Two unresolved mysteries were at the center of the overarching narrative of The Umbrella Academy: Reginald Hargreaves’ past as a member of an advanced extraterrestrial species, and the secret origin of the superpowered children. Even though the first aspect was not explored in the final season of the series, viewers learn a brief account of the origin of the enhanced beings, and Reginald Hargreeves’ wife, Abigail, is at the center of it. Abigail also plays a crucial role in the final arc of The Umbrella Academy, secretly setting up the events in motion, which ends with reverting the timeline to its original, uncorrupted form—saving the world in the process.
Spoilers Ahead
Abigail’s Role in Creation of the Umbrella Academy
Like Reginald Hargreeves, his wife Abigail belongs to an advanced extraterrestrial species, and in the first timeline she had perished away due to unknown circumstances. Reginald had brought Abigail’s body with him from their home planet, with the hopes of somehow resurrecting her, and kept Abigail’s body stationed on the moon in cryostasis. During his lunar mission, Luther was unknowingly protecting Abigail’s body on the moon. In the third season, while recreating reality using the higher-dimensional mechanism, Reginald ensured that Abigail remains alive. From Abigail’s own account in the fourth season, her importance in the narrative is highlighted, as she was the creator of the universal life essence, Marigold, which Reginald had brought with him from his planet, and its influence resulted in the birth of all 43 superpowered children across the world. Abigail’s creation was responsible for bringing the Hargreeves siblings to life, but this was something she had never wanted in the first place. Abigail reveals that the moment Marigold came to existence, its anti-matter counterpart, the essence known as Durango, was created as well, and as the confluence of these cosmic sources of energy resulted in catastrophic implications known as the Cleanse. This twin energy essence resulted in the destruction of Abigail and Reginald’s home planet, and being the creator, a guilt-ridden Abigail had accepted her death as a form of retribution.
However, after Abigail’s death, Reginald failed to take lessons from his experiences from the past, and in a vain attempt to resurrect her, he brought the Marigold with him and spread it across the world to create superpowered beings who could have assisted in his efforts to bring his wife back to life, if they weren’t always preoccupied with putting the world in peril and rescuing it. Eventually harvesting the Marigold from the Hargreeves siblings, Reginald fueled the higher-dimensional machine, which he used to form a new reality where Abigail remains alive. Unbeknownst to Reginald, the influence of Marigold shattered the earth’s timeline into infinite branches and led to a never-ending cycle of apocalyptic scenarios. In the recreated reality, Abigail was disappointed after learning her husband’s decision, as his unwillingness to accept Abigail’s passing resulted in a scenario of yet another world being destroyed by the presence of Marigold and Druango. Remorseful at her role in the entire scenario and knowing that she cannot convince her stubborn husband to see reason, Abigail decided to do penance by bringing about the Cleanse, which will restore the original timeline and save the world from its inevitable destruction.
How Did Abigail Ensure The Initiation of the Cleanse?
Taking the guise of Sy Grossman, Abigail got the ball rolling by orchestrating a scenario to let the Umbrella Academy regain their powers by using Marigold. Additionally, she manipulated them to find Jennifer, the host of the Durango Essence, to ensure that the Cleanse gets initiated without hassle, and by ‘rescuing’ her from Reginald’s armada, the Hargreeves siblings unwittingly ensured that a connection gets formed between Jennifer and Ben (given their history in the first timeline), taking the first step towards the final catastrophe. However, as Jennifer was abducted by the Keepers, Abigail had to manipulate Ben into rescuing her yet again. This time, Abigail started playing both sides as Sy Grossman by infiltrating the Keepers and later utilizing their manpower to stop Reginald from getting close to Ben and Jennifer. With the majority of the Umbrella Academy already sidetracked and Viktor trying to appeal to Reginald’s senses to keep Ben and Jennifer safe even up to moments before the beginning of Cleanse, Abigail actually had to thank the Hargreeves siblings for buying her enough time and chances to finally bring about the Cleanse. As the Cleanse monstrosity ravaged the world, Abigail came clean to Reginald about everything—and ultimately the couple got consumed by the Cleanse as well. Ultimately, Abigail was able to restore the timeline as the Hargreeves siblings accepted the Cleanse, and she successfully rectified the mistakes of her husband. In the final moments of the series, Reginald’s voiceover can be heard, but viewers do not see Abigail in the restored timeline. However, as a remembrance of her work, eight Marigold flowers bloom in the park, symbolizing Lila and the Hargreeves siblings.
