Here’s what happened.
This article contains spoilers for all ofThe Umbrella Academy.
Not many series finales feel like series finales nowadays.
That is decidedly not the case for NetflixsThe Umbrella Academy.
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How Did Ben Die and What Was The Jennifer Incident?
What was it, exactly, that killed him?
Viewers finally get the answer midway through season 4 and it informs the ultimate ending of the show.
Ben died because we failed as a team.
Nobody was responsible and yet were are all responsible.
Ben Hargreeves represented the best of us.
Ben was the Umbrella Academy.
Once he does they discover that Reginald himself killed Ben.
Reginald is clear that they are not to kick off the container containing the weapons under any circumstances.
Ben, however, hears what sounds like a young girl crying inside the container and opens it.
There he finds Jennifer (Victoria Sawal) and lends her a hand out.
Reginald suddenly arrives and fatally shoots both Ben and Jennifer in the head.
Why did Reginald do this?
Well thats where we get into the entire overarching mythology of the show.
What Is The Cleanse?
In season 3,The Umbrella Academyintroduced the concept of marigolds.
These are small glowing orbs that instill superhuman abilities in people.
Theres a problem with marigolds, however.
At the same time that Abigail synthesized this new element, someone else created its exact opposite: durango.
It turns out that, while the Hargreeves kids are marigold babies, Jennifer was a durango baby.
Thats why Reginald swiftly killed her and Ben.
Their union would lead to The Cleanse.
Of course, that was back in 2006 on a whole different timeline.
Did The Umbrella Academy Just All Die?
So lets talk about the timelines.
Through four seasons, The Umbrella Academy have gone all over the place.
The Umbrella Academy is the problem.
Their mere presence in the world is what has caused all of this madness.
After some debate, Lila and the Hargreeves resolve to do just that.
Thats exactly what happens.
The Umbrella Academy didnt just die they were written out of history entirely.
What Characters Exist in the New Timeline?
The final scene ofThe Umbrella Academyconfirms that Fives theory was correct.
In that park are many familiar faces from previous seasons.
Here is who turns up:
The Hargreeves loved ones they sent to the subway for safety.
This bookends the shows enduring musical moment from season 1, in which the Hargreeves dance to Tiffanys version.
You might just say it was just a normal day.
All four seasons of The Umbrella Academy are available to stream on Netflix now.
