Who Sent the Sentinel? - X-Men 97 Theory

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If you're caught up with X-Men 97, you know that a big event just rocked the mutant community BUT we don't know who set this event in motion. So in this video, I look at some of the possible suspects.
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[@anmolt3840051]

It's definitely *NOT* Magneto ... Poor guy was having Holocaust PTSD flashbacks

[@batmanthecapedcrusader3916]

That would be just too Shyamalan.😅

[@arabellacarter1482]

Finally someone else said it!!!! Idk why people keep talking about it being Magneto when it makes absolutely zero sense both from a character and from an optics perspective

[@The_Mad_Titan_007]

exactly lol. my guy was feeling flashbacks , shedding tears and also his last line was in german. no way he turns out the mastermind behind this

[@Frostbite08]

Yeah, if they showed us those flashbacks intentionally to throw us off, that's manipulative AF.

[@BenjaminSomers]

I think it could possibly be forge bc it would connect all the stories with trask and storm losing her powers and even Bishop and Cable from the future due to the days of future past story line

[@timhaldane7588]

Nando two weeks ago: "It's a good show but I won't be doing this every week." X-Men '97: "We'll see about that."

[@panasit]

Sunspot's dad theory is REALLY GREAT. Could be all of the above. Bastian and Sunspot's dad and Mr. Sinister could all be working together. They might even call themselves Orchid.

[@willbeaty6892]

I don't see Marvel making a Black, Brazilian man THE main villain. But I definitely think we're heading to a Beto having a confrontation with his parents and "coming out."

[@monolith_g]

Orchis would be in one of Moiras other lives

[@VolguusZildrohar]

​@@monolith_g I could still see it being Cassandra. She could do the nanosentinel infection thing for the mutants that escaped Genosha, though it looks like a direct attack on the Mansion is forthcoming. A force of this nature attacking the remaining X-men could reveal the re-emergence of the Phoenix Force or an angry Scott could yell "GET OFF MY LAWN" and stop it with a single blast. Rebuilding mansion builds character, as Colossus would say. Bastion is going to show up at some point. The photo with him and Forge at least shows he exists as an easteregg. There are so many directions this could go with the villains potentially capable of pulling this act. It might even be OG Essex attacking his clones, of which Gambit could be one, paving the way for Enigma.

[@BenjaminSomers]

Possibly even Forge too

[@VolguusZildrohar]

@@BenjaminSomers Good point! He did mention the government was using his designs.

[@mr.moviemafia]

I listened to all 5 episodes with the “audio description” turned on, and it revealed something really interesting. In episode 1 when Roberto is showing Jubilee his Sunspot powers, the narrator specifies that “Roberto’s arm glows with the same solar energy that Jean saw in her vision.” I didn’t even consider Roberto somehow having a part to play in the Genosha Incident, but I think that narration confirmed it, so Nando might be right that his family is involved. Although, I think the show might switch it up and have it be his mother instead of his father because he constantly brings her up and SHE is the face he sees scolding him during episode 3’s Inferno.

[@ACSummers14]

Could they be reworking his origin so that he accidentally kills his mother and not his girlfriend and that could be added motivation for the father.

[@mr.moviemafia]

@@ACSummers14 Ooh, maybe! That’d be interesting. I want to learn more because that audio description opened up a world of possibilities I didn’t even consider beforehand

[@CL12356]

I just love that we’re back to Wandavision times-theorizing, anticipating, and hanging on every episode.

[@SuperSpidey313]

Amen! So happy

[@angrycheeto6430]

I think the sentinel just woke up and chose violence

[@blackdragon6]

Right! 😂

[@ACharlesCyr]

I really feel like the title of the finale being “Tolerance is Extinction” is a HUGE giveaway that Magneto survived. Because, as has been said before, it would have felt really cheap for him to just go back to his old ways after the attack at the UN. BUT, an attack of this magnitude - the actual realization of what he has feared all these years (especially given the holocaust flashbacks we saw) - carries exactly the gravitas needed to not only have him returning to his old ways, but also having us agree with him that “tolerance is extinction.”

[@senhor_errante]

also in his judgement he said to those human guys that he does not want to be the villain unless his hand was forced to this path again. I belive that's a clue for his return on full berserker mode. also he survives genosha in the comics, but people believed he was dead during the whole xorneto stuff (that kinda already happened in the show, with magneto being part of the team)

[@Luneytoon]

Yea leech can dampen his power so that the sentinels can’t detect him

[@stevencooper564]

Bastion was created in '96 so there wasnt much time for him to pop over to the animated series. I completely missed that photo in Forge's place, but thats absolutely Bastion's uniform.

