‘The Umbrella Academy’: How did the original Ben die?

One of the biggest mysteries in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is how Ben (Justin H. Min/Ethan Hwang) died in the original timeline. Season 4 finally gives fans the answer, explaining how Ben’s death could disband the Hargreeves siblings.

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for season 4 of The Umbrella Academy.

Since the show’s first season, the Hargreeves siblings talk about Ben’s tragic death as the event that broke the family apart. Ben died in a mission, and Sir Reginald (Colm Feore) directly blames his siblings for being unable to save his life.

Ben’s death is also connected with what the siblings describe as the “Jennifer incident.” As it turns out, Jennifer (Victoria Sawal) is in season 4. She is a girl found inside a giant squid, who Sir Reginald tries to protect at all costs from the members of the Umbrella Academy. Jennifer’s mysterious origin and powers explain why she was important in the original timeline, leading to Ben’s brutal murder.

What is the Jennifer incident in The Umbrella Academy?

As season 4 reveals, Jennifer is the avatar of Durango, an element of destruction created to cancel the effects of Marigold. However, Durango is an inert element, only activated when in contact with Marigold. Once that happens, the two substances cause a chance reaction capable of destroying the world. That means if Jennifer touches any of the Hargreeves siblings, the whole world is doomed.

When they were only children, the Umbrella Academy was sent by Sir Reginald on a dangerous mission to neutralize a mass-destruction weapon. The young heroes were instructed to infiltrate the enemy’s base and plant explosives on a massive metallic container. They were also forbidden to open the container for any reason.

During the mission, Ben hears someone tapping inside the container. Worried about exploding a possible bystander, Ben breaks protocol, opens the vault, and finds the young Jeniffer. Young Luther (Cameron Brodeur) tries to stop Ben and warns Sir Reginald when his brother ignores orders. Unfortunately, it’s too late. Ben reaches inside the container and helps Jennifer out. This simple touch seals their fate. From that moment on, they are doomed to become the Cleanse monster.

Sir Reginald arrives at the scene by surprise, shooting Ben and Jennifer in the head before their transformation begins. His ruthless actions prevent the end of the world but also traumatize the members of the Umbrella Academy. To make things worse, Sir Reginald erases everyone’s memory, hiding his crime and scrambling everyone’s brain. Yes, the patriarch of the Umbrella Academy takes gaslighting to the next level by using alien technology to alter the children’s memories. Father of the year!

Unfortunately, The Umbrella Academy solves the mystery of the original Ben’s death as the new Ben is corrupted by Jennifer Durango, eventually unleashing the Cleanse. Furthermore, the series doesn’t explain how Ghost Ben was unaware of his fate in the show’s first two seasons. That will be added to the list of unanswered questions and plot holes left by the series’ lackluster finale.