Ever since Netflix dropped its adaptation of My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s comic book The Umbrella Academy, fans simply can’t get enough of the superpowered, time-traveling, apocalypse-stopping Hargreeves family. The show, from Steve Blackman (Altered Carbon, Legion) and Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist), about an inexplicable event that led 43 superpowered babies to be born on the same day to women who showed no signs of pregnancy in 1989-specifically the seven adopted and trained to eventually save the world by the elusive Sir Reginald Hargreeves-has been a quirky, explosive adventure (and a consistent hit for the streamer) now for two seasons. 

In the sci-fi show’s run thus far, the fam had to put a stop to the apocalypse not once, but twice-but their work protecting the universe seems far from over. Considering Season 2’s surprising finale, it’s fair to wonder what the next mission is for Vanya, Five, Klaus, Allison, Diego, Ben, and Luther. So, when will The Umbrella Academy be back in session? Here’s what we know so far. 

Will there be a Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy?

Netflix officially renewed The Umbrella Academy for a third season in November 2020. While it felt like the end of the world for fans waiting patiently to hear confirmation of another installment, it was pretty inevitable, considering the show is one of Netflix’s most popular titles, and its second season was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows in summer 2020. 

When will Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy be released? 

According to Deadline, The Umbrella Academy is on schedule to start filming again in February 2021. When considering the production schedule, it seems possible that new episodes could arrive sometime in late summer or fall 2021. Since the show typically airs with a year and a half in between each season-the first debuting in February 2019 and Season 2 hitting Netflix in July 2020-it would make sense for it to be back as soon as next fall. 

How many episodes will there be in Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy?

There will be 10 episodes in Season 3, per Deadline, just like Seasons 1 and 2. In late November 2020, series co-creator Steve Blackman posted the title page of the new season’s scripts on his Instagram; the first episode is called “Meet the Family.” Could this be an introduction to at least a few of the rest of the 43 Hargreeves kids, or a new crew (maybe the Sparrow Academy)? 

Who will be back for Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy?

While nothing has been confirmed, it would make sense that every member of the family return. That means expect to see more of Vanya (Elliot Page), Five (Aidan Gallagher), Klaus (Robert Sheehan), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Diego (David Castañeda) and Luther (Tom Hopper), and the Hargreeves patriarch, Sir Reginald (Colm Feore). 

While their brother Ben (Justin H. Min) was supposed to die in 2006, it seems given the Season 2 finale that prophecy didn’t actually go as planned-meaning, he’ll likely be around as well. Aside from the members of the Academy, SyFy reported that at a 2020 press tour showrunner Steve Blackman confirmed that we’ll be seeing more of last season newcomer and their sister in being born to different women under miraculous circumstances Lila (Ritu Arya), too. 

Will there be any new characters?

The show gave us a glimpse at the shadowy figures that make up the mysterious Sparrow Academy (more on that below) at the end of Season 2, and it looks like we’ll officially get to make their acquaintance in Season 3. While fans were already familiar with one of the seven Sparrows-a mustachioed, alternative version of Ben-in early 2021, Netflix announced who exactly the rest of the new set of superpowered young people will be. Justin Cornwell (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey), Britne Oldford (The Flash), Jake Epstein (Suits), Genesis Rodriguez (She-Ra and the Princess of Power), and writer Cazzie David are the latest to join the cast. 

Like the Umbrella Academy, Entertainment Weekly reported these students are all assigned numbers, too, and shared more information on who they’ll be playing. No. 1 is Marcus (Cornwell), a charming, confident leader; No. 3 is Fei (Oldford) who comes across as self-isolating and negative, but really could use a friend; No. 4 is Alphonso, a fighter with more than a few battle scars, and strong sense of humor; No. 5 is the dreamy romantic Solane (Rodriguez); and No. 6 is Jayme (David), a loner who doesn’t have a problem frightening others a bit. As for Ben, he’s not the Ben we know and love. He is No. 2, though, and said to be “a Machiavellian tactician” who is “determined to gain his status as the leader at all costs.” Oh, and if you were wondering about the seventh new student? Yeah, EW shared that’s Christopher… who is not so much a human but a floating telekinetic cube in typical, odd The Umbrella Academy fashion. No voice actor has been billed for the cube quite yet, and it’s unclear if one ever will be (he is telekinetic!), but Christopher is apparently an advice-giving, oracle-like presence for the Sparrows. 

More than a few of the newbies appear to be foils or everything a member of the Umbrella Academy wishes they were-Marcus and Luther, Alphonso and Diego, Ben and, well, Ben-so it’ll be interesting to see how this new crop of characters interacts with the students we’ve gotten familiar with. Aside from the Sparrow Academy, no new casting announcements have been made quite yet, but it’s fair to assume that down the line we’ll continue to meet more of the 43 babies. Blackman even echoed this to The Wrap saying, “It’s established within the show that there are others. There’s Lila, and if there’s Lila, then there are more.”

What will Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy be about? 

Even though the Hargreeveses managed to put in the work to stop the apocalypse by traveling back to the ’60s, instead of finally getting a little appreciation from their neglectful daddy, it looks like all they’re getting is another mess to fix. Just as Season 2 wrapped up, it was revealed that in preventing the end of the world, the siblings unintentionally changed the course of history and their version of 2019 no longer exists. It’s fair to assume that this little conundrum will be the focus of Season 3, particularly who Sir Reginald’s replacement recruits, known as the Sparrow Academy, are and what this means to the Umbrella Academy’s own lives. 

Not much is known about the Sparrow Academy right now, aside from the fact that they’re new people entirely, and not just alternate versions of the family fans know and love. Except for Ben, of course, which is extremely eerie and calls into question how this new path in time affected the existence and lives of rest of the Hargreeves-er, maybe former Hargreeves. 

With them reunited, though, even if it’s with an alternative version of Ben, this could be the season that things finally come together for the flawed family. Blackman explained to The Wrap that it’s important to remember the show has only spanned three weeks thus far (!!), and more time together could only stand to benefit them after spending so many years apart. “I like to think as we go forward that their powers are also evolving. They’re learning new things,” Blackman said. “They were trained until they were 14 or 15 by a very dysfunctional dad but then the family blew apart before they could finish their training. […] They might even discover in the future that their powers are stronger when they’re together.”

To say the Hargreeves are dysfunctional would be an understatement, though, so really anything is game for the upcoming installment. Dig yourself some Reddit theory holes in the meantime, though, and we’ll continue to update this post as more information regarding Season 3 becomes available.Need help finding something to watch? Sign up here for our weekly Streamail newsletter to get streaming recommendations delivered straight to your inbox.

Sadie Bell is the entertainment editorial assistant at Thrillist. She’s on Twitter at @mssadiebell.