Who is Bastion? The comic history of the secret villain who has been hiding in X-Men '97 all along

EntertainmentTVAction ShowsMarvel TV ShowsX-Men ‘97Who is Bastion? The comic history of the secret villain who has been hiding in X-Men ‘97 all alongWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. EntertainmentTVAction ShowsMarvel TV ShowsX-Men ‘97Who is Bastion? The comic history of the secret villain who has been hiding in X-Men ‘97 all alongWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Marvel Comics) AfterX-Men ‘97 episode 7’s big reveal of Bastion as the main villain of the revived animated streaming series, we’re left with more questions than answers about exactly how the mysterious master of Operation: Zero Tolerance (OZT) and his Prime Sentinels will attack the X-Men in the final few episodes of the season. In other words, we know exactly where (and when) to look in the comic history of Marvel’s merry mutants to get some clues about Bastion’s true nature, and what may be in store for the team as X-Men ‘97 moves towards its big season finale. Be aware, we’ll be getting intospoilersfor some ’90s X-Men comics that could potentially play into future episodes of X-Men ‘97, though which, if any, further connections will be made between the history of the comics and the show is just speculation at this point. Who - and what - is Bastion? (Image credit: Marvel Comics) First off, what exactlyisBastion? As viewers may have already surmised, he’s not actually human - though he sure looks that way. In comics, he even has a full name: Sebastion Gilberti. And his followers and fellow anti-mutant villains in the Operation: Zero Tolerance program are mostly human. But that’s all part of Bastion’s programming as one of the most advanced Sentinels ever created, designed to look, act, and pass as fully human. What’s more, Bastion is not just a new design of Sentinel. He’s actually a merged fusion of a Master Mold, the massive Sentinel progenitors that create other Sentinels, and Nimrod, a super-powerful Sentinel from the future, both of whom appeared multiple times in the original X-Men: The Animated Series. Comic deals, prizes and latest news Get the best comic news, insights, opinions, analysis and more! Incidentally, both Master Mold and Nimrod have been appearing in the credits of recent episodes of X-Men ‘97, making that one of the show’s various BastionEaster eggsthat have beenhidden in many of the episodes. The thing is, when Bastion first started appearing in X-Men comics, not only did readers and other characters believe Bastion was human, but so did he himself. However, the truth of the matter is that Bastion originally began as a version of Nimrod, who was in disguise as a human when he made contact with a Master Mold unit. After a brief fight with the X-Men, the combined Master Mold/Nimrod was sent through a magical portal known as the Siege Perilous which somehow transformed him into an artificial human loaded with all the programming of the Sentinels in his own body, complete with false human memories. With his anti-mutant programming taking hold, Bastion launched a program named Operation: Zero Tolerance designed to rebuild - and improve - the Sentinel program. What are Prime Sentinels? (Image credit: Marvel Comics) Bastion’s mission centers around the creation of other Sentinels masquerading as humans, known in this case as Prime Sentinels (viewers likely noticed that Bolivar Trask’s Sentinel form in episode 7 is referred to as “Prime Trask,” for example). Bastion’s nanites then transform their bodies into living weapons that can be activated to take on any unsuspecting mutants in the vicinity with an entire arsenal of anti-mutant tricks. This of course also has the side-effect of pretty much killing the Prime Sentinel’s human host, but these are villains who wish to kill all mutants, so they’re more than willing to sacrifice a few humans to do it. There are also Omega Prime Sentinels which have further advanced abilities, including the power to generate weaponry from nanites housed in their bodies. One Omega Prime Sentinel, Karima Shapandar, has been active alongside a version of Nimrod in recent X-Men comics as members of Orchis. Orchis is an anti-mutant organization that is currently hunting down mutants across the Marvel Universe with - what else? - a new breed of even more powerful Sentinels built from stolen Stark technology (as in Tony Stark/Iron Man). What is Operation: Zero Tolerance? (Image credit: Marvel Comics) In addition to being the name of Bastion’s revived Sentinel program, Operation: Zero Tolerance is also the name of the main story in which Bastion clashed with the X-Men. Told as the big summer crossover of 1997, Operation: Zero Tolerance ran across multiple X-Men titles, taking up most of the line. At the time, one of the big antagonists of X-Men comics was Graydon Creed, a presidential candidate running on a platform of open anti-mutant bigotry. Much like his depiction in X-Men: The Animated Series, he’s also the non-mutant son of Sabretooth and Mystique, and the leader of the Friends of Humanity, who have been seen in both the original animated series and X-Men ‘97. New episodes of X-Men ‘97 stream every Wednesday onDisneyPlus. Check out thebest X-Men storiesof of all time. 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television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 1 Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”