The Umbrella Academy’s third season is currently all the rage, and fans are giddy with anticipation for the new characters and epic story arcs that make it up. The Sparrow Academy is one of the primary new introductions.
In a parallel universe, Sir Reginald Hargreaves adopted seven superhuman children who make up The Sparrow Academy. Although the history of The Sparrow Academy, including how it came to be, is quite intriguing, the members of this new academy, as well as their personalities and abilities, are even more fascinating.
But what will really blow your mind is how these new heroes compare to the venerable Umbrella Academy. Confused? Well, this video will help you understand everything. Keep an eye out!
What is the Sparrow Academy and Who are its Members?
The Sparrow Academy, a different version of the Hargreaves family that featured a very different Ben, was introduced at the end of Season 2 of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. The Sparrow Academy consists of all-new characters, with the exception of Ben, despite some fans’ wild speculation that the Sparrows would be alternative iterations of the beloved Umbrella Academy characters.
They are Reginald Hargreaves’ new team and The Umbrella Academy battles the Sparrow Academy in season three. The Sparrow Academy, a group of seven children with superpowers, who were also born on October 1, 1989, maybe the most powerful foe the main heroes have ever faced.
The members of The Sparrow Academy were first unveiled in a trailer for the third season which is now airing on Netflix. They were formed because of a grave mistake that the members of The Umbrella Academy had committed in season 2. They had travelled back in time to 1963 to stop the Holocaust and when all of them met Reginald to ask him for help, they unknowingly completely erased their own existence. He was not a fan of this group of heroes and decided to pick an absolutely different set of children. The Umbrellas did not notice this until they managed to come back to the present day, only to realise that they had never been born, none of their families were the same, and there was no Umbrella Academy at all! All that existed was The Sparrow Academy.
Thus, the Sparrow Academy members are distinctive in that they were born in a clandestine environment; they were adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreaves in an alternative timeline after the Umbrella Academy’s return from 1963. After meeting the Umbrella Academy in 1963, Reginald changed his mind about his original selections and went in an entirely different direction with his picks.
The Sparrows, it turns out, are far deadlier than the Umbrellas because they had trained well into adulthood, cooperating in a way the Umbrella Academy hasn’t yet mastered, as they split up when they were younger. The Sparrow Academy proved they could defeat the Umbrella Academy despite having the same number of members, at least until Viktor finally showed off his skills once again in the third season.
The well-oiled Sparrow Academy portrays what life would have been like if a number of factors had been changed and if Ben had not passed away when he was younger, practically destroying the team. However, they are not nearly alternate versions of the rambunctious Umbrellas and instead, are uniquely superhuman in their own right.
The seven members in order are – Marcus, Ben, Fei, Alphonso, Sloane, Jayme and Christopher. Compared to the OG siblings, they all possess unique abilities. While certain members of each family do have some commonalities, there are also some rather recognisable new powers in the mix right now. Here are descriptions of the seven members of the Sparrow Academy and their powers.
Number 1 – Marcus and his Super Strength
Marcus is number one in his group of siblings and thus, is the leader of the Sparrow team. After seeing him in The Umbrella Academy season 3, it’s clear why Marcus is the Sparrow Academy’s leader. He is self-assured, always prepared, and open to compromise if necessary. Additionally, Marcus is able to keep the family together, particularly during disagreements. They pay attention to him, and while he enjoys a good battle, he usually leads with charisma and reason. He is incredibly fit and well-liked by the Sparrow’s devoted followers. Marcus is believed to value honesty above all else, alongside his tremendous confidence. It is said that he is a charming, sculpted colossus.
Marcus, also known as Number One of the Sparrows, is portrayed by Justin Cornwall and has abilities akin to those of Luther before undergoing a supernatural change that converted him into a human-ape hybrid from the neck down. Thus, Marcus’s power is super strength and he is physically just as strong as Luther and is capable of defeating any opponent in combat. Season 3 doesn’t say who his mother is or where he was born, therefore the head of the Sparrow Academy was born under mysterious circumstances.
Number 2 – Ben who can summon Tentacles
Ben holds a unique position as the only Sparrow Academy student who also attended the Umbrella Academy. Ben was conceived on a train in Seoul to a teen mother and was adopted by Reginald at different points in time. The third season of The Umbrella Academy shows Ben in a very different light from before.