[@MrDonniemac5]

My Monopoly money is on Sebastion Gilberti. Bastion’s picture was covered at Forge’s home and he walked in front of the camera at the Hellfire party at Genosha before things went awry. The 3-part conclusion named “Tolerance is Extinction” could be a combination of “E is for Extinction” and “Operation: Zero Tolerance.”

[@Joecbg100]

my thoughts exactly

[@DazzOne2012]

That's where my head is at, and Sunspot's parent(s) could have bankrolled the entire endeavor without them knowing their son is also a mutant.

[@thepubknight6144]

Sebastian Shaw also since he was there talking to Magneto and its definitely his style in the comics

[@timwatson9156]

Didn’t see this take before I posted mine. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@David-pd5ld]

In episode 1, Gyrich in prison uses the phrase "tolerance is extinction", which is the title of the last 3 episodes of the series. Coincidence?

[@VolguusZildrohar]

Cassandra manipulated Trask's family to activate the wild sentinel in the books. So Gyrich could know about the experimental designs hiding out there.

[@MalzraAirwynn]

Part of me also wonders if the finale will turn that phrase on its head, with a mutant villain trying to exterminate humans after what happened in episode 5.

[@nicholasvanbrunt6631]

Episode before the finale is called bright eyes reference to cyclops. I think it completes cyclops heel turn and he kills Gyrich.

[@David-pd5ld]

​@@nicholasvanbrunt6631And maybe that's why Captain America appears in the trailer for the following episodes, because everyone finds out that Gyrich is responsible for the genocide and tries to stop Cyclope from going to jail. And maybe Rogue accompanies him because he wants revenge too. And at the end of the season the X-Men are divided into two groups, a more rebellious one led by Cyclops and a more moderate one led by Storm, as in the comics 😱

[@mon_nobi]

Yea I don't get how that wasn't mentioned. Couldn't it just be friends of humanity working with Gyrich, MasterMold, etc again?

[@xHx23x]

I think it's pretty clearly Bastion. The picture in Forge's basement. He is a Nimrod in the future. That clip floating around online of the whitehair guy at the gala. Forge saying a Scottish guy made the tech, Dr. Adler, the other guy in the picture.

[@mikejohn29mj]

Dr. Adler is dead.

[@willbeaty6892]

It's funny you mention Apocalypse and Stonehenge, because recent comics HAVE established him as a magic dude. Because he's been around for millennia, of course he's going to have tried magic. Like Doctor Doom he's going to work all the angles.

[@LeAndre_McCoy]

18:30 Currently, the Hellfire Club isn't all Mutants. It's just the ultra rich and influential. Kingpin is currently the Black King

[@Tuaron]

And Tony Stark's the White King, unless he left amid Fall of the House of X (they formed this version during Fall of X).

[@damienkakoschke3099]

What Nando mentioned, that the Inner Circle were a all human Illuminati initially, and then Sebastian Shaw staged a coup & take over of the Inner Circle & populated it with mutants (& Donald Pierce who was a android), we was absolutely right (in the comic's it's usually documented in short stories, supplemental stories & flash backs). In the years following the Dark Phoenix fiasco, Shaw & the Hellfire Clubs luck wavered. Indeed during the era in the comics in the early 2000's- 2010's, Shaw was a captive of the X-Men, so obviously his pro-mutant stand for the Inner Circle would have fallen apart, hence now we have non-mutants in the Inner Circle positions (Kingpin & Stark). Like most things involving politics & the ultra rich, power is in constant movement.

[@arabellacarter1482]

You guys have it reversed, kingpin is the white king Tony is the black king

[@Tuaron]

@@arabellacarter1482 You know, I'd just been sitting here thinking that was reversed, seemingly remembering Emma & Fisk as the White Queen & King and Tony as Black King (I don't remember a Queen). Thanks for the correction/reminder.

[@Deepstab1]

​@@arabellacarter1482wasnt there a time were the eladers of the hell fire club where a bunch of bratty children? What happened to them?

[@suto5704]

You love to see a Nando video at 5 am

[@LeAndre_McCoy]

Right?

