Legion Explores the Cerebral Side of Superheroes

Am I clinically insane or do I have powers unknown to the average human? That is the question at the heart of Legion, a brand new kind of superhero story from FOX. A highly-anticipated drama series featuring a cast of standout stars from award-winning producers, Legion is a more psychological, cerebral take on the superhero genre that asks viewers to question everything they know. The eight-part series premieres on FOX on Thursday, 9 February at 9PM.

Inspired by the Marvel Comics X-Men character, Legion is the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens, Downton Abbey), a troubled young man who may be more than human. Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. Now in his early 30s and institutionalized once again, David loses himself in the rhythm of the structured regimen of life in the hospital: breakfast, lunch, dinner, therapy, medications, sleep. David spends the rest of his time in companionable silence alongside his chatterbox friend Lenny (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation), a fellow patient whose life-long drug and alcohol addiction has done nothing to quell her boundless optimism that her luck is about to change.

However, the pleasant numbness of David’s routine is completely upended with the arrival of a beautiful and troubled new patient named Syd (Rachel Keller, Fargo). Inexplicably drawn to one another, David and Syd share a startling encounter, after which David must confront the shocking possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees may actually be real. David escapes from the hospital and connects with a team of unconventional mental health specialists who open David’s eyes to an extraordinary new world of possibilities. The audience is left to question — what is my own reality?

Lucien Harrington, SVP of Marketing & Communications for FOX Networks Group in Asia, said, “Legion is a unique take on the superhero genre. The story explores universal human experiences that each of us can relate to, like second-guessing our thoughts and feelings or asking, is it just me? Even though Legion has a clear superhero thematic that Marvel fans will love, it’s a series with a rich, emotionally-charged subject matter that every viewer can connect with. Legion is another example of FOX bringing audiences the best stories, first.”