Succession: Are Kendall’s kids adopted?

Are Kendall Roy’s kids adopted in Succession? The Season 4 finale has left viewers wondering if Kendall and Rava adopted their children – here’s what we know.

In our review, we wrote: “The Succession finale, a masterwork of suspense and heart-racing drama, gives the Roys their Peep Show ending: condemned to tragic inevitability.”

At the start of the episode, Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are on opposing sides: they all think they should be the next Waystar CEO, and none of them want to bend the knee. After a long debate in the Caribbean, they establish a somewhat affectionate alliance and anoint their king: Kendall.

And then, as we should have expected, it all goes wrong at the GoJo board meeting when Shiv gets cold feet, which paves the way for some pretty nasty comments about Kendall’s bloodline – so, are his kids adopted?

Are Kendall Roy’s kids adopted in Succession?

Yes and no: Sophie is adopted, while his son Iverson may not even be his at all, according to Roman.

Kendall shares two children with his ex-wife Rava: Sophie, whom they adopted, and Iverson. He’s never had a particularly great relationship with them, but it’s more as a result of his selfish pursuit of the corporate world than any resentment over his own kids. He believes he’s building a better, safer world with them at the top and claims everything he does is for them.

However, what if he doesn’t have any biological offspring whatsoever? When Shiv storms out of the board meeting in the finale, Kendall blows his top and begs for her to vote for him. He says he’s the “eldest boy” so it should be him, but Roman interjects with an eye-opening comment: “I mean, she’s the bloodline, though.”

Kendall is confused. “We’re all the f*cking bloodline,” he says, but Roman keeps pushing: “If you’re going to play that card, dad’s view was that yours weren’t real… not real real. They are a pair of randos. One is a buy-in, the other is half Rava and half some filing cabinet guy, right?”

This is the first time it’s ever been implied that Kendall wasn’t Iverson’s real father, and going by his enraged reaction, we think it’s true; perhaps Rava slept with another man during a period of turbulence with Kendall before their separation. Or, maybe, Kendall is infertile so they went the IVF route with a sperm donor. By the end, he might actually have nothing that’s truly his own.

Succession Seasons 1-4 are available to stream on HBO and Sky now. Check out our other coverage below:

Season 4 cast | Season 4 release schedule | Season 4 runtimes | Is Succession based on a real family? | What time does Succession drop? | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | Episode 9