18 easter eggs and references in Umbrella Academy season 2

6 August 2020, 19:43

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By Katie Louise Smith

The Umbrella Man at JFK's assassination? He was real – but he had nothing to do with the president's death in real life.

The Umbrella Academy is back at it again. Not only is season 2 jam packed with a killer soundtrack, an iconic cast, and a bombshell of an ending, it's also chock full of hidden easter eggs and references.

Just like season 1, season 2 of Netflix's superhero show makes a handful of references to Gerard Way's original comic book series.

As well all the secret sparrow symbols and bird imagery, there's also a ton of references to real life events and a few call backs to the first season of the show too, that appear to tie a few things together. Did you clock them?

READ MORE: The Umbrella Academy season 3: Release date, cast, spoilers and news

1) If you look closely, you'll find loads of sparrow symbols hidden in each episode.

They're hidden amongst paperwork, on doors, and there's even one hidden in Old Man Five's briefcase. (Check the list of all the ones we've found so far here.)

2) Klaus' levitating powers are referenced in episode 3.

In the comics, Klaus' powers include levitation, as well as talking to the dead (amongst others). In the show, his levitation powers have not yet been established. In season 2, there's a big reference to those comic book powers when he 'levitates' with the help of Ben, to impress a group of older ladies in Texas.

3) The scene where The Handler eats A.J. Carmichael is a reference to the comics.

Although, in the comics, Five is the one who eats the fish alive.

4) Harlan's drawing appears to foreshadow the final episode.

Shortly after gaining Vanya's powers, he draws an image of himself flying over the farm. In the final episode, Harlan gets stuck, levitating in a vortex, just before Vanya uses her powers and flies above the field to kill the members of The Commission.

5) Five references Captain America and Spider-Man while fighting with himself in episode 9.

Five says: "I can do this all day!", which is the same line that Steve Rogers says to Steve Rogers when they fight each other in Avengers: Endgame. It's also a nod to the famous scene from a Spider-Man cartoon from the '60s, where two Spider-Man figures are fighting. You know the one... it's a meme now.

6) The Umbrella Man was a real figure who was spotted at the assassination of JFK.

While the show says the Umbrella Man spotted in the 'Frankel footage' was Reginald Hargreeves, the real Umbrella Man was called Louie Steven Witt. He was seen on the Zapruder film and caused a lot of speculation seeing as he was the only person carrying an umbrella on a sunny day.

Many speculated that he was acting as a signal for the shooter. However, when he came forward in 1978, he said that brought the umbrella as a statement of protest toward Kennedy. Kennedy's father Joseph was a supporter of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who was known for his policy of "appeasement" toward Hitler.

7) Jack Ruby is also a real life figure in the assassination of JFK.

The real Jack Ruby, who was a nightclub operator, was the man who killed Lee Harvey Oswald just two days after Oswald assassinated JFK. He shot him during a prison transfer. Although it's not shown in the show, the final shot of Ruby sees him pick up his gun after watching JFK's funeral on TV.

8) Ben's coffin has tentacle designs on it.

A tribute to his superpower. RIP Benerino!

9) The final episode's title is a call back to something The Handler said to Five in season 1.

Remember when Five met The Handler during the apocalypse in season 1? He asks her if the apocalypse was the end of "everything" and she replies saying, "Not everything. Just the end of... something." 'The End of Something', as the title suggests, could be a reference to the end of a particular timeline.

10) The title on the cinema's billboard changes based on the year each of the Hargreeves siblings fall into the '60s.

When Klaus and Ben arrive in 1960, the film is Curse of the Undead. When Allison arrives in 1961, it's The Curse of the Werewolf. When Vanya arrives in October 1963, the film is Kiss of the Vampire. One month later, when Five arrives, it's still Kiss of the Vampire.

When Luther and Diego drop in in 1962 and 1963 respectively, the movie is not visible.

11) The Swedes, Lila, Ray and Sissy are not characters from the original comic books.

They were created for the show.

12) There's a lot of nods to Black history on the walls in the salon where Allison works.

Framed images of Malcolm X, Dizzy Gillespie and Wilma Rudolph feature on the wall. Malcolm X was a human rights activist and a leader in the civil rights movement. Dizzy was a jazz trumpeter, composer and singer. And Wilma Rudolph was once the fastest woman in the world, and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games in 1960.

13) Lila's birth date is hinted at when she mentions how much the gauze costs.

$1.89? 1st... 1989... Sneaky.

14) Hargreeves’ Televator blueprints were seen in his secret room.

In the comics, the Televator is a device that Hargreeves made so he could travel through time and space. Here’s hoping we hear more about it in season 3.

15) The Majestic 12 were a real thing.

In the show, the Majestic 12 organised the assassination of JFK after he began asking too many questions. They acted as a shadow government and asked Reginald to join so that they could have access to his technology in order to beat the Soviet Union in the space race.

In real life, the Majestic 12 were an alleged top-secret organisation, made up of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, who were believed to have been tasked with investigating alien spacecrafts by Harry S. Truman. Their name pops up in a lot of alien conspiracy theories.

16) Hargreeves' alien origins are no secret in the comics.

While it was known in the comics, Hargreeves revealing himself to be an alien is brand new info in the TV show. The shot of him removing his mask and leaving it on the back of the chair is also a direct reference to a scene in the comic books, illustrated by Gabriel Bá.

17) Pogo is injected with a similar serum that Hargreeves used on Luther in season 1.

An explanation behind Luther's physical appearance might have been revealed in season 2. When Pogo returns from his space flight badly burned, Hargreeves injects him with a serum that clears his entire body of burns. In season 1, he does the same thing to Luther, only it doesn't quite work the same way.

18) There's a ton of references from the future that no one in the '60s understands yet.

Throughout the season, Klaus displays his superior taste in music by quoting TLC's 'Waterfalls', and Backstreet Boys' 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' to his cult followers. He also references Destiny's Child.

Diego references Luke Skywalker during his time at the psychiatric hospital but of course, no one understands what he's saying because it's years away from being released.