While he seems more self-assured, his behaviour indicates that Ben from the Sparrow Academy actually has an enormous ego and is frequently angry. He also used to be Number One instead of Marcus before Reginald demoted him to Number Two, since he did not think he was capable of taking the lead.
Despite Marcus being referred to as the team’s leader, a ruthless Ben has a strong desire to take the reins by hook or by crook. Literally, for the duration of season 3, he plots and schemes and it is clear that he would never have been able to lead the team. However, his promotion to number 2 from number 6 at the Umbrella Academy confirms that he is a more significant threat as part of The Sparrow Academy.
The Sparrow Academy’s version of Ben also has the same superpower as the Umbrella Academy version. He can summon tentacles from a portal dimension that protrudes from his abdomen, like his counterpart. These tentacles are massive and deadly. Best not to get caught in them!
Number 3 – Fei the Queen of Crows
Fei is played by actress Britne Oldford. One can tell Fei is tough the moment they meet her. She is intelligent and doesn’t hesitate to challenge authority if she believes there may be a better way to handle a particular scenario. Although she collaborates with Ben, Fei Hargreaves has no problem opposing him and his ideas despite his prickly personality and arrogant behaviour.
Anyone who challenges Fei in a hand-to-hand fight will also find that she is a formidable and highly skilled opponent in combat. Her persona is depicted as a loner who appears to prefer spending her time alone but actually needs a friend to confide in. Fei, like her siblings, is intelligent, but she also has little remorse in dealing with people who have mistreated her in her own way.
As far as her special power is concerned, Fei has the innate capacity to summon a murder of crows to pursue or attack anyone she perceives as a threat. Fei is one of the 43 children born under mysterious circumstances and her origin is also shrouded. Fei doesn’t have eyes, but her ravens serve as her eyes, giving her the ability to see (and snoop on) things that her siblings can’t. She can send them out to survey potential areas while keeping an eye on everything they discover.
Thus, even though she is blind, she can see things differently, thanks to the crows. It is unfortunate that she has horribly damaged eyes and has to always wear tinted glasses to hide them. Although, she does not let this hold her back at all – the crows are her eyes and they are damn good ones too. Fei definitely should not be trifled with since if she gets mad at someone, it might be absolutely fatal for them.
Number 4 – Alphonso the Human Voodoo Doll
Alphonso, who is assigned the number four, is quite pessimistic and has a sour demeanour. He relishes making fun of his adversaries and frequently pokes fun at the Umbrella Academy. Alphonso, a character that seems to have parallels to Diego, is played by Jake Epstein.
Alphonso is a crime-fighter with emotional and physical wounds from his past, quite similar to Number Two from The Umbrella Academy. Epstein’s character, in contrast to his counterpart from the Umbrella Academy, however, manages to cope with his issues through humour and his indulgences in pizza and beer. Alphonso’s past, including his place of birth and his parents, is unknown, much like it was for Marcus and Fei before him.
In episode 1, Alphonso challenges Allison to strike him during the combat at the Sparrow Academy, revealing his abilities. Alphonso resembles a voodoo doll in many ways. Any physical harm done to him will instantly revert off him and be transferred to the attacker.
This is why, during the struggle, Allison effectively punches herself in the face as she strikes him, getting hurt herself. Alphonso can thus cause physical harm to other people by using his own body, which is why his face appears to be melting a little. He will, for instance, not feel pain and instead, the assaulter will recoil in agony after punching him in the face or the stomach. Along with the hits he receives, Alphonso’s physical characteristics also change.
Number 5 – Sloane the Gravity Manipulator
Sloane is possibly one of Sparrow Academy’s more sympathetic members. She fantasizes about leaving her childhood home behind in order to explore the globe and simply live a life different from the one she now has. Sloane is eager to go, but her commitment to her family makes it difficult for her to do so. Her situation appears to be similar to Allison’s arc when she split up after she became famous. Sloane has a large heart and is willing to let others in as she strives to comprehend their situation. She is one of the few Sparrow Academy members who weren’t wholly averse to collaborating with the Umbrella Academy in season 3.
