‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 2 Posters Fuel A Major Theory About Ben

Netflix's The Umbrella Academy is one of the most out-there superhero series to date. The members of the Academy, known as Numbers One-Seven, were engineered by Reginald Hargreeves, an alien disguised as an eccentric millionaire. Each of them has different abilities, from strength to ESP. And each of them has handled it differently, from Number Three, Allison, who became a famous actress to Number Five, who accidentally disappeared into time and space. Then there's Number Six, Ben, who the show suggests committed suicide. But The Umbrella Academy Season 2 posters indicate those who theorize otherwise could be correct.

None of the kids who grew up under Hargreeves (known as "The Monocle") came out unscathed. Each has some form of PTSD from their childhood, and trauma surrounding their abilities. Number One, Luther, for instance, is traumatized because after getting injured, Hargreeves saved him using an ape's chest.

Number Four, Klaus, is a drug addict who tries to numb the pain of the things he saw and did. But that's nothing on Ben, who, from every indication, was so horrified by what he was able to do (the show isn't exactly clear other than "unleash monsters"), he took his own life to make it stop. Whenever Klaus is high, Ben appears to him, and the two have long conversations in Klaus' mind.

But fans suspect Ben might not be dead. And the new Umbrella Academy posters sure make him look like a living, breathing person, and not a ghost.

There's a running theory Ben is just in a different reality. He's on the other side of a thin membrane, which Klaus can see through when his brain is chemically altered. This theory got a significant boost in Season 1's finale when Klau revealed he could see Ben, and the others immediately took it as a sign their missing brother is here.

Moreover, when the siblings grab hands to save Vanya, sister Number Seven, Ben only grabs on and joins the circle. As the power of time travel courses through them, he becomes visible to all. Is it merely love? Or has Ben been with them the whole time?

His presence in the posters, looking as solid and alive as his siblings, suggests Season 2 is going to answer this question. Viewers can hope for at least one small happy ending for the Umbrella Academy kids. Considering all they've been through, they deserve a win once in a while.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 arrives on Netflix on July 31, 2020.