The Umbrella Academy: Season 3 ending explained and will there be a season 4?

Popular time travel superhero series The Umbrella Academy landed on Netflix on June 22, picking up from the cliffhanger ending of season 2. 

Following last season's finale, fans were eager to know what was next for the eclectic gang of superheroes - after returning from saving the world in 1963 to find their present day timeline was not as they left it. Thankfully, episode 1 of season 3 delved right back into the time-bending edginess, seeing the triumphant superheroes in an alternate present. The Umbrella Academy has been replaced with the Sparrow Academy - and adoptive father Reginald Hargreeves has instead adopted a different bunch of children altogether. In a timeline where they no longer exist, the siblings move into Hotel Obsidian where they find a mysterious portal guarded by supernatural monsters. To access the portal, the Umbrellas and Sparrows must form an allegiance and together they access the portal to land in Hotel Oblivion. Here's what you need to know about what happened next and when to expect the confirmed season 4.

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 The Umbrella Academy: Season 3 ending explained

The Umbrella Academy season 3 ends with the superheroes successfully realigning the universe. But there's a catch - they've lost their powers.

The finale begins with some of the gang making it through the portal to explore Hotel Oblivion. Having been unable to stop Kugeblitz destroying the world and a black hole eating everything in its path, Sir Reginald tells the remaining superpowered survivors that they have a mission to find the sigil inside the machine. That will reset the world and put everything right again.

When they come across a computer screen that Allison is sure holds the key to world salvation, Sir Reginald tries to stop her from accessing it. She responds to this by using her powers to chop his head in half, revealing his alien form. 

Taking a step into the unknown and pressing a button on the computer screen, her leap of faith is rewarded with the universe being realigned. But the only downside is that in this rectified world, the superheroes powers have vanished.

Who dies during season 3?

Marcus is the first to die - being wiped out by the Kugeblitz, which also later takes the life of Stanley, Fei, and Christpher. Jayme and Alphonso follow, when they are killed by Lester Pocket (who is actually Harlan Cooper, the son of Sissy from season 2), who murders them with a surge of power from his chest. 

Lester gets his comeuppance though, when he is later murdered by Allison for killing their birth mothers.  

Who is still alive in the season 3 finale?

Allison, Viktor, Five, Diego, Ben, Sloane, and Lila make it through the portal alive, but when the universe is reset, none of the Sparrows are alive anyway with the original timeline restored. 

Originally Luther and Klaus are both dead in the afterlife, with Luther having been murdered by Sir Reginald and Klaus taking his own life. But following the switch to the readjusted timeline, Luther and Klaus are no longer dead, and an alien Sir Reginald is seen on top of a skyscraper taking in a world apparently dominated by him, along with his wife Abigail.   

 The Umbrella Academy: Season 3 fan reaction

Inital fan reactions to The Umbrella Academy season 3 is abject confusion. One viewer shared their views on Twitter with a photo depicting the words “I don’t need sleep. I need answers”, with the caption: “Current mood after watching season 3 of Umbrella Academy”. 

Another confused viewer tweeted “damn that’s it? Kinda disappointed with the ending”.

There was also very little love left on social media for Allison, with fans unimpressed by the direction writers had taken her character this season, and disappointed by her decisions. One Twitter user said “Allison in #UmbrellaAcademyS3 is such an awful character. This season is hard to watch solely because of her”. 

Another added “how did Allison go from being one of the best characters in Umbrella Academy to one of the WORST?”

This is also the first season where the character of Vanya has become Viktor, as Elliot Page who portrays the character recently came out as transgender. And this is his first season following his transition. 

There was a supportive response to Victor across social media, with one fan exclaiming “crying over Viktor being accepted by his family so warmly and casually”. 

A further fan offered “there is a visible difference in energy between Elliot Page portraying Vanya and Elliot Page portraying Viktor. There’s a weight and sense of separation from the world that is GONE. Suddenly, the character feels so PRESENT”.

What is The Umbrella Academy based on?

The Umbrella Academy is based on a graphic novel of the same name, written by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba. It takes it's inspiration from comic books Grendel Tales and Doom Patrol.  

Gerard Way is best known as the lead singer of My Chemical Romance, and Gabriel Ba is a Brazilian comic book artist whose previous work includes Casanova. 

The first Umbrella Academy miniseries entitled Apocolypse Suite, was released in 2007, followed by Umbrella Academy: Dallas in 2008, and Hotel Oblivion in 2018. The fourth volume of the series, The Umbrella Academy: Sparrow Academy has not yet been released in graphic novel form, but did form the basis of the storyline for season 3.

Umbrella Academy Boxed Set (Paperback) - £33.99 | Amazon

Fans of the hit Netflix show can get their hands on the collection of graphic novels via Amazon.  

 Will there be a season 4 of The Umbrella Academy? 

Yes, Netflix has made the announcement that Umbrella Academy season 4 is confirmed, and will be the show's final season. 

On August 25, the official Umbrella Academy Twitter account posted a tweet saying "Family meeting, Brellies: We're going on a fourth and final adventure". Speaking to Variety, showrunner Steve Blackman said "I’m so excited that the incredibly loyal fans of The Umbrella Academy will be able to experience the fitting end to the Hargreeves siblings' journey we began five years ago". He added "But before we get to that conclusion, we’ve got an amazing story ahead for season four, one that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the final minutes".

Although there is no confirmed release date for the new season, there is speculation. There was a two year gap between season 2 and 3, due to the pandemic. However, there was only a gap of a year and a half between seasons 1 and 2. Using this timeframe, the new series could be expected any time between autumn 2023 and summer 2024. 

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