Marvel and FX’s much-anticipated new series Legion has finally arrived and just as advertised, it’s a strange beast indeed. Based on the Marvel comic series of the same name, Legion focuses on a thirty-something man named David (Dan Stevens) who has heard voices and seen things that aren’t there his whole life. Naturally, this has led up to him being placed in a mental hospital and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but in reality, his mental instability is a manifestation of his mutant powers, which neither he nor anyone else really understand. Legion doesn’t provide easy answers and is definitely a mind-bending trip, but it’s also one of the best new shows of 2017 and absolutely deserving of your time. If you like comic book adaptations, but are growing a bit bored with the more traditional fare like Arrow or the Captain America movies, Legion is just what the doctor ordered.
The following are some of my reactions to the series premiere. I touch on mild spoilers, but I don’t give away any plot details that weren’t revealed in the trailers for show. Still, if you’re sensitive about anything even remotely spoiler-ish, you should probably stop reading now.
8. X-Men Connection Potential
In case you were unaware, David Haller/Legion is the son of Charles Xavier in the Marvel comics, which leaves a lot of room open for connections to the X-Men in future episodes. The premiere doesn’t confirm one way or another whether Haller is the son of Professor X in the show’s interpretation of the character, but even if he isn’t, showrunner Noah Hawley and his writing team still have plenty of opportunity to work in small winks and nods to he source material. Without going into spoilers, one of the premiere’s final scenes sends a clear message that Legion will do plenty of unexpected things with its Marvel universe connections and there have even been rumors that Patrick Stewart or James McAvoy will cameo as Professor X at some point.
Whereas pretty much every other comic book TV series in recent years go out of their way to make references to either the DC or Marvel universes (depending on the show), it’s refreshing to see a show like Legion remain coy about the extent to which it connects to its larger universe. I guess we’ll have to just have to wait and see what (if any) surprises it has in store in this regard.