Is Ben Still Alive In ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Original Timeline? Comic Book References, Explained

Ben Hargreeves is one of the most important characters in The Umbrella Academy universe, and this is true for any alternate versions of the character as well. From the trailer and promotional updates of the final season of the series, it was hinted that Ben’s arc will unravel the truth about the Hargreeves siblings. Eventually, the mystery surrounding Ben’s death from the season one timeline found its way through all the time-related tribulations and concluded the last chapter in the chronicles of The Umbrella Academy. Ben’s story differs from his comics counterpart and even leaves a potential narrative thread open, which we will briefly discuss in this article. 

Spoilers Ahead

Ben Hargreeves, aka Horror in Original Comics Series

The comics version of Ben Hargreeves had died as a full-fledged adult superhero, and his brutal death made a severe impact on the minds of his siblings for a much longer period compared to the series, where, except Klaus, no one seemed to be that affected by his demise. In the fourth season, it is revealed that Ben had nearly risked an apocalyptic event by getting close to Jennifer, whose Durango particles admixed with Ben’s Marigold energy essence could have caused the devastating Cleanse. As a result, Reginald had killed Ben, his adoptive son, and Jennifer as well, by his own hand. Later on, Reginald had wiped the memory of the other siblings present to keep the incident a secret. However, the comics creators Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá have kept the secret of Ben’s death a complete mystery till date, and even after the completion of the first four volumes of the The Umbrella Academy comics series, readers are yet to find a solid clue to grasp the answer on their own. In comics, Ben’s powers of summoning eldritch creatures from another dimension are also hinted at as a possible link to Reginald Hargreeves’ past. Compared to the series’ version of Ben, of both his original and alternate timeline versions, who appear much more lively and jovial, the comics version of Ben is a much more depressed, tragic figure—who acts as a guide to Klaus and, through him, assists his siblings in their various misadventures. 

What Happened to Ben In Season Finale?

The Ben Hargreeves whom viewers see in the final season of The Umbrella Academy is not originally a member of the eponymous team of Hargreeves siblings; instead, this Ben was a member of the Sparrow Academy, which explains the terse relationship he initially shares with the Hargreeves siblings. However, despite being an alternate version and having a different past, Ben felt a strong connection with Jennifer, due to the fact his prime version had lost his life while rescuing Jennifer all those years ago—Ben, in the recreated reality, felt the effects of timeline sickness, the ‘Umbrella Effect’. Unlike the other Hargreeves siblings, life in recreated reality was rather unforgiving for Ben, who didn’t find solace among the members of the Umbrella Academy simply because they weren’t part of his family in the alternate timeline. The destructive cosmic connection between Jennifer and Ben grew stronger as a reason, as Ben lacked the emotional anchor to tether him to reality. Like a flame to a moth, Ben and Jennifer were doomed to return to each other across all the timelines, despite the fact that their union was inevitably self-destructive. Like all the other Hargreeves siblings, Ben found the special someone in his life, only to end up losing her at the end as his and Jennifer’s life essence fused together to create the chaotic entity, the Cleanse, which purged all the alternate timelines at the end. As all the Marigold essence in existence got eradicated completely, the timeline reverted to its original form, and the only remembrance of Ben and other Hargreeves siblings’ existence that remained were the blooming Marigold flowers. 

Is Ben Alive In The Original Timeline?

However, there is interesting speculation regarding Ben’s possible fate, which connects with the mid-credits scene of the third season of The Umbrella Academy. After the creation of new reality in the third season finale, the mid-credit sequence shows the Sparrow Academy Ben traveling in a Korean subway, and his calm demeanor suggests he is at peace with his life. While this didn’t seem to connect to any major plotline in the fourth season, there is a chance that in a past tease the scene had suggested that Ben had survived the Cleanse after all and was living a good life in the original timeline. The reason for this assumption is the fact that subway timeline traversing was a major plot point in the fourth season, which may or may not have been teased through this mid-credit scene. Perhaps his active role in becoming the other half of the Cleanse exempted him from being removed from history, and he has found a place to belong at the end.