‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 7 Recap – Bastion Unveiled: The True Mastermind Behind Genosha’s Ashes

Episode 7 of X-Men ’97, titled “Bright Eyes,” throws you into the emotional rollercoaster of grief and hidden agendas. The episode opens with a somber mood as the X-Men gather for Gambit’s funeral. Nightcrawler, ever the devout and charismatic mutant, delivers a moving eulogy, reminding everyone of Gambit’s charm, wit, and unwavering loyalty.  Rogue, however, is nowhere to be seen. We soon learn she’s channeling her grief into action, flying at breakneck speed towards a heavily guarded US Army base.

Picture this: Rogue, fueled by rage and a desperate need for answers, bursts through the base’s defenses like a human battering ram.  Alarms blare as soldiers scramble to stop her – this isn’t the time for subtlety.  Rogue easily overpowers them with her brute strength, making her a one-woman wrecking crew.  Her target? General Ross, a man with a long history of anti-mutant prejudice (except when it works in his favor, remember the Weapon X program?).  She demands answers about Bolivar Trask and Henry Gyrich, two figures believed to be key players in the Genosha genocide.

Meanwhile, Captain America, ever the symbol of justice, tries to reason with Rogue. He believes the X-Men should pursue these answers through official channels. Rogue, however, has had enough of empty promises and bureaucratic nightmares. Her frustration explodes as she throws Captain America’s iconic shield far off into the mountains.  It’s a powerful image, symbolizing the fracturing of trust between mutants and the human authorities.  This point is especially hammered during Scott’s conversation with the President, asking for more help with finding survivors in Genosha. 

The President points out that people are scared of mutants because of what happened, and tells Scott something very interesting. He says “And if scared voters see me helping your kind…”. Even with all that has happened, with the numerous times the X-Men have risked their lives, mutants are still looked at and feared as the “other” and still pose a threat – a viewpoint of the ignorant that choose not to learn from history.  Beast walks and talks with Trish Tilby, the reporter from episode five, and shows her firsthand the damage that has been dealt to the citizens of Genosha. 

He tells her the first priority must be damage control, and without wasting any time, she tells him it’s almost impossible because mutants have taken to the streets in protest. In classic X-Men fashion which draws parallels and even inspiration from the real world, Beast quotes MLK by stating “Riots are the language of the unheard”. It almost seems as if Trish is to become an ally to the mutant cause, but I feel her response, albeit a bit tone-deaf, is normal…for a human. Her idea of easing human fears is peaceful communication. However, it seems as though Beast has reached his boiling point with this ideology by saying maybe Professor Xavier was naive in begging humans to live peacefully with mutants – something Magneto has been saying his entire life.

The next scene opens up with Rogue arriving in Mexico City overlooking a military complex – and it’s here that we find Gyrich. With audible gunfire and screams in the background, Gyrich is as calm as ever and awaits our hero. He thinks Rogue is playing good cop here and tells her he’s prepared for another one of Jean’s mental probes. To his unfortunate surprise, Rogue uses her power-absorbing abilities to ascertain more information from Gyrich about Genosha. After nearly killing the man, Rogue wakes up to the sound of Kurt’s voice. Ever the wise one, Kurt provides Rogue with some comforting words about grief and loss. Not only is Kurt there to help her through this tremendous loss, but so is the rest of her team. Her family.

Further investigation reveals Bolivar Trask, another anti-mutant figure from X-Men lore, is desperately seeking the X-Men’s help at the UN Peace Legion in Mandrapoor.  He seems genuinely afraid of Mister Sinister, hinting at something more deadly than Genosha. Meanwhile, Gyrich gets a visitor during his recovery – an unknown variable. A familiar face for Gyrich, which sends him to the afterlife. When the X-Men arrive at Mandrapoor, they find Trask standing on the ledge of a giant neon sign, contemplating his demise. We learn this mysterious group OZT (Operation: Zero Tolerance) has been formed in secret after the failure of the original sentinel program Trask spearheaded.

After telling the X-Men everything he knows, he tries to jump and Rogue immediately grabs him. What I love about this show is that we see mutants behave, think, and feel as humans do (they are humans after all) and they’re also capable of making bad decisions. After telling Rogue he doesn’t know any more than he’s already disclosed, she drops him, watching as he plummets to his death, a scorned Rogue watches as he hits the ground while the X-Men stand by in utter shock and disbelief. But wait – while Rogue rightfully justifies her actions to the team, a robotic voice is heard saying “Terminate mutants” as an explosion takes out most of the team.

Trask has mysteriously evolved into a cybernetic-human hybrid and gives the X-Men a run for their money in what is now a battle of life and death. This new form of sentinel is part of something called The Prime Protocol which we can now see involves humans taking on a new evolutionary form of sentinel. With an all-out battle seemingly lost, one of our favorite time-traveling badasses shows up to save the day. Cable uses an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) grenade to put Trask down. Just as soon as we thought we had some understanding of this situation, we find out there was someone else pulling the strings all along – someone worse than Sinister. Who is Bastion? What is his role in all of this?

And here’s the biggest shocker of all: Magneto, the X-Men’s long-time adversary turned ally, is revealed to be alive!  However, he’s not leading a mutant uprising or plotting world domination.  Magneto is a prisoner of Bastion, and his powerful magnetism neutralized, leaving him vulnerable and desperate. With this bombshell revelation, the episode ends, leaving you with a ton of questions.  Why..and how is Magneto alive?  What is Bastion’s ultimate goal?  And can the X-Men overcome their grief and fractured alliances to face this new threat?  X-Men ’97 has just shifted gears, setting the stage for a thrilling and unpredictable remainder of the season.

The executive producer/creator/head writer for X-Men ‘97 has been watching all of the episodes with us (by us I mean the fans and audience) and has given us some homework for the remaining episodes. I urge you to go back to these episodes to get a clearer understanding of how everything is connected and to understand the bigger plot at hand. Until next time, true believers!