Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Umbrella Academy season 4.
Summary
The Umbrella Academyseason 4 seesthe Hargreeves siblingssacrificing themselves to mend the universe, butthe Netflix series' final moments may leave viewers wondering if they’re actually dead. Theending ofThe Umbrella Academyseason 4sees Number Five having a tragic revelation while in an alternate timeline. Five learns that he and his siblings are the reason the main timeline is fractured — and thus, responsible for the apocalypses that keep unfolding with each reset.
With Ben and Jennifer bringing aboutthe Cleanse inThe Umbrella Academy’scurrent timeline,the Hargreeves realize there’s only one way to set things right. If the Marigold in their systems interacts with the Durango flowing though Ben and Jennifer, they’ll be absorbed by it and cease to exist. This will fix the timeline once and for all, ensuring that the world goes back to normal — and that the people they love most will survive. The Hargreeves make that difficult call, and the final moments of the series show a wholly ordinary world. However, there’s one detail that could spark theories about their survival.
The Umbrella Academy’s 16 Hargreeves Siblings Ranked By Power
The Umbrella Academy’s Hargreeves siblings are all powerful in different ways, but which of them prove to be the most powerful by the end of the show?
The Hargreeves Siblings No Longer Exist
Viewers may be hopingThe Umbrella Academywill reveal that the Hargreeves are alive in some form during season 4’s final moments. However,it seems the siblings really are dead at the end of the Netflix series. The show depicts them being swallowed up by Ben and Jennifer’s Durango on-screen, and it gives them an emotional send-off — albeit one that doesn’t feel fully satisfying. WhenThe Umbrella Academyseason 4’s finale jumps to the newly reset main timeline, Reginald’s voice-over confirms that everything is ordinary there.
This means that the Hargreeves truly are gone. But asshowrunner Steve Blackman explained,the characters aren’t “really dying” in the finale; they’re “ceasing to exist.“This fate is actually more tragic, as no memory of the Hargreeves remains in the new timeline. Even their surviving loved ones don’t remember who they are. Their sacrifice is totally anonymous, and it appears to be final. That eliminates any possibility ofThe Umbrella Academyseason 5 happening, but it’s probably the way the Hargreeves' story needed to end.
They Became True Superheroes In The End
There are valid criticisms about howThe Umbrella Academyseason 4’s ending is executed, but the Hargreeves siblings had to die in the series finale. After all, there’s only one way to raise the stakes after surviving multiple apocalypses.Having the Hargreeves make a greater sacrifice ups the ante for the finale, and it gives them an honorable send-off. While the characters undoubtedly deserved better — and their personal conflicts could have been hashed out prior to their demise — it does make them true superheroes.
There are valid criticisms about howThe Umbrella Academyseason 4’s ending is executed, but the Hargreeves siblings had to die in the series finale.
The Umbrella Academyalso makes it clear from the beginning that the Hargreeves have a tendency to end the world. Even if it’s accidental, most of the apocalypses lead back to them. This is true inThe Umbrella Academyseason 4 as well, and there’s only one way to end the cycle.Resetting the timeline again wouldn’t prevent the Hargreeves from wreaking more havocon their new universe. Removing them from the equation is the only real way to stop the destruction, so their fates in the finale feel inevitable.
The Yellow Flowers Don’t Mean The Hargreeves Siblings Can Return
They’re Simply A Tribute To The Umbrella Academy
The yellow flowers inThe Umbrella Academyseason 4’s mid-credits sceneglow like Marigold, and there are eight of them — one for each member of the Umbrella Academy and Lila. On first watch, these might convince viewers that the Hargreeves siblings can return in the main timeline. However, this doesn’t seem to be the reason for including them. While these flowers pay tribute to the Hargreeves siblings, there’s no sign that they indicate they still exist.These flowers indicate that the Hargreeves left their mark on this timeline, even if no one actually knows it.
It’s a sweet and subtle way of acknowledging their sacrifice, but it doesn’t appear to be anything more than that.The Umbrella Academy’s ending doesn’t tease a future for the show, and it especially doesn’t hint at the Hargreeves coming back. It’s possible the flowers mean Marigold still exists, but even that’s a stretch. Such a twist would renderThe Umbrella Academy’s tragic ending meaningless, and that’s the last thing viewers want from the Netflix show. It would make an already divisive ending even worse.
The Umbrella Academy
Cast
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.
