X-Men '97 Has Revealed Its New Big Bad – And Marvel Fans Will Know His Name
The end of the fifth episode of "X-Men '97" gave fans quite the shock. Not only did the peaceful haven of Genosha suddenly find itself under attack by a massive Tri-Sentinel Master Mold that massacred unknown numbers of mutants, but the beloved X-Men team member Gambit met his demise in a final act of heroism that stopped the tragedy from getting even worse. A week later, the end of the sixth episode revealed that it was recurring X-Men villain Mister Sinister who was behind the attack, having manipulated Bolivar Trask into activating the Sentinel strike. But as we learned in this week's seventh episode, "Bright Eyes," Sinister is just one part of the equation.
Throughout episode 7 of "X-Men '97," Rogue is trying to figure out who was responsible for the destruction on Genosha and the death of Gambit. She's out for vengeance, and in her pursuit, she encounters Captain America, who is also trying to figure out the mystery surrounding something known as OZT. Marvel Comics fans will know exactly what OZT is referring to, but the comic book arc hasn't been name-dropped on "X-Men '97" just yet. However, the major villain behind this OZT mystery was finally revealed at the end of episode 7, setting the stage for the three-part finale, which is titled "Tolerance is Extinction."
Who is Bastion?
After the X-Men track down Bolivar Trask in Madripoor, they discover that he's been turned into a Prime Sentinel, a human being implanted with Sentinel technology by way of the Techno Organic Virus, the same affliction that Cable has contracted before. When activated, Prime Sentinels are deadly armored beings with destructive weapons, making them formidable opponents for the X-Men. But who turned Trask into a Prime Sentinel?
As the end of "X-Men '97" episode 7 reveals, it's Bastion (voiced by "Divergent" star Theo James) who is behind this deadly plot, and this is just the beginning of his plan. Bastion himself is a Sentinel Prime, a perfected version of Bolivar Trask's form that the X-Men just encountered. Not only has he been working with Mister Sinister, but he's captured Magneto, and he's been counting on Professor Xavier returning to Earth. All of this will be part of Bastion's Operation: Zero Tolerance, a story arc taken straight from the comics.
In Marvel Comics, Bastion (created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Pasqual Ferry and debuting in 1996's "X-Men" #52) believes he is Sebastion Gilberti, the leader of Operation: Zero Tolerance, a secret government program designed to neutralize the threat of mutants. This would explain why Captain America is looking into the mystery of OZT in this episode of "X-Men '97." However, Bastion is actually a combination of Master Mold and Nimrod, an advanced Sentinel from the future, and he appears human thanks to an advanced cybernetic shell. Armed with advanced nanotechnology that allows him to turn humans into Prime Sentinels, he sparks a massive attack on the X-Men. Though we will likely see this story play out in the upcoming three-episode arc on "X-Men '97," it would seem this version of Bastion is a bit different, and that could change his grand scheme.
Another villain from the past
Bastion's Prime Sentinel creation appears to be a product of Mister Sinister's collaboration, thanks to his experience with the Techno Organic Virus, and the X-Men villain is a little frustrated Bastion unveiled their Sentinel Prime technology already. But Bastion speaks confidently about succeeding where other villains have been failing since 1992. When Sinister reminds Bastion that he used to be one of those villains, Bastion retorts that he's now evolved. That would explain why the fired "X-Men '97" executive producer Beau DeMayo said Theo James was voicing a fan-favorite character, even though Bastion hasn't appeared in "X-Men: The Animated Series" until now.
So who is Bastion really? There are a myriad of X-Men villains from the original animated series who could have become Bastion. However, it's possible that Sinister is referring to Nimrod, who appeared in the original X-Men animated series. When Bishop time traveled to the past from the future in an effort to stop the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly in "Days of Future Past Part 1," Nimrod followed him and squared off with the X-Men. Nimrod had the ability to restructure itself after being destroyed, so there's a chance that he somehow survived destruction and has since somehow evolved into Bastion as a Prime Sentinel. But is Nimrod really a fan-favorite character?
What also remains to be seen is Bastion's grand plan. Could he maybe resurrect Gambit with the Prime Sentinel technology and play out some form of the comic arc where Gambit became Death? That story involved Apocalypse, with Death as one of the Four Horsemen, but it's not out of the realm of possibility — especially if Bastion turns out to be Apocalypse somehow.
Since the end of the episode reveals that he's captured Magneto, Bastion may intend to turn the former villain into a mutant version of a Prime Sentinel. That would certainly break the public's trust of him and the X-Men, and it would allow Professor X and the X-Men to fight Magneto again. Plus, let's not forget that the return of Professor X will also shake the public's faith in the X-Men, after learning that he's not really dead. There are so many moving pieces, but there is one thing we know for sure.
Cable to the rescue?
In the fifth episode of "X-Men '97," just before Genosha is attacked, the time traveling Cable shows up and realizes he's too late to stop what's about to happen. Cable again appears at the end of the seventh episode, and Cyclops recognizes that he's his son, Nathan Summers. Jean Grey reads Cable's mind and learns that there's an even larger threat about to descend upon them.
Whatever is happening with Bastion, it's clear that Cable knows something the X-Men don't, and he will be key to stopping the Prime Sentinel's plans. Yes, Bastion's plans for the X-Men are so devastating that Cable traveled back in time to help them stop it, so the remaining three episodes of "X-Men '97" are likely to throw us for a loop.
Stay tuned as we continue through the first season of "X-Men '97" with new episodes hitting Disney + on Wednesdays. In the meantime, the latest episode of the /Film Daily Podcast has a conversation with some of /Film's editors about the progression of "X-Men '97" so far, the latest episode of the series, and even an interview with Jubilee and Sunspot voice actors Holly Chou and Gui Agustini. Enjoy!
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