The first reviews for the third season of the Netflix superhero series, The Umbrella Academy, are now in. So how does the latest adventure for the Hargreeves siblings fare against their critically acclaimed prior outings? We first turn to Nate Richard from Collider, who awarded The Umbrella Academy Season 3 an impressive A-, adding that the show continues to be “antithesis” of typical superhero stories.

“At its core, The Umbrella Academy Season 3 feels like the anthesis to the traditional superhero story. Much like The Boys tackles politics and capitalism under the guise of capes and blood, The Umbrella Academy dives into themes of personal struggle and the complicated nature of familial relationships through superpowers and time travel. It’s the superhero story that speaks to the inner-weirdo in everyone.”

The praise continues courtesy of Comicbook.com’s Spencer Perry, who rated The Umbrella Academy's third season a 4 out of 5. While noting that the third outing is the weakest series of the show so far, the review applauds the same unique approach to the genre and the “firmly rooted” cast of characters.

“This season might be the weakest of the three, yet it remains a wholly entertaining series that is unlike anything else being produced on television. It's a shame that Netflix doesn't want the world to enjoy it to its fullest potential.”

The Umbrella Academy Season 3 earns another 4/5 from Eammon Jacobs of Radio Times, who also found some faults with the pacing. Overall, however, The Umbrella Academy Season 3 continues the same sense of fun and builds to an epic finale.

“Still, once The Umbrella Academy dives into the meat-and-bones of the Kugelblitz (and beyond), it kicks things into overdrive with a stunning cosmic conclusion.”

The Umbrella Academy Will Hit Netflix Later This Month

Alex Stedman of IGN heaped praise on the cast, particularly Tom Hopper, Elliot Page, and Emmy Raver-Lampman, before concluding that, while season 3 may lose some of the zany delight of previous adventures, it more than makes up for it with a heartfelt message.

“It may initially seem less inventive and action-packed than previous seasons, but what it loses in wackiness, it gains in heart and the clarity of its message – one that resonates whether your family is screwing up the timeline or not.”

AV Club’s Jenna Scherer meanwhile highlights Elliot Page and the journey of Viktor Hargreeves as a standout this season.

“But The Umbrella Academy, vitally, reserves the greatest care for the story of Vanya, played by Oscar nominee Elliot Page. The writers map the actor’s real-life transition onto his character, as the queer awakening he experienced back in the 1960s leads Vanya to becoming Viktor. The show deftly handles the conversations Viktor has with each of his family members about his transition, as well as showcases the way he comes into his own throughout the season.”

It's not all good news, though, as Danielle Ryan of Slash Film rated the series a 6/10. While they “wanted to love” the return of The Umbrella Academy, the series has “mixed messaging and messy storytelling.”

“The good news is that Netflix has already renewed the series for a fourth season, which means there's time to course-correct and maybe deliver satisfying endings for the characters we've grown to know and love. Despite my frustrations, I'll still be watching, because I'm a sucker for when this show is sweet and silly even if I occasionally get a mouth full of vomit.”

Starring Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, The Umbrella Academy Season 3 picks up with the Hargreeves’ as they enter a new reality. Convinced they prevented the initial apocalypse and fixed this godforsaken timeline once and for all, the celebration is quickly shut down when they realize things aren’t exactly how they left them.

The Umbrella Academy Season 3 is set to be released on June 22, 2022.