Sloane’s skills include the ability to control gravity, which she uses to fly, take people off their feet, and fling them across rooms during combat. Thus, Sloane has capabilities that are decidedly different from those of Umbrella number 5 from the Umbrella Academy. Her power is arguably less sophisticated and less functional overall than time travel. Sloane has the ability to control gravity. She has the ability to fly, perch on the ceiling, levitate, change the gravitational pull of some items, and cause other people and objects to levitate as well.
Number 6 – Jayme the Venom Spitter
Number Six, often known as Jayme, is a firebrand with a short fuse and no patience for small talk. She is the loneliest of her siblings and appears to be closest to Alphonso, along with being known for her signature fear-inducing snarl. Beyond her tenure with the Sparrows, Jayme’s past is unknown, just like that of her siblings.
However, Jayme has a lot of destructive potentials when it comes to her abilities. Jayme, as portrayed by Cazzie David, possesses one of the Sparrows’ most nasty abilities. She has the power to spit venom out at her adversaries. The target immediately starts experiencing hallucinations should the venom make contact, which it typically does because of her excellent aim. Its hallucinogenic effects involve an imaginary dance-off between the Umbrella Academy and the Sparrow Academy set to Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose,” for poor Diego who had come in contact with the dreaded venom. As Netflix officially describes it, the effects of her venom “sends her targets into their heads and out of the fight.”
Number 7 – Christopher the Cube
Christopher Hargreaves, the telekinetic green cube, is one of the brand-new characters that make up the Sparrow Academy in The Umbrella Academy season 3. He is hands down, the most fascinating Sparrow Academy student. He is not a human, like the rest of his siblings, to begin with. Instead, Christopher is a telekinetic cube whose whereabouts are still very much unknown.
Christopher’s past or potential origins are left unanswered in season three of The Umbrella Academy. Is he another infant with superpowers who just so happens to turn into a cube? Maybe. The Sparrow Academy can comprehend him even though he doesn’t speak English. In light of this, Christopher appears to get along well with his siblings and is fiercely devoted to the Sparrows and their mission along with acting as the family mediator and oracle. He also has a problem with the Umbrella Academy because he sees them as a threat to his siblings.
Christopher has the power to raise the temperature in any space and instil his victims with intense fear. Christopher appears to be the most powerful member of the group, much like Viktor does as the Umbrella Academy’s Number 7. Huge energy bursts that Christopher may unleash can absolutely destroy an opponent.
In one episode, Christopher uses a blast that is so potent that not even Allison can escape by using her incredible power of rumour. Chris also has other energy-based abilities such as telekinesis and paralysing rays, and for some reason he actually floats in the air as a cube. He can also apparently reorient his cube body into other shapes if he ever needs to do so.
Sparrow’s Vs. Umbrella’s
Now that we know all about the Sparrows, the big question is, how do they stack up against the Umbrellas? Well, here is an in-depth analysis of how each of the Sparrows compares to their Umbrella counterpart.
Starting with both Number Ones. Luther, or Umbrella Number One is known as a powerful, hulk-like character with almost incomparable physical strength. Marcus Hargreaves, the top student at the Sparrow Academy, may, in fact, be the match Luther did not anticipate, as we witness in the first episode of this season. Marcus isn’t given much screen time, which is sad, but he appears to be just as powerful as Luther. Marcus, however, had the advantage due to his strategy in their confrontation with Luther. However, based solely on their powers, they appear to be equally strong.
It is common knowledge that Diego Hargreaves, the Umbrella Academy’s Number Two, is one of the less super-powered but better hand-to-hand or even knife-fighting Hargreaves siblings from the original timeline. Ben Hargreaves, who is actually number Six in the original timeline, is Number Two at The Sparrow Academy, but he is a different and more vicious version of himself. Diego’s fighting ability pales in comparison to Sparrow Ben’s ability to call an eldritch beast from within. Diego, however, also has a respectable fighting advantage because of his trajectory manipulation skills, which some people believe to be a type of telekinesis, though not enough to defeat Ben’s squid-like abdominal beast.
As far as the Number Three’s go, Allison Hargreaves is well known for her ability to control people by beginning anything she says with the words “I heard a rumour.” This is an insane ability because she can literally alter realities and people using her powers, as she did to Viktor all those years ago. In Season 3, Allison’s abilities grow as she starts to manipulate events without using her customary opening line.
