An unusual group of villains has appeared throughout The Umbrella Academy, including some Hargreeves family members and the Temps Commission led by the Handler. In Season 4, viewers meet a new faction known as the Keepers.
During their undercover mission, Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Lila (Ritu Arya) find themselves entangled with this group. The Keepers, unlike previous villains, aim to save the universe and manage to do so, despite resistance from the Hargreeves family.
Jean and Gene Create “The Keepers” in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Five and Lila come across a secret seminar led by Gene (Nick Offerman) and Jean Thibedeau (Megan Mullally). The cult believes they are not living in the correct timeline.
They think this because they dream of the original universe but wake up in this one. Since the scientific community dismissed their theories, the Thibedeaus formed their own group and coined the term “The Umbrella Effect.”
This idea is similar to the Mandela Effect. The cult members often find objects they believe prove another timeline exists. They even have an article about The Umbrella Academy, which doesn’t exist in this timeline and is where the term comes from.
The Thibedeaus have a barn full of such items, including various VHS tapes and a large squid they think is related to salvation.
The Keepers Try To Facilitate “The Cleanse” The Keepers’ main goal is to perform the Cleanse, which will eliminate all alternate timelines and keep only the original one. Jennifer (Victoria Sawal), who had been separated from the giant squid years ago and had Durango inside her, needed to join with someone with Marigold powers.
How Do The Keepers Die in The Umbrella Academy?
The contact between Durango and Marigold triggers the Cleanse. Jennifer’s connection with Ben Hargreeves (Justin H. Min) starts the Cleanse because of a past event. The Thibedeaus allowed Jennifer to escape with Ben and assembled their army to block the building where the couple was in the finale.
The Thibedeaus’ goals are the opposite of Reginald Hargreeves’ (Colm Feore). Reginald wanted to keep the timelines broken to control the multiverse and thrived on chaos. The Thibedeaus, on the other hand, aims to restore the original timeline by recruiting many people, focusing on order and community.
How Do The Keepers Die in ‘The Umbrella Academy?’ Sy Grossman (David Cross) was also part of the Cleanse plan, manipulating the Hargreeves siblings into saving Jennifer, which caused the initial contact. Sy then went undercover as a Keeper to stay ahead.
When Gene becomes suspicious, Sy reveals himself as Abigail Hargreeves (Liisa Repo-Martell). Abigail kills Gene and uses his identity as a disguise.
As the creator of Marigold and Durango, Abigail shares the Keepers’ goal of restoring the universe but is also driven by guilt. She brutally kills Jean in a final stand-off to stir up the Keepers and remove any doubt about their mission.
The Keepers, initially believing in a joyous purification, are shocked when the true Cleanse begins. The horrible merging of Jennifer and Ben causes panic among the Keepers, who scatter in fear of their painful fate. Although the Keepers’ mission seemed delusional at first, their beliefs turn out to be true, though not as they expected.
You can stream The Umbrella Academy on Netflix in the U.S.
