Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for The Umbrella Academy Season 4.
The Umbrella Academy Season 4 finally reveals the truth about one of the Netflix show’s longest-running mysteries: “The Jennifer Incident.” So, what is The Umbrella Academy‘s Jennifer Incident, and how does it involve Victoria Sawal’s character, Jennifer?
Related: Does The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Have a Post-Credits Scene?
The Umbrella Academy’s ‘Jennifer Incident,’ Explained
The Jennifer Incident is the Hargreeves family’s name for the tragic mishap that resulted in the death of Ben Hargreeves/Number Six. It’s referenced throughout The Umbrella Academy‘s four-season run, however, it’s not until midway through Season 4 that we finally see what went down. As revealed via flashback, in The Umbrella Academy‘s original timeline, Reginald Hargreeves sent the junior Brellies on a mission to retrieve a shipping container from a Moldovan arms dealer. Before they leave, Reggie gives them one last instruction: don’t open the container. But when the kids track down the container, Ben ignores his dad’s order and peeks inside it – sealing his fate.
Instead of a weapon, the container houses a person: a young girl named Jennifer. Ben insists on rescuing her, only for Reginald to appear and shoot them both! Why? Because Jennifer’s body is riddled with Durango, a particle that will – when combined with the Marigold particles in Ben’s own superpowered system – result in global annihilation. Reginald doesn’t bother explaining any of this to his traumatized children, though. He simply wipes their memories of the event; all they remember is that Ben died heroically during one of their adventures. They even describe the tragedy with exactly the same words when prompted!
How does the above apply to Victoria Sawal’s very much alive Jennifer in The Umbrella Academy Season 4? Well, in the fourth season’s alternate timeline, the Hargreeves’ never got their superpowers and Ben and Jennifer both survive to adulthood. So, technically, this Jennifer’s not the “Jennifer” of the Jennifer Incident, because in her reality, there was no incident! Yet her body is still saturated with Durango particles, meaning calamity is still on the cards.
Related: The Umbrella Academy Season 4’s Ending, Explained
Is the ‘Jennifer Incident’ the Same in the Comics?
That’s The Umbrella Academy TV show’s version of the Jennifer Incident covered – what about the comic book canon? Will what we see in the show line-up with what writer/artist team Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá have planned for the comics? Not according to The Umbrella Academy showrunner Steve Blackman.
Related: How Many Episodes Is The Umbrella Academy Season 4?
“To be honest with you, Gerard and Gabriel don’t know what the Jennifer Incident is,” he told Tadum. “This is my interpretation of it. They’re going to do something slightly different in their graphic novel. But they were very gracious and said, ‘Go do your thing, and we’re going to do our thing. Our graphic novel will continue past the show.’ I just thought it was a very important thing to end. It was one of the big mysteries of the season. Fans of the graphic novel especially wanted to know, but also the fans [of the show] wanted to know what happened to Ben. We all know Ben died, so I thought it was important to explain it.”
The Umbrella Academy Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Published: Aug 12, 2024 09:16 am