Throughout its run, Legion has reigned supreme as perhaps one of the weirdest, yet most visually satisfying shows on television. With that being said, the psychic mutant's X-Men series can be very cerebral at times, and it can be hard to understand what happened even for fans who literally just witnessed it. To its credit, Legion's Season 3 finale was more coherent than past season finales, but there may be still confusion about what happened in the series finale.
For those still scratching their heads and wondering what it all meant, here's what went down and what it could mean for the future of Legion. Yes, Legion could have a future, but we'll get into that later on. For now, let's focus on the final leg of David's plan, and how it all worked out for him.
David's Plan
Legion Season 3 kicked off with David on the run from his friends and Division 3 when it was deduced that he was a greater threat to humanity than the target they'd all been pursuing to that point, the Shadow King Amahl Farouk. With the help of his friend Lenny, David starts a cult and puts out feelers for a time traveling mutant who can help him with his plan.
David gets his wish in the form of the mutant Switch, and together, the two travel back in time in an effort to kill the past version of Farouk before he occupies David's mind. David believes doing so will lead to a better life, and ultimately justifies all his villainous actions in the present on the fact that none of it will matter when he changes the timeline.
Despite all odds, David does finally make it to his father Charles Xavier's first meeting with Farouk, as do his former friends and the Shadow King from adult David's timeline. David is able to intercept his father ahead of his meeting with that time's Farouk and tells him of his plan to help his father kill the Shadow King and reset David's timeline permanently.
Xavier And Farouk's Solution
Charles Xavier is somewhat floored by the appearance of his adult son from the future, and is also leveled by the news that he would ultimately go on to abandon his current infant child. This makes him willing to go along with David's plan to kill Farouk as his first meeting, though it's clear he's disturbed by David's personality and not as conditioned to violence as his son has become.
Before Charles can kill the Farouk of his present, he is interrupted by the Farouk of the future, who suggests the two have a sit down. There, the two discuss over drinks the life David has led, and Farouk claims some responsibility for driving David insane by hiding himself away in his mind. Though their dynamic is antagonistic, Farouk revealed that the Legion main character has been somewhat of a son to him, as he's gained some empathy for him through their shared mental space.
Through that shared mental space, Farouk learned that while he may deserve a lot of credit for David's transformation, there's more to how he became the person that he is. The abandonment of his parents certainly caused some emotional trauma and also shaped David into the adult that Charles eventually realized is unwell. Charles could kill Farouk, but would it guarantee that David turned into the best version of himself he could possibly be?
The conversation led the two "fathers" to a truce, in which they later explained to a frustrated future David and past Farouk that were entangled in battle moments before. In this new timeline, Farouk would not interfere with Charles Xavier, and Xavier would stop his endless travel and be the father he never was to David. Take that, plus Syd convincing David's mother not to abandon David despite her own emotional issues, and David would presumably live a normal life.
The Changed Reality
The plan was put in place, and slowly but surely, everything came together. We're not shown how everything changes, but the assumption is that David's changed childhood means he won't be adopted and will be raised as David Xavier, not Haller. This means he won't know his former sister Amy, likely won't meet Lenny (the real or fictional version), his other friends from Legion Season 3 or otherwise, or Syd.
At least, that's one possibility. Another possibility is that many of his former friends work his way into David's life eventually, as Charles notes to Gabby it's his wish to settle down and begin teaching. The tease seems to indicate Charles will start his road towards creating the X-Men, but this time he'll be married and have what we would assume is one of his first recruits to the academy.
It's a new beginning, but in many ways comes full circle as David's life cycles back to the start. He has a new beginning, and while there are teases of what that life will entail, Legion fans are largely left to guess how David's life will turn out from there. Will he still become a villain anyway, or will Farouk break his promise and occupy David's mind again? I'd like to think no, but c'mon, he's one of the franchise's biggest antagonists.
The Future Of Legion
As stated above, the ending of Legion Season 3 leaves things a bit open-ended. This may be why Marvel Television's Jeph Loeb and others have expressed interest in telling the story again with the same cast and a different scenario, provided creator Noah Hawley (who is said to have ended things the way he initially pitched the series) is willing to pen another script. Things are set up to where each character could come back into the story yet again in what would be a sequel anthology series of sorts.
Will that actually happen? It's hard to discount any scenario when it comes to Marvel and television these days, but Legion isn't the most attractive show for any network when it comes to viewership and ratings. It still managed to finish its run due to critical acclaim and some grace on behalf of FX though, so someone there seemed to like it enough to keep it around. Plus, streaming has become an era where quality shows can trump low ratings, at least in some cases.
Basically, a Legion follow-up has been theorized, but it's by no means a sure thing. That's especially true as Marvel prepares to re-introduce the X-Men within the MCU, which may mean it keeps a tighter hold on which X-Men shows are and aren't developed going forward. Basically, until official word of Legion getting a follow up is announced, be very wary of anything that implies a continuation will happen.
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Legion is over but those interested in watching can check out the series on Hulu or via FX subscription services. Be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news in the world of television and movies.
