The Umbrella Academy showrunner teases Ben's mysterious, bigger role in season 3

Steve Blackman has opened up about Ben's mysterious return in The Umbrella Academy season 3 – and promised that the next batch of episodes will explore what actually went down with him when the Hargreeves siblings were littluns.

Having seen them prevent John F. Kennedy's assassination and thwart an impending doomsday event back in 1963, season 2 culminated with the time-traveling family being transported back to the present day. Upon their arrival, they soon discovered that their titular home was occupied, and now called the Sparrow Academy. What's more, their previously deceased father, Sir Reginald (Colm Feore), and late brother Ben (Justin H. Min) were back, and very much alive. 

In a new interview with SFX magazine – published in a special Pride issue, which sees the Netflix hit appear on the cover – the showrunner states matter-of-factly that there's "clearly a reason Ben is back". He continues: "We know [from] the previous seasons, Ben did not survive from when they were young. There was some accident or something happened, which hopefully we will have time to dig more into as we go into this season. In this timeline, he obviously plays a far bigger role. Something has shifted majorly in the timeline for that to have happened."

Elsewhere, Blackman explains that in this new version of events, Ben – whose powers allow him to channel eldritch monsters from other dimensions under his skin – isn't Number Six but rather Number Two, and as Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) points out in the official trailer for The Umbrella Academy season 3, is "a complete dickhead." The character also doesn't have any recollection of his original family so sides with the Sparrows, which is the source of much "heartbreak" for the others who do remember their shared history, says Elliot Page.

"There's incredible excitement and relief to see Ben – this person that they love – especially after Viktor just had this major moment with him at the end of season two," the Viktor Hargreeves actor notes. "When it's revealed what kind of person Ben is, who is not the nicest guy, I wouldn't say they're the biggest fans of him."

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The Umbrella Academy season 3 will release on Netflix on June 22. In the meantime, check out our list of the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration. 

For more from the Hargreeves, be sure to pick up the new issue of SFX Magazine from June 15, which you can order through that link. And if you don't want to miss out on anything SFX, make sure to sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.