The Umbrella Academy: Season 4's Mind-Blowing Ending Explained
The Umbrella Academy’s season 4 finale, wow! A rollercoaster of twists, turns, heartbreaking sacrifices, and surprising endings left a lot of viewers wanting more (or maybe some answers!) . In the world of this series, the Hargreeves, with their chaotic family dynamic and superhuman abilities, try their best to avoid a total world apocalypse. With a big twist from Season 3, they land in Reginald’s made-up reality and, let’s just say, things go off the rails, fast! But how exactly does this wild ride end up? Let’s break it down (and we have to talk about the flowers, no matter what! ).
Get ready, we’re going to dive right in. After a quick jump through time and space (as if time travel isn’t dramatic enough) we find the Hargreeves are caught in the middle of an entire galaxy’s cleanse, which sounds terrifying and totally, completely catastrophic. There are other variants running around who are all trying to figure out how to stop the chaos that will consume them all, because of, oh, just an accident, but this accident makes an epic explosion, and some of our favorite characters are totally obliterated.
Ben’s Sad Saga - From Ghost-Bro to Total Heartbreak
It turns out Ben doesn't exactly get a "happy ending." In fact, it gets kinda dark. This entire storyline revolves around finding his younger self (which really, no one would be mad at for a moment, especially in a crazy apocalyptic situation.) When Ben touches Jennifer’s hand – the ultimate chaos starter in all these timelines – she and Ben basically fuse and create a monster, destroying everything, and, in a truly heartbreaking turn of events, he just becomes this blob of energy and then POOF, he’s gone!
To be fair to Ben, the entire show is a pretty good example of how complicated it gets to deal with those traumatic experiences that we keep replaying in our lives. Remember the “I’m a ghost” drama? Well, this season shows that there are multiple Bens (how mind-blowing!), each trying to find the most fitting answer. That might be why his death doesn't totally shock us! You know there’s always another one around the corner in those strange timelines.
The Umbrella Academy's Sacrifice to Reset Everything
That’s where the big sacrifice of the Hargreeves siblings comes in! Five, his siblings, and the other kiddos who all share the same tragic story, finally grasp just how badly their lives have caused chaos all throughout different timelines. And to reset all this havoc, it takes a huge leap: Let the cleanse destroy them so that the universe has another chance.
I gotta say, that scene with Five, as he stumbles upon other versions of himself, and those artworks that depict just how many times he and his crew have ended the world – well, that scene was dark. I can't imagine a more dramatic and thought-provoking reminder about the consequences of doing good (or sometimes messing up very badly!) in those multiverse scenarios.
Flowers for a Family Erased
That scene in the credits, with the flowers blossoming and representing every single Hargreeve - oh man! This really adds to the complexity of the whole story. Yes, those flowers were beautiful! But you've got to take in what's happening here; these people - the Hargreeves and their friends - aren’t just dead in the timeline where they existed, they were erased, and as a result, all their choices, their ups and downs - it’s all just, poof. And for a fan that’s attached to a lot of those complex storylines and character moments, it is a pretty heavy and touching addition, so I guess in some ways the flowers really do represent that there’s no "happily ever after". At least not for those superheroes.
Is There a Future for The Umbrella Academy?
With an ending like this - one with an apocalyptic cleanup crew that resets history to save the universe (sounds really messy in a way). The creators have already dropped hints that the ending of The Umbrella Academy might be a hard stop - but the idea of another series set within these realities and possibilities, in my mind, just makes it too engaging to actually be over!
What's Next for the Umbrella Academy?
With an ending that is about as unexpected and a little bittersweet as they come, the Umbrella Academy might be saying farewell to the characters as we knew them. The world of the Hargreeves might end up with new iterations - maybe the characters reappear as other versions, maybe in a world with the “cleansing” in effect and where the timelines are all restored to the beginning. It’s hard to tell if we'll see the team reappear. Fans are hoping there's an unexpected chance they'll return. If that's what happens, it could be some seriously big plot twist, maybe even an epic crossover!
