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After a two-year hiatus, our favorite family of dysfunctional superheroes is back with The Umbrella Academy Season 3. Tasked with saving the world once again, the Hargreeves also have another issue to deal with – The Sparrow Academy. However, one creature continually makes a sneaky appearance throughout the season. So, what’s the deal with the cockroaches and Klaus in The Umbrella Academy Season 3?

[WARNING: This article contains detailed plot spoilers regarding The Umbrella Academy Season 3.]

'The Umbrella Academy' features cockroaches which might have a connection to Klaus, seen here wearing a fringed jacket.
Do the cockroaches in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ have a connection with Klaus? | Cr. Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix © 2022

Klaus is immortal in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ comic books

While The Umbrella Academy Seasons 1 and 2 stuck pretty close to the source material of the comic books by Gerard Way, showrunner Steve Blackman took season 3 in a new direction. The third graphic novel, Hotel Oblivion, introduces the members of The Sparrow Academy at the very end, but the group makes an appearance in season 2 of the TV series. Similarly, Blackman tweaked the details of all the members of The Umbrella Academy.

Klaus, played by Robert Sheehan, speaks to the dead in both versions of The Umbrella Academy, but he has some extra abilities in the books. For one, his power allows him to levitate when he’s not wearing shoes. Secondly, he’s immortal. 

The television version of the series alluded to Klaus’ immortality in The Umbrella Academy Season 1 when he overdoses on drugs at a club. He wakes up in Heaven and speaks to God, who’s conveniently in the form of a little girl riding a bicycle. However, God decides to send him back to earth after speaking to his father, Reginald. Klaus surviving the overdose could be chalked up to sheer luck, but in The Umbrella Academy Season 3, we learn that’s not the case. Instead, audiences discover that Klaus does, indeed, have the ability to return from the dead.

Hotel Obsidian has a cockroach problem

Throughout The Umbrella Academy Season 3, fans see cockroaches scurrying about in the Hotel Obsidian. At first glance, it seems as though cockroaches are simply par for the course in the old building. 

In the comics, Reginald created a prison for supervillains and named it Hotel Oblivion. Reginald fed one villain in particular called Dr. Terminal cockroaches while imprisoned. Many fans believe the presence of the cockroaches is a nod to another aspect of the comics. However, others believe Klaus’ immortality plays a role.

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‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 3 hints at a connection between Klaus and the cockroaches

Viewers also noticed that Klaus’s promotional poster for the season shows a cockroach in the image beside him. People commonly joke about the cockroach’s ability to survive practically anything, and this might be a wink to Klaus’ newfound immortality. However, almost anything is possible with a show like The Umbrella Academy. Blackman previously teased what he envisioned for the show’s future.

Blackman said to IGN, “I have an end in my mind. Look, I’d love to say we have 10 seasons of this, but I don’t have 10 seasons in my mind, I know where I’m going. I’d like another season for sure. From the very early start of this, I had an idea where I wanted the TV show to end and I would love to have another season to get close to that ending. I already know what I want the endgame to be.”

Check out The Umbrella Academy Season 3 with Klaus, cockroaches, and more, currently streaming on Netflix.

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