[@Eurogerg]

What about Stryfe? Then we tie together Apocalypse, Sinister, Cable. Make him retroactively responsible for what Gyrich did to Xavier at the end of the original series, turn it into a quasi-adaptation of X-Cutioners Song, same motivations and everything. And just when the X-Men think they've saved the day... Legacy Virus.

[@LonewolfKhujo]

Thought I wanted it be Bastion. Not anymore after reading this 👍🏿

[@Eurogerg]

@@LonewolfKhujo RIGHT?! And what better way to embrace the 90sness than to have the most 90s villain ever? And whether they meant to or not, they've perfectly set the stage for Stryfe.

[@RobertJazo]

I don't think it is going to be Emmanuel Da Costa, but I really like that theory. It really does seem like a good way to tie everything together and would explain why Sunspot has got so much focus so far. Even if Emmanuel isn't the mastermind, it would be pretty cool if he was involved with whoever does turn out to be the mastermind.

[@karlgrimm3027]

In “Wolverine and the X-Men” Magneto stages a false flag Sentinel attack on Genosha. Seems out of character for this version though.

[@lexxicon455]

Agreed. I don't think the will repeat that beat.

[@The_pitbull536]

Yeah saying he had a holocaust flashback I wouldn't say he sent it

[@Shywhitefox]

True, and in the third live action movie, he sent a wave of mutants to attack the island first, calling them 'Pawns' and knew full well they would lose their powers. But as said, it seems unlikely for this version of Magneto.

[@patria3023]

My guy literaly had flashbacks of the camps. Bro may have been a villain, but he’s a genocide survivor regardless of how redeemed anyone thinks he is. So I don’t think he would genocide his own people

[@leonardobraynen1524]

That was full on evil mode turning the genocide on his fellow mutants on Genosha but Scarlett Witch handled his ass! 😅

[@OurKindofEntertainment]

Don't forget at the end of Episode 1 when the X-Men took out the Sentinals and Wolverine delivered the final strike against the new Master Mold, Val told Scott there was a special task force team coming in that would dismantle the Master Mold... I never trusted that. Reminded me of Justice League Unlimited when the JLU defeated the alien organism/robot Dark Heart and the U.S. armed forces took it for their own purposes...

[@scorpio7232]

To add a wrinkle, what if it's both? Anti-mutant elements in the government trying to start the "inevitable" war?

[@Heimal]

Bastion is Nimrod fused with Master Mold. I hadn't seen that image of Bastion from the show. Has me intrigued. Your out of left field pick is pretty cool. My pick, though, is Stryfe.

[@yofenrir]

Stryfe would be insane fam I would lose it if he appeared

[@johnquiett1085]

Stryfe is my guess too. The focus on Cable and/or Baby Nathan this season makes it seem most plausible.

[@brandoonf6962]

@@johnquiett1085 Explain please. Is Stryfe from the future or present?

[@sketcher445]

@@brandoonf6962He's an evil clone of Cable. So he's from the future

[@brandoonf6962]

@@sketcher445 This is intriguing. I heard so many options of who it could have been.

[@davescrams]

Emmanuel Da Costa is a very interesting idea. I still think it's Bastion, but having Da Costa involved would create good tension for Sunspot.

[@VolguusZildrohar]

Da Costa could be the fallguy, not knowing Bastion had these plans all along. Bastion in the comics is actually somewhat remorseful. Orchis used his head to build their Nimrod design and Bastion himself calculated that he would no longer have a purpose if he were to wipe out all the mutants within a single generation. Like them, his primary goal became to survive and he would not have a reason to if he had gone through and killed everybody.

[@Sandra-rc5uc]

Roberto‘s dad would be interesting but my guess is Stryfe because of his connection to Cable and the Summers-family. He‘s another clone and he is also associated with technology.

[@felseyjr71]

I just asked the same question before I saw your post! I'm glad I'm not the only one!

[@cormacthem8406]

I think it’s Apocalypse ultimately manipulating everything with assistance from Bastion. Magneto wouldn’t kill non-combatant mutants, but Apocalypse would easily kill humans and mutants alike and in the past has constructed situations that would turn both against each other.

[@Lasergunjesus]

A little bit of crumb for your Sunspot's dad idea: Something that bugged me slightly during the episode was how the camera crew at the X-Mansion was getting footage of Roberto/Jubilee hanging out, considering Roberto is hiding his mutant identity.

[@technologist0]

Regular humans may be behind the attack on Genosha.

