The Bear S3’s Surprise Returning Character Hints We’ll Finally Get A 2-Year-Old Berzatto Mystery Solved (2024)

The latest trailer for The Bear season 3 reveals the return of an important recurring character, which suggests that the biggest Berzatto family mystery will finally be solved. After numerous cameos in The Bear season 2, it seems the upcoming installment of the hit FX/Hulu series is following suit with more surprise appearances. In addition to the previous confirmation that Will Poulter’s Chef Luca will be returning, The Bear season 3’s latest trailer reveals that Jon Bernthal is reprising his role as Mikey Berzatto, the deceased elder brother of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy and Abby Elliott’s Sugar.

In The Bear seasons 1 and 2, Jon Bernthal only made a few appearances through flashbacks, though his character’s legacy has had a looming presence over Carmy’s story. Bernthal’s most memorable cameo was in The Bear’s season 2 Christmas episode, “Fishes,” which took the story back five years earlier to a disastrous Christmas at the Berzatto house that pulled the curtain back to reveal the truly dysfunctional, traumatic experiences of Carmy’s family. With Bernthal’s Mikey now making another flashback cameo in The Bear season 3, it seems more of the Berzattos’ backstories and mysteries will finally be revealed.

Mikey's Flashback Return Suggests The Bear Season 3 Will Finally Reveal What Happened To Carmy's Father

The fate of Carmy, Mikey & Sugar's father is a mystery

Considering The Bear season 2’s flashback episode finally revealed Carmy, Mikey, and Sugar’s mother Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), it seems likely that season 3’s flashback scene (or episode) will reveal their father. The Bear has given extremely scarce details about Carmy’s father, with his name, physical appearance, and whether he’s still even alive being mysteries. The mystery of what happened to Carmy’s father is arguably the biggest unanswered question heading into The Bear season 3, so his fate is at the top of the list for details to address in the next Mikey flashback.

The flashback scene teased in The Bear season 3’s trailer sees Mikey and Carmy discussing their idea to eventually open up a restaurant, which would eventually become the titular establishment. It’s unclear how far back this flashback takes place, but it’ll seemingly take the characters back even further than the Christmas episode’s timeline. In The Bear’s season 1 ending, Carmy explained in a meeting that he and Mikey would talk about the “vibe” and name of their restaurant back when they were closest to each other, suggesting it was before Carmy left for New York.

As such, this scene can explain why Carmy’s father isn’t at Christmas dinner in The Bear season 2’s flashback, with the most likely answer being either that he died. Since The Bear’s Berzatto family tree members rarely ever mention Carmy’s father, this flashback seems like the best way to finally fill in the gaps about him, as it’s implied that his fate played a role in Mikey and Carmy’s falling out and the family’s dysfunctional dynamic at Christmas. Even if the Berzatto siblings’ father doesn’t physically appear in The Bear season 3’s flashback, an explanation of his fate is likely to be revealed.

Carmy's Father's Backstory Can Explain The Berzatto Family's Restaurant History

The origins of The Beef are still ambiguous

It’s suggested that The Bear season 3’s flashback with Carmy and Mikey will depict the origins of their idea for The Bear restaurant. In the trailer, the two brothers discuss how Carmy knows how to open a restaurant and wants to do it, with Mikey asking what he would call the place. Considering they had already had the name picked out by the Christmas episode, this appears to be exactly when Carmy and Mikey flesh out their plan for The Bear. With food clearly playing a big role in the brothers’ childhood, it seems likely that Carmy and Mikey will also discuss the backstory of their father and mother cooking when they were kids.

The Bear left it ambiguous as to who originally opened up The Beef restaurant, but it was described as the Berzatto family’s restaurant. Therefore, while Mikey was running the business prior to his death, it’s likely that their father originally founded The Beef. If Carmy had a poor relationship with their father, then this may explain why he wanted to open his own restaurant with Mikey separate from the Berzattos’ existing family business. While The Beef is now The Bear, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the old restaurant in season 3, particularly in relation to the Berzatto family’s history.

Sugar's Pregnancy Makes The Reveal Of Carmy's Father Even More Likely In The Bear Season 3

The Berzatto family will have a lot of reflection to do

Considering Sugar found out that she was pregnant in season 2, it seems like The Bear season 3 will see her actually have the baby. With a more intense focus around the Berzatto family and parenthood, Sugar having her baby is apt to make the remaining Berzattos reflect on their upbringing and relationships with their mother and father. Sugar and Donna’s relationship received significant focus in The Bear season 2’s finale and Christmas episode, but her connection with their father hasn’t been explored yet. As Sugar becomes a mother in The Bear season 3, all signs are pointing to the upcoming 2024 episodes finally revealing Carmy’s father.

The Bear

Comedy

Drama

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Cast

Jeremy Allen White , Ebon Moss-Bachrach , Ayo Edebiri , Lionel Boyce , Liza Colón-Zayas , Abby Elliott , Oliver Platt

Release Date

June 23, 2022

Network

FX

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Disney+

Showrunner

Christopher Storer