While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made household names of a number of talented actors, the majority of talent bringing some of our favorite heroes and villains to life have made their mark in other stories as well. There are plenty of movies and television series that some of our MCU favorites may not be quite as well known for but are still worth a watch. That’s the case for Paul Bettany’s underrated supernatural horror film — and it just so happens to be a fantastic watch while we wait for Bettany’s return as Vision in VisionQuest, at least while you still can.
Released in 2010 — just two years after Bettany first appeared in the MCU as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. in Iron Man and the same year he’d reprise the role in Iron Man 2 — Legion is directed by Scott Stewart and stars Bettany as the Archangel Michael who comes to Earth to defy God’s plan to basically start the apocalypse having lost faith in man. He, along with a small group of people, attempt to protect a baby destined to be the savior of mankind. The movie didn’t win over critics, but audiences made it a box office success and it’s done well on streaming. It’s currently available on Netflix and makes for an excellent watch, but you need to act fast. The movie leaves the platform on September 1st.
I’m not here to tell you that Legion and VisionQuest share any thematic DNA or anything like that. They’re very different stories, but what does bring them together is Bettany’s performance. While there was a lot of negative response to Legion, Bettany’s performance as a fallen angel is a solid one and even the filmmaker noted that casting Bettany in the film helped set the tone in the first place. Legion could have very easily been a bit nuts and campy, but the gravity of Bettany’s performance brings things back down to earth (pun not intended but welcome). One could also argue that there is a small connection between Legion in VisionQuest in that, for both stories, Bettany is playing someone who is not himself human, but is deeply entangled with humanity. It’s pretty interesting if you think about it.
But what might be the most interesting thing about Legion is that the movie got a sequel — just four years later and not on the big screen but the small. In 2014, Dominion debuted on Syfy. Set 25 years after Legion, the story picks up in a post-apocalyptic world as humanity is surviving, with the archangel Michael on their side, surviving until the prophesied savor emerges to save everyone. The series featured a different cast and lasted for just two seasons but makes for an interesting companion to the film. However, if you want to stream that after you’ve watched Legion, you’ll have to do some digging. It’s not currently streaming online, unless you pay to watch it.