[@ninab.4540]

If it's true, Rogue would go full evil on them. So hopefully no.

[@thepubknight6144]

William Stryker would definitely do something like this

[@SuperSpidey313]

Right? Remember the friends of humanity in episode 1?

[@HellHound_]

Always love getting your theories on weekly shows, adds so much to the experience tbh

[@otterdonnelly9959]

People need to admit episodic entertainment is peak when it is GREAT and makes you wait weekly. All you can do is ponder over every episode.

[@VolguusZildrohar]

@@otterdonnelly9959 That's why I always hated binge TV. I enjoy planning out my week based on what's on each day. I have too much ADD to dedicate a full day to watching a single show.

[@damdamfino]

I think it’s interesting that Magneto was fighting with the sentinel for like 10 minutes *and then* it suddenly says “omega level threat detected.” So it could have been targeting one of the Morlocks with him (prob Leech).

[@swgraphics9059]

Bastion: How do they explain him being re-born via the Seige Perilous? Yes. Based on Forge's photo, it is Bastion.

[@BBmetalhead04]

My personal top 3: 1) Cassandra Nova - after episode 5 seems like the obvious choice. Cable using “He” could just be him confusing Cassandra for Charles since they are “twins”. Plus there’s brand synergy with Deadpool and Wolverine. 2) Onslaught - kinda leeching off of the “Evil Professor X” angle from Cassandra but 90s-afying it. Plus in the OG series the X-men did fight an evil psychic doppelgänger of Chuck, so this could be an evolution of that. 3) Stryfe - Sinister already did the clone switcheroo with Jean/Madelyne, so he could’ve easily done it with Nathan. Believing he’s the real one, this is his way of getting revenge on the X-men for abandoning him.

[@reginarichards6261]

Cassandra was one of my first guesses too. HoweverJake Castorena confirmed in a recent press junkit, that although Cassandra is a good theory, it’s not her. But did go on to say he doesn’t think people will be disappointed in their choices. I’m still open to it though as he did mention that Cassandra “Wouldn’t play a huge role in X-Men 97” ..to me it says he doesn’t confirm nor deny her making some sort of appearance.

[@baconpwn]

"I didn't expect a mastermind pulling the strings." Meanwhile, the teasers for each episode released months ago explicitly says the XMen discover a mastermind behind all of this in episode 7

[@squidlivers5677]

Stryfe it would fit into the session with focus on nathan and sinisters plans with him, and it would explain why sinister was so eaisly defeated he wanted the x-men to leave there guard not realizing he cloned nathan

[@Icecreamforcrowtoo]

I don't think it will be Stryfe but I'm surprised he's not mentioned more. He also beat the crap out of Apocalypse in the comic. He's essentially a stronger Cable due to not having the techno virus. And the infamous Legacy Virus was his creation.

[@OpticBlast-yk5hf]

I don’t think Stryker is in the original series, but Cameron Hodge is. He’s in the Phalanx arc and is pretty cool in it.

[@AsherV20]

I keep thinking about Cameron Hodge, too. He survived the phalanx covenant in the original cartoon so he's out there.

[@Pax-pw4es]

He's also in the original Genosha episode hanging out with the bigwigs (and possibly Beast's unnamed lawyer in season 1?). I would give my everything for giant robot scorpion body Cameron Hodge from X-tinction Agenda to show up to fight the X-Men at some point.

[@dbsasuke]

Sunspot dad and Bastion make so much sense. Sunspot is deathly afraid of his parents finding to an extreme level. This is make this element make more sense

[@stimpaxx]

after having watched the subsequent episode, it’s funny coming back to this video. you were dead on lol

[@Tortilla.Reform]

The moment when Magneto used a Train to destroy a Nazi robot was a chefs kiss. Oh, how the turns have tabled

[@SuperSpidey313]

Right??? Screencrush said that, too

[@stevenbock1961]

Sunspot's dad being behind the Genosha attack makes more sense. I think Bastion can still pop up. Pushing things even too far for Sunspot's dad who wouldn't want Sunspot killed & simply not want mutants like Shaw & Frost in positions of powers, but not necessarily dead.

[@ChaosUnfold]

Bastion, Nimrod, and Emanuel seem like the most sus out of all of the suspected villains here. They definitely would do this kind of thing.

