Legion season 3 is set to premiere in 2019, but what can fans expect from the next chapter in this surreal story? The FX series features Dan Stevens as the Marvel character David Haller, an antihero mutant with dissociative identity disorder, and is (loosely) connected to the X-Men franchise.
Created by Noah Hawley, Legion premiered in February 2017 and received near-universal critical acclaim for its unique and frequently off-the-wall style. Alongside Stevens, Aubrey Plaza stars as Lenny Busker, a friend of the title character whose consciousness becomes controlled by the mutant Amahl Farouk. In season 2, Legion’s viewership declined, despite being well-received by critics and featuring Mad Men’s Jon Hamm as the series narrator. Legion season 2 also featured direction from noted filmmakers Ana Lily Amirpour, Charlie McDowell, and Sarah Adina Smith.
FX’s Legion has been co-executive produced by Bryan Singer and the late Stan Lee, and while it hasn’t resonated with the general public enough to garner big ratings, it does have a loyal fanbase who are eagerly waiting to find out what’s next for David. Here’s everything we know about Legion season 3.
Legion Season 3’s Release Date
Last June, Legion season 3 was officially green lit by FX. While network shows often aren’t renewed until after the season finale has aired, Legion season 3 was confirmed before the final two episodes of season 2 aired. Legion is expected to return in June, but an official date hasn’t been set.
In January, Legion cast Lauren Tsai as the mutant Switch, and Harry Lloyd was cast as Professor X in February. In February 2019, we learned that Legion season 3 will be the final season for the show, so fans should get ready to say goodbye to David and his friends.
Legion Season 3’s Story
In the Legion season 2 finale, David Haller continued to struggle with his sense of identity - most notably, the idea that’s he’s not exactly a good guy. In fact, Syd and the rest of Division 3 think he’s clearly mentally ill, which is good news for Farouk. Last June, we covered Legion’s season 2 finale and noted the overall visual inventiveness, but also that some of the digressions weren’t quite necessary.
According to TV Line, Legion season 3 finds David leading a hippy commune in the hopes of healing his broken spirit. Unfortunately for both David and his eager followers, showrunner Noah Hawley says that this unique form of therapy may not be as effective as it seems:
It’s at the commune that David meets Lauren Tsai’s character, Switch, who is a time-traveler. Switch becomes embroiled in a plan of David’s that involves time travel… but Hawley wouldn’t reveal any more than that.
“He has gone to a place to get what he needs, which is positive affirmation coming at him. But he does it by feeding off the positive energy of his acolytes, and he gets all this positive energy by implanting that positivity in their minds. So he’s in this feedback loop. He’s no healthier, actually, psychologically, than he was before. He’s just insulated… and that insulation doesn’t last for very long.”
Will Legion Season 4 Happen?
By now, we know that Legion season 4 will never happen - at least not on FX. Eight months after renewing the Marvel series, FX’s CEO John Landgraf announced that Legion would end after season 3. However, Landgraf also noted that series creator Hawley originally planned for only a three-season Legion storyline. At the Television Critics Association’s recent winter press tour, Hawley explained:
So, the bad news is that Legion will be over in 2019. The good news, though, is that the final episodes should offer closure for viewers, since Legion season 3 was always supposed to be the end.
“I think endings are what give stories meaning. I always thought about this as a complete story with a beginning, middle and end, and it felt like a three-act story, and so this just felt like the natural place to end it.”
