Will season 4 of The Umbrella Academy finally show fans the Jennifer incident that killed Ben? One moment in the trailer makes me curious

One of many shows ending in 2024, The Umbrella Academyis one of the The best TV shows on Netflix is nearing its conclusion and the stakes for their time-bending scams are higher than ever. Even though audiences are still largely in the dark about the situation of the Hargreeves clan after the season three finale left them largely divided and powerless. Thankfully, the first trailer for The Umbrella Academy Season 4 is here and it is full of funny moments and interesting details.

Before we go any further, check out the new trailer below so we’re all on the same page about this comic book adaptation.

Despite all the new information we now have, there are still many questions that need to be answered before the revamped series debuts in August. Will Genesis Rodriguez return as Sparrow Sloane Hargreeves? Will we see the origin of the Commission? What happened to Stan? And will we ever learn what the “Jennifer Incident” is and how Ben died because of it? On that last point, there’s a moment in the season 4 trailer that makes me curious whether or not it hints at something deeper.

Sparrow Ben sits in the back of Diego's van while Lila and Viktor look at him strangely in The Umbrella Academy — (Image credit: Netflix)

What is the Jennifer incident?

Short answer: It appears to be the event in which Umbrella Ben died. In the season 3 episode “Marigold,” Sparrow asks Ben Luthor about the Ben of his timeline, to which he replied:

You were the best of us. And you died too soon. The Jennifer incident… It doesn’t matter. Just know that we were never the same without you.

Luthor was interrupted by Sparrow Ben, who asked the same question we’re asking now, but the big jerk just waved it off. Maybe because he didn’t want to experience it again, or maybe for other reasons. Regardless, the same episode proved that Sparrow Ben’s question was a personal one, as several drawings labeled “Jennifer” were seen in his room.

The moment in Diego’s van

There’s a pretty funny moment in the middle of the trailer when the gang gathers around Diego’s van and David Castañeda’s character says, “We’re back” and then yells that this is their “first mission back.” Then, in what seems like the next few moments, Ben yells from the back seat:

Let’s kill this beast!

At this point, the others all seem slightly disturbed or put off by this sentiment, with Allison pointing out that it’s a “rescue mission,” to which Ben responds with casual agreement. But what seems like a random outburst may actually be anything but that, especially since Sparrow makes Ben look battered.

First, it immediately reminds viewers of how callous and impulsive Sparrow Ben can be, recalling the dojo sequence in Season 3 when he gleefully went too far and crushed Jayme with his tentacles. If we see here that his first instinct is to kill, even on a rescue mission, does that give us any insight into how he would have handled his own Jennifer?

Fans have put forward a theory that there was a mission to save Jennifer from something, and that Umbrella Ben may have sacrificed himself to keep her alive. There is also speculation that Ben committed suicide based on the inscription on his memorial plaque. So, it’s possible that Ben was unable to save Jennifer during that hypothetical mission, and that then that grief drove him to take his own life.

On the other hand, there is a theory that Sparrow Ben may have been on a similar mission, only he either chose not to save Jennifer or simply didn’t take any consequences from her death. That doesn’t quite explain why he kept drawings of her in his room, but still.

I can even take a giant leap here and put forward the idea that the Hargreeves siblings went “back” to the year Umbrella died Ben so they could potentially undo or change the “Jennifer Incident” so Ben never died because of it. It’s unclear if the team even has the ability to travel through time when needed, but on this show, all theories are viable to some degree.

Sparrow Ben with outstretched tentacles hurls a soldier behind him into the air in The Umbrella Academy

(Image credit: Netflix)

The tentacle powers are back!

The Season 4 trailer ends with Ben standing there in all his glory with his tentacles outstretched, and it looks like he’s just been spreading a lot of terror wherever he is. There’s not enough to see to make any concrete assumptions, but the body dragged along the ground appears to be someone in military uniform, although it’s hard to tell if the severed limbs lying around are also covered in uniform material.

Is breaking into a military base part of the rescue mission? Does it have something to do with Reginald Hargreeves, whether he’s in charge or is he being investigated for his alien origins? Or, to come back to this, is the mysterious Jennifer possibly being held here? Probably not, but it would be an interesting twist to add to these theories if Jennifer didn’t die in either timeline and was there the whole time. Especially if it turns out she’s a character we’ve already met. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the next two months without answers.

The Umbrella Academy Season 4 will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, August 8, so get ready for plenty of explosive, reality-shattering chaos. And be sure to check out all the other upcoming Netflix shows and movies while waiting.

What is the Jennifer incident?

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