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SYFY WIRE The Umbrella Academy

The Umbrella Academy heats up the Cold War in first scene from Season 2

By Josh Weiss
The Umbrella Academy Season 2

In our reality, the United States and Soviet Union (thankfully) never engaged in a nuclear conflict during the Cold War. Hence the cold part. But The Umbrella Academy throws that history away in the radiation-filled opening of its second season, which comes to Netflix later this week. 

As you'll see in the newly-released footage below, Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) lands in Dallas, only to find himself in the middle of a heated battle between American and Russian soldiers (à la Red Dawn). The Boy's siblings show up to make short work of the Soviets, which gives us a highly-stylized fight sequence (set to Frank Sinatra, of course; after all, we're in the '60s now).

Before he can join the fray, Five is stopped by a bearded Hazel (Cameron Britton), who flips the old Terminator catchphrase on its head by saying: "If you want to live, come with me." The two teleport away as nukes come in for a landing and the remaining Hargreeveses watch a blooming mushroom cloud give way to the title card.

Watch now:

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 | Opening Scene | Netflix

Steve Blackman (Legion, Altered Carbon) reprises his role as showrunner/executive producer for Season 2, which draws from the "Dallas" comic book story arc by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. After traveling back in time to stop avoid the end of the world, the Hargreeves children are scattered in Texas, circa the early 1960s. Their foreign presence in the past understandably does wonky things to the timeline, hence the alternate history tableau you just watched in the scene above.

In addition to Gallagher, Emmy Raver-Lampman (Allison/The Rumor), Ellen Page (Vanya), Robert Sheehan (Klaus/The Séance), David Castañeda (Diego/The Kraken), Tom Hopper (Luther/Spaceboy), and Justin H. Min (Ben/The Horror) are also back for the next round of Wes Anderson-esque superhero hijinks.

The Umbrella Academy returns to Netflix this Friday, July 31. See what critics are saying here.