'Legion': Syd Will Be the Hero of Season 3

Noah Hawley's mind-bending X-Men television series Legion will return for a third season on FX, but the series' perspective will shift to cast Syd Barrett, played by Rachel Keller, as the show's new hero.

During the Legion panel in Hall H on Sunday at San Diego Comic-Con, Keller discussed the challenge of playing both present and future Syd in season two and what the character's role will be in season three (via Agents of Geek).

"It was hard to balance future and present Syd because I was so invested was happening with present Syd," Keller said. "But I am so excited to see where we go from here with Syd the hero of season three."

However, just because Syd is being cast as the hero doesn't necessarily mean she's truly prepared for it.

"The most important thing is how Syd will react if he plans don't go as planned as a hero," Keller explained. "When what she loves and wants do not necessarily coincide. How she reacts will show who she is as a hero"

Pivoting to Syd being the hero next season is an interesting choice for Legion, especially considering where the series went with the David Haller (Dan Stevens), who had been the protagonist up until now. David and Rachel were in a romantic relationship, but he suffered a mental break and used his telepathic powers to manipulate Syd's mind and then had sex with her, committing a form of psychically-induced sexual assault. When David's friends at Division 3 tried to confront him with the fact that he is both a mutant and someone with serious mental health issues he fled with Lenny.

Making Syd the hero of the coming season will perhaps give the character an opportunity to reclaim her agency and confront her abuser, rather than making it the story of a rapist's redemption.

Legion was renewed for a third season by FX and will return in 2019.

"Legion has redefined the superhero drama and exceeded all expectations as the intensity and revelation build through the second season," FX co-President of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions Eric Schrier said when the renewal was announced. "We are incredibly proud of Noah Hawley's achievement and are honored to continue the series as it pushes the boundaries of conventional television storytelling. We are also grateful for the contributions of our executive producers, John Cameron, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, and Jeph Loeb with Marvel Television, as well as our outstanding cast and crew of this groundbreaking show."

What do you think of Syd becoming the hero of Legion Season Three? Let us know in the comments!