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.
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.
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.
