Umbrella Academy season 2: Everything you need to know

From Digital Spy

Note: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for season one of The Umbrella Academy.

Umbrella Academy, Netflix's comic-book series based on Gerard Way (yes, My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way) and Gabriel Bá's comic book series of the same name, created quite a stir when it first landed on the streaming site and instantly amassed a legion of loyal fans. Seriously, its audience is absolutely huge.

According to Netflix, it was watched by 45 million member households – Netflix counts a 'view' if a user has watched at least 70 percent of one episode of a series or 70 percent of a film.

And it's good news, ladies and gents, because the series has officially been confirmed for season two. Finally.

Way and Bá have written three volumes of The Umbrella Academy – Apocalypse Suite, Dallas and Hotel Oblivion – which means the series will probably get a third season somewhere down the line, but we're a little way off that at the moment.

Speaking to IndieWire about the first season's ending and how far the show could run, showrunner Steve Blackman said: "I hope we get a second and third and fourth season, but I knew that having a great ending is important for Netflix as a streamer.

"You really want people to say, 'I've got to come back and watch what happens'. That was ultimate in my mind."

Here's everything you need to know about season two.

Umbrella Academy season 2 release date: When's Umbrella Academy coming back?

The cast began filming season two of Umbrella Academy in June this year (2019), and bearing in mind that Blackman previously said that it takes "around 18 months" to make each series, we first expected it to land towards the end of 2020.

"The goal for us is to stay ahead of the show," Way said, "and since we're on series three [of the comics], we are now ahead of the show. So that's a good thing.

"The idea with the comic is to go right from series three, take a three-to-four-month break, then go right into series four. That is kind of our schedule to keep us on track. So there is story there and it's all planned out."

On 24 October, 2019, Netflix posted an Instagram selfie of the assembled UA family, with the less-than-specific message "Umbrella Academy s2 is coming soon". So maybe it'll be back sooner than we first thought?

Netflix France also confirmed that filming for season two finished earlier than expected. On November 25, 2019, their social media account confirmed that filming had finished. Their tweet below translates to: “Shooting of The Umbrella Academy season 2 is finished”.

Umbrella Academy season 2 cast: Who’s coming back?

All of the Hargreeves kids will be back, which means returns for Vanya (Ellen Page), Luther (Tom Hopper), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Klaus (Robert Sheehan), Diego (David Castañeda), Number Five (Aidan Gallagher), and Ben (Ethan Hwang), who played an increasingly more central role towards the end of the first season.

The events of season one will continue to have a huge impact on Vanya in particular moving forward. Speaking to Den of Geek, Ellen Page discussed the future of her character in more detail.

"For me, it's going be so interesting to explore Vanya. It's like Vanya 2.0 – less repressed and what does that mean in the good ways and bad kinda thing," she said.

In the same interview, Sheehan revealed more about his character too, and the journey he'll take in the show's next season: "He's constantly emerging into this new self. He's a butterfly that refuses to leave the cocoon, or he keeps going back into it.

"I'd love to see Klaus re-formed as something else, different completely. Hopefully, if the murmurings are to be believed, that's kind of where we're headed. I think he's in a constant state of change and that would bring much excitement for me."

Chatting to the The Hollywood Reporter, Castañeda also expanded on the road ahead for Diego.

"One of the best things about the show is how the characters arc, and it takes time to see people grow out of the traumas that they have," he said.

"I'd like to see where Diego goes. He's able to cope with a lot more things, but now he lost his mom, he lost Patch. He could either go completely insane off of it or he might just be a kid."

There's every chance that their adoptive father Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) will return in the form of flashbacks, as he did throughout the first series (that could also be the case with their robot mum Grace Hargreeves, played by Jordan Claire Robbins), as well as through Klaus's ability to conjure the dead.

But it remains to be seen whether time-travelling assassins Hazel (Cameron Britton) and Cha-Cha (Mary J Blige) will be back. The latter was vaporised when the Earth was pelted and subsequently destroyed by chunks of falling moon, but the former managed to escape with love interest Agnes (Sheila McCarthy) and go off time travelling.

However, time travel is a big part of the story, which means there's every chance that they, along with The Handler (Kate Walsh), could return, despite the fact that Walsh's character was shot by Hazel. And that also means we might see the deceased Pogo (Adam Godley) and Detective Patch (Ashley Madekwe) again in flashback form, or via time travel.

In the comics, Hazel and Cha-Cha don't actually rock up until volume two, which demonstrates that this show isn't afraid to play with the original source material, regularly deviating from the page.

Chatting previously to IGN, Britton said: "Hazel wants nothing more to settle down with a simple life. I hope the best for him, I hope he doesn't have to get back in there and fight anymore, but knowing him, he would if he had to."

Leonard Peabody/Harold Jenkins (John Magaro) could also technically return, either via flashback or if the narrative jumps back in time.

And there are going to be some new faces, too.

Ritu Arya (Humans) will feature as Lila, "a 'chameleon' with a twisted sense of humour who can be as brilliant or insane as the mission requires".

Then there's Yusuf Gatewood (Good Omens and The Originals). His character is "a born leader and devoted husband" called Raymond who possesses "the smarts, gravitas, and the confidence to never have to prove it to anyone".

