When a season finale ends on a crazy cliffhanger and with questions left unanswered, fans expect answers and satisfying follow up in the next season. The Umbrella Academy certainly did that as its season 1 finale ended with the Hargreeves siblings time traveling in order to survive the apocalypse and to figure out how to prevent it in the first place.
The second season provided answers to many of the questions posed in the first season, but not all of them. On the other hand, some of the answers viewers did receive opened the door to new questions. Check out these 5 questions that were answered in the show's second season and 5 that are still unanswered. This article contains spoilers for season 2 of The Umbrella Academy.
Answered: Who Are The True Leaders Of The Commission?
In season 1, fans saw the Handler in a leadership position within the Commission. She didn't appear to be the true power behind the Commission, though, which meant that she answered to a higher authority.
In season 2, that authority was revealed to be the board of directors. The Handler staged a coup in which she manipulated Five into assassinating AJ Carmichael and the rest of the board, thereby allowing her to take control of the Commission. By the end of the season, the Handler was dead for good and a new board of directors would soon be elected, with Herb acting as the Commission's interim leader for the time being.
Unanswered: How Did Ben Originally Die?
Ben played a more significant and consequential role in the show's second season. The exact circumstances of Ben's original death remain a mystery, though.
There was a flashback to his funeral and Reginald Hargreeves mentioned that the other of the Umbrella Academy failed Ben during the mission where he died. How exactly they failed him and how exactly he died remains to be seen.
Answered: Can The Apocalypse Be Stopped?
For a long time, it seemed like no matter what the Umbrella Academy did, they could not prevent the apocalypse from happening. They went to exhaustive lengths during the first season to stop it, but these attempts proved futile.
When they traveled to the past, they brought the apocalypse with them again. Despite the overwhelming odds they faced, the Umbrella Academy finally succeeded in stopping the apocalypse both in 1963 and in 2019.
Unanswered: Why Did 43 Women Suddenly Get Pregnant And Give Birth On October 1st, 1989?
The show began with 43 unconnected women suddenly becoming pregnant and giving birth on October 1st, 1989. After the second season, this shocking phenomenon is just as unexplainable as it was during the show's beginning.
This mystery might never be answered and might instead just serve as a convenient premise for bringing a group of extraordinarily gifted and non-biological siblings together.
Answered: How Is Lila Connected To The Umbrella Academy?
The new character second season. Initially teased to be Diego's love interest, she was revealed to be far more than that. She was one of the children born on October 1st, 1989 who wasn't adopted by Reginald Hargreeves. Lila's parents were killed by Five so the Handler could take Lila and raise her as her daughter.
Like the Hargreeves children, Lila had a remarkable power, which in her case was the ability to mirror and utilize any power used against her. The Handler used Lila as a weapon to gain power, take control of the Commission, and sabotage the Umbrella Academy. Lila finally learned the truth about her past by the end of the season.
Unanswered: Does Claire Have Superpowers?
So far, Allison has been the only member of the Umbrella Academy to have a child. It is intriguing to consider if the abilities of the Umbrella Academy are genetic. If so, could Claire have her mother's "rumor" superpower or could she have a unique superpower of her own?
Claire did not appear at all in the show's second season and the possibility of her having powers was never brought up. She didn't show any hints of having powers in the first season, but it is a compelling possibility to explore as the show moves forward.
Answered: What Is Pogo's Origin?
Pogo's origin story was explored in the opening flashbacks of season 2, episode 5. As a young chimpanzee, Pogo was trained to be used for the American space program. Pogo became more and more advanced until he was sent into space for an important mission.
The mission went wrong and Pogo was critically injured, but Reginald Hargreeves injected Pogo with a serum that healed the chimpanzee and saved his life. Reginald continued to look after and educate Pogo after this incident, with the chimpanzee ultimately growing into the highly intelligent and loyal character fans met in the show's first season.
Unanswered: What Led To The Creation Of The Sparrow Academy?
When the Umbrella Academy returned to 2019, they were overjoyed to learn that they finally stopped the apocalypse. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived as they realized other aspects of the timeline had been changed. Reginald Hargreeves was still alive and the Umbrella Academy didn't exist in this timeline, with a still-living Ben and a Sparrow Academy existing in its place.
This revelation raises many questions, one of the most important being what led to the creation of the Sparrow Academy in the first place? It is possible that Reginald Hargreeves decided to choose a different group of children born on October 1st, 1989 because he didn't like the grown-up versions of the Umbrella Academy children he met in 1963?
Answered: Is Reginald Hargreeves An Alien?
Flashbacks in the season 1 finale hinted at the truth of Reginald Hargreeves' extraordinary backstory. Even fans who hadn't read the comics began to hear that the source material revealed Reginald to be an alien.
Season 2 confirmed that Reginald is also an alien in the show. He shared some of his sophisticated technology with the shadow government known as the Majestic 12. The Majestic 12 violated Reginald's wishes, assassinated President Kennedy, and threatened to expose Reginald's identity when he confronted them. In response, Reginald removed his humanoid face as if it was nothing more than a mask and provided a glimpse of his alien head before he proceeded to brutally kill the of the Majestic 12. More details about Reginald's alien identity, backstory, and motivations will hopefully come to light in the show's future seasons.
Unanswered: What Else Has Changed In The New Timeline?
The final moments of the season 2 finale revealed some significant changes to the timeline with Reginald Hargreeves and Ben still alive and with the existence of the Sparrow Academy.
There have likely been other changes to the timeline as well. Fans will have to wait until the third season to learn what else has changed in this new timeline and in the 2019 world that the Umbrella Academy find themselves in this time around.