The Sparrows' Powers In The Umbrella Academy Season 3 Explained
After tampering with the timeline in the last season of "The Umbrella Academy" in their effort to get back home, our version of the Hargreeves siblings found themselves back at the academy, with a slightly different name on the door and a new squad of super-powered equals to face off against.
It seems that in this new universe, the manipulator with a mustache, the oft-disturbing Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) — following his meeting with the children he'd sought to form The Umbrella Academy in 1963 — picked out alternative options to enlist in his cause, hoping to avoid his supposed mistakes in the making. The result was The Sparrow Academy, a different selected team (besides one), some of which were given drastically different abilities to our favorite family and gave our Hargreeves' a good run for their money. So, who are The Sparrows, and what new skills do they bring to this royally messed up timeline?
Well, listen up, because here's who our Hargreeves will be going up against, from the vaguely familiar to the absolutely absurd. The Sparrows have swooped in with a wild selection of tricks up their sleeves ... and that includes the cube who doesn't even have any sleeves, to begin with.
Marcus Hargreeves is what Luther could've been
New Number One and leader of the pack, Marcus Hargreeves (Justin Cornwell), is everything his Umbrella equivalent is ... as well as everything that he's not. Like Luther (Tom Hopper), Marcus possesses super strength and enhanced agility, saving the day as a Steve Rogers of sorts, and earning a fanbase for his heroism. This part of Marcus is a life chapter that Luther missed out on, thanks to one significant difference — and a drastic alteration — that Luther endured in his younger years with the Umbrella Academy.
Due to this accident and eventual assignment by his father, Luther's body was transformed into a gorilla-like build before he was sent off to live on the moon in what proved to be a pointless task. Had hard luck not befallen him, Luther could have ended up matching the same caliber as Marcus, who, thanks to his training and speed, makes short work of our loveable big galoot. He still doesn't know when not to touch a scientific anomaly, though, so that puts Luther ahead of the game in that regard, at least.
It's Ben Hargreeves, just not as we know him
While Reginald made a conscious effort to pick other kids as opposed to the original bunch of miscreants he met in 1963, one of the initial academy members he didn't know about (because he was dead) was Ben Hargreeves (Justin H. Min, bringing a new twist on his character). As a result, the trajectory of his life stayed on track, even passing his point of demise from the previous timeline, but having more of an attitude instead of becoming the loving soul that the Umbrella Academy made him into. As a result, it's hard to distinguish the cold and easily agitated "hero" and the equally unsocial monster inhabiting his chest.
This Ben's powers are the same as the one we know, love, and left the afterlife after last season's heartbreaking events. Stored in his chest is a squid-like creature from another dimension he controls. Able to restrain and rip through any obstacle that comes his way, Sparrow Ben uses his skill with far more ferocity than the original version, potentially fuelled by his over-confidence and superiority complex of wanting to be Number One. As a result, this Ben doesn't always think things through, which is proven in Pogo's flashback to his falling out with Reginald.
Fei Hargreeves brings in death from above
Quite possibly one of the coolest powers among the Sparrow school, Fei Hargeeves (Britne Oldford) has a skill that can both observe and overpower any hostile intruder ... like, say, the types of people who appear from the past claiming that your house is their house. Like many new heroes under Reginald's protection, Fei's gift is a discreet one hiding out of sight until she calls in air support to dominate any threat within flapping distance.
One of the few Sparrows with an animal-related ability, Fei's gift is being able to conjure a murder of crows out of thin air and command them at will. Whether it's breaking down doors or scouting ahead, Fei's power is an impressive one that helps her, too — because while she hides it behind glasses, the Sparrow's Number Three is actually blind, but can get a bird's eye view to see through from her flock's perspective wherever they are. This makes her a threat to the Umbrella Academy from as far as the crow flies.
Alphonso Hargreeves can take a hit — can you?
When it comes to super-squads, one hero is always needed to take the hits and power through, regardless of what the team is up against. For Reginald's alternatively chosen children, that duty falls on Number Four's square and heavily scarred shoulders. Alphonso Hargreeves (Jake Epstein) is the dry-witted team member with a self-destructive personality among the Sparrows. An understandable trait to have, given his gift of pain transferal — a power that is both immensely convenient but still leaves its marks on the owner.
In simple terms, Alphonso can take a hit from an opponent and have it fall back on the attacker. Try to break his nose, and you will be the one feeling it. Try to set him on fire, and you'll feel the burn. While he might have shrugged these past injuries off, it doesn't take long for us to discover some things even Alphonso can't bounce back from, especially if it's Harlan Cooper throwing the energy-powered punch.
Sloane Hargreeves
There's a real sense of irony in the fact the only Sparrow that doesn't initially grasp the gravity of the situation is the one that can manipulate it. Sloane Hargreeves (Genesis Rodriguez) has what might be one of the most comic-familiar powerset of the bunch, albeit one that might not be as fancy as it sounds.
Sloane has the gift of gravity manipulation, meaning that she can alter the gravity around her, an object or person. Essentially, it comes across as telekinesis — think of Jean Grey in "X-Men" — which also gives her the same capability to make herself or others fly. It's a sweet contrast against Luther. In fact, Luther catches her eye, and sure enough — after spending most of his life as the lumbering brute of his family — he finds himself walking on air when he crosses paths with Sloane. We can only hope that this match made in time-traveling heaven doesn't float away in the end.
Jayme Hargreeves
While the Sparrows undoubtedly have an edge to them when compared to our familiar Umbrellas, it feels like there's enough sass in Jayme Hargreeves (Cazzie Davis) to meet her family's quota and then some. Appearing to be quite close to her brother, Alphonso, Jayme comes across as a school bully with no one to pick on. It is fitting then that the venomous Number Six fits perfectly in line with her superpower that you'd be wise not to be on the receiving end of — while also being the most disgusting ability out of both academies.
Jayme's saliva works as a concentrated hallucinogenic that can cause its target to endure a very bad trip if it hits them. Possessing snake-like glands, she can send the fluid (yuck) over impressive distances that leave any opponent seeing the world in a very different light before coming back to reality and a potentially severe beatdown from the rest of the Sparrows.
Christopher Hargreeves
There's no denying that "The Umbrella Academy" has a penchant for venturing into a realm of weird that many audiences just weren't prepared it. Still, the third season takes this to a whole new level, with the addition of Christopher Hargreeves, the "squarest" member of The Sparrows. Played by (according to Netflix) a small-screen newcomer — that is, an "existential dread-inducing psykronium cube" — Christopher's powers are as mysterious as his origins, making him a secret weapon that Luther and our home team just aren't prepared for.
While it's never confirmed if Christopher is, in fact, one of the 43 specially gifted children born in 1989 (really, who was his mother — a self-sentient cuboid?), that hasn't stopped him from being part of the family, nor fighting just as hard alongside them. In relation to what he can bring to the table, Christopher can induce paralysis in any opponent that goes up against the Sparrows, and he can create temperature fluctuations in the surrounding area. He can also alter his own shape to adapt or contain something if necessary.
Ultimately, he's in pretty good shape (pun unintended) to take on just about anything.