It’s no secret thatThe Umbrella Academyseason 4 was not well-received by fans or critics, but Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Lila’s (Ritu Arya) romance might have been the most divisive development to unfold during the show’s fourth and final outing. Based on the comic book series of the same name by writer Gerard Way and illustrator Gabriel Bá,The Umbrella Academycenters on a dysfunctional family of adopted superhero siblings, all of whom were born on July 30, 2025, inThe Umbrella Academy’s original timeline, before being adopted by an eccentric billionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore).
While he hand-picked theUmbrella Academy’s super-powered Hargreeves siblings,Reginald didn’t adopt every child who was infused with the superpower-bestowing substance known as Marigold. The vigilante team’s original lineup included seven Umbrellas, including the super-strong astronaut Luther (Tom Hopper); the vigilanteDiego (David Castañeda), whose powersallow him to control the trajectory of flying objects; the mind-controlling actor Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman); the immortal medium Klaus (Robert Sheehan); the tentacle-wielding Ben (Justin H. Min); the time-hopping Five; and Viktor (Elliot Page), who can convert sound waves into energy.
The Umbrella Academy’s Complete Timeline (& Alternates) Explained
Time-travel plays a huge part in The Umbrella Academy, resulting in a messy web of different timelines, especially in its fourth and final season.
While Five is away on a time-hopping journey, Ben dies under mysterious circumstances, pushing the remaining Hargreeves siblings to go their separate ways. In 2019, the Umbrella Academy reunites for Reginald’s funeral — and to thwart an apocalyptic event that Five tells them is on the horizon. By the end of season 1, the Hargreeves fail spectacularly, so Five frantically tries to transport them back in time. The decision lands the Hargreeves in the 1960s — though they all arrive on different days or years. Once again,Five learns that they must stop an apocalyptic event, though there are some changes to the formula.
Lila’s powers allow her to mirror someone else’s abilities…
The Commission, a secret organization created by Five(or a version of him) to protect the space-time continuum, sends The Handler (Kate Walsh) into the season-two fray. The sophomore outing is also whenThe Umbrella AcademyintroducesThe Handler’s adopted daughter, Lila, who is revealed to be one of the super-powered children that Reginald didn’t adopt. One of the more powerfulUmbrella Academycharacters, Lila’s powers allow her to mirror someone else’s abilities. Initially, Lila stands against the Umbrella Academy, but, eventually, she comes around to the Hargreeves' side and starts a family with Diego.
7The Age & Appearance Gaps Between Five & Lila
The Umbrella Academy’s Timelines Make the Age Gap Extra Messy
Without a doubt,The Umbrella Academy’s timelines are incredibly complicated, especially where Five Hargreeves is concerned. In fact, his might be the most difficultHargreeves siblings' ageto track — though Lila gives him a run for his money. Throughout the show,Five’s mental and physical age differ, because, when he’s 13 years old, Five uses his powers to jump to a post-apocalyptic 2019. Stuck for over 40 years, Five eventually escapes when The Handler offers him a job at the Commission. When Five blips back to pre-apocalypse 2019, he reverts to being a 13-year-old boy.
When season 4 begins, Five makes a comment about being 63 years old mentally…
Although he’s a teenager biologically and physically speaking, Five is actually about 58 years old, mentally speaking, inThe Umbrella Academyseason 1. For Five, the show’s first three seasons unfold in a matter of weeks. When season 4 begins, Five makes a comment about being 63 years old mentally, even though he’s physically 19 years old.Lila Pitts, on the other hand, was raised outside of time by The Commission, but she seems to be roughly the same age as Diego (and the other siblings who’ve weathered less time-travel shenanigans).
1
77%
2
91%
3
4
54%
After Five and Lila traverse various timelines for seven years on the time-hopping subway system, their ages shift yet again. DuringThe Umbrella Academyseason 4’s ending,Five is 70 years old mentally, but 26 years old physically. Meanwhile, the seven-year side quest with Five makes Lila roughly 42 years old in the series finale. No matter how you slice it, the age gap is weird. Five is mentally decades older than Lila, and, physically speaking, their ages are still a mismatch.
6Five Killed Lila’s Parents
The Handler Ordering Lila’s Parents' Death Was A Hugely Traumatic Event
A defining aspect ofThe Umbrella Academyseason 2’s endingwas the bloody conflict that erupted whenThe Handler revealed that she ordered Five to kill Lila’s parents, thus orphaning the super-powered then-child. This fact alone has pushed many fans to wonderWTFUmbrella Academywas thinking with Five and Lila’s story in the fourth season. Although Five was manipulated by The Handler, he still committed the murder. As Five himself tells Lila, it “wasn’t personal” because he’s killed a lot of people over the years. While Lila herself is an assassin, Five’s actions are unforgivable.
