The comic book adaptation titled The Umbrella Academy was brought to TV by Steve Blackman. It follows the story of siblings with supernatural powers, each one dealing with personal issues, as they try to prevent a global disaster.
Only to find themselves stuck in an even more complicated situation by the end of the first season. The final episode ends on a suspenseful note. What follows here is a breakdown of the season’s end, the clues that were dropped earlier on, and how things might play out next.
Vanya’s hidden powers threaten to tear the world apart (Photo: The Umbrella Academy Season 1/Borderline Entertainment)The Story Starts With A Birth Mystery
The beginning of The Umbrella Academy takes us back in time, where we witness a strange global occurrence: on the afternoon of October 1, 1989, 43 women suddenly give birth without any previous signs of pregnancy.
One of these births takes place in Russia, and Sir Reginald Hargreeves, the future founder of the Umbrella Academy, is seen offering money to the baby’s mother. Since the baby is dressed in pink, it suggests that she is female, most likely Vanya.
Considering Grace is the one who raised her, it’s understandable why Vanya was given a Russian name, based on where she was born.
Vanya’s Power Was Hidden All Her Life
All through her childhood, Vanya is pushed aside and told that she lacks any special abilities, unlike her siblings. Reginald made sure to distance her from the rest of the children, making her feel unimportant. But the truth comes out—Vanya is actually the most dangerous and powerful of them all.
Because of how isolated she is, Five doesn’t even consider her while searching for what might trigger the end of the world. That oversight ends up causing serious trouble.
Sir Reginald’s Past Offers Strange Hints
The final episode of season 1, titled “The White Violin,” begins with a surprising look into Reginald’s life before the Academy was ever formed. The year is 1928. He gives a violin to his wife on her deathbed. She tells him to pass it on to someone else who would cherish it.
When Reginald walks to the window, viewers are shown a strange place with robots tending fields and rockets taking off. It isn’t clear where this place is. In the comics, Sir Reginald is an alien, so this flashback may show his departure from his original planet during a crisis.
One thing stands out: his spaceship takes off from Pier 7—matching the number of children he eventually adopts.
Vanya Releases Her Power Inside The Academy House
Present-day events take a dark turn as Vanya escapes her locked room and walks through the Academy house, haunted by visions of her younger siblings who keep telling her to stay away. As she walks through each room, she uses her powers to tear everything apart.
The house starts crumbling, and Klaus along with Diego are hit by falling debris. At the last minute, Klaus finds the strength to allow Ben to take physical form and save them both.
Pogo Tries But Fails To Calm Vanya
Pogo meets Vanya to calm her down. Her eyes return to normal for a moment. He keeps her busy while the others run from the collapsing house. Luther and Allison briefly make eye contact with him as they leave. Vanya then questions if Pogo knew about her powers.
After trying to justify Reginald’s actions, Pogo admits he knew all along. Vanya reacts by throwing him with her powers, killing him by impaling him on a decorative deer head. Grace, the robot caretaker, also gets destroyed in the building’s collapse. She’s last seen blowing a kiss to Diego through a window.
Five Finds Out The Disaster Is Still Coming
Five soon realizes the destruction they thought they had stopped is still on its way. He understands that the Academy didn’t perish in the global disaster; instead, it was destroyed beforehand—by Vanya. While this is happening, Vanya returns to retrieve her violin and heads off to perform her long-planned solo concert.
Hazel Rejects The Handler’s Mission
The Handler catches up with Hazel and Cha-Cha. She tells them Five tricked them into trying to kill each other and assigns them a new job: protect Vanya. Hazel pretends to agree, and they drive off to find her. However, he tells Cha-Cha that the mission is a lie, and it’s a setup meant to get them killed.
After following the bus Vanya takes to the concert hall, Hazel drives straight into a wall at high speed. Cha-Cha, not wearing a seatbelt, crashes through the windscreen and lands unconscious. Hazel then returns to confront The Handler.
As she begins yet another long speech, he shoots her in the head. Afterward, he reunites with Agnes, the woman he loves.
