The Umbrella Academy’s Timeline (And Alternate Timelines) Explained

The Prime Timeline: 1962 – 2015

• 1962 – Pogo’s Training Begins: Reginald Hargreeves worked with Grace (Jordan Claire Robbins) to raise, educate, and train Pogo for space travel and more. The pair frequently treated and cared for Pogo more like a son than a scientific experiment.
• November 22, 1963 – Older Five Arrives For JFK’s Assassination: Firmly a part of the Temps Commission, a 58 year-old version of Five was tasked with ensuring the assassination of John F. Kennedy. However, he opted instead to leave his post and traveled forward to 2019.
• March/April 1967 – Klaus Arrives From The Future: Having accidentally acquired and activated a Temps Commission briefcase, Klaus was dropped right in the middle of the Vietnam War. Forced to blend in with the military, he ultimately meets and falls in love with a fellow soldier named Dave. 
• February 1, 1968 – Dave Is Killed In Action: During a mission in the A Shau Valley, Klaus and Dave were caught in a battle and pinned down by heavy gunfire. Though Klaus survived, Dave wasn’t so lucky and succumbed to a fatal gunshot wound in Klaus’ arms. A grief-stricken Klaus took Dave’s dog-tags and used the briefcase again in order to return to 2019.
• October 1, 1989 – The Children Are Mysteriously Born: A group of women around the world gave birth to children despite not having been pregnant when the day began. The birth resulted in a combined total of forty-three children, each with different special abilities. Lila Pitts (Ritu Arya) is later revealed to be one of the special 43 children. Harold Jenkins was also born on the same day, albeit conceived in an unconnected and rather more normal fashion.
• Later in October 1989 – Multiple Children Are Adopted: In the weeks that followed, Hargreeves sought out many of the children. It ultimately transpired that Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of them. He soon after designated them by number: One (Luther), Two (Diego), Three (Allison), Four (Klaus), Five, Six (Ben), and Seven (Viktor).
• Sometime in 1993 – Lila’s Parents Are Murdered By Five: During a bogus mission generated by The Handler (Kate Walsh), Five assassinated Lila’s parents. The Handler subsequently took Lila in as her own daughter and ultimately trained her as her own personal assassin.
• Also in 1993 – Viktor Rebels Against His Training: Noted in Reginald Hargreeves’ journal, Viktor began demonstrating a refusal to adhere to his commands. He also began lashing out in violent ways, resulting in the deaths and/or serious injuries of several nannies. As a result, Hargreeves built a robot version of his partner, Grace, in order to serve as Viktor and the other children’s mom.
• Later in 1993 – Reginald Has Viktor Brainwashed: Though The Umbrella Academy‘s Mom worked in several areas where Viktor was concerned (namely in eating oatmeal), Reginald remained fearful of Viktor’s powers. As a result, he produced special pills that would dampen Viktor’s destructive abilities. He also had Allison use her own mind-altering powers to convince Viktor that he was, in fact, powerless.
• June 1, 2001 – Reginald Cruelly Trains Klaus: During a flashback, it’s revealed that part of Klaus’ childhood training was to be locked in a mausoleum. The measure was ostensibly designed to help Klaus move past his fear of the dark and the ghosts he could conjure. However, it only served to further traumatize him. Soon after he began turning to drugs in order to suppress his abilities.
• 2002 – The Umbrella Academy Are Introduced To The World: Minus Viktor, the adopted siblings embarked on their first mission and foiled a robbery at the Capital West Bank. Immediately afterward, Reginald held a press conference, officially unveiling the superhero team.
• Later in 2002 – Harold Is Rejected By Reginald Hargreeves: Running away from his abusive home, Harold attempted to join the Academy since he was born on the same day. Unfortunately, Reginald deemed him average and without powers. Subsequently kicked off the property, Harold was bitterly humiliated. Returning home, he channeled that rage into murdering his father and was sentenced to twelve years in prison as a result.
• November 10, 2002 – Number Five Jumps Forward In Time: Eager to attempt time travel, Five ended up in an argument with his adoptive father. Believing it too dangerous, Reginald insisted he should simply keep working on his spatial jumps. Five’s response was to run away and attempt to jump through time anyway. Unfortunately, he ended up jumping too far into the future and found himself stranded in a post-apocalyptic Earth.
• 2006 – Ben Dies While On A Mission: The exact nature and cause of Ben’s death in The Umbrella Academy remain a mystery. However, The Umbrella Academy season 2 finale revealed that it occurred while the group was out on a mission. After the funeral, Klaus was able to summon the ghost of Ben, as he had been too afraid to go into the light at the time.
• 2007 – The Umbrella Academy Start To Leave Home: Diego (David Castañeda) was the first to leave shortly after he turned 18. It’s unknown in which order the others inevitably left to pursue their own interests and live their own lives.
• 2012 – Luther Is Injured While On A Mission: Now the only member of the Umbrella Academy left, Luther was sent on a mission solo. Unfortunately, things went awry and Luther (Tom Hopper) was brought back in critical condition. In order to save him, Reginald used the same serum he once used on Pogo. Though it succeeded at saving Luther’s life, it left his body permanently transformed to resemble a gorilla.
• 2014 – Harold Jenkins Is Released From Prison: Despite The Umbrella Academy‘s Harold Jenkins (John Magaro) being locked away for over a decade, his obsession with The Umbrella Academy remained firmly intact.
• 2015 – Viktor Writes His Memoir: Titled Extra Ordinary, Viktor penned an autobiography about his childhood and growing up amid The Umbrella Academy. In the process, he revealed several of the group’s secrets. As a result of the book, he briefly enjoyed the traditional fifteen minutes of fame.
• Later in 2015 – Reginald Sends Luther To The Moon: Though the specifics are never made clear to Luther, he lived on the moon for four years. During that time, he frequently sent back samples and extensive reports.

