She's no Wicked Witch of the West, but here's how Sloane is defying gravity in The Umbrella Academy season 3. After the original Hargreeves siblings altered time in 1963, Sir Reginald assembled an entirely different group of superheroes. Dubbed the "Sparrow Academy," this team is more disciplined than its Umbrella counterpart, but much less fun to be a member of. Among the more friendly (and enduring!) Sparrow members is Genesis Rodriguez's Sloane Hargreeves, who survives familial treachery and jealous exes to marry Luther. For a little while, at least...
Created by the same "marigold" particles as Sir Reginald's other children, Sloane Hargreeves is blessed with a unique superpower. Essentially, she's able to lift objects in the air. That includes dangling Luther just before the Sparrow Academy abducts him, and dangling with Luther just after the Sparrow Academy lets him go free. As with most Umbrella and Sparrow members, Sloane's technique isn't clearly defined. The mechanics of her powers, her limitations and weaknesses, and her untapped potential are all left for the audience to deduce themselves, and with Sloane Hargreeves nowhere to be seen in The Umbrella Academy season 3's finale, further information isn't necessarily coming in season 4.
Sloane's power is somewhat deceptive, appearing very much like telekinesis or flying without technically being either. Sloane's marigold gift allows her to remove an object or person's gravity, letting it/them float. But Sloane can seemingly alter an object's gravity too. This is evident in the Sparrow Number Five's very first scene, which shows her reading a book upside down on the ceiling. Sloane hasn't just detached herself from the Earth's gravitational pull (which would mean she just floats through the air aimlessly), she's redirecting gravity to pin herself onto the ceiling. It's these rules that allow siren-Sloane to gently coax Luther through her window, or make a door close, or run up a wall, etc.
How Powerful Is Sloane In The Umbrella Academy?
Despite her sunny disposition and ranking as the Sparrow Academy's Number Five, Sloane is deceptively powerful in The Umbrella Academy season 3, and two scenes in particular demonstrate the extent of her strength. "World's Biggest Ball Of Twine" sees Sloane levitate Luther into her bedroom from the street outside Hargreeves mansion with very little effort. Luther is standing at the opposite end of a long alleyway when his flight begins, meaning Sloane's superpower is effective across a huge range. Arguably, anything within her line of sight is open for manipulation. The second scene concerns the kugelblitz in The Umbrella Academy season 3's "Auf Weidersehn." Sloane is among the subgroup who (temporarily) traps the kugelblitz inside Christopher, and her specific role is "using its [the kugelblitz's] own gravity to condense it." If compressing the gravity of a black hole is anywhere near as impressive as it sounds, Sloane's superpower must pack some serious wallop.
The only limit placed upon what objects Sloane can and cannot manipulate appears to be her own stamina. Sloane expends no more effort lifting herself and a gyrating, half-ape Luther than she does the comparatively light Viktor during the Hargreeves Mansion battle, implying weight isn't a factor. During The Umbrella Academy season 3's final battle against Oblivion's guardians, however, Sloane struggles using her gravity trick to repel a blow, relying on Luther to arrive at the least moment. Sparrow #5 is understandably tired at this point, which must be the reason for her uncharacteristic faltering.