An Attack Plan Is Set In Motion
At a bowling alley, the siblings gather to plan, but agents from The Commission arrive and force them to run. They figure out Vanya still intends to go on with her concert performance. Allison pleads with Luther to allow her to speak with Vanya privately.
He agrees, not because he trusts the plan but because he hopes Allison can distract Vanya long enough for Diego and himself to attack. Things don’t go as they hoped. Vanya unleashes a blast that sends both men flying, and the concert audience runs in fear.
The Commission agents then storm in. They aim to keep Vanya alive, so they start shooting to keep the siblings from reaching her.
Klaus And Ben Team Up Once More
Once again, Klaus’ recent power comes into play. He allows Ben to fully materialize so that everyone can see him. Ben, using his ghostly tentacles, fights off and destroys the agents. Meanwhile, Cha-Cha—though injured—still makes it into the building and clashes with Diego.
But just as he’s about to finish her off, Diego remembers Five’s advice. Instead of taking her life, he spares her out of respect for Detective Patch.
Allison Stops Vanya Without Killing Her
All four brothers—Luther, Diego, Klaus, and Five—attack Vanya at once. She effortlessly counters them and suspends them mid-air, slowly choking them using energy tendrils. Allison then approaches from behind, holding a gun to her sister’s head.
The Umbrella Academy ends season one with everything up in the air (Photo: The Umbrella Academy Season 1/Borderline Entertainment)But she can’t pull the trigger. Instead, she fires the weapon beside Vanya’s ear. The noise throws off her balance and weakens her powers. Vanya collapses, unconscious. The others feel relief, believing they’ve prevented disaster. But that relief doesn’t last.
As Vanya falls, a beam from her body breaks through the ceiling, hits the moon, and causes it to shatter. Pieces of the moon now threaten Earth, including one enormous rock.
Time Travel Becomes Their Only Option
Realizing the world is still about to end, Five suggests the only way out is to leap through time. They all agree, including Luther, who carries Vanya’s limp body. As Five opens the portal, they all hold hands and get pulled through. Their bodies change, turning into children just like Five was when he returned earlier in the season.
At the same time, Hazel and Agnes also escape using the briefcase hidden at the hotel. Cha-Cha and everyone else are left behind and killed by the falling moon debris.
Vanya Becomes The White Violin
One detail that stands out as Vanya gives her solo performance is the change in her appearance. Her suit and violin both turn white, mirroring a transformation from the comics created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá.
In the storyline titled “The Apocalypse Suite,” Vanya is taken by a sinister orchestra and changed using notes written by Reginald Hargreeves. Her body turns pale, and she’s given a white violin that allows her to fully use her powers.
The show tweaks the story slightly. Though Harold Jenkins takes on the role of helping Vanya embrace her abilities, similar to the conductor from the comics, it’s Vanya herself who embraces her destructive nature and becomes the final threat.
Klaus’ New Gift Changes Everything
Klaus, like Vanya, had his powers held back—though not by Reginald. The older man actually wanted Klaus to face his fears and realize his full ability. One time, he even locked him in a tomb overnight. Instead of helping, it traumatized Klaus.
He ended up turning to drugs and alcohol to numb himself, which also weakened his spiritual powers. For most of his life, Ben was the only ghost he could see properly. When Klaus eventually gives up the drugs, hoping to reconnect with his dead lover, he starts to unlock his true strength.
His new power gets triggered in moments of intense fear or urgency—like when he fights with Ben, when the ceiling is about to fall, or when The Commission’s men are attacking. In the last incident, Klaus’ hands begin to glow, and Ben can fully appear and join the fight.
Though he hasn’t brought the dead back to life, Klaus now has a powerful skill—he can help ghosts appear in physical form for everyone to see. That means Ben can now actively fight with the others, using his power. That is if Ben is truly still dead.
Where Did They Travel To?
One thing that leaves viewers wondering is the final shot showing the Umbrella Academy members as children again. Surprisingly, even Ben is shown in this younger form—even though he’s meant to be a ghost who only Klaus can see.