Related: The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Ending Explained: The Biggest Reveals

The Original Apocalypse

Upon his arrival in the apocalyptic future, Five discovered the bodies of his siblings amid the rubble of the Umbrella Academy headquarters. Given that the location is a far cry from the Icarus Theatre, it implied that a different final battle with Viktor once occurred to constitute The Umbrella Academy‘s apocalypse. Also different is that he found Harold Jenkins’ prosthetic eye tightly in Luther’s grip, meaning that Harold must have been still alive and present for that particular clash. Equally, each of the siblings’ bodies is more or less intact, rather than destroyed in a global firestorm caused by an asteroid impact. Therefore, the exact nature of Viktor’s original apocalypse was also likely different. Whatever occurred in this version of the timeline, however, will probably remain both unknown (and irrelevant) – since Five’s eventual return to 2019 would serve to generate a new branch and establish what would become the show’s prime timeline.

The Prime Timeline: 2019

• March 21, 2019 – Reginald Hargreeves Commits Suicide: Though not revealed until midway through The Umbrella Academy season 1, Reginald took his own life to draw the siblings back for his funeral.
• March 24, 2019 – Reginald’s Funeral & Five’s Return: The siblings returned to the Academy, and the ensuing tensions led to Ben’s memorial statue getting damaged. That same day, a 60-year-old version of Five time-traveled from 1963, but ended up reverting to his 13-year-old state.
• March 25, 2019 – Viktor Meets Harold Jenkins: Posing as Leonard Peabody, Harold approached Viktor under the guise of wanting violin lessons. Allison moved closer to discovering the truth behind her father’s death while Five tried to track down Harold via the prosthetic eye from the future. Five was later attacked by Hazel and Cha-Cha while visiting the mannequin Dolores at a department store. With more siblings learning of the apocalypse, the timeline was moved even further away from its original course.
• March 26, 2019 – Hazel and Cha-Cha Attack The Academy: Breaking into the facility, the duo clashed with Diego, Allison, and Luther while Viktor witnessed from the sidelines. Though the assassins were eventually driven out, they succeeded in abducting Klaus. They tortured him for information, before burning down the prosthetics lab that Five was trying to get information from. Klaus later escaped with the help of Detective Patch, but she died in the process. Diego was forced to shut down the malfunctioning robot he knew as Mom. He later found Patch’s body and, in his grief, swore vengeance. Newly escaped and armed with a Commission briefcase, Klaus accidentally traveled back to 1967 Vietnam.
• March 27, 2019 – Five Is Offered A New Job: As a result of Harold’s murderous intervention, Viktor successfully auditioned for the first chair in his orchestra. Similarly, courtesy of his manipulations, Viktor stopped taking what he believed to be anti-anxiety medication. Having orchestrated a meeting with The Handler, Five was offered a new job with The Umbrella Academy‘s Temps Commission. To protect his family from the oncoming apocalypse, he accepted.

