Marvel's 'Legion' Trailer Shows a Cape-Less Superhero Series 

Television is getting crowded with superheroes these days. DC and Warner Bros. have Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl among others, while Marvel retains Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – and we can’t forget the acclaimed lineup of shows on Netflix. Now, 20th Century Fox is getting in the action (and making use of its borrowed X-Men license) with Legion, an X-Men spinoff starring Dan Stevens and Rachel Keller.

The show’s first trailer, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday afternoon, reveals a series that leans more toward supernatural sci-fi than the traditional superhero format. In other words, Legion could be Marvel’s attempt at a Smallville-type of series, rather than another blockbuster-mutants-bash.

Dan Stevens will play David Haller, a powerful mutant diagnosed with schizophrenia who harbors multiple personalities, each with its own special abilities. In the X-Men comics, Legion is the troubled son of Charles Xavier who crops up as more of an antihero than most of Marvel’s superhero do-gooders.

Instead of masks and cool costumes, Legion is setting itself up to be a sci-fi trip with playful visuals that will fool the audience. What’s real? What’s a hallucination? Not even David knows, sometimes until it’s too late.

The series also stars Rachel Keller as Syd, a street-smart girl whose hardened personality protects a sensitive heart, as well as Jean Smart, Aubrey Plaza, and Katie Aselton. The series is created by Noah Hawley, who ushered the Coen Brothers’ Fargo to FX.

Check out the trailer below:

Legion will premiere on FX in 2017.