I Have No Clue Where 'Legion' Goes from Here

If you have not seen Legion’s season two finale yet, you should watch it because this article will spoil what happened. More importantly, you should watch it because it’s amazing. I enjoyed most of season two but part-way through I felt like it was moving very slowly. Of course I was still eager to watch every week and still thought of it as an amazing show, but I couldn’t help but to prefer season one. Both seasons have been visually stunning but I was much more interested in season one’s storyline. The first season had so much mystery building up to the reveal of Shadow King. On the other hand, while watching season two it felt like we were waiting and waiting for David to square off with Shadow King. Furthermore, even though Amahl Farouk is a great character personifying him beyond the devil with yellow eyes or the angriest boy in the world took away a fear of the unknown that the Minotaur, egg monster, and chattering teeth could not replace.

Thankfully, season two’s ending delivered a satisfying battle between David and Shadow King and so much more. David and Shadow King’s fight made the long buildup worth it. This fight had parts of everything that is great about Legion. The astral plane skirmish was visually awesome. The tuning fork used to disable the mutant’s psychic powers was weird yet well suited to Legion’s tone. However, just as David was about to crush Farouk’s skull with a rock he is interrupted by Sydney.

Convinced David is a danger to the whole world Sydney held him at gunpoint. Lenny makes a one in a million shot to save David, who then uses his powers to make Syd no longer mad at him. I expected the season to wrap-up there, with things mainly resolved but Syd’s anger and a locked up Shadow King re-emerging next season. I was so wrong. Shadow King successfully manages to turn the series on its head. David is now the villain based on how he uses his powers, the lengths he went to find Farouk and crimes he may commit in the future. If anyone can pull off a series where the main character is the villain it’s Noah Hawley, but to be honest I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on David as a hero just yet.

David’s actions in the end of season two weren’t very heroic but perhaps it’s not too late for him to redeem himself. David made stupid decisions that the Shadow King could easily exploit. Specifically, how he handled conflict with Sydney. David had to know there would be repercussions for erasing her memories and he made things worse by having sex with her. This is extremely unethical but I’m hoping there is some way David can redeem himself. Although David shouldn’t have done it, I interpret this as David using his powers to undo Shadow King’s brainwashing of Sydney rather than David using his powers to sleep with her. After all, Sidney had a hook plunged through her hand, was dragged into a pit, and was shown a mixtape of David’s lowest moments. Maybe David can fix this if he is very careful with his next moves. A lot of David and Syd’s relationship has been built on not holding their pasts against each other. If David’s addiction and Syd’s causing an innocent man to get arrested for statutory rape can stay in the past maybe they can move beyond this too. I don’t know how David would pull this off but I’d like to see it happen because I think the Shadow King set this all in motion.

It’s also possible that we can finally take something from Legion at face value. If David really is the villain in this story, I’m confident he’ll be one of the greatest comic book villains ever portrayed on screen. Sometimes I think a villain you can sympathize with can be overused. In some cases having a villain you truly hate makes when they are defeated much more satisfying. Other times a sympathetic villain can be extremely compelling. If David really is the villain he will be one of the most sympathetic villains I’ve ever seen. Even when David is trying to destroy the world it will be hard to not consider his past. An adopted child, preyed upon by a psychic parasite as an infant, with mental health problems, his sister is murdered, and he was betrayed by the woman he loves. David could become Legion’s version of Darth Vader. I’d be sad if he is no longer our hero but I’d still watch every week. I’d also be interested to see who fills in the hero role. Sure division three can use Farouk to combat David but they might also use the opportunity to bring in other x-men characters, even if they’re lesser known ones.

Another option they can go with David is more black and white. David’s personalities are getting more and more distinct as the series goes on. Perhaps these personalities will occasionally take control and showcase distinct powers similarly to what happens in the comics. In this case, David’s struggle to remain good will be internal and he will need to kill his own destructive personalities in the astral plane. Meanwhile, he would also need to evade division three until he’s confident he’s killed any part of him that could commit the future crimes he’s accused of. To do this he might need allies such the Muir Island X-Men or his father Professor Xavier.

Given how Legion’s actions in the comics establish the Age of Apocalypse timeline there is also a possibility of time travel undoing some of season two’s events. However, I’d be much more interested in the options discussed early. With that in mind, whichever approach they take I am excited for season three.