Spoilers are ahead for The Umbrella Academy season 4’s ending.
Summary
The Umbrella Academyseason 4 boasts perhaps the most plot holes of the show’s installments. Given that the timeline-hopping series becomes its most complex just ahead of the truncated fourth and final outing, the sheer number of plot holes isn’t a huge surprise, but it’s still disappointing. Based on the comic book series of the same name by writer Gerard Way and illustrator Gabriel Bá,The Umbrella Academycenters on a dysfunctional family of adopted superhero siblings, all of whom were born on July 17, 2025, inThe Umbrella Academy’s original timeline.
The eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore), who’s actually an alien whose home planet was destroyed,adopts seven of the kids and forms the titular academy of teenage vigilantes. TheUmbrella Academy’s super-powered Hargreeves siblingsinclude the super-strong astronaut Luther (Tom Hopper); the vigilanteDiego (David Castañeda), whose powersallow him to control the trajectory of flying objects; the mind-controlling actor Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman); the immortal medium Klaus (Robert Sheehan); the tentacle-wielding Ben (Justin H. Min); the time-hopping Five (Aidan Gallagher); and Viktor (Elliot Page), who can convert sound waves into energy.
Five warns his estranged siblings of the impending apocalypse and, begrudgingly, the Hargreeves reunite to thwart that cataclysmic event…
AlthoughThe Umbrella Academyseason 4 reveals how Ben died, that mystery is what forces the Hargreeves siblings to go their separate ways as teens. Five, who vanished before Ben’s death, reappears for Reginald’s funeral in 2019. Although the rest of the siblings have seen a decade go by,Five has weathered 40 years — even though he still looks 13 years old — in an apocalyptic version of the future. Five warns his estranged siblings of the impending apocalypse and, begrudgingly, the Hargreeves reunite to thwart that cataclysmic event inThe Umbrella Academyseason 1’s ending.
Unfortunately, things don’t quite go as planned: Viktor accidentally shoots an energy beam into the moon, breaking it into pieces that hurtle toward Earth. Realizing the Umbrella Academy team actually caused the apocalyptic event,Five decides to transport them back in time, landing them each in different years of the early 1960s. Against all odds,The Umbrella Academynavigates the Hargreeves siblings' agesand various interactions with time pretty clearly — but season 3, which sees the siblings back in 2019, but in an alternate one ofUmbrella Academy’s timelines, is where things get shaky.
InThe Umbrella Academyseason 3’s ending, the Hargreeves attempt to ward off the kugelblitz — a concentration of energy that’s capable of warping spacetime so much that it creates a black hole — that all their time-traveling shenanigans caused. Reginald reveals that he constructed Hotel Obsidian in 1918, after discovering a portal to another dimension nearby. Within,the so-called Hotel Oblivion has the power to redesign and reset the universe. While the siblings successfully reset the universe, their actions cause them to lose their powers — an event that leads into the plot-hole-riddled season 4.
10Why Was Jennifer Found Inside A Squid?
Jennifer’s Bizarre Origin Story Was Never Explained
The Umbrella Academyseason 4reveals that the mysterious Jennifer (Victoria Sawa) was born inside a giant squid. (Or, given her age, maybe Jennifer had been living inside said creature?) In grainy footage from the newsworthy event, a reporter is interviewing the two fishermen who reeled in the colossal squid when something starts moving inside of it. Eventually, they cut a young Jennifer from the creature’s belly. It’s possible there’s some connection between Durango. Jennifer, and the squid, butit mostly feels like the writers just wanted a blatant-yet-bizarre way to connect her to the tentacle-wielding Ben.
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9Why Did Luther’s Simian Body Return In Season 4?
The Gorilla DNA Was Never Connected To Luther’s Powers
After Ben secretly slips Marigold into his siblings' drinks, they all regain their superpowers — aside from a sober Klaus. For the most part, the siblings' core powers return in full force, but a few receive some additional upgrades and abilities. Unfortunately for Luther, the Marigold inexplicably makes him part Simian again. Since Luther received his gorilla-like upper-body and limbs as a result of a life-saving serum, there’s no actual connection between his powers and the gorilla DNA, sothe Marigold shouldn’t have triggered the physical changes. In short,Luther’s ape body returning is a plot hole.
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8What Was The Umbrella Academy Season 3’s Post-Credits Ben Scene About?
Two Ben Hargreeves Are On A Train In The Extra Sequence
After the credits roll inUmbrella Academyseason 3, viewers are treated to a special teaser involving Ben Hargreeves. Although the Ben that is a Sparrow Academy member joins the fray in the third outing,the mid-credits scene suggests that there are potentially two Bens floating around. In the sequence, Ben, who looks more like the Umbrella Academy version of the character, is sitting on a subway in Korea, reading a book with two red umbrellas on the cover. While the series does revealhow Ben died inUmbrella Academy, it completely ignores this mid-credits tease.
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7Is Sir Reginald Hargreeves Still Alive After The Umbrella Academy Ends?
It’s Implied That The Monocle Dies But It’s Frustrating To Have That Happen Off-Screen
It’s honestly pretty unclear ifReginald Hargreeves is alive at the endofThe Umbrella Academy. The cause of all that has happened, Reginald is the perpetrator of the show’s chaos — the one who sets everything in motion. In a rushed flashback,Umbrella Academyreveals what happened to Reginald’s planet, but it doesn’t conclude The Monocle’s story satisfyingly. InThe Umbrella Academyseason 4’s ending,Reginald sits on a bench, chatting with Abigail (Liisa Repo-Martell), as The Cleanse creature looms. This Reginald probably dies, but it’s unclear if a version of the character exists in the final timeline.
