Legion, a superhero show based on Marvel characters but not part of the MCU, explores the mental health issues and immense psychic powers of David Haller, the titular X-Men character. The show is a feast for the mind, challenging viewers with its complex storylines, dream-like qualities, and mind-bending exploration of superpowers, mental health, and time travel. Legion is a triumph of storytelling and visual effects, proving that superhero media can also count as high art.
FX's three-season superhero show is a masterpiece of science fiction , and it somehow manages to be even better when you watch it a second time.
FX has long been a great source of science fiction shows, and some of FX's best shows fall under the sci-fi banner. From fusions of sci-fi and horror like American Horror Story and The Beauty to newer shows like Alien: Earth, FX has made some classic sci-fi shows over the years. One of FX's absolute best sci-fi shows is a superhero show based on Marvel characters, though it doesn't count as a Marvel Cinematic Universe show.
That series, Legion, follows the titular X-Men character Legion, real name David Haller. David is a powerful psychic and the son of Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X. Legion, however, has a twist: he also has dissociative identity disorder, giving him multiple personalities and serving as the basis of his superhero name. While FX's Legion takes inspiration directly from the X-Men comics, it also manages to break new ground, especially in comparison to Fox's X-Men films.
It's much more grounded than the MCU typically is, and it takes a completely novel approach to both psychics and time travel across its three-season run. The best part about Legion, however, is that it's a rare show that is actually better the second time around.
Legion Is One Of The Best Superhero & Time Travel Shows Ever Made Even though it's not part of the main MCU, FX's Legion is still easily one of the best superhero shows ever made. Everything about Legion works and puts it a rung above more standard superhero fare. David's powers are constantly impressive, both in the way they're put to the screen and in the myriad of skills and abilities he has at his disposal.
The villain he faces, Amahl Farouk, is also one of the best and most intimate villains in superhero television history. David himself is also one of the most fascinating superhero characters on television. His mental health issues, coupled with his immense psychic power, turn Legion into the ultimate mind-bender. As David teeters on the edge of madness, Legion itself changes and bends to his will.
Characters behave differently, scenes are shot differently, the entire series takes on a dream-like quality at times, and viewers will have a very hard time deciphering what's real and what exists solely in David's mind. Compared to Legion, other mind-bending superhero shows like WandaVision, Loki, and The Umbrella Academy feel like child's play. It's one of the smartest superhero shows ever written, it's utterly perfect in its execution, both visually and narratively, and it's a delight to watch.
Legion is proof that superhero media can also count as"high" art, and that the fantasy of superpowers can translate into some of the most deeply human stories imaginable. Legion also dives headfirst into time travel and manages to dominate that corner of science fiction as well. It's so hard to do time travel well, especially in going for realism and avoiding paradoxes and contrivances.
Legion, however, is just as smart in its time travel as it is in its superhero elements. While it may be confusing at first, Legion's time travel ends up making perfect sense, and the rules it sets up make for one of the greatest finales in the entire genre.
Legion's Later Seasons Completely Change Its Start, Making It The Perfect Show To Rewatch A lot of the artistic value of Legion comes from its complexity, its dream-like qualities, and its mind-bending exploration of superpowers, mental health, and time travel. That can, admittedly, make it a bit confusing to watch Legion.
Trying to keep track of all its moving parts, of who's in whose body, of whether this is real or a product of David's power, and more, can be tiring. But that complexity is also what makes Legion perfect to rewatch. Related 6 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows On Hulu Hulu has some of the best science fiction TV shows to watch on streaming right now, with some just getting started and others being cult classics.
Posts 10 By Mary Kassel By the time Legion season 3 ends, viewers will have a much better understanding of the show and its myriad of rules. Viewers will be better equipped to follow along with Legion's many heady sci-fi concepts, and they'll have more evidence to decipher what's going on. Rewatching Legion turns the show from an easily confusing first watch into a masterpiece of a show, and it helps all those pieces click into place.
Subscribe for deeper Legion and sci-fi show breakdowns Join the newsletter for focused coverage and in-depth analysis of Legion's puzzles, rewatch perspectives, and similar sci-fi/superhero storytelling — helping you unpack every scene and theory. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. The ending of Legion also recontextualizes a lot of the previous events from the show.
The knowledge of the ending completely reshapes Legion's beginning and paints the entire story in a new light, making a rewatch feel somehow completely fresh and simultaneously totally new.
It's an effect rarely seen in television, where the second viewing of the same show gives viewers an entirely new experience of Legion. 14 7.7/10 9/10 Legion 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Action Sci-Fi Superhero Adventure Thriller Release Date 2017 - 2019-00-00 Network FX Showrunner Noah Hawley Directors John Cameron, Michael Uppendahl, Noah Hawley, Tim Mielants, Dana Gonzales, Charlie McDowell, Andrew Stanton, Dennie Gordon, Ellen Kuras, Keith Gordon, Hiro Murai, Jeremy Webb, Ana Lily Amirpour, Larysa Kondracki, Sarah Adina Smith, Daniel Kwan, Arkasha Stevenson Writers Noah Hawley, Nathaniel Halpern, Olivia Dufault, Peter Calloway, Jennifer Yale, Kate Thulin Cast See All Franchise X-Men Creator Noah Hawley Powered by Expand Collapse
Legion Science Fiction Superhero FX Marvel X-Men Time Travel X-Men Comics Psychics David Haller Amahl Farouk Storyline Dream-Like Qualities Mind-Bending Exploration Powers Mental Health
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