[@glasses685]

I like the idea of it being Sunspot's dad. But in terms of who I think is actually is...probably Apocalypse trying to cull the weak or something. Would certainly explain how Cable knows him. That said, even though he was already kind of overused in the OG series, I still wouldn't rule out more fukkery from Gyrich.

[@dontberash]

You have my favorite thumbnails. They're professional looking and not click baity.

[@jacobwhittaker3454]

Talking about clones all of the time? Setting up Gambit to come back as Death? Cable entangled body sliding? X-Cutioner's Song to start the season? It's Stryfe.

[@velemamba260]

I really like the Sunspot's dad theory, I'd really like it if that were the case. It'd give more credence to why Roberto keeps popping up. Also a point against the Magneto theory: I believe Magneto could pull off a false flag attack like this, but I don't think he would have made it nearly so devastating. I think if he were responsible, it would do plenty of damage, kill hundreds even. But by the end of it Genosha would still be there in a position where it could be reasonably rebuilt so it could serve as a mutant capital where he could launch a war from. As it stands, Genosha is utterly devastated and probably can't rebuild at all, with truly staggering amounts of death.

[@workoutforyourbrain]

It was Bastion...you see him for a quick second when Magneto walks into the party and he looks up at the balcony

[@richardroach9213]

Mystique can't be Val, since the sentinels didn't target her on Genosha

[@DirkHardpecc]

Unless it’s programmed not to attack her.

[@LonewolfKhujo]

Or they updated Mystique's powers a bit to be more in line with her comic version. She can alter her DNA and hide her X-gene.

[@Luneytoon]

It aimed at her before being saved my magneto

[@rah0210]

This episode was so good it got two nando videos. Respect.

[@Mephiestopholes]

After thinking about it for a couple of days. Bastion.

[@alexandrefrauches132]

Since the first episode was tribute to "Night of the Sentinels", I could see the last episode being a tribute to "Days of Future Past" (the last episode of X-men TAS season 1) with Bastion being the main villain, who, much like in the comics, could be reveal as Sentinel from the future, trying to do change the future so that the Sentinels eliminate the mutants (basically a Days of Future Past in reverse).

[@omeysalvi]

Bang on prediction

[@chanceycakes]

Nando hit the nail on the head at 16:42 😂

[@underagreenstar]

If I was going by connections, I'd say it was Cameron Hodge because he has connections to Cable, Forge and Magneto, and he was heavily involved with the former Genoshan government. Hodge is a character that was severely held back in the 90s series due to it being kid friendly, so they could want to circle back and do him better. He's a well suited bad guy for our times being a public relations media guy. The only problem is he has no relation to sentinels, however he could be the guy who is backing the Friends of Humanity who have been seen messing with sentinel tech. EDIT - I also wanted to point out that Cable says "He is coming" not "He did this" so who he is referring to might not be connected to the godzilla sentinel. It could be anyone like Ahab or Stryfe or something.

[@Joecbg100]

Bastion is my guess given his connection with the Nimrod models in the future where Cable is from.

[@felseyjr71]

Why is no one talking about the possibility of Stryfe being the one behind it. He's connected to Cable, Jean, Madelyn, Sinister, Apocalypse, all the major players here...

[@Icecreamforcrowtoo]

It's like none of these fans even know what X-Cutioner's Song is or something. I don't think it's Stryfe but it would be cool and make sense if it was.

[@felseyjr71]

@dartheverstar9564 I'd rather have a character that hasn't already had their story told regardless if it's a clone, then sit through another day's of future past or another sentinel story.

[@thorinwoods2642]

Bastion is tied to Operation: Zero Tolerance plus we’ve already seen him in the series so it’ll most likely be him.

[@ronchi22]

I’m gonna throw in Onslaught: • Prof X is alive and an disaster event like this would alert/pain him telepathically • Magneto “dies” but his consciousness is saved by Prof X • this creates the evil combined psychic entity Onslaught • it was one of the few Watcher level X-men events in the 90s, that also included the Avengers/FF • the theme of the season is escalation between humans/mutants and each side’s fear of their own extinction (X-Men are the key to stopping both) • Some X-Men/heroes die, setting up a whole new team next season This is a wild shot but damn would this be an unmissable Marvel event. I’d want to see it in theaters.

[@alister2]

That would be cool.

