The Umbrella Academy boss explains why Sloane was absent from season 4
By Dan Selcke
The fourth final season of The Umbrella Academy dropped on Netflix just the other week, and while fans definitely have some problems with the way the show goes out, I'm happy this offbeat series about a family of dysfunctional superheroes got to end on its own terms.
Well, that may be overstating the facts. While The Umbrella Academy got to put a bow on itself and end its story, the final season had fewer episodes than usual: six vs the usual 10. That meant some storylines had to get cut or compressed. To wit: in the third season of the show, Luther (Tom Hopper) fell in love with Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez), a member of the Sparrow Academy, which is basically the Umbrella Academy but from an alternate universe; the characters on this show are constantly dealing with stuff like that.
Anyway, Luther and Slaone ended up married, but the third season ended with the whole universe getting a massive reset and the members of the Umbrella Academy reincarnated elsewhere without their powers. In this context, it makes some sense that Sloane wouldn't show up, but Luther, at least, still remembers her, so it's odd that she isn't so much as mentioned.
Apparently, that wasn't the way showrunner Steve Blackman originally planned in. “I never got to do the Luther-Sloane storyline that I wanted to do this season,” he told TV Line. “I wanted Sloane to be alive, just not remembering Luther, and him trying to get her to love him again. For logistical reasons, we just couldn’t make it work. We just couldn’t make it happen.”
Ah, the dreaded logistical roadblock; it's felled many a hopeful plot twist. Tom Hopper acknowledged that there was something "incomplete" about the way that particular storyline ended. “What happened to her?” he asked.
We will probably never know, unless Gerard Way, the writer of The Umbrella Academy comic book, picks up this story in print. While the Netflix show is over, The Umbrella Academy comic continues, so there's always hope for more, somewhere.
Next. The Umbrella Academy creator and stars say goodbye to Netfix's offbeat superhero series. The Umbrella Academy creator and stars say goodbye to Netfix's offbeat superhero series. dark
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.