Ben Hargreeves is one of the mysteries that has sustained The Umbrella Academy tv series so far. When we meet Ben, he's already dead and we only ever see him in flashbacks or through the eyes of his brother Klaus who can communicate with the dead. But how did Ben Hargreeves actually die?
READ MORE: The Umbrella Academy Season 3 Latest News
About Ben Hargreeves
Ben Hargreeves (portrayed by Justin H. Ming in the Umbrella Academy Netflix series) is one of the many overpowered children who were born at the same day and time, to women all over the world who had not been pregnant the day before. He is one of the seven children that the eccentric Reginald Hargreeves adopted and trained as superheroes to save the world from a still-unspecified threat.
Ben was alternatively known as Number Six, as Reginald Hargreeves coldly called his adoptive children by numbers, each reflecting their perceived usefulness to him. In The Umbrella Academy comic, he's also known as The Horror, because of his power; his ability stems from the weird horror subgenre, as he possesses eldritch monsters from other dimensions under his skin, which most often manifest as tentacles coming out of his chest.
How Did Ben Die in The Umbrella Academy?
Ben Hargreeves died when he and his siblings were around sixteen years old. The exact circumstances of his death have yet to be revealed, as of Season 2, but the flashback of his funeral confirms that he was killed during a mission. There's no indication that Reginald Hargreeves was more fond of him than he was of his other adoptive children - he did consider him number six among seven, after all - but rebuked Ben's siblings and blamed her for his death, thus dividing and traumatizing them even further.
Related: The Umbrella Academy's New Rating Suggests Season 3 Will Have Darker, More Mature Themes
Even as a ghost, Ben is one of the kindest and most interesting characters in the show. He's also the show's only Asian character and killing him off before his story could begin felt like a missed opportunity. His story is made even more tragic by the fact that he dies a second time, so to speak, when his ghost calms Vanya and ends her rampage, before finally moving on.
Apparently, the showrunners also felt that Ben's character deserved to be further explored. Season 2 ends with the siblings back in the late 2010s, but in an alternative timeline. In it, Ben never died. Instead, he grew up as a member of the Sparrow Academy, a different group of children adopted by Reginald Hargreeves. Hopefully, The Umbrella Academy Season 3 will both shed light on Ben's character and reveal more information about his past.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!