[@Deadpoolmac]

Robertos father funding Bastions Operation Zero Tolerance seems to be a good shout. I think there's a chance that Prime Sentinels become a thing. The FOH were already sporting their wicked megaman/sentinel arm cannons so some in the FOH would gladly lose their humanity to unalive the mutants. This show is so exciting for a 90s kid who starting reading x books during the late 90s

[@an8strengthkobold360]

Nando: here's so.e options for who sent the wild sentinel, I wonder which one it will be? 97: yes.

[@kwamintaylor4247]

Has to be bastion Operation Zero tolerance in the comics is literally the name of the 3 part series. Sunspots dad could be a tiny subplot that doesn’t need to be the main

[@samiai8905]

19:13 - 19:16 Oh the way I want Roberto to get that moment. And with all the ways humans have been emphasized as the antagonists, totally agree with the Sunspot dad theory- it has to be a human behind this.

[@batmanthecapedcrusader3916]

Screencrush also believes Bastion will be the big bad. They believe he showed up at a very interesting point in the episode. The evidence looks promising.

[@yellowman5942]

Jean saw this and recalled it when she read gyrics mind tho

[@leonardobraynen1524]

That was Madelyne Pryor tho, not JeanGrey

[@yellowman5942]

@@leonardobraynen1524 I’m pretty sure they share the same memories no? Even if not my point still stands

[@timwatson9156]

I’m sure it’ll be Bastion seeing that the last 3 part episodes are called Tolerance is Extinction which I think is a play on the comic ark called Operation Zero Tolerance from 1997.

[@masonparker24]

“Tolerance is extinction” is a direct quote from Gyrich to Storm in the first episode

[@PoeArtryCreativeMovementLLC]

Bastion is the combination of Nimrod and Mastermold who combined in the Seige Perilous (comics).

[@bx229]

Bastion. Nuff’ said…lol! Cool vid.

[@n1c704]

Rob (from Comics Explained) theorized Cassandra Nova, which was also the first person/story I though of once I saw the wild Sentinel. That seems obvious, but with all the stuff with Cable, Stryfe could also be one if they want someone new to introduce.

[@bensneb360]

My money is on some kind of adaption of Stryfe, Nimrod or Sebastion Gilberti, maybe there working together, I guess we’ll see

[@Samilion101]

nando: "im not going to make and xmen 97 video every week" also nando:

[@plasticbutler]

Yeah it's prolly Bastion. Tolerance is Extinction being the title of the finale episodes, Bastion was introduced in the comics in Operation: Zero Tolerance.

[@santelmolafire]

I'm looking at Onslaught since he had a prelude in the original seasons and he did control the sentinels in the comics. Considering how much anguish and hate Magneto now has (yes, I do think he's alive), he will probably turn back to villainy, with a revelation that Xavier has been in deep sleep instead of dead. The combination of the extreme emotions of Xavier and Magneto resulted to Onslaught.

[@bitteroldjoe]

My instincts said Bastion, but also maybe Stryfe.

[@raskoolish]

I thought about Kang. He even was in the last season of X-Men TAS posing as a crazy teleporting guy outside of time like in Loki. But Emanuel DeCosts also works

[@pizzatoto]

Bastion was there, there is a scene where magneto looks up and sees someone resempling bastion

[@_bluespacee_]

At the gala, there was a glimpse of someone with short white/silver hair walking on the foreground, could be Bastion. Also, during the interview with the X-Men, one of the scenes shown was of Roberto at the mansion, possibly leading to him being outed as a mutant to his parents

[@PiratedTVPro]

We’ve seen Bastion with his face hidden twice now this season.

[@samrobards7424]

I'm absolutely convinced it's Bastion. They had the brief, headless cameo in LifeDeath, and, being a fusion of Mastermold and Nimrod, wiping out mutants is what he's all about. Going off the beaten path here, I think Bastion will be the "replacement" for Apocalypse that Beast hinted at back in the original series ("Beyond Good and Evil," to be exact) when he said that if Apocalypse were destroyed*, evil would only take another form. I think Bastion will be created in the future, coming back to the past at this point, which would explain why Cable shows back up, to wipe out mutantkind's best chance at coexistence with humanity. "Tolerance is Extinction" being a play on both "E is for Extinction" and "Operation: Zero Tolerance" is also a big indicator to me**. * I know Apocalypse technically came back from BGaE in the last season in Fabian Cortez's body, but I think his place in Cable's future will be wiped out because of the timey-wimey shenanigans in BGaE. ** I know Gyrich explicitly said, "Tolerance is Extinction" to Storm and Cyke in episode 1, which I also think is hinting at Bastion, being a Sentinel-related villain.

