One of the main stars from Netflix’s Umbrella Academy admitted they expected negative reactions to the show's ending.
At the end of Season 4, Aidan Gallagher's Five realizes that the only way to stop the Hargreeves’ never-ending cascade of apocalypse is to simply cease to exist. This means that their entire family has to sacrifice themselves so that their Marigold can be absorbed into The Cleanse.
While there’s pushback from everyone at first, they realize that for the future of the world and their families (who escape into the wacky time-traveling subway system), that’s what must be done. So, the show ends with the Umbrella Academy ceasing to have ever existed.
Needless to say, this drew plenty of ire from fans.
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Umbrella Academy Star Expected Negative Reactions
In an exclusive interview with The Direct's Russ Milheim prior to the release of Umbrella Academy Season 4, actor David Castaneda (Diego Hargreeves) explained his feelings about the bleak yet bittersweet ending of the series and how he expected negative reactions from audiences.
As for why Castaneda feels this ending is perfect for the shows, he explained that "it's a way to have the fans move on:"
"Because it's a way to have the fans move on. You know, it's a way for them not to be given any sort of false hope that they might come back. I mean, obviously, Wolverine is coming back with 'Deadpool,' but watching 'Logan' and watching Logan die. You know, it just felt like every––I mean, one of the things about watching TV now or films, it's like sometimes you don't know if the protagonist is ever in danger."
The actor did admit that he "[doesn't] know if people are going to be happy about it:"
"You're watching it, and like, 'Oh, I feel like he's gonna survive.' And so you're just watching it for the journey. And you know, however, it ends up, but when you actually have the protagonist all sort of die. It just makes everything else mean a lot more. I don't know if people are going to be happy about it. I'm sure I wouldn't be if I was watching it. [I'd be] like, 'Oh, you're literally just cutting off the umbilical cord now.'"
However, Castaneda did concede that if Netflix were to come back with an offer to see more of Diego, he'd "jump on it:"
"Look, if Netflix came back and said, 'Would you like to do something with Diego,' I'd jump on it. So if that's the only hope they can hold on to, then hold on to that hope. But in terms of another season happening? I don't think so."
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Why the Umbrella Academy Ending Didn't Stick the Landing With Fans
Many understand why fans wouldn't like an ending that involves every main character they followed for years simply ceasing to exist—which is almost worse than them all dying.
A sect of the fandom felt like it made the entire show add up to nothing, with everything thrown out of the window at the last second.
Icemankazansky on Tumblr put it in some interestingly brutal words:
“My queer, neurodivergent ass when 'The Umbrella Academy' ends with, ‘you were born wrong, every bad thing that has happened to you is your fault, and the only way the world can be good and safe is if you are eradicated from existence’”
It didn’t help that audiences were also not on board with Lila and Five’s last-minute romance as they got lost in the Multiverse. Fans claimed that it was not only unnecessary but icky and a disservice to Diego’s character as well.
The final leaves open plenty of plot questions as well. The true nature of the Umbrella Academy’s powers still remains a mystery, no one knows what happened to the rest of the Marigold children, Reginald’s alien nature is still murky, and more.
Umbrella Academy is now streaming on Netflix.
Read more about Umbrella Academy here:
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