allison and Viktor through the ringer. Allison was more than supportive of her brother’s transition, but she couldn’t forgive him for protecting the man who killed their mothers. Harlan (the young boy that Viktor saved in Season 2, accidentally giving him a piece of his powers, played by Callum Keith Rennie) returns this season much older and much more broken than we remember him. When Sissy (Marin Ireland) died in this timeline, Harlan responded with a blast of power that he couldn’t control. Because of his connection to Viktor and the Umbrella Academy, it targeted all of their mothers before the Umbrellas could be born. Not only does Harlan’s accidental set of murders cause the Kugelblitz, they also erase Allison’s daughter from existence. Allison murders Harlan when she finds out, despite none of it being his fault.
And so, the closest relationship of the Hargreeves family is fractured. It remains to be seen whether or not these crazy kids can fix the familial bond. For now, though, Allison is just reveling in motherly bliss.
Why Is Everyone So Ready to Forgive Allison?
Allison’s wrath makes perfect sense. Murdering Harlan may have been inexcusable, but imagine if the person you loved most was just blipped out of existence because someone couldn’t handle their own emotions? It tracks that she’s furious with Viktor and is in no way ready to even think about ever repairing their relationship. But why is everyone so willing to roll with the unforgivable things that she did in her grief?
In the case of Harlan, it’s a big “understandable but not excusable” kind of situation. Harlan wasn’t in control of what happened, didn’t ask for the powers he had, and was in no way trained to control them. Why is Viktor so ready to forgive his sister for murdering a man who’s only crime was getting saved by the Umbrella Academy as a child?
And then there’s Luther. At one point, Allison forces him to stay with her, which was already crossing a line. Following it up with “I heard a rumor that you wanted me,” is beyond unforgivable. She comes to her senses and stops Luther before ending up in rape territory, but his autonomy is still ripped away from him and they get pretty hot and heavy before she makes the call.
Allison Hargreeves is one of the series’ strongest characters, and Season 3 did nothing but solidify that. Her story arc is wildly interesting! It’s just strange that Viktor and Luther are so willing to let bygones be bygones after two pretty unforgivable actions from their sister (and in one case, ex).
Did The Umbrella Academy Introduce The Monocle?
The last seconds of The Umbrella Academy Season 3 show Reginald Hargreeves in a tower overlooking a city which he apparently owns. The buildings all have his name across them and the park the Umbrellas stumble into is dedicated in his honor. Prior to their escape to this new universe, Reginald reveals that he’s an alien when he kills Luther. (We also see evidence of this when Allison slices half his head off and alien blood and guts are revealed. Gross.) So, is The Umbrella Academy paying homage to Reginald’s alter ego from the comics, The Monocle, or is that who we’re about to meet should there be a Season 4 of the series? It’s basically the Reginald that fans have already met, he’s just secretly an alien and distanced himself so far from his children that he insisted they call him “Monocle” rather than any variation of “dad.”
Will The Umbrella Academy Get Their Powers Back?
The obvious answer to this is yes. While superheroes often lose their powers here and there, it’s rarely for a long period of time. So, expect a couple of episodes next season (should the series get renewed) where they go through the process of “this is awesome!” to “this is the worst!” (to varying degrees depending on the character) and then be prepared for them to hop right back into their usual shenanigans.
We don’t know if the show will get renewed or not — it’s up against some stiff competition this week with two series going strong on Disney+ and dropping mid-week when a lot of people’s work week hinders their usual binge plans — but keep your eye on IGN for what the cast and crew hope to see in Season 4.
Umbrella Academy Season 3 Post Credits Scene
The mid-credit scene of the finale keeps it simple: we see Ben chilling out on a subway in Korea while reading a book. But, like all things in The Umbrella Academy, there’s a lot more to this moment than meets the eye.
Most notably is the fact that the final shot of the season mirrors the opening one. We meet Ben’s mother immediately before her immaculate conception on a similar subway in Korea. But we also probably shouldn’t sleep on the fact that the version of Ben we see on the train looks pretty different from the Sparrow version we spent Season 3 with. Does this new universe have both Umbrella and Sparrow versions of Ben? Is one (or both) of them looking for their mother?
