(Spoiler alert: This post contains details from the first three episodes of FX’s “Legion.”)
Three episodes into FX’s “Legion,” and it’s still not clear what in David Haller’s (Dan Stevens) life is real and what is imaginary. That confusion is lessened a bit by his time in Summerland, the mutant home/training facility run by Dr. Melanie Bird (Jean Smart), but “Legion” isn’t letting viewers off that easy.
The end of Episode 3 finds David opening his mind and memory to Dr. Bird, Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris) and Syd (Rachel Keller). They quickly find it a more dangerous place than they expected. And it’s during this attempt to find out what’s really going on with David that “Legion” creator Noah Hawley hits viewers with evidence that may well confirm a theory that’s floated around since the start of the show: that Syd, the body-switching mutant who has become David’s girlfriend, isn’t real.
“Legion” has spent its entire run so far toying with the viewer’s notion of reality within the show, because we’re seeing just about everything from David’s point of view. David is an untrustworthy narrator to both the audience and himself. He loses himself in memories, struggles to tell hallucinations from objective reality, and talks to people who aren’t there.
Syd has always been a bit suspect as a character, but her time spent in David’s mind suggests more than anything that she’s actually a part of him. When the other characters can’t see the threatening elements of David’s subconscious, like the Devil with the Yellow Eyes, Syd can. She follows a child version of David through the halls of his memory, and she’s able to communicate with and help him. Where the other characters venturing into David’s mind are passengers or tourists, in Episode 3, Syd is wholly in tune with what’s happening there. The only other person who can see what she sees while she’s in David’s mind is the child version of David himself.
All of Syd’s time and experience within David’s memory suggests she might not be visiting David’s mind, but that she’s a part of it. And that comes off a bit weird — Syd is a physical person who interacts with other characters, after all. She’s there, in the room, with Dr. Bird, Ptonomy and David. She’s not Tyler Durden of “Fight Club,” who is ignored by other characters unless he’s controlling Ed Norton’s body. Syd seems to be really there. So how can she be a projection of David’s mind?
That answer hinges on David’s powers, which we’ve only seen in small bursts. It’s clear that David is telekinetic and telepathic. In the comics from which “Legion” is adapted, he has other abilities, like pyrokinesis — the ability to control fire with his mind. And he can also control, and alter, the fabric of reality.
In essence, if David has the powers Legion does in the comics, he could actually will Syd into being with his mind. In the show, it seems he might have done that already, if accidentally.
In fact, we’ve already seen David’s reality-bending powers at work. He can teleport people and objects through walls and over distances, especially when he’s in trouble. And then there’s Lenny’s death in Episode 1, at Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital. When David and Syd switch bodies, Syd accidentally lets loose with David’s powers. David’s out-of-control abilities zap everyone into their rooms at Clockworks, but the doors have ceased to exist. They’re replaced by blank, sealed walls. Lenny (Aubrey Plaza), David’s friend, is killed when she’s actually fused into the wall — seemingly an accidental side-effect of Syd using David’s power to rewrite reality.
Everything else about Syd adds at least circumstantial evidence to the idea she might not be real. She refuses to be touched, and when David does touch her, she takes over his body. That sounds an awful lot like the comic story of Legion, who is so named because his body plays host to several personalities. All those personalities vie for control, and each one manifests different powers. Syd says she’s switched with other people, but we’ve only seen her switch bodies with David. It seems possible that what’s really happening is the Syd personality that David has created briefly takes over.
There are a few other clues about Syd’s unrealness spread throughout “Legion” as well. There are no records of Syd at Clockworks, for instance. That’s not too out there — David’s records seem to have disappeared as well, suggesting maybe Division 3 is covering up his existence. But then, the Interrogator in Episode 1 also tells David there are no records of Syd at the hospital. Why would the Interrogator lie to David about Syd’s records if he’s trying to track her down, and if his organization is the one that is covering up her existence?
And if David really can alter reality, it seems easy enough for his mind to supply Syd with memories and backstory, while also doing enough adjustments to the perception of people around him to make her seem real. Syd exists, but only as far as David creates her. That’s well within Legion’s powers in the comics, where he even rewrites reality to make himself a beloved hero. There are no records of Syd in the show because David has never had occasion to worry about the bureaucracy that would be involved in keeping track of her. He never considered the hospital would have records of Syd, so his mind didn’t create any.
Syd being an imaginary concept doesn’t seem that far-fetched if you consider that Lenny might also be one. She always seems to appear at random around him, both when she’s alive and dead. It seems strange that Lenny is both David’s junky friend out in the world, and then gets committed to the same hospital he does. But her continued appearance to David, even after she dies, makes more sense if she’s always been part of his mind.
