A close up shot of Bastion's face shrouded in shadow in X-Men 97 episode 7

Bastion has finally emerged from the shadows. (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)
As I mentioned above, fans of the hit Disney Plus series thought that Mr. Sinister and Bolivar Trask were the brains behind the X-Men’s possible downfall. The pair have failed in their individual efforts to destroy the super team in X-Men 97‘s first three episodes – something they also struggled to do multiple times in X-Men: The Animated Series, aka the 1990s Marvel TV show that X-Men 97 is a direct sequel to.

Not knowing when they’re beaten, the duo teamed up to lay waste to Genosha – the mutant-only nation – in episode five using an upgraded Master Mold and army of sentinels. Their devastating attack killed thousands of mutants, including Gambit and presumably Magneto. True, Sinister and Trask were unsuccessful in completely destroying mutant kind, but they dealt a huge blow to humanity’s superpowered cousins – some of whom, such as Rogue, are now seriously questioning whether humans and mutants can live peacefully side by side.

Bastion shaves the face of a restrained Magneto in X-Men 97 episode 7

Things don’t look good for Magento, do they… (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)
However, Sinister and Trask aren’t the ones pulling the strings of this mutant hating plan. In the second half of episode seven, a shadowy figure emerges to finally take center stage as season one’s true big bad: Bastion.

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And boy, is this someone who shouldn’t be messed with. Bastion proves he’s not to be trifled with by murdering Henry Gyrich – Trask’s right-hand man and a former US government official who opposes superhumans – to prevent him from revealing Bastion’s masterplan. Not only that, but he’s also revealed to be the individual who turns Trask into a human sentinel that’s capable of going toe-to-toe with the most powerful X-Men members. Oh, and he’s captured Magneto – yep, the potent magnetism manipulating mutant is still alive – with the likely aim of turning Magneto against his own kind. Ominous, this all most certainly is.