Season 3 of 'The Umbrella Academy' Hints at the Circumstances Surrounding Ben's Death
Updated June 27 2022, 9:59 a.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of The Umbrella Academy.
Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy introduces us to the tension-filled everyday life of a large group of siblings. Independent-minded Luther (Tom Hopper), hedonistic Klaus (Robert Sheehan), and the others have no choice but to team up and save the world from an impending apocalypse. Similar catastrophes ensue in Seasons 2 and 3.
Ben, aka Number Six and The Horror, lost his life in 2006. Does he appear in Season 3 of 'The Umbrella Academy'?
As loyal fans of The Umbrella Academy will recall, Ben (Justin H. Min) makes numerous appearances in Seasons 1 and 2 of The Umbrella Academy as a ghost persistently haunting Klaus.
In Season 3, however, Ben enters the picture as a member of the Sparrow Academy — and a very alive one at that. What's more, the Season 3 version of Ben has a brand new personality. A mid-credit scene sparked new speculation about Ben's future, raising questions about whether old Ben or new Ben would appear in the yet-to-be-greenlit Season 4.
How did Ben die in 'The Umbrella Academy'?
Ben's tragic death in the series is shrouded in mystery. As previous episodes of The Umbrella Academy reveal, Ben lost his life in 2006. He was likely 17 years old at the time. The tragedy impacts the Hargreeves siblings a great deal, amplifying the already existing tension in the group.
The creators of The Umbrella Academy have so far refrained from addressing the circumstances surrounding Ben's passing. The cause of his death has not yet been revealed in the series, but there are some clues given as to what may have happened.
Ben most likely died while on a mission, per Screen Rant. Because of a few remarks Luther made in Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy, fans now believe that Ben's death is related to the so-called "Jennifer incident."
Apparently, Ben may have been in love with Jennifer before losing his life. His drawing of Jennifer made it into Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy, and fans are now having a field day with it.
"The Umbrella Academy Season 3 spoilers! I'm still thinking about the Jennifer incident and how Sparrow Ben has drawings of Jennifer in his room. Who is Jennifer?" tweeted @vaxildawn.
"I have no clue what the Jennifer incident is. What I’m thinking is, could Jennifer be Ben’s mother?" tweeted @jasmine_moua.
What about the comic book series? How does Ben die in 'The Umbrella Academy' comic book series?
The comic book series by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá deploys a similar approach when it comes to portraying Ben's death. Annoyingly, the comic books don't directly show what happened. Let's hope Season 4 of The Umbrella Academy will cast light on the mysterious turn of events.
Will there be a Season 4 of 'The Umbrella Academy'?
"That answer will come later on, hopefully in another season if we're lucky enough," Steve Blackman, the showrunner of The Umbrella Academy, told Inverse in 2020, shortly after Season 2 came out. "It's something that I think Gerard wants to hold off a little longer in the graphic novels. I'm trying to respect that. So I think something down the road."
Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy is now available on Netflix.