X-Men '97 Episode 7 Finally Confirms The Show's Real Villain (And Who Plays Him)
Contains spoilers for "X-Men '97," Season 1, Episode 7
The genocidal attack on Genosha in Episode 5 of "X-Men '97" has left the X-Men devastated, with the surviving members trying to pick up the pieces and learn which powerful force is pulling the strings behind the attack. In the latest Season 1 episode, "Bright Eyes," viewers learn that the mysterious figure orchestrating the events isn't Bolivar Trask, Henry Gyrich, or even Mister Sinister. It's Bastion, voiced by "The Gentlemen" and "White Lotus" Season 2 star Theo James.
In the episode, Cyclops and the X-Men work to track down Trask, who helped bring the Sentinels online. Rogue goes on her own quest to find him, going up against Thaddeus Ross and Captain America before reteaming with her fellow mutants. Throughout the show, it's revealed a group called the OZT is somehow involved in the dark events. When the X-Men arrive in Madripoor and learn that Trask has been turned into a human-Sentinel hybrid, Cable appears and saves the day while revealing the man responsible for all the death and chaos: Bastion. Not only does the newly introduced villain have considerable power with his advanced technology and the aid of Sinister, but he's kept Magneto alive as his prisoner.
While Bastion might seem like a bizarre choice to be the main villain of Season 1 of "X-Men '97," those who know the character's comic book history realize he's no joke. Bastion poses a considerable problem for the X-Men and anyone who stands alongside them.
Bastion is a terrifying villain with considerable resources
Bastion was created by Mark Waid and Andy Kubert and debuted in "X-Men" #52. His origin would later be revealed in "Uncanny X-Men" #247 (by Chris Claremont, Marc Silvestri, Dan Green, Glynis Oliver, and Tom Ozerchowski): The Sentinel Master Mold absorbs Nimrod, a powerful Sentinel from the future, and goes through a magical portal, the Siege Perilous, combining into a new physical form. With a human-like appearance, Bastion takes on the name Sebastion Gilberti, with his Sentinel orders soon re-emerging in his mind. As a result, he starts Operation: Zero Tolerance, creating Prime Sentinels, altered human hybrids designed to capture and destroy mutants. Throughout his time in the comics, Bastion's mission to exterminate mutants as a whole has rarely wavered.
Bastion's arrival in "X-Men '97" suggests the mutant superteam isn't done being put through the wringer. He's likely trying to extract information from Magneto about the X-Men to continue his deadly attacks. With a potential army of human-Sentinel hybrids looming, defeating him will be a tall task, especially with mutants already being low in numbers. His partnership with the X-Men villain Mister Sinister doesn't appear to draw from a particular comic book story; however, given Sinister's love of genetic manipulation, he's likely involved in creating the Prime Sentinels. Together, the pair have considerable scientific and technological knowledge and prowess. Plus, with a well-known actor like Theo James voicing Bastion, the animated universe clearly has big plans for the character going forward.