The First Aborted Timeline

As a result of accepting The Handler’s offer, Five ventured with The Handler to the Temp Commission’s headquarters. While there, a whole day played out for the rest of the siblings back in the present. The events of that day – March 28, 2019 – unfold throughout The Umbrella Academy season 1, episode 6, “The Day That Wasn’t”. Klaus finally got sober enough to summon the ghost of Dave, Allison and Luther admitted their feelings and prepared to leave town together, and Viktor learned early about Harold having Reginald’s journal. Unfortunately, each of those developments was erased when Five once again returned to 2019. Appearing at the start of the day, he essentially cut short what would have become of that timeline and set things once again on a different path along the prime Umbrella Academy timeline.

The Prime Timeline: 2019 Continued

• March 28, 2019 – Viktor’s Powers Are Awakened: Though several elements of the day were erased, others remained firmly intact. Luther discovered his time on The Moon was for nothing. Devastated, he turned to drugs and went to a rave. There, Klaus got into a fight trying to protect him, leading to him suffering a head injury. While unconscious, Klaus had an encounter with his father, learning more about his death. Viktor’s latent powers awakened fully after Harold hired a group of thugs to attack him. Viktor used his powers to defend him, killing two of the thugs and costing Harold his right eye.
• March 29, 2019 – Viktor Almost Kills Allison: Harold tried to help Viktor get more control of his powers. After being tracked down by Allison, however, Viktor learned the truth of her part in having his memories altered. Once again losing control, Viktor lashed out with his powers and slit Allison’s throat. Diego, Klaus, Five, and Luther found Allison barely clinging to life.
• March 30, 2019 – Luther Imprisons Viktor: Allison was saved by Pogo and Grace back at the Academy. Elsewhere, Viktor found his father’s journal and discovered the extent of Harold’s machinations. Provoked, Viktor once again snapped and brutally killed him. Afterward, he returned to the Academy, only to be knocked unconscious and locked away by Luther. Because of this, Viktor fully gave in to his dark side and used his powers to escape her confinement.
• April 1, 2019 – The Apocalypse: Now unleashed, Viktor destroyed the Academy, killing Pogo and destroying Grace/Mom in the process. Pursued by Temps Commission soldiers, the siblings went to the Icarus Theatre to confront Viktor, but were unable to stop him from firing a beam of his energy, which damaged the moon Umbrella Academy’s Luther spent so much time on and sent an asteroid hurtling toward the Earth. With only moments to spare, Five succeeded at time-traveling all of them away to safety.
• Some Time Later – The Handler Recovered: After being shot in the head by Hazel, but shortly before the apocalypse, The Handler’s body was pulled from the timeline. Moments before being incinerated, it was revealed that she survived the attempt on her life. After going through recovery, The Handler was summarily demoted at the Temps Commission by A.J. Carmichael.
• Post-Apocalypse – Five’s Journey: With the Earth still wiped out, Five’s time in the desolate wasteland remained intact. However, the version that this timeline’s Five traveled to would be slightly different. His sibling’s bodies would be nowhere to be found and there’d be no eye to retrieve. Equally, Five’s mannequin Dolores would likely have been burned to a cinder. He would spend forty-five years stuck alone in the future, until being recruited for the Temps Commission sometime around 2060. 

Related: Theory: Who The Original Umbrella Academy Are In The Sparrow Universe

The Alternate Timeline: 1960 – 1963

Things were shaken off course almost immediately after the Hargreeves siblings touched down in their new decade. Though each arrived separately and at different points, each of them settled quickly into their new environments. As a result, throughout The Umbrella Academy season 2, they all had a direct influence on the new world around them, and some of their decisions and actions would ultimately have wide-reaching consequences for the once steadfastly established timeline.