[@corriemayo2715]

Beau De Mayo is a real x men fan and so far, he's been taking the hits and remixing them. Therefore, I believe that it's the return of Apoc and t h is devastating attack was just him culling the weak wholesale. He doesn't need the horses when he's planning on having an army to conquer the world

[@sayednasrgamiet1044]

It feels like the house of MXCVIII comic. A twist on continuity and working with newer stories within the limitations of the show. Love it

[@tran4of3]

I've heard one other KZbinr bring up Bastion, and after that I was all on board. But Sunspot's dad sounds like a no-brainer knowing more about him. Great idea! And man, this show is great!

[@adacorfirewind6301]

In the mid-season trailer, they do suggest that Trask will make an appearance, but he's definitely not in the lead. I think it's some sort of Tenet situation where there is a benefactor from the future that sent the Wild Sentinel using information from the present that Trask is giving them. I just don't find it feasible that they could build the Wild Sentinel without it being noticed in the present.

[@ruthb7557]

You really know your xmen ... great vid!

[@spensirmclife6549]

They will probably tie Sunspot to the main baddie but properly do it through his mom as she has been referenced almost every time he mentions his feelings about mutation and his father has never been mentioned

[@mon_nobi]

Yeah, I was confused by this. Even though it's a good one given the comic tie into his family, the show itself is specifically never mentioned the father as problematic, usually just said his mom and that he himself for a time were very anti-mutant. I think Roberto was just a new POV character and he'll end up using his powers in a near life or death situation or to save Jubilee, but otherwise, if anything, I agree that it would be his mom who is better suited to be the main bad guy tie in.

[@23sillyrabbit]

Love your theories, I thought of Bastion as well but Sunspot’s father just clicked. You might be on to something, it would really be a gut punch (another one). He is rich, maybe he funds the FOH and works with Trask, Guyrich and Bastion…

[@litterboxstudios]

Bastion also first appeared in 1996 (not ‘97, but… close?). But Operation: Zero Tolerance, his big intro as a “big bad” was in 1997. I choose to believe!

[@TheEverydayNonExpert]

I think it would incredibly fun for it to be Roberto’s dad! Nice theory!🎉

[@ALX_Fitness91]

Bastion is the fusion of a master mold and nimrod that became human after some cosmic shenanigans against the X-men

[@ibehgeorge4825]

The Gyrich interrogation scene in episode 1 now has alot of weight and meaning seeing how things have unfolded in Episode 5

[@DuskyPredator]

For Bastion, I also heard people say tnat you can see someone with very similar hair in the foreground of the gala. It could really work as slow reveal of the character, and scoping out before the attack. For his plan, might be to radicalise certain mutants to make to make them less sympathetic. I have seen people say Cyclops may become radical, and it could be losing a Madelyne he was not on bad terms with could turn the poster child of friendly Xavier's dream down a dark path.

[@schulbus13]

Sunspots dad would also fit because the tv show inside of the series (the one where cyclops was being interviewed) also shows sunspot being with the x-men. this could be the tipping point for his dad maybe?

[@vendeezel]

Could we say that final theory is... *SPOT* -On?

[@gingerrocco]

The way the writers of X-men 97 have been remixing the source material I wouldn’t be surprised if it is Sunspot’s dad - the motif of fathers and sons being in conflict or separated would play so well with Cyclops and Cable. It does look like Bastion is in play somewhere with the Forge storyline - could be that Bastion enlists DeCosta to execute this plan.

[@Zxykary]

Can someone explain why this Show just moves.. SO fast? I've read the comics so I know what's going on, but there's barely a moment to get attached to the Characters and their relationships when it feels like they're doing a narrative speedrun with hardly any fluff. Incredible animation and all, I just wish there were more time spent letting things breathe and build stakes.

[@TheSoulDivided]

14:50 Nando: He's not a little robot with a bird friend Me: Oh? Nando: He's MEAN Me: OH NO

[@chriscueva1866]

Haven’t seen anybody mention the possibility of it being Stryfe. It’s future stuff, Cable is involved, and destroying Genosha is right up his alley.

