Season 3 of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy is almost here. Based on musician Gerard Way and illustrator Gabriel Bá's graphic novel series of the same name, and created by Steve Blackman and developed by Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater, The Umbrella Academy is one of the most highly anticipated Netflix shows to return following Season 2, which premiered in 2019. Netflix dropped the first official trailer for the new season on Thursday, giving us our first in-depth look at what is in store for the Hargreeves siblings following their jump back to the present (or future, depending on how you look at it!) Let's break down that action-packed trailer, starting with: What on earth is a kugelblitz?
And It Turned into a Kugelblitz
Five (Aidan Gallagher) explains (0:13) that when he and his siblings jumped back to 2019, they created a time paradox that brought forth "a freaking kugelblitz!" Viktor (Elliot Page) speaks for all of us when he says, "What the hell is a kugelblitz?" Five, holding up a mimosa (and sporting a new look!), says, "Essentially, we're screwed!"
In the field of astrophysics, a kugelblitz (German for "ball of lightning") is when a massive concentration of energy, typically in the form of radiation, forms a singularity. In simpler terms, it's a black hole – but instead of forming from a collapsing star, it's formed by energy. The kugelblitz that the Hargreeves have brought forth with their time jump is essentially a self-trapped ball of energy that as Viktor puts it (0:50), created a time paradox that is quite literally swallowing reality. Five surmises (0:54) that they have four, maybe five days "before the rest of existence is blitzed."
Who is the Sparrow Academy?
To make matters more complicated, the Umbrella Academy has been replaced by seven other super-powered individuals born on the same day, known as the Sparrow Academy. ("Not to mention we've been replaced by a bunch of blobs and cubes and birds and shit!")
At 0:26, we see a montage of the Hargreeves facing off against the Sparrows. First up is Klaus (Robert Sheehan), frantically running through a graveyard being chased by ghosts. Then, we see Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Five, and Luther (Tom Hopper), booking it down a hallway as Fei (Britne Oldford), who is Sparrow Academy's Number Three, manifests a murder of crows that she is able to control and use to attack the Hargreeves.
The next Sparrow Academy member the trailer breaks down is Ben (Justin H. Min), who in this timeline is Number Two, not Number Six as he was in the Umbrella Academy. And this Ben? He's a dickhead.
As the Umbrella Academy discusses Ben, they confirm to Klaus that they can all see the Sparrow's Ben, who is very much alive in this timeline and harboring the same tentacle-like powers. There is then a quick montage of the Umbrella Academy fighting the Sparrows, who are all, as Diego (David Castañeda) confirms, dickheads. We see Diego essentially getting his ass handed to him in a pharmacy by Alphonso (Jake Epstein), Sparrow Academy's Number Four, who is severely scarred due to his abilities to inflict pain on others by inflicting damage upon himself. Next up we see Luther fighting his Sparrow counterpart, Marcus (Justin Cornwell), Number One, who looks like he has the same super strength abilities as Luther.
At 0:57, there is a quick shot of Sparrow Academy's Ben, followed by Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez), Sparrow Academy's Number Five, whose powers are unknown at this point. Sloane is followed by Alphonso, then Fei, then Jayme (Cazzie David), Number Six, whose powers are also unknown. Then there is the Sparrow's Number Seven, Christopher, the “Existential Dread Inducing Psykronium Cube." Christopher can turn the room freezing cold and induce paralyzing fear.
Finally, we see Marcus, the leader of the Sparrows, talking to Viktor at a diner. Viktor tells Marcus, "Your team is good, but I don't think you're better than me. I ended the world. Twice. And you? You're just meat in spandex." Viktor seems confident, but clearly the Sparrow Academy is giving the Umbrella Academy a run for their money. At 1:24, we see Ben using Christopher to paralyze Lila (Ritu Arya), who has now joined forces with the Umbrella Academy. However, at another point in the trailer (1:48), we also see Lila team up with Viktor to create a double sonic blast, so we suspect Lila won't be taken down so easily. We also see Diego and Alphonso again in the pharmacy, Ben in a training session with the rest of the Sparrows, and Five (1.43) facing off against Jayme, who asks, unimpressed, "What are you, their mascot?" He "space jumps" and punches her in the face before responding, "More like their ringer."
And finally, of course, there is a shot of Klaus dancing, vibing, and living his best life.
What is the Hotel Obsidian?
At 1:11, we see a shot of what is called the Hotel Obsidian. It is believed that this is a reference to "Hotel Oblivion" from the original graphic novel series. In The Umbrella Academy 3: Hotel Oblivion, Sir Reginald Hargreeves creates Hotel Oblivion as a metaphysical prison that exists on the outskirts of reality for all the villains the Academy has faced over the years. It is unclear if the Hotel Obsidian shares any similarities to the comic's Hotel Oblivion, but seeing as how the Umbrella Academy appear to be enjoying fluffy bath robes and Chinese food at the hotel, we aren't getting twisted prison vibes. Because Season 3 is straying from the third arc of the graphic novel series, it may be that this is just an Easter egg the show included, but we will just have to wait to find out.
Surprise! Pogo Returns
In the final scene in the trailer (1:55), we see Five enter a tattoo shop and say, "Been looking for you." The tattoo artist turns around, and it's none other than Pogo (Adam Godley), who is alive in this timeline, clearly with the same intelligence, and presumably, with some knowledge of Reginald and the Sparrows. It is possible that Five is seeking out Pogo to help find a way to take down the Sparrow Academy. This Pogo, covered in tattoos and donning a leather motorcycle vest with the name "Pogo the Enforcer," will clearly be far different from the Pogo we once knew in the original timeline.
To sum up, the Umbrella Academy seems like they are getting their asses kicked this season. However, there is a very real possibility that the Umbrella Academy just may run into alternate versions of themselves. Five explains (1:11) to Luther, Diego, and Klaus that in this timeline, Reginald didn't adopt them as babies, but those babies had to have still existed. If this is the case, the Hargreeves may just stand a chance at stopping yet another self-induced world-ending catastrophe.
All 10 episodes of The Umbrella Academy Season 3 will drop on Netflix on Wednesday, June 22.