Warning: spoilers ahead forThe Umbrella Academyseason 4.
Summary
The Umbrella Academyseason 3’s mid-credits scene depicted a very different Ben Hargreeves compared to theSparrow Academy memberthat survived Sir Reginald’s universal reset. The enigmatic closing shot revealed Ben riding a Korean subway train wearing glasses and a suit and reading a book about pottery, but offered absolutely no context to explain what was happening. Fortunately,The Umbrella Academyshowrunner Steve Blackmanrode to the rescue and shed some light on Ben’s situation, explaining that the character was the Sparrow version of Ben, and promising “Ben has a reason to be there… but you’ll have to wait until season 4 to understand why.”
We’ve watched season 4, and we’re still not any clearer on what the mid-credits scene inThe Umbrella Academyseason 3’s endingwas actually about. Certainly, there is nothing inThe Umbrella Academy’s final season that directly continues Ben’s story from his mysterious mid-credits scene. If someone were to hypothetically remove Ben riding the subway from season 3’s ending, the scene’s absence would have no impact whatsoever uponThe Umbrella Academyseason 4.
The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Ending Explained
The Umbrella Academy has ended with its fourth season, which saw the final apocalypse and some shocking reveals that changed the team’s lives.
What Was Actually Happening In The Umbrella Academy Season 3’s Mid-Credits Scene
Season 4 Gives Two Potential Explanations For Ben’s Subway Tease
The Umbrella Academyseason 4’s opening episode reveals that Ben Hargreeves embarked upon a criminal cryptocurrency scam in the aftermath of season 3, subsequently spending most of the six-year inter-season time jump in jail. Upon his release, Sparrow Ben is still the snarky, abrasive jerk from before, showing no hint of the suave, pottery-book-reading, glasses-wearing Ben glimpsed on the subway train. Our best guess - and it is only a guess - is thatThe Umbrella Academyseason 3’s closing tease showed Ben mid-scam, tricking some Korean investors into handing over money to his crypto-con.
Another possibility is thatThe Umbrella Academyseason 3’s mid-credits scene was designed to be symbolic, not literal. Perhaps Ben, his outfit, and his choice of reading material were all red herrings with no larger relevance. The true purpose of the sequence may have been to foreshadow the subway motif that’s integral toThe Umbrella Academy’s ending. Sparrow Ben is clearly riding a regular Korean subway, not season 4’s magic train, but the former might have been intended as a hint towards the latter, similar to how Harlan’s sparrow toy in season 2 foreshadowed the Sparrow Academy.
The Umbrella Academy Season 3’s Mid-Credits Scene Seems Disappointing In Hindsight
Neither of the above explanations is especially satisfying in terms of resolvingThe Umbrella Academy’s many questions. If season 3’s mid-credits scene was supposed to set up Ben’s cryptocurrency scam, then it failed, as nothing directly ties the two together. Moreover,The Umbrella Academyseason 4’s cryptocurrency story is an extremely minor aspect of the final season- little more than a quirky thing Ben got up to offscreen. It’s certainly not a plot point that deserved a mid-credits setup in the previous season.
How Ben Died & The Umbrella Academy’s Jennifer Incident Fully Explained
The Umbrella Academy season 4 finally reveals how the original Ben Hargreeves died and how his death was connected to the Jennifer Incident.
The Umbrella Academyseason 3’s mid-credits doesn’t really work as a precursor to season 4’s timeline-hopping subway network either. The scene’s focus was very strongly on Ben, not his mode of transport, leading the audience to ponder why Justin H. Min’s Hargreeves sibling was looking and acting so out of character. If the mid-credits was just supposed to tease season 4’s subway subplot - something Ben has virtually no connection to - that’s a disappointment.
The Umbrella Academy’s Missing Ben Story Hints At A BTS Story Change
Netflix May Have Forced The Umbrella Academy’s Hand
Netflix announced that season 4 would beThe Umbrella Academy’s final season in August 2022, several months after season 3’s release. In December, Steve Blackman confirmedThe Umbrella Academy’s farewell tour would be cut short, clocking in at only six episodes instead of the usual ten. It remains unclear to what extent Netflix’s decision to end the show and shorten the final season impactedThe Umbrella Academy’s story plans, butBen’s mid-credits scene going absolutely nowhere does hint at behind-the-scenes changesbetween seasons 3 and 4.
It does feel likeThe Umbrella Academy’s long-term vision for season 4 was forced to change after Netflix granted the show a shorter swansong.
Other evidence of a BTS direction change can be found withinThe Umbrella Academy’s final episodes. Season 3 concluded with the tease of “Hargreeves Enterprises” - a massive corporation controlled by Sir Reginald that seemed to virtually control the entire world inThe Umbrella Academy’s new timeline. In season 4, however,Sir Reginald’s biggest business venture appears to be a chain of fast food shops.
Likewise,The Umbrella Academyfails to address Sloanein its final season, with Luther barely mentioning his missing wife. Alongside the dead-end mid-credits scene, it does feel likeThe Umbrella Academy’s long-term vision for season 4 was forced to change after Netflix granted the show a shorter swansong.
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.
