What Is Durango In The Umbrella Academy? Season 4 Jennifer Plot Explained

9 August 2024, 14:58 | Updated: 9 August 2024, 15:12

The Umbrella Academy season 4: Durango and Jennifer explained. Picture: Netflix

By Katie Louise Smith

What is Durango and how did Jennifer end up with it? How was it created and why did it start The Cleanse? Here's all the answers to your Umbrella Academy season 4 questions.

Loading audio...

The final six episodes of The Umbrella Academy season 4 wrapped up the Hargreeves siblings stories in quite an emotional way, but the Netflix series' ending might have left us with a few more questions than it gave us answers. Jennifer and Durango, anyone?

The Umbrella Academy season 4 introduces a brand new character called Jennifer (Victoria Sawal) who becomes a very key part of the final season's overall storyline. The character, who has been referenced since season 1, also comes hand-in-hand with something called Durango – another key detail that has only just been introduced into the series.

While the show clearly explains what Durango is and where it came from, there's still several unanswered questions about how Jennifer ended up connected to it.

Still confused about the whole thing? Here's your Durango explainer... [Major spoilers ahead!]

Read more: Will There Be An Umbrella Academy Season 5? Here's Why It's Ending With Season 4

What is Durango in The Umbrella Academy?

Sir Reginald Hargreeves accidentally released Durango into the world alongside Marigold. Picture: Netflix

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for The Umbrella Academy season 4's ending!

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Umbrella Academy season 3! Picture: Netflix

First of all, literally what is Durango?

Durango is a particle element that was accidentally (and unknowingly) created by Abigail Hargreeves (Reginald's wife).

When Abigail created Marigold (the particles that give the siblings their powers), she also created a counter substance called Durango.

Durango is the complete opposite of Marigold. When they come into contact, it has the power to bring about a catastrophic reaction that can destroy the entire world. That reaction is known as The Cleanse.

It's unexplained how exactly it happened, but showrunner Steve Blackman confirmed that Reginald and Abigail's home planet was destroyed by Durango and Marigold coming into contact.

Unlike the golden Marigold particles, we do not see what Durango looks like.

Watch The Umbrella Academy’s final season trailer

So, how did Jennifer end up with Durango inside her?

Well, that's not actually explained within the show. (And neither is the reason why she was found inside the body of a squid...)

Presumably, the Durango ended up being embedded into Jennifer in the same way the Marigold ended up within the Hargreeves siblings and the rest of the children with powers born on the same day. When the Marigold particles were released on Earth, the Durango went alongside it.

It's also unclear if there was only one Durango particle. It's never explained or hinted that there could be more people with Durango particles inside them. Jennifer appears to be the only known person across various timelines to have Durango.

In The Umbrella Academy's original timeline, the siblings were sent on a mission to destroy "the weapon", which we now know was Jennifer locked inside a tank. That timeline's Jennifer was shot and killed by Hargreeves when she came into contact with Ben. In season 4's final timeline, Jennifer was being held captive in a fake town surrounded by mercenaries in order to keep her away from all Marigold particles.

How did Jennifer end up with Durango inside her in the Umbrella Academy? Picture: Netflix

How does Durango cause The Cleanse?

When Durango and Marigold come into contact, they begin to form 'The Cleanse' which is essentially a huge reaction that consumes and wipes out everything in its path, destroying the world.

It appears as though the reaction can only occur through skin-to-skin contact. Despite physical contact between Jennifer and Viktor during the car crash, no reaction ever occurs between them. The reaction only occurs when Ben and Jen's hands touch. The same thing happens in the OG timeline when Ben pulls Jennifer out of the tank.

As soon as the two have sex in the motel, the Cleanse begins. The combination of Jennifer's Durango and Ben's Marigold act like a virus, heightening their physical need for connection. It eventually begins to destroy their bodies, and when Viktor discovers them, they're both completely consumed by the virus.

Eventually, they combine to form 'The Cleanse Monster' which grows and grows, spreading, infecting and consuming everything in its path until it has totally destroyed the world.

What is The Cleanse in The Umbrella Academy? Picture: Netflix

Why did the Hargreeves siblings have to sacrifice themselves to The Cleanse Monster?

In order to destroy the Cleanse Monster and stop the apocalypses that keep happening in every single timeline they end up in, they need to remove all marigold from existence.

To do that, they have to sacrifice themselves to the monster, and let the Durango cancel the Marigold out.

At the end of the series, the remaining six siblings and Lila are consumed by the monster and completely erased from all timelines. The Marigold and the Durango particles are both destroyed, the universe corrects itself, and the one true timeline remains.