If Syd is indeed David’s construction, she would count toward the multiple personalities existing within him that are part of his story in the comics, but haven’t really popped up much in the show. And Syd’s identity would obviously have major repercussions for “Legion” going forward.
What do you think? Leave your own theories in the comments.
“Legion” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.
Every 'Legion' Character Ranked, From Least to Most Likely Imaginary (Photos)
The life of David Haller, AKA "Legion," is a confusing one. He's never sure what's real and what isn't. That goes for events as well as people. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
Since we still don't know what to trust about David's perception of "Legion," we gathered the evidence. Here's you're complete list of everyone in "Legion" to help determine who's probably only in his head.
49. Baby David Cute kid, generally amiable seeming, and also David was probably a baby at some point, so chances of realness are high. Quick baby judgment: 8/10.
48. Amy Haller David's sister seems like quite a nice person who has had to put up with a lot of rough living thanks to David's condition. She brings David a cupcake for his birthday. Unfortunately he's not allowed to eat it, but it was a nice try.
47. Ben, Amy's Husband He produces both Halloween candy and waffles for others, and seems like a nice dude. About as real-seeming as Amy. Cool pirate costume, guy.
46. Kid Amy She's got a cool bike with a basket and streamers. Amy appears to be the one constant other human in David's life and despite being tied to his telepathy, she interacts with too many other folks to only exist in his head.
45. Fire Extinguisher Teacher She puts an end to fiery fun pretty fast. Verdict: Really a teacher.
44. Brubaker The Division 3 G-Man who holds The Eye's leash comes off like a government enforcer. If everything that happened at the pool is real, this guy definitely is. If it isn't, he's probably still an actual person and not a David projection. Then again, Brubaker wanted to imprison David, and Brubaker is the name of a famous movie about a prison....
43. The Eye This guy is killing it as someone whose entire role in "Legion" is to stand around looking creepy and vaguely dangerous. Our primary villain has the most potential to be scary if he's an actual person and not a made-up one.
42. Soccer Star David Well-adjusted and athletic, little David seems like he's living a pretty good life. David seems to have had a pretty decent, mostly real childhood.
41. Dr. Poole David's pre-institution doctor is not an especially helpful dude. That makes me think his chances of being imaginary are extremely low.
40. Philly Dr. Poole knows who Philly, David's girlfriend, is. That's a point in her favor. She also bailed on David when he got too weird. So she's probably real, just not too supportive.
39. High School David Having a hard time with adolescence, David gets into fights. But he doesn't seem to be suffering from anything other than puberty as yet.
38. High School Principal Quick on the draw for breaking up a fight at a dance, this guy seems like he's likely pretty darn real.
37. Dance Mustache Guy Bow tie, ridiculous mustache, and turning away from a fight in the middle of the fight? I don't trust anything about this guy. Contextually, though, the scene suggests David really did pop him one in Chapter 1.
36. Dance Mustache Guy's Date So sad about David's apparent punching-out of her dance partner, she seems entirely real and having a pretty bad evening.
35. Medicating Doctor Guy's got a sense of style for a doctor with that green shirt. David's early life is suspect in Chapter 2 but we have no reason to assume this doctor is a mental construct.
34. Science Class Pyro David A memory from David's childhood seems like the real deal and not yet necessarily accessing mutant powers. Also I wish I had ever had as much fun in school as David is having with that Bunsen burner.
33. The Ref Who Gave David a Soccer Trophy Seems like a nice guy but also why does he insist on being in this photo with David during the big moment. Could it be because David wishes he won a trophy but really didn't?
32. Ineffective Rioter Not only does this guy pick up a large metal object that is literally on fire — which seems dumb — but then he doesn’t even manage to break the store window with it. Possibly imaginary since he's completely inept. Possibly real for the same reason.
31. Clark the Interrogator's Son He doesn't say much, but Clark's son does his homework, supports his dad and seems like a good kid.
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30. Clark The Interrogator One of the more down-to-earth characters was cooked by pyrokinesis flames in David's escape from Division 3. His miraculous survival makes him suspicious, but we'll have to wait for more evidence.
29. Clark's the Interrogator's Husband Devoted and seemingly there for Clark after his horrific run-in with David, this guy is actually a Division 3 agent. He comes off as a bit ruthless but as real as anyone else in the strange government unit.
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26-28. Division 3 Technicians Jury's out on these guys, largely because of their pink hats.
25. Kid David Hearing Voices Not having a good time, but no reason to doubt his authenticity. We're sliding toward unreality here, though.
24. David's adopted mom There's not much reason to assume David’s adopted mom isn't exactly how he remembers her, but the jury’s out until more evidence is presented.
23. Division 3 Stormtroopers Faceless goons who die super easy? These guys could easily just be invented by David without much effort to give him some bad guys to escape.