Fei of the Sparrow Academy on the other hand has the ability to call crows from within herself to attack her adversaries. In the opening scene, Allison overpowers Fei by saying, “I heard a rumour you can’t move.” Despite the fact that Fei has a lot of power, Allison has a significant advantage over her due to her cleverness and the fact that she no longer has to utter the phrase “I heard a rumour.” Allison takes the prize in this comparison.
Alphonso, Number Four from the Sparrow Academy, possesses abilities that enable him to respond to everything his adversary does to him with an equal amount of force, making him a living voodoo doll. Allison attempted to punch him, but the blow landed back on her. But this season, Klaus Hargreaves, who has the ability to summon the dead and interact with them, also learns about a new facet of his abilities: immortality. Simply based on power alone, Klaus would unquestionably be stronger because he simply cannot die. Alphonso didn’t stay long, so it’s a shame we didn’t get to witness them square off in the end.
With his capacity to move between space and time and his fighting prowess, Five from our original timeline is one of the Umbrellas’ most powerful characters. However, Sloane’s ability to change gravity could be able to rival Five’s teleportation. Unfortunately, we never actually get to see them clash. Sloane did hold her own against one of the Hotel Oblivion guardians as well as Viktor, the strongest Umbrella. Sloane has excellent gravity-defying abilities. But that being said, Five is the stronger of the two because he frequently held his own against other Sparrow Academy students.
The new timeline’s version of Number Six is Jayme, who is capable of spitting poison that can cause hallucinations in those who it hits. The original timeline’s Number Six was Ben. Despite the strength of Jayme’s hallucinations, we witness Ben from the more recent timeline square off against Jayme, almost coming out on top. Ben is more powerful than her now that the beast is inside of him, but Jayme is also a superb fighter.
Last but not least, we have both the intriguing Number Sevens. Viktor, a fan favourite from the Umbrella Academy who has the power to transform sound into energy, was able to eliminate every Sparrow Academy student by himself. Only Five has a chance to stop him, making him without a doubt the Umbrella Academy’s most powerful member. Christopher, the telekinetic Number Seven of the Sparrows, is less strong than Viktor. However, Christopher also took the Kugelblitz, which is the black hole that was created due to the time travel mistakes committed by the Umbrellas, within himself for a while, making him a worthy opponent if a fight between the two were to break out.
The Sparrow Academy in the Comics
Discussion about Netflix’s Umbrella Academy is always incomplete without exploring the comic books. However, in this case, little is known about the Sparrow Academy even in the comics. The secretive group made its debut at the conclusion of Hotel Oblivion, the third book in the series, when they destroyed a number of supervillains who had recently escaped from jail. But here is what we know about them.
Mom and a man by the name of Deever are somehow connected to this group. Mom was the Umbrella’s caregiver and adoptive mother. To calm the kids and take care of them when they weren’t with him on missions, Hargreaves had made her out of industrial plastic. Mom eventually became involved with The Sparrows somehow.
The Sparrows call the members of the Umbrella Academy their family in the comics and have a base in Norway. When Vanya Hargreaves was having a hard time getting better after the Apocalypse and her subsequent memory wipe, Mom initially brought Vanya to them. Later, the Sparrows disclosed their existence to all the Umbrella Academy members, and ended up saving them from a team of supervillains just in time. They dress in uniforms that are red, black, and silver and feature a sparrow logo on the chest and sleeves.
It is strongly hinted that they were among the 43 kids who were born at the same time on October 1, 1989, to mothers who had no previous pregnancy symptoms. Their roots were first presented in Hotel Oblivion, and they’ll probably be discussed in the comic book’s upcoming issue.
While not all of them were able to show off their skills in the short cameo they had in the comics, it appears that they have extraordinary strength, the ability to generate energy beams, the ability to morph into a murder of crows, the ability to transfer injuries, and the ability to either heal or alter reality. One of the Sparrows is also a floating cube, and they all appear to be able to hover. Only Carla was identified by name and their leader presented himself as Number One.
However, even though little is known about them, it looks like their powers have been kept more or less similar and have been fleshed out in the Netflix adaptation along with adding in unique personality traits. What do you think about The Sparrow Academy and its members? Are they a better team than the Umbrellas? Let us know in the comments section below!