• February 11, 1960 – Klaus and Ben Arrive in Dallas: As the first to arrive of The Umbrella Academy’s members, Klaus and Ben stumbled around trying to get their bearings, and learned the date and year from a magazine. Later that same day, Klaus was taken in and cleaned up by a wealthy older benefactor. He dazzled socialites by using Ben’s help to perform parlor tricks.
• April 1961 – Allison Arrives in Dallas: Allison had a rougher introduction to the 1960s. Having ventured into the same diner as Klaus, she also turned away due to it being a “Whites Only” establishment. Upon her exit, she was chased by a group of racist thugs. Seeking sanctuary in a salon, Allison was ultimately protected by its owners and began working there.
• September 1961 – Allison Meets Raymond: After Raymond Chestnut (played in The Umbrella Academy by Yusuf Gatewood) came into the salon for a meeting of his group, he and Allison first noticed each other.
• Christmas 1961 – Allison and Raymond’s First Date: Despite having had her vocal cords damaged when her throat was cut, they were revealed to have healed throughout the year. After some months of exchanging silent looks, Ray eventually asked her on a date. At that point, she vocally offered up her name. She also began to immerse herself in his civil rights campaigns, even offering him notes on his pamphlets.
• Also in 1961 – Klaus Establishes His Cult: A brief glimpse during a montage of flashbacks revealed Klaus traveling with his followers on a bus through Mexico.
• 1962 – Luther Arrives in Dallas: Emerging in the pouring rain, Luther immediately called out for his siblings. When that yielded no success, he accumulated enough money for a bus back home. Arriving at what would one day become Hargreeves’ Umbrella Academy, however, Luther was cruelly snubbed by Reginald. Luther returned to Dallas and eventually began working as a bodyguard and professional fighter for Jack Ruby.
• Late 1962 – Allison and Raymond Get Married: Given that they were only married for a year before Allison had to return to 2019, Allison and Raymond’s wedding likely took place in the later months.
• September 1, 1963 – Diego Arrives in Dallas: Landing in a more traditional superhero fashion, Diego immediately reverted to old habits. Hearing a woman’s scream, he rapidly foiled a mugging. He also got to grips with his new surroundings after seeing a speech from JFK on an old-fashioned TV in a store window. Suddenly passionately resolved to single-handedly stop the JFK assassination, Diego began stalking Lee Harvey Oswald. Unfortunately, he was apprehended outside of Oswald’s house and institutionalized.
• October 12, 1963 – Viktor Arrives in Dallas: Though he had been unconscious in Luther’s arms when they began time-traveling, Viktor arrived alone and awake. Disorientated, he stumbled from the alley and out into the middle of the road. There, he was hit by a car driven by Sissy (Marin Ireland). Alongside her son, Harlan (Justin Paul Kelly), Sissy checked on Viktor and eventually took him in to live with them.
• Also in 1963 – Klaus Abandons His Cult: Seen surrounded by countless followers now, an overwhelmed Klaus took the opportunity to disappear into the crowd. Driving away from San Francisco, he revealed to Ben his goal to return to Dallas. The two clashed over the plan. Klaus was later arrested when he stole another man’s car en–route.

The 1963 Apocalypse

The opening of The Umbrella Academy season 2 marked a much more dramatic change to November 25, 1963, onward. Though JFK hadn’t been assassinated, a devastating war soon followed. Therefore, once again, the siblings were forced to face down another apocalypse without Five. Having arrived later than them, he was dropped into the final moments of it. Though they offered a thrilling united front, they were doomed in the face of several nuclear weapons. Fortunately, Hazel made a brief appearance to save Five and transport him back ten days earlier. As such, Five was able to reunite the team early and use the foreknowledge to their advantage. Unlike the culmination to The Umbrella Academy season 1, they (though mostly Ben) were subsequently able to once again branch the timeline in a less fatal direction and more successfully avert a global disaster the second time around. The timeline with the apocalypse must still exist somewhere in a now-distant and defunct part the show’s multiverse, however. Like the original 2019 apocalypse, it paradoxically needed to have happened and Five to have experienced it in order for it to be prevented.

