Why The Umbrella Academy Ending Was Necessary
The Umbrella Academy has come to an end with its fourth and final season, and the way things ended has viewers and critics offering up mixed reviews, leaning negative. While I can completely understand someone being upset with the way things were wrapped up, there is an argument to be made that this was necessary, no matter how painful it was to watch.
SPOILER WARNING FOR THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY SEASON 4
The Umbrella Academy season 4 was cut short, with only six episodes. This causes some of the plot points to feel rushed, I am not debating that. It also stinks for those of us who have loved the Hargreeves so much over the years, to feel like we were cheated out of more time with them. But that doesn’t mean that you should take it out on the ending, which I think was not only perfectly fitting, but necessary.
It doesn’t take long for the siblings to get their powers back, which they lost at the end of season 3. This was to be expected, or it would make for a very anti-climatic season. The way it was done was smart. Marigold was given to them by a group that wanted to bring about the end of the world, calling it “the cleanse”.
Everyone but Ben expressed they were happier without their powers; however, Ben went ahead and spiked their drinks. When their powers came back, they were similar, but better, making things quite interesting and exciting.
After trying to find a way to save everything, they realized that the only way to restore balance in the world was to sacrifice themselves. Over the last three seasons, they have caused the end of the world (more than once). They leave chaos and destruction in their paths because they were never really meant to be. This decision does not feel out of left field at all. In fact, it is rather fitting.
The character arcs that these siblings have gone through since the first episode only proves that they would be willing to do this. How many times have they given their all to save others? And after living without their powers for so long, and experiencing the real world, they knew what they had to do. The only way to restore balance was for them to perish.
That scene of them all holding hands and accepting their fate is absolutely heartbreaking. But that does not mean that it is a bad ending. It might not be a happy one, but it is perfect. It is fitting. It just makes sense.
The Hargreeves have grown as human beings. They have always wanted to be heroes and to save the world. Any true hero puts the fate of humanity above themselves, and that is exactly what the Hargreeves did. Together. As siblings. This was the only real way to end their story. And it was beautifully done.
About The Umbrella Academy Season 4
The Hargreeves siblings have scattered after the climactic showdown at the Hotel Oblivion led to a complete reset of their timeline. Stripped of their powers, each is left to fend for themselves and find a new normal — with wildly varying degrees of success. Yet the trappings of their uncanny new world prove too hard to ignore for very long. Their father Reginald, alive and well, has stepped out of the shadows and into the public eye, overseeing a powerful and nefarious business empire.
A mysterious association known as The Keepers holds clandestine meetings believing the reality they’re living in is a lie and a great reckoning is coming. As these strange new forces conspire around them, the Umbrella Academy must come together one last time — and risk upsetting the shaky peace they’ve all endured so much to secure — to finally set things right.
The Umbrella Academy season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She owns Mama’s Geeky, but also is a freelance writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for more than ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association. Her passion for film, television, video games, and comic books started when she was a little girl and has only continued to grow.