The Umbrella Academy Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger that saw the Hargreeves siblings facing an entirely new set of problems. They’d learned the hard way that there are some very serious consequences for tampering with time. An intriguing new theory reveals one pivotal alteration from the 1960s that may have led to some of the surprising revelations at the end of Season 2. Should this compelling interpretation prove accurate, it could have a huge impact on Season 3. Here’s why.

Spoilers ahead for The Umbrella Academy Season 2.

In The Umbrella Academy Season 2 finale, the Hargreeves return to 2019. However, they were met with quite a few surprises when arriving back at their father’s mansion. Sir Reginald Hargreeves and Ben (Number Six) were both alive and well. The Umbrella Academy had been replaced with the Sparrow Academy. Pogo the talking monkey was back, while Grace was seemingly absent.

The Sparrow Academy (including a mysterious green cube) seem to be made up of another batch of the 43 children born with powers in 1989. Of course, the Umbrella Academy caused enough chaos in the 1960s that any number of their actions may have impacted the timeline change. After all, they did meet with Reginald ahead of his adopting them. Meanwhile, Vanya changed the course of young Harlan’s life by accidentally transferring some of her powers to him.

With all that in mind, reddit user ShowtimevonParty1 suggests that the definitive reason the Sparrow Academy replaced the Umbrella Academy was the downfall of Grace and Reginald’s relationship. The theorist cites the fact that the reason Grace is not in the final scene of the Season 2 finale is because she and Reginald “separated a long time ago.”

We know that Diego warned Grace of Reginald’s shady business with the Majestic 12 in Season 2’s sixth episode. After attending a dinner at the Mexican consulate, Diego is surprised that his “Mom” — who was a sentient robot in the primary timeline — was actually based on a real person. It’s never made clear whether Grace died in the original timeline, but Diego alerting her to Reginald’s dealings made her suspicious of him.

When she confronted him about his potential involvement in John F. Kennedy’s assassination, he asked Grace to trust him. However, she didn’t look very convinced that he would ever tell her the truth. The theorist suspects that Grace it was that lingering distrust that led her to leave Reginald and go her own way.

Grace leaving could have solidified Reginald’s decision to avoid adopting the Umbrella Academy children he met in the 1960s, opting to start anew. If Vanya wasn’t adopted by Reginald in this new timeline, then he may not have felt the need to create robot Grace at all. After all, the only reason she seemed to exist is because of Vanya’s tendency to off the Hargreeves’ nannies with her lethal powers.

The Inverse Analysis — If this theory pans out, the Umbrella Academy will quickly realize Grace isn’t around. Considering that we don’t know what ever happened to the real Grace, the Hargreeves siblings will likely attempt to find her in the present in Season 3. That is, if she’s even still alive.

If her absence is what helped spark the idea for the Sparrow Academy, then it’s plausible that the characters will have to return to the 1960s to ensure that Grace and Reginald stay together. She might even assist her “children” in their attempts to thwart Reginald and whatever the Sparrow Academy might be up to (they looked pretty menacing). Whatever the case, it’s high time that The Umbrella Academy delves further into Grace’s backstory and Season 3 sets up the perfect opportunity to do that.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.