Warning: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 7, “Bright Eyes.”
The latest X-Men ’97 episode, “Bright Eyes,” just confirmed Theo James’ mystery role: Bastion. So who is Bastion, and what do we know about him from Marvel’s X-Men comics canon?
Related: X-Men ’97: Who Launched the Sentinel Attack on Genosha?
Theo James’ X-Men ’97 Character, Bastion, Explained
The identity of Theo James’ X-Men ’97 character has been a source of speculation throughout Season 1’s run (for what it’s worth, we thought he might play Vulcan). However, with the release of Episode 7, “Bright Eyes,” we now know the White Lotus star voices Bastion. The real big bad of X-Men ’97‘s first season, Bastion sticks to the shadows for most of Episode 7’s runtime – we only see his face properly in the final scene – but there’s still plenty of intel about the baddie on offer. Notably, we know that Bastion is heading up an outfit called OZT (a callback to the comics’ Operation: Zero Tolerance) and is cranking out human/Sentinel hybrids, or Prime Sentinels.
He’s also clearly in cahoots with X-Men ’97 Season 1’s other major antagonist, Mister Sinister, although he considers himself superior to his ally (and all other legacy X-villains). Regardless, Bastion’s partnership with Sinister implicates him in the Genosha massacre depicted in Episode 5, “Remember It.” And speaking of the Genosha massacre, Bastion is holding one of that tragedy’s most high-profile “casualties” prisoner. The final moments of “Bright Eyes” reveal that Bastion somehow whisked Magneto away to one of his hideouts, despite the Master of Magnetism’s apparent death in Episode 5.
Bastion’s plans for Magneto are unclear at this stage. For now, he’s seemingly content to lord his superiority over the X-Men’s leader during their clandestine catch-ups.
Related: X-Men ’97: Is Magneto Dead?
What Do We Know About Bastion From the X-Men Comics?
Quite a lot – including his true nature. While Bastion comes across as just another mutant-hating human, in reality, he’s a unique form of Sentinel. Not even Bastion himself is initially aware of this in the comics. Instead, he believes he’s a regular guy named Sebastion Gilberti. It’s only later that he learns he’s the result of two Sentinels – Master Mold and Nimrod – fusing together.
Related: X-Men ’97 Season 1: Does Storm Get Her Powers Back?
Most X-Men ’97 viewers will be familiar with Master Mold already, as the Sentinel factory on legs plays a prominent role in Season 1, and in X-Men ’97‘s precursor, X-Men: The Animated Series. By contrast, Nimrod is more of an unknown – although he does make a handful of appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series. There (as in the comics) he’s an uber-powerful Sentinel from the future.
X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays