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6Why Did The Marigold Introduce New Powers?
Lila’s Laser Eyes & Klaus’ Flight Ability Were Particularly Pointless
In addition to the Marigold giving Luther his gorilla features again,the substance also bestows new powers upon several of the Hargreeves. For starters, Lila (Ritu Arya), a super-powered human who was raised by The Handler (Kate Walsh), is still a mimic, but she also, inexplicably, has laser vision. The new gift is played for laughs, with Lila’s Cyclops-like powers leveling part of Luther’s house and slicing humans in two. Later, in the finale, Klaus randomly flies — just because it’s convenient? — and cracks a joke about it. Yes, Marigold is unpredictable, but it all feels unnecessary.
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5How Are The Umbrella Academy Members' Children Alive If They Never Existed?
Lila & Diego’s Kids (& Claire) Exist In The Final Timeline
There’s no denying thatThe Umbrella Academy’s cast of charactersis complex, especially with so many alternate-universe versions of folks walking around. Still, one thing is made pretty clear in the show’s season finale: the Hargreeves siblings and Lila must sacrifice themselves to The Cleanse in order to truly prevent the apocalypse and the many fractured timelines. Five informs them that by sacrificing themselves, and the Marigold within them, they will all cease to exist. So,if Lila, Diego, and Allison no longer exist, their children shouldn’t appear in the final timeline either.
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4How Does Abigail’s Face-Stealing Power Actually Work?
Abigail Seemingly Kills The Person She Shifts Into
TheUmbrella Academyseason 4 endingdoesn’t go into too much detail when it comes to Abigail’s shapeshifting abilities. However, it seems like a fairly violent process:when she’s posing as Sy Grossman (David Cross) she brutally murders Gene (Nick Offerman), tears off her Sy disguise, and takes on her new victim’s features. It’s possible that Abigail just wants the original out of the way before she shifts into them, but the way the shift is shown — as if she permanently sheds one skin to make room for another — makes it something worth clarifying.
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3Why Would Reginald Keep Jennifer Alive?
Sir Reginald Hargreeves Was Ruthless Throughout The Series
Capable of murdering those closest to him, including Ben and Luther, Reginald is a ruthless man who cares more about the greater good than any one person. However, he goes to extreme lengths to protect Jennifer, even hiring a private army who pose as the residents of a small Maine town.Reginald’s decision to put Jennifer in aTruman Show-style situation just feels completely at odds with the man viewers know.It’s possible he feared the Durango would simply find a new host if Jennifer were to die, but it’s frustrating the series doesn’t clarify that if so.
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2Why Was Ben The Only One Who Was Pulled Toward Jennifer’s Durango?
Ben & Jennifer’s Special Connection Was Never Fully Explained
Not only is it strange thatSparrow Ben didn’t recognize Jennifer, especially after the so-called “Jennifer Incident” pushed him to work through his trauma by sketching her face time and again, butit’s also weird that Ben and Jennifer share a connection that Jennifer and the other Marigold-toting characters don’t. The show teases that Ben and Jennifer have a deeper, inexplicable connection — the tentacles! — but it all feels very rushed and arbitrary. If Marigold and Durango had some sort of magnetic pull toward each other, the other Hargreeves would’ve experienced a similar reaction.
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1Why Didn’t Abigail Just Give Jennifer The Jar Of Marigold?
The Umbrella Academy Never Makes It Clear If Two Human Hosts Are Needed
Long ago, Abigail synthesized a new element: the Marigold — thought to be the very essence of the universe. However, along with the Marigold came something unexpected: Durango.Umbrella Academymentions what Marigold and Durango are, but, again, it’s all rather rushed. It’s clear that the Marigold is the source of the Hargreeves' powers — and thatan interaction between Marigold and Durango would cause a cataclysmic event. When Five learns that the Marigold shattered Earth’s timeline, thus creating the multiverse, he realizes that the particle is why the endless loop of apocalypses has plagued the Hargreeves.
Jennifer, a host for the Durango, can’t come into contact with Marigold…
Essentially, The Cleanse, an apocalyptic event that The Keepers cult wants to bring about, is meant to trim the ever-branching timelines. By consuming everything, The Cleanse will pave the way to the one true timeline, which is whythe Hargreeves and Lila sacrifice themselves (and their Marigold) in the finale. Jennifer, a host for the Durango, can’t come into contact with Marigold, so it’s not clear why Abigail (posing as Sy) gives the Hargreeves the substance when, theoretically, she could just pour it on Jennifer inThe Umbrella Academyseason 4. Do both substances need hosts? It’s possible.
All four seasons ofThe Umbrella Academyare streaming on Netflix.
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is based on the comic book of the same name created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. The Hargreeves — collectively known as The Umbrella Academy — were born with superpowers, and their adoptive father utilized their abilities. However, as they grew older, the siblings grew apart as they dealt with their trauma. They are brought back together after their father dies and Five returns from the future with grave news: The world will end, and The Umbrella Academy has to stop it before it happens.
