Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ follows the misadventures of the Hargreeves siblings, who, despite their best efforts, somehow always end up facing the end of the world. The fourth season sees them on a similar path, but this time, things are different as they finally discover what’s causing them to fall into the repeated cycle of trying to save the world, watching it end, and escaping somewhere else to watch the same thing happen all over again. The ending of Season 4 ties up the story of the Umbrella Academy by giving them a befitting, if slightly tragic, ending. However, the post-credits scene offers some hope. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Eight Marigold Flowers Signify the Eight Umbrella Academy Members
At the end of their journey, the Hargreeves siblings discover that the reason behind the end of the world is them. More specifically, it is the Marigold inside them that gives them their power and which caused their mothers to prematurely give birth to them. When Abigail created Marigold, a completely opposite compound called Durango was also created, albeit unintentionally. It was a balancing factor for the Marigold, which means that whenever the two compounds came in contact, they would destroy each other.
When this becomes clear to the Umbrella Academy, they accept their fate and give themselves to the Cleanse, created by Ben and Jennifer’s Marigold and Durango merging. They are essentially erased from existence, which means that they will not be remembered by even a single person. Not even Alison’s daughter, Claire, will remember her. They knew this would happen, but this is the price that needed to be paid to break the cycle of their journey and merge all timelines into one.
Despite knowing what’s going to happen to them, the Hargreeves siblings (including Lila) hope that they will see each other again someday in some other world. At that moment, it seems like a futile wish because as we see them consumed by the Cleanse, their survival seems entirely impossible. Still, there is the point that they don’t really know what will become of them in the new world, which is left after all the timelines have merged.
While Five and his alternate versions may have figured out the right answer to their problem, they don’t have full authority in knowing what exactly will happen to them. Despite Five knowing more than most, it has been proved, time and again, that he doesn’t know everything. Lila, too, says this to him (even though it is in the context of not wanting to leave her family). While he has an idea of what might happen to them, he doesn’t really know how exactly everything will unfold.
In the post-credits scene, we see the new world where the apocalypse is nowhere in sight. The camera pans to eight marigold flowers growing together. They sparkle a bit to show that they are not your regular marigolds but special ones. The sparkle most likely denotes the Marigold that gave power to the Hargreeves siblings. In any case, it is confirmed that the flowers are, in fact, the Hargreeves siblings and Lila reincarnated in the new world. Their presence confirms that this new timeline, which is the only timeline now, has a place for people from other timelines. If the Hargreeves can exist there, even if as flowers, it means that Lila’s family and Alison’s daughter have also found a place there, but as human beings instead of as flowers or something else.
What Does the Presence of the Marigolds Mean?
The presence of the marigolds leads to a more important question: does this mean that there is scope for the continuation of the story of the Umbrella Academy? In the context of the show, the marigolds are meant to serve as the sweet in the bittersweet ending that the Hargreaves siblings receive. Being erased from existence is a fate worse than death, and without the post-credits scene, it would have simply been too tragic a fate for the characters that have been loved by the audience for four seasons. While the ending makes sense, one can’t blame the fans for wishing that the Hargreeves siblings had survived. Showing the marigolds is a way to assure the fans that their favorite characters are still around, albeit in a different form, and they must take comfort in that.
The presence of Marigold in the new world also opens the door to the possibility of the exploration of a new story set in the world of ‘The Umbrella Academy.’ While the compound should have been destroyed when it merged with Durango and became the Cleanse, there is a chance that things worked out a bit better than what Five had expected. In any case, if the story is further explored in the future, then this door left ajar by the creators of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ could certainly come in handy.
Read More: The Umbrella Academy: What is Five’s Real Name? How Old is He?