22. Clockworks Hospital Receptionist Amy talks to her and she's completely unhelpful, which makes her seem real. But David saw her in one of his mutant visions, which puts her realness up in the air.
21. Dr. Kissinger Does not seem like an especially effective therapist, actually. He interacts with Amy in Episode 4, which is a notch in his favor. Pretty much the first thing he says is "I exist," though which is pretty fishy.
20. Melanie Bird Melanie conveniently appears in David's life, a lot like Syd, in order to tell him how special he is. Her theories would alleviate David's lifetime of battling mental illness by giving him a good excuse for it. She could easily be a mechanism for his mind to cope with his reality by escaping it.
19. Ptonomy If we suspect Melanie Bird, we have to suspect Ptonomy. His ability to dive into David's memories helps with the potential fiction he's selling himself, and lets David explore his own past. It's all very convenient.
18. Cary He might be a little weird, but among all of Melanie's crew, the dude named Cary seems to be the most likely real. He's neurotic and runs computers and doesn't do much else.
17. Kerry It's hard to tell whether Kerry is someone David imagines, someone Cary imagines, or someone David imagines Cary would imagine. Then again, she could just be someone who's got a weird mutant power.
16. Howard If any of these folks are imaginary, it’s this guy, whose mutant power is basically the Force. He looks like he could give Yoda a run for his money.
15. Oliver Bird Melanie's husband was apparently frozen in a diving suit in the basement of Summerland, and then David meets him on the astral plane. Now he's back and good as new, more or less. Other people seem to think he's real -- just strange.
14. David's biological father We don't know anything about this guy in "Legion" except that David had other parents. The rest is pure speculation based on hints from the Shadow King. But fans of the comics know that David's canonical dad is X-Men founder Professor Charles Xavier.
13. The Shadow King A mutant who exists solely as a mental projection, who David refers to as the Devil with the Yellow Eyes. He's chillingly real, working to take over David. Oh, and he, King, the Angriest Boy and Lenny are all manifestations of the same creature. Then again, he's a magic invisible person who lives in David's head, so ... grain of salt.
12. Patient with the Spit David's time in the institution all seems pretty weird. Its strange aesthetic and stranger clientele make it hard to gauge whether David populated it with people himself or if this poor guy is just this medicated.
11. Everyone at the Clockworks facility That Lenny whisks everyone back to Clockworks at the end of the latest episode is more evidence the place was never quite real to begin with. At the very least, these people are all on the untrustworthy evil apparition list.
9-10. These folks watching Amy and David David's first non-memory appearance is flanked by these folks, who watch amiably. The ambiguity here is definitely meant to make us question their realness.
8. Syd Barrett She may not like to be touched, but Syd's got a discerning eye for B.S. Given all the weird body switching that occurs, though, Syd seems like a prime candidate for an imaginary girlfriend. If she's Canadian, probability goes up to 100 percent.
7. Lenny's Weird Drug Dealer What kind of dealer accepts a kitchen stove in trade for drugs? A fake one, that's what kind.
6. The Voices David's many tormentors don't even seem like they're especially effective. Miranda Bird says these guys are actually a manifestation of David's powers, so maybe he's just hearing other people's thoughts. Then again, we know Legion's flawed perception is key to his character.
5. David's adopted dad The version of David's adopted dad in his memories can't be identified. David has memories of hanging out with him, but then again, we know key characters like his best friend and his childhood dog are fictitious manipulations of the Shadow King. Chances are very high this version of David's dad is completely fictional.
4. Lenny/Benny Busker David's friend in the institution is seemingly killed by his mutant power outburst. She lives on as his personal Tyler Durden, a form of the Shadow King. But was she ever real? It's tough to say. She (and her male counterpart Benny) seem to be more of a mask for the creature than a real person.
3. The Angriest Boy in the World Basically David’s personal Babadook. The Angriest Boy seems to be some manifestation of the Shadow King. He doesn't appear to be especially real other than a tool for scaring the bejeezus out of David, but who knows.
2. King the dog David’s cute-as-hell childhood dog turns out to be a conjuration of the Shadow King as well, a form only David can see. So not really a dog. But possibly an evil mutant monster.
1. David Haller Legion gets his name in the comics from a series of personalities he absorbs from other people. We're stuck seeing everything through David's eyes, and he's not exactly reliable. Now that the Shadow King is trying to take David over, who knows what we know about him is true.
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It’s never clear who and what is actually real on FX’s X-Men universe drama
The life of David Haller, AKA "Legion," is a confusing one. He's never sure what's real and what isn't. That goes for events as well as people. Spoilers ahead, obviously.
Since we still don't know what to trust about David's perception of "Legion," we gathered the evidence. Here's you're complete list of everyone in "Legion" to help determine who's probably only in his head.