The Umbrella Academy: How Did Ben Die?
The Umbrella Academy: 4 Theories About Ben's Mysterious Death
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Even the original comics don't provide insight and detail into Ben's death. In the original source material, Ben is killed in action, but team leader Luther (aka Number One) harbors extreme guilt over his brother's death (head to Cheat Sheet for more on that). In a season one flashback, we see Luther (Tom Hopper) pushing a reluctant Ben to fight during a bank robbery. Ben quickly loses control of the tentacles, his body relentlessly swinging at the mercy of the demon inside. If it happened this time, it could have happened again with disastrously different results. The comic suggests that Luther watched as Ben died, possibly after pushing him to fight or failing to intervene. Luther is compassionate to a fault, so arguably, his guilt could only stem from his role as a leader and not the guilt of a life-ending mistake.