[@billcasey2732]

I think it's Bastion based on the upcoming "Tolerance is Extinction" three parter and the prevalence of Cable. I think it will be based on the "Operation: Zero Tolerance" storyline

[@Noct31]

I think we're looking beyond the painfully obvious: it was the humans. Gwen Cooper doesn't have to be Mystique to be a villain. The UN doesn't need to be under the sway of Sinister to be villains. There just need be enough humans with enough power and enough hatred to do this. The Wild Sentinel could have been tech the UN found while cleaning up Master Mold, and after "pardoning" Magneto they set this Genosha event in motion to collect as many mutants in one place to wipe them out.

[@guiltyflygon]

I think thematically the villian has to be human (at least human-adjacent) to pay off everything weve seen in the series thus far. Episodes 1 and 2 are all about human mutant relations, and episode 3 involves Sinister, a human who's whole deal is experimenting on mutants. Motendo doesn't do much with the theme other than expanding on Sunspot's relationship with his parents (which could be integral if your DeCosta theory is right and would explain where the funding to do all of this came from), but Lifedeath is explicitly about what humans have done to Storm and how Forge has armed them. If after all that it ends up being Apocalypse or Magneto you get into the territory of flase flag operations and given our modern day sphere that seems like a terrible idea lol. (Even though I think Apocalypse has the most clear motivation) My money's still on Nimrod personally. Yes, he showed up in the original but only for one episode and he was from the future. We still haven't done a "Nimrod rises" storyline. When Cable says, "he's here," it kind if struck me as "this is the event horizon that causes Nimrod to become possible" rather than anyone actually showing up because... Well, no one actually showed up. It would also help to explain why Bishop was here at the start which I'm pretty sure we still don't know? Also, it doesn't strike me as feasible that Trask was the one paying the FOH 10000$ per mutant like they say in episode one seems how he's basically operating out of a scrap heap, so maybe it was someone like Bastion paying to train Nimrod? In saying that though this could also apply to Bastion himself, I'm just not as familiar with him. I kind of like the idea that we'll find out about all this in a chain of events. Like, first we learn about Bastion in Lifedeath part 2, then we'll meet DeCosta and find out he's been funding Bastion, then we'll find out what Bastion has created and Nimrod will be set loose on the world. If Sinister has advanced jnowledge of this somehow it would also add an extra layer to why he wanted to create an invincible army of baby Nathan's.

[@metal87power]

Mastermold already gained independence in the early episodes so it's most likely Mastermold. And Genosha gave him a huge x point to attack.

[@g.a.2997]

Imagine if Apocalypse intended for a culling event to thin the herds and allow the strongest to survive but only mutants like Beak, Forgetmenot, and Bailey Hoskins.

[@mikaelnovasun7267]

Given the latest trailer I think we may be getting a version of Avenger's Annual 10 where Rogue faces off against the Avengers at some point. As for who sent the Sentinels I think they belong to the UN security council as a "just in case measure", that got away from them and are under the control of Bastion. In the "Fatal Attractions" story line in the comics there was an issue where X-factor discovered the government was creating Sentinels and Valerie Cooper was hiding it from the X-men and X-factor. Maybe after the X-men handed over Trask to the UN in episode 2, the UN could have co-opted him into making Sentinels, meant only for use if Genosha ever decided to go to war. Possibly Bastion got control of the program and decided to attack, and not allow peace to even have a chance.

[@wyattrussell7496]

I feel like if I see the old team photo again, then you better be giving me Bobby Drake

[@TimdeVisser86]

Coming back to share my theory in case it comes true: Onslaught is coming. Heroes Reborn is how Feige is going to explain the fact that the X-men and Fantastic Four are not in the MCU yet. The MCU is the alternate reality Franklin Richards made to save the Avengers when they appeared to be destroyed by Onslaught, and the three teams will meet in the finale of X-men '97 and perhaps the universes will be merged again in the FF movie or the X-men movie. That way they don't have to explain how mutants could be around in WW2 without any references in the MCU. In my opinion, that's where Bastion is aiming. He is going to try and use Magneto and Charles Xavier as weapons or to force them into committing atrocities, and this unintentionally spirals out of control and the Avengers help out. Either that or it's just Avengers v. X-men they're setting up.

[@rrrxxxnnnlll39]

Since Roberto puts so much emphasis on his mom rather than his dad (he sees her as a monstrous illusion in Episode 3, he repeats "my mom" in portuguese many times in Episode 4), maybe they could switch things a bit and make HER the Hellfire Club member? She's a white latina in the comics, but in the cartoon she's dark-skinned like her son. It would be interesting.