Why Marcus From The Umbrella Academy Season 3 Looks So Familiar
Umbrella Academy returning to Netflix for a third season was far from a given. Despite some recent Netflix cancellations and an ongoing pandemic, however, it was announced in November 2020 that Umbrella Academy would be back sometime in 2021.
Following a cliffhanger from the end of its second season, Umbrella Academy Season 3 is set to introduce the Sparrow Academy, which is a version of the titular Umbrella Academy in an alternate reality. Its leader is Marcus, who, based on the series' comic book source material, is expected to be imbued with super strength as his signature super power.
Justin Cornwell was first revealed to be portraying the role of Marcus in January 2021 in a casting announcement spanning the entirety of Season 3's Sparrow Academy. Cornwell has 12 acting credits to his name on IMDb. Among those are some starring roles and appearances that may be recognizable to discerning viewers. If Cornwell looked familiar upon the announcement of his inclusion in Umbrella Academy season 3, it's likely because of one of the following performances.
Justin Cornwell starred in Training Day
Training Day was originally a film released in 2001 that ranks among Denzel Washington's best movies (and also features a star-studded cast). It then served as the source material for a TV series of the same name, the first season of which aired in 2017. The death of lead actor Bill Paxton shortly after the series' premiere ultimately led to its cancellation that same year.
Starring alongside Paxton in the Training Day TV series was none other than Justin Cornwell. He played a cop named Kyle Craig who was assigned to join the Special Investigations Section of the LAPD, not as a standard member but as an undercover infiltrator. The leader of the Special Investigations Section, played by Paxton, was thought by his superiors to be corrupt, necessitating Craig's investigation.
On one hand, the series was short-lived due to the death of one of its leads, which may have lessened the size of its audience. On the other hand, critical reviews were pretty unfavorable, amounting to a 24% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the number of people who have seen Training Day may be less than what might be expected from a sequel to a hit Denzel Washington film for those reasons, anyone who has seen the series will immediately recognize Cornwell in his turn as Marcus in Umbrella Academy season 3.
Cornwell returned to the LAPD in The InBetween
The InBetween aired for 10 episodes in 2019, a little over two years after Training Day. Justin Cornwell wasn't only part of its starring cast but once again portrayed a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. Like in Training Day, Cornwell's role in the series began with a transfer, this time from Los Angeles to Seattle. Also like Training Day, The InBetween only aired for one season. Its cancellation was likewise announced just months after it finished airing.
Unlike Training Day, however, The InBetweeners was a supernatural crime series. Its lead, Cassie Bishop (played by Harriet Dyer) was capable of speaking to the dead, which provided the show with its central conceit. Reviews were kinder to The InBetween. Critical reviews aggregated on Rotten Tomatoes land it at a score of 67%. Its audience score, meanwhile, sits at 97%.
If that audience score is any indication, The InBetween has its fair share of fans, even if the series ultimately didn't generate high enough numbers to justify its renewal. If any of those fans go on to watch Umbrella Academy season 3, Cornwell should immediately be a familiar face.
Justin Cornwell played a supporting role in I Am the Night
Like numerous fictional stories before it, I Am the Night revolved around the Black Dahlia murder that made headlines in 1947. I Am the Night takes place in the '60s, however, during which time the events of the notorious murder resurface as a girl named Fauna Hodel, played by India Eisley, searches for her birth father. Starring alongside Eisley is Hollywood superstar Chris Pine.
Like seemingly every other pre-Umbrella Academy series in which has Justin Cornwell appeared, I Am the Night aired for a single season. However, it ended not due to cancelation but because it was planned as a limited series from the get-go. Cornwell played more of a supporting role in I Am the Night but nevertheless made recurring appearances throughout the series' brief run. The character he portrayed was an engineering student who was a friend and romantic interest of Fauna's.
I Am the Night also aired in 2019, so those who recognized Cornwell upon his Umbrella Academy announcement may very well have most recently seen him in his appearance in the TNT Black Dahlia series.