If Lila had forgiven Five, it would’ve been helpful to see that conversation unfold before their romance plot.
Thanks to the reset timeline, which the Hargreeves siblings and Lila put into motion inThe Umbrella Academyseason 3’s ending, Lila’s parents are alive and well in season 4. Even so, it’s hard to imagine that Lila just let go of all her grief and anger. If Lila had forgiven Five, it would’ve been helpful to see that conversation unfold before their romance plot.It’s also incredibly weird that Five wouldn’t still feel some remorse over his actions. A lot of messed up things happen inThe Umbrella Academy, but this glossed-over dynamic is up there.
5Five Acts Like A Lovesick Teenager When He’s Actually An Old Man
Number Five’s Out-Of-Character Reaction Makes The Love Story Worse
While an argument could be made that Five’s social skills are lacking, his lovesick teenager act felt completely out of character (and out of place) inThe Umbrella Academyseason 4.As discussed, Five is 63 years old mentally throughout most of season 4, though that number climbs even higher after his train-hopping stint with Lila.
Sure,Five’s first and only major relationship was with a mannequin he named Dolores, but he does seem shockingly well-adjusted in all other aspects of his life. That said, it’s hard to accept that just his romantic side would be stunted
4Lila & Five Gaslight Diego
Diego Worries That Lila Is Cheating For Most Of The Umbrella Academy Season 4
One of the most frustrating elements of the Five and Lila romance is the way the pair gaslight Diego for most of season 4’s six episodes. The fourth outing picks up six years after the end of season 3 in a timeline where the Hargreeves and Lila no longer have their powers.Diego and Lila are married with kids, and both characters seem a little unhappywith the day-to-day monotony. While Diego is a delivery driver who hopes to join the CIA, Lila spends all her time and energy caring for their children.
…Lila does emotionally cheat on her husband long before she kisses Five.
to have some time to herself, Lila moonlights as a spy of sorts, which leads her straight to a secret meeting of The Keepers. There, she runs into Five, who’s also undercover for work. Diego winds up following his wife and sees her getting a drink with a mustachioed man he doesn’t realize is Five.This prompts Diego to accuse Lila of cheating on him, which she denies, though Lila does emotionally cheat on her husband long before she kisses Five. It’s beyond frustrating to see Diego be totally gaslit and betrayed.
13 The Umbrella Academy Easter Eggs Hidden In Season 4
As final outing for the Hargreeves siblings, The Umbrella Academy season 4 is packed with Easter eggs & references to other installments & timelines.
3The Five & Lila Romance Was Incredibly Rushed
No Montage Can Make The Sudden Plot Point Convincing
Despite a well-crafted montage of their seven-year stint traversing timelines and subways together, Five and Lila’s romance felt incredibly rushed. That rushed feeling definitely stems from the fact that season 4 was composed of just six episodes. Clearly, the writers threaded Five and Lila’s budding attraction into all six episodes, but the arc of their relationship still seems shoehorned into a season that’s already juggling too many threads. To make matters worse,it seems like Lila’s love for Five hinges more on their circumstances than anything else. If they hadn’t gotten lost, their romance probably wouldn’t have happened.
Five is willing to give up his family — and the fate of the world — for Lila.
Throughout her seven-year side quest with Five, Lila is adamant about returning home. Eventually, she does give into exhaustion and agrees to stay at the strawberry house with Five. Even though both characters are attracted to each other in the moment,Lila can’t give Diego a straight answer when he asks her if she loves Fivein the show’s finale. On the other hand, Five is willing to give up his family — and the fate of the world — for Lila. That’s a huge departure from his characterization in other seasons, and it would have been nice to see more of a build up.
2The Cleanse Was Threatening To Destroy Everything While Five & Lila Fell In Love
Five & Lila’s Timing Was Truly Perplexing
For most romances, timing is everything — though Five and Lila don’t seem all that concerned that The Cleanse is bearing down on them as they fall in love and swap strawberries in the show’s penultimate episode.Five has always put stopping the many Hargreeves-caused apocalypses before everything else, so it’s strange to see him admit that he’s content to just stay in a random timeline with Lila while his siblings struggle to stop The Cleanse.
Even if it’s the short season’s fault, dedicating so much room to Five and Lila’s romance inThe Umbrella Academy’s series finale feels like a huge disservice.
All four seasons ofThe Umbrella Academyare streaming on Netflix.
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy is based on the comic book of the same name created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. The Hargreeves — collectively known as The Umbrella Academy — were born with superpowers, and their adoptive father utilized their abilities. However, as they grew older, the siblings grew apart as they dealt with their trauma. They are brought back together after their father dies and Five returns from the future with grave news: The world will end, and The Umbrella Academy has to stop it before it happens.