The Alternate Timeline: 1963 Continued (and 1982)

• November 15, 1963 – Five Arrives From The Alternate Future: After rescuing Number Five and secretly giving him video footage, Hazel is killed by a trio of Swedish assassins. Five managed to track down Elliot (Kevin Rankin), a man who had been monitoring the alleyway the siblings had arrived in, and used his research to find the other Hargreeves siblings of The Umbrella Academy.
• November 16, 1963 – Luther and Viktor Are Reunited: After picking up a drunk Carl from a local Dallas club, Viktor is spotted by Luther. Visiting him at Sissy’s farm, he apologized for failing to help him after he learned of his powers and his part in causing the apocalypse. 
• November 17, 1963 – Allison Leads A Civil Rights Sit-In: Organized across the earlier episodes, Allison and Raymond’s group went through with their peaceful protest. Ray was able to attend after Klaus and Ben orchestrated his release from jail. The event descended into chaos, however, after violent backlash and brutal police intervention. 
• November 18, 1963 – Viktor Learns The Truth: Luther revealed to Viktor that he caused the 2019 apocalypse. In response, Viktor resolved to leave everything behind. After Harlan nearly drowned, however, he changed his mind. After giving him CPR, some of Viktor’s energy is transferred to him. 
• November 20, 1963 – “Team Zero” Meets Young Reginald: The entire group reconvened to meet with their father. Unfortunately, The Umbrella Academy’s alien founder Reginald proved unimpressed with the group and rudely snubbed them again – though not before learning their names, powers, and how such as Allison and Viktor focused them. Even seen writing them down, the Umbrella Academy gave him everything needed to knock the timeline in a new direction. 
• November 22, 1963 – JFK’s Assassination: Under the belief that he’s a Russian spy, Viktor is brutally tortured at the FBI building. That coupled with his returning memories sent his powers once again out of control. Having been taken to the Commission, Diego used the facilities to learn that Viktor’s destruction of the building is what led to The Umbrella Academy‘s apocalyptic war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Klaus, Allison, and Diego infiltrated the facility to rescue him. Though they failed, Ben sacrificed himself to calm Viktor down, and JFK’s assassination went ahead as history had recorded last time.
• November 23, 1963 – The Umbrella Academy Go To War: With Viktor aware of his psychic connection with Harlan, he returned to the farm just as the powers he acquired from Viktor started to go out of control. At the same time, the entire force of the Temps arrived, with The Handler eager to claim Harlan for her own. After Viktor wiped out the countless assassins, Lila is revealed to be able to mirror The Umbrella Academy’s powers. After The Handler and most of the Commission were killed, the siblings took a briefcase from a fallen Commission agent, said their goodbyes, and time-traveled back toward 2019.
• 1982 – Five Kills The Temps Commission Board: Five jumped forward in time as part of a deal with The Handler. Interrupting a meeting of those in charge of the Commission, he killed them all without mercy. He immediately went back to November 21, 1963.

Related: The Umbrella Academy’s Lila Return Fixes A Season 2 Ending Problem

The First Alternate 2019 Timeline

After his deal with The Handler fell apart, Five was forced to resort to drastic measures to get his family back to 2019. Knowing that his older self had arrived in Dallas, Five and Luther attempted to make a deal with him to acquire his Temps Commission briefcase. Though the older Five agreed, the paradoxical effect of being close to each other made both versions paranoid and homicidal. With both of them conspiring against the other, they ended up brawling after the younger version opened the same kind of portal to 2019 he’d once used. Before that, Five had given his older self the correct equation to ensure he wasn’t reverted into a teenager.

It is unclear, however, whether he was lying about it, since he believed he needed his past self to venture through in the same manner in order to preserve his existence. Equally, the elderly Five ended up being forcibly kicked into the vortex rather than coordinating his own path through it. Whatever the case, Luther inadvertently ensured that the version of 2019 the older Five went to would ultimately turn out different than in The Umbrella Academy season 1 — since he armed him with the specific details of who and what caused the apocalypse. As such, he was likely in a better position to prevent what the original versions had previously failed. Thus, a new timeline would have been created. The moment also seemed to confirm that what viewers were witnessing were branches of a multiverse. After all, Five remained in existence despite the older Five going into the vortex being different from him as a result of being armed with such additional knowledge.