And finally, Marin Ireland (who will be in the brand-new adaptation of Y: The Last Man). She'll play Sissy, "a fearless, no-nonsense mum from Texas" who married "for all the wrong reasons".

None of these characters appeared in the comics, so it's difficult to know for certain how they might shake things up in season two. However, if you take a closer look at each of their descriptions, it soon becomes clear that at least some of them might be tied to the show's biggest mystery of all.

In both the the comics and the accompanying TV show, 43 children were born with special gifts on the day of October 1, 1989, but Hargreeves only adopted seven of them. So where are these other presumably super-powered children?

While Sissy's character description doesn't hint at any powers, Lila could very well possess "chameleon" capabilities and Raymond's ability to "disarm you with a look" may be more than just mere charm.

Showrunner Steve Blackman and comics author Gerard Way have been pretty coy about the whereabouts of these other 36 children thus far. When TVGuide pressed them both on the matter, they said that "it was a really good question that they couldn't answer".

Whether these new additions to the cast turn out to be super-powered or not, don't be surprised if more of the children turn up in season two and beyond.

On top of all that, there's also a surprise extra who could turn out to play a much more important role in season two than we ever expected.

Screenrant recently pointed out that Heather Sanderson's unnamed character appears regularly in various time periods, hiding in the background.

Although the actress was probably just cast in multiple roles, it's also possible that she might be a Commission agent. That could explain why she's been following the Hargreeves children around for so long, and if that's true, then Sanderson's extra might end up playing a larger role in season two.

Umbrella Academy season 2 plot: What will happen?

At the end of season one, Number Five uses his time-travelling capabilities to save his siblings from being destroyed while the world and everyone living on it is blitzed to a pulp.

So in season two, we will meet the Hargreeves kids once again in a brand new time and location as they attempt to figure out how to solve the mess they're in, which means dealing with their sister Vanya, who caused the apocalypse, and will continue to remain a threat until they can figure out how to help her.

However, the Netflix series isn't following the same pattern as the comics, so don't rely on Way and Bá's source material to predict what will happen. In 'Apocalypse Suite', the kids manage to save the world from being destroyed, with 'Dallas' going on to focus on Number Five and the assassination of JFK, which he has been ordered to carry out.

But a significant chunk of Number Five's story has already been covered in season one, as well as the glaringly obvious fact that the kids didn't manage to save the world.

But there are some parallels, the synopsis for 'Dallas' reading as follows: "The house they were raised in is destroyed. One member is bedridden, the side of her head held together with tape; and another has lost her voice, the source of her power... Does the Umbrella Academy have any future at all?"

"There's eight graphic novels planned in total, and we're on the third series right now," Gerard Way told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Steven knows what happens in all of those eight volumes; I wrote up this document for him and the writers, which explains what will happen through all of the graphic novels."

Blackman also spoke about that epic season one finale, and where the show possibly goes from here: "I wanted this to really be the best of cliffhangers, in that you're like 'Wait, what? What happened?'

"It gives us a lot of openness and legroom to tell the best story we can next year. But yes, the apocalypse is not solved. They did not save the world, which is a slight alteration of the comic.

"To me, it was the right Netflix cliffhanger. You really want people to go into the off-season saying, 'I gotta know what happened,' and that will be revealed when – hopefully – you see season two."

Just don't ask Aidan Gallagher to give you plot details: that's "top-secret information and Netflix would have to kill me if I said anything".

"Will it be mind blowing? Yes, it will be way better than season one," Gallagher continued. "Our showrunner Steve is the best writer and has the best writing staff. It will be epic. I can't wait to film all of it."

Way also has admiration for his showrunner. "It's cool because Steve is super respectful of the source material and asks me questions and sometimes, he'll ask me to help solve problems," he said.

"Then, at the same time... because there's a mutual respect, he's going and making changes and I'm supporting those changes. I want him to feel free to tell the story he wants."

That respect goes two ways, according to Blackman. "The goal is not to diverge," he said. "Not everything translates from the graphic novel page to the screen, but there's a legion of fans and I want to bring in a whole new legion of fans who've never read the graphic novel, so the goal is not to just go off in our own direction.

"I like Gerard and Gabriel's ideas so much, the goal is keep on trucking behind them, beside them. Things will deviate, but the goal is to try to be true to the source material."

The biggest clue we have right now is this tease from showrunner Steve Blackman, which reveals the title of the season-two premiere script:

The title "Right Back Where We Started" suggests that the Hargreeves gang will head back to an earlier point in time at the beginning of season two.

However, it's unclear whether the show will revisit scenes from season one or whether our heroes will literally go back to where they started as children fighting crime in the distant past.

Umbrella Academy season 2 trailer: When can we see it?

The cast only finished filming season two in late November 2019, so a brand-new trailer is a way off yet.

The cast members have also been busy surprising fans of the show at New York Comic Con.

Check out the video below.

But watch this space for updates.

Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.

You Might Also Like

• Animal Crossing New Horizons is finally announced on Nintendo Switch

• How to watch Amazon Prime on your TV, smartphone and tablet – and enjoy Good Omens online

• Nintendo to release two new Switch consoles this year