When the final credits rolled on the fourth season of The Umbrella Academy in August 2024, fans weren't just mourning the end of the Hargreeves siblings. They were picking apart a legacy that had suddenly become very messy. For years, Steve Blackman Umbrella Academy was a pairing that represented one of Netflix’s biggest wins—a weird, cynical, but ultimately heart-filled superhero show that didn't feel like a Marvel clone. But by the time the series finale aired, the conversation had shifted from time travel and talking chimps to some pretty heavy real-world allegations.
It's weird how things change so fast. One minute you're the guy who successfully adapted Gerard Way’s "unadaptable" comic, and the next, you're the subject of a massive Rolling Stone exposé.
The Rise of the Irish Cowboy
Honestly, Steve Blackman’s path to the top of the Netflix food chain wasn't exactly a straight line. He started out as a divorce lawyer in Canada. Yeah, a lawyer. He’s gone on record saying he was "miserable" doing it, so he did what every unhappy professional dreams of: he wrote a script about what he knew. That led to The Associates, and eventually, a career path that took him through Bones, Fargo, and Altered Carbon.
When he took over as showrunner for The Umbrella Academy, he basically reinvented the genre. He leaned into the "dysfunctional family" aspect rather than the "save the world" trope. It worked. For three seasons, the show was a juggernaut. Netflix loved him so much they handed him a $50 million development deal and the keys to the Horizon Zero Dawn adaptation.
Then came 2024.
✨ Don't miss: The Lil Wayne Tracklist for Tha Carter 3: What Most People Get Wrong
The Rolling Stone Bombshell
In July 2024, just weeks before the final season dropped, Rolling Stone released a report that felt like a bucket of cold water. Twelve former staffers came forward. They didn't have nice things to say. We’re talking about a human resources complaint from 2023 that alleged a "long history of toxic, bullying, manipulative, and retaliatory behavior."
One of the most specific and honestly jarring claims involved a female writing team. The story goes that one of the writers was pregnant and took leave. According to the report, Blackman allegedly felt "ripped off" by this and didn't extend their contracts, despite extending others. Blackman’s reps called these claims "entirely untrue" and "completely absurd," citing performance and budget as the real reasons for any staffing changes.
But it wasn't just about contracts. Staffers described an environment where they had to show "unwavering loyalty" or face the consequences. There were even allegations of disparaging comments about women and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Elliot Page Paradox
What makes this so complex is the relationship between Blackman and the show's star, Elliot Page. When Page transitioned in real life, the show followed suit, transitioning his character into Viktor Hargreeves. At the time, Page praised Blackman for being "very insistent" on making the transition part of the narrative.
🔗 Read more: Songs by Tyler Childers: What Most People Get Wrong
However, the Rolling Stone piece leaked a text message allegedly from Blackman that read: "Elliot wants to come out as trans on the show. As Ivan. Oh my f***ing God. Kill me now."
His team defended the text, saying it was just a stressed-out showrunner reacting to the massive logistical nightmare of rewriting an entire season that was already scripted. They argued it wasn't transphobia, but "production-phobia." Whether you believe that or not kinda depends on how much grace you’re willing to give a guy under a deadline.
Why Season 4 Felt... Different
If you’ve watched the final season, you know it felt rushed. It was only six episodes. Most people blamed the budget, but the cloud of these allegations didn't help. Fans were vocal about their hate for the Five and Lila romance—a plot point Blackman defended as an "earned moment" born out of seven years of survival.
The internal drama clearly bled into the external reality. Shortly after the report, news broke that the Horizon Zero Dawn series and another project called Orbital were no longer moving forward at Netflix. While Netflix didn't explicitly say "we're canceling this because of the report," the timing was a bit too perfect to be a coincidence.
💡 You might also like: Questions From Black Card Revoked: The Culture Test That Might Just Get You Roasted
What Most People Get Wrong
There's a common misconception that UCP (Universal Content Productions) didn't do anything about the complaints. They actually did an investigation in 2023. The result? They cleared him of the most serious charges but admitted it was "more likely than not" that he made inappropriate remarks. They basically gave him a "don't do it again" talk and kept the cameras rolling.
Is he a visionary showrunner who got stressed out in a high-pressure industry? Or is he the "vile" boss described by former writers? The truth is usually somewhere in the boring middle, but in Hollywood, the middle doesn't get you a $50 million deal or a front-page exposé.
Moving Forward
The Steve Blackman Umbrella Academy era is officially over. The show is done. The spinoffs are dead or "on ice." If you're looking for lessons here, they aren't about time travel.
Practical Takeaways for the Industry:
- HR Transparency Matters: The fact that many staffers in the Rolling Stone report claimed they were never interviewed for the initial 2023 investigation suggests a massive gap in how studios handle internal complaints.
- The "Genius" Pass is Expiring: There was a time when being a "hitmaker" meant you could act however you wanted. That era is dying. Netflix's decision to halt Horizon shows that even a successful track record can't always outrun a bad reputation.
- Document Everything: For writers and assistants, the takeaway is clear—keep the receipts. The only reason these stories gained traction was because people kept logs and saved texts.
If you’re a fan of the show, it’s okay to love the art while being skeptical of the artist. The Umbrella Academy remains a landmark for weird sci-fi. But as of 2026, the man behind the curtain is facing a much tougher crowd than the Netflix algorithm.