The Second Aborted Timeline

Following the epic confrontation with the forces of the Temps Commission, the members of the Umbrella Academy managed to reason with Lila. They even came close to bringing her around to their side of the conflict. Unfortunately, The Handler stepped in and gunned the entire Hargreeves family down in a hail of bullets. After being confronted by Lila, The Umbrella Academy‘s The Handler even callously killed her adopted daughter. Clinging to life, however, Five was able to finally master a new facet of his abilities and reversed time. The process resulted in bringing the team and Lila back to life. Simultaneously, he put himself into a position to intercept The Handler before she could strike. As a result, Five successfully curtailed another tragic branch of the timeline before it truly manifested.

The New 2019 Timeline

As a result of their paradoxical interactions in 1963, namely meeting with and disappointing their father even before their birth, the Umbrella Academy returned to a very different 2019. Not only were they greeted by a very-much-alive Reginald Hargreeves, but also a brand new team that had usurped their home and position. Revealed to be the Sparrow Academy, the majority of their identities were shrouded in mystery as part of The Umbrella Academy season 2 cliffhanger. Shockingly, however, the Number One of the new team was revealed to be an equally still-alive Ben Hargreeves. Now sporting a scar and a more vicious demeanor, he rudely inquired about the new arrivals. Things were left hanging at that moment. As such, more time-travel shenanigans than ever will be required to set things back to their familiar order in The Umbrella Academy season 3.

Related: Hargreeves Is The Reason The Umbrella Academy Can Beat The Sparrows

Where Will Umbrella Academy Season 3 Pick Up The Timeline?

Season 3 footage confirms The Umbrella Academy will pick right back up where it left off when the new episodes air on June 22, 2022. As mentioned, however, the “timeline” in which the Hargreeves siblings now find themselves is more of an entirely alternate universe than the one they know, with The Sparrow Academy having replaced them entirely, leading to the catastrophic formation of The Umbrella Academy season 3’s kugelblitz (a conglomeration of black hole ingredients), which they have only a few days to stop. This branch of the Umbrella Academy timeline is sure to be the series’ weirdest and wildest yet, as it will not only introduce a host of new high-powered Hargreeves siblings but also place the existing ones (particularly Ben) in a whole new context.

The Hotel Oblivion, which The Umbrella Academy season 3 is adapting from its corresponding graphic novel volume, should also make for a fascinating new timeline setting. Created by Hargreeves to incarcerate those defeated by his Academy, Hotel Oblivion exists on a distant planet (and on the very fringe of reality) and is a torturous, often frightening in-between space. As confusing as the show’s timeline has been up until this point, the limbo offered by The Umbrella Academy season 3’s new location, Hotel Oblivion, is sure to give seasons 1 and 2 a run for their money when it comes to confusion and tragedy. As always, viewers can expect reality to warp rapidly as The Umbrella Academy season 3 goes on, causing untold damage to the show’s original timeline.

More: The Sparrows Might Just Reveal A Key Missing Umbrella Academy Detail

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About The Author

John Atkinson
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John Atkinson has been a news and feature writer for Screen Rant since late 2018. Before that, he had articles published across a number of different outlets. A graduate of the University of London, John was raised on a small island by television and movies. As such, he pursued a career in screenwriting and film journalism when it became apparent that actually becoming Spider-Man was impossible. John’s fondest wish is to one day produce a film of his own. Until then, he’s more than happy to spend countless hours just talking about them.

John’s love of film and television defies genre and sometimes even logic. Nothing is off-limits to his passion – be it Marvel, DC, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars, or Tommy Wiseau’s latest cinematic offering.

Away from screens, John can often be found in a park reading mystery and/or fantasy novels, jumping up and down at various music events, or thinking too deeply about Keanu Reeves’ career and why Edgar Wright doesn’t have an Oscar.

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