The Umbrella Academy's Biggest Twist The Cast Never Saw Coming
If time-travel films and TV taught us one lesson, it's that messing with history can have drastic ramifications on the future. Just ask Tony Stark, Doc Brown, or the protagonists of Netflix's "The Umbrella Academy," the Hargreeves siblings. The last time we saw the superpowered family on "The Umbrella Academy" Season 2, things were undoubtedly out of whack after the Hargreeves siblings accidentally time travel to 1960s Dallas. The ending of Season 2 left audiences on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The Hargreeves escape danger in the past but accidentally send themselves to a future timeline that is not theirs in their attempt to get back home.
In the final moments of the Season 2 finale, it is revealed the Hargreeves' adoptive father, Reginald Hargreeves, is alive and training a whole new squad of superheroes named The Sparrow Academy. Even more shocking is the surprise entrance of Ben (Justin H. Min), the deceased Hargreeves sibling who is now alive and kicking in this timeline, part of The Sparrows team, and not at all pleased to see several home invaders claiming to know him. It was a twist no one saw coming, including the cast of "The Umbrella Academy."
Ben's return in the Season 2 finale surprised The Umbrella Academy cast
Speaking at the global Netflix fan event Tudum (via YouTube), Elliot Page said that, at the time of filming, neither he nor the rest of the cast had any idea that Ben would be back from the dead in the new timeline. The actor, who plays Vanya Hargreeves, explained, "We didn't know all the details, so the surprise about Ben at the end was a surprise for us."
Tom Hopper, who plays super strong sibling Luther, also revealed that the mystery didn't stop there. While answering a question about what it was like to film the Season 2 finale, the actor said it was "confusing." This might be due to the final scene where the Hargreeves family sees figures shrouded in shadow — that's all the cast saw during filming. Hopper explained, "None of the actors that would have been cast as Sparrows this year were actually cast yet. So there were just silhouettes." Thankfully, the third season will shine some light on The Sparrows now that these roles have been cast and subsequently brought to life in Season 3, which wrapped filming in August.
Who is part of The Sparrow Academy?
In January, Netflix announced which actors appear as The Sparrow Academy members and ruffle the Hargreeves' proverbial feathers. Justin Cornwell will play strong and equally smart Marcus; Britne Oldford shows up as the introvert Fei; Jake Epstein plays heavily-scarred crimefighter Alphonso; Genesis Rodriguez shows up as Sloane; Cazzie David plays Jayme; and an unconfirmed cast member voices the Existential Dread Inducing Psykronium Cube, aka Christopher. Oh, and we can't forget about Justin H. Min, who, as we previously mentioned, plays a very different version of Ben.
Unfortunately, we have no idea when The Umbrella Academy and The Sparrow Academy will go toe-to-toe (or sharp corner, in the case of Christopher) in Season 3. Netflix stayed quiet regarding the new season's release date and when we can expect to see new footage. For now, all fans can do is keep an extra eye out for a trailer sometime arriving soon, and maybe we'll finally see when it's time to go back to class for "The Umbrella Academy."