It looks as if Legion won't be crossing over with the X-Men movies, but that doesn't mean Professor X will never appear on the show. When 20th Century Fox first announced plans to bring their X-Men characters to the small screen, speculation immediately began as to whether they would crossover with the movies. So far, it seems that both FX's hit series Legion and FOX's upcoming The Gifted will stand on their own for the time being. That said, there's still plenty of room for nods to the movies.
For The Gifted, that means a number of mutant characters from the comics that could potentially have ties to the X-Men. On Legion, the biggest piece of connective tissue is that David is the son of Charles Xavier. While star Dan Stevens has discussed the possibility of Professor X appearing on Legion with Patrick Stewart, nothing concrete has emerged. And though next season of the show will be dealing with the fallout from the finale and the ascension of the Shadow King, could there still be room for connections to the movies?
CBR was on hand at Legion's Q&A at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, where X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner seemed to answer the crossover question definitively:
“It has to exist on its own plane. It can’t ever cross-over with the movies — or why watch it?”
So far, this is the most concrete answer we've had about a potential crossover, and it likely won't make fans happy. While it makes sense for the show to carve its own idiosyncratic path, the idea that a crossover with the films would invalidate watching the series is (arguably) off-base.
Even if the X-Men movie actors won't be showing up on the TV show, however, Legion could still find a way to reference the larger X-Men universe or even put its own spin on things from the comics. When asked how the show might address David's parentage - including the age of Xavier - showrunner Noah Hawley had this to say:
“On some level it would depend on who would do it. When we reach that part of the story — is it funnier if it’s the older one or the younger one? I don’t know. It’d be great if you were older than your dad.”
The penultimate episode of Legion season 1 alluded to Xavier, but nothing definitive has been done on the show yet. Still, season 1 of Supergirl danced around the Man of Steel before making him a recurring character in season 2. Likely, Legion will grow bolder as it moves into season 2, which is already well underway into development. When it does, hopefully we'll see the show find a way to do its own twist on a crossover.
Next: Legion Showrunner to Helm Doctor Doom Movie
Legion season 2 airs on FX in 2018.
Source: CBR