Legion: What We Want To See From The X-Men TV Series

by Daniel Falconer | 4 February 2017

It’s already been revealed that Legion won’t initially be a part of Marvel TV’s big ‘game plan’, whilst producer Laura Shuler Donner has confirmed that the FX series will not be taking place in the same continuity as the X-Men movies that have come to the big screen to-date. That means that the television series is mostly free to do as it pleases, so when FOX bring the world of the X-Men back to the small screen for a series that has mostly been kept shrouded in secrecy, there’s a lot of room to explore the sides of mutant life we’ve not yet been exposed to.

Credit: FX

But what do we want to see from the series? Here are just a few ideas that we hope the writers and crew behind the show have taken into consideration…

3. An anti-hero we can’t always get behind

The comic book world has seen the mutant Legion act both in the best intentions of the law, and in the best intentions of himself. He’s an incredibly complicated character as most of the best characters are, so to see an anti-hero version of David Haller is essential if we want him to be one the audience can believe in. That means Haller will have to at times be somebody the viewers won’t want to support. It worked well for Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad, so let’s hope Haller can go down a similar road and bring a real sense of realism to the small screen.

2. A strong but non-patronising take on mental illness

We know that lead character David Haller will be mentally ill when we meet him on Legion. In the comic books, the character started his mutant transformation during a terrorist attack in which he became the only living survivor, but we’re not entirely sure if this will be the exact story making its way onto the small screen. As an Omega-Level mutant in the comic book universe, we hope his immense power is something he’ll also be bringing to Legion. Dealing with mental illness on television is an incredibly challenging thing to do in a non-patronising way, so creator Noah Hawley has his work cut out for him. Fortunately, his work in the past has proven that he knows exactly how to deal with sensitive topics; we’re not worried the show is going to go down the wrong route.

1. A couple of big name guest stars

Writer Noah Hawley has already said that Xavier will ‘probably’ be appearing in the series at some point, so to see some more of the most recognisable fan-favourite characters from the X-Men universe would be very welcome. With Hugh Jackman hanging up his claws and putting his iteration of Wolverine to bed following the release of the new Logan movie, perhaps a new actor can take on the mantle in the television universe. This would be the perfect way to bring the mutant back to the live action world without having to step too much on Jackman’s toes. Leaving it for a short while – and perhaps for the second season – may be the best thing to do here. Here’s hoping that Rogue, Jean Grey and other big names will also be guest starring at some point.