The twist ending featuring Magneto in X-Men ’97 episode 7 may have just set up a legendary Marvel villain that looks a lot like Magneto himself.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 7.

A legendary Marvel villain could be en route for X-Men ’97 as the latest Magneto twist sets up his final form. Just two episodes after the shock ending of episode 5, the twist ending for X-Men ’97 episode 7 revealed that Magneto is still alive and in the custody of the series’ surprise arch-villain, Bastion. This is a shock considering Magneto was last seen taking the full force of a Wild Sentinel Master Mold’s laser canon, while other mutants like Gambit are still dead.

Bastion’s reveal as the man pulling the strings came about halfway through episode 7 as he murdered Henry Gyrich before later chastising Mr. Sinister for his failures to defeat the X-Men. It was during this scene that he revealed his knowledge of Professor X’s whereabouts within the Shi’ar Empire and his enthusiasm for the X-Men leader’s return. While this enthusiasm could be ascribed to Bastion’s anticipation of killing him, Xavier’s return and Magneto’s captivity suggest that Bastion has a far darker plan.

X-Men ’97’s Magneto Return & Bastion Set Up Onslaught’s Arrival

Bastion doesn’t seem concerned by the fact that Professor X is still active and a potential foil to his plans. In fact, his ability to subdue and shave Magneto in captivity suggests that Bastion – a human-sentinel hybrid – is more than capable of holding his own against omega-level mutants. As for his plans with Magneto, the reveal that Bastion is producing Prime Sentinels, (sentinels made with living humans fitted with nanotech) suggests that he intends to turn Magneto into one himself.

This would be particularly nefarious as it would mean turning Magneto against his fellow mutants. Meanwhile, if Bastion welcomes the arrival of Professor X, then it could mean that he intends to set Prime Sentinel Magneto on his oldest friend in a twisted act of villainy. Having these two butt heads in such a way opens the door for some psychic shenanigans on Professor X’s part that could easily lead to the creation of one of the most powerful Marvel characters ever created – namely, Onslaught.

Onslaught’s Marvel Origin Explained

His genesis came when Professor X took on Magneto without pulling his punches – something that he may have to do to a Prime Sentinel Magneto in X-Men ’97 .

Bastion is the product of two powerful sentinels merging and then being made part-human by the Siege Perilous. This is a similar origin to Onslaught, who is the amalgamation of Professor X and Magneto, two omega-level mutants whose combined power makes for one of the most formidable entities in all the Marvel Universe. His genesis came when Professor X took on Magneto without pulling his punches – something that he may have to do to a Prime Sentinel Magneto in X-Men ’97.

In the comics, Onslaught’s debut came as Professor X finally snapped and shut down Magneto’s mind in retaliation for a near-fatal attack on Wolverine. In doing so, Magneto’s vengeful anger merged with Professor X’s own latent resentment towards mutant persecution, turning him into the rage-fueled entity known as Onslaught. Eventually, Onslaught frees himself from the mind of Xavier and exists as pure psionic energy in Magneto’s armor, capable of some extraordinary feats that require the combined efforts of multiple Marvel superhero teams to counter.

The arrival of Captain America in X-Men ’97 episode 7 hints that the Avengers may appear in the animated series, which could come as part of a combined effort against a rampaging Onslaught.

Magneto’s Final Form Would Redefine The X-Men Power Hierarchy

Magneto’s defeat at the hands of Bastion is indicative of the latter’s power, with the incoming arrival of Prime Sentinels posing a significant threat to the X-Men. The arrival of Onslaught, however, would trounce Bastion’s designs; though it is important to note that he is far from heroic. Instead, Onslaught being Magneto and Xavier’s vengeance incarnate would pit him against Bastion and humanity, and reposition Magneto’s villainous designs back into the spotlight. Incidentally, Onslaught would commandeer the Sentinels in the comics to help achieve his goals.

Onslaught is truly a force to be reckoned with, whose powers combine and maximize those of Magneto and Professor X while demonstrating some god-like feats of strength. The most astounding of these was Onslaught’s ability to overpower a fully-powered Juggernaut and punch him halfway across the earth, while his ability to absorb mutants and their powers only threatens to increase his threat levels exponentially. With that in mind, should Onslaught appear in X-Men ’97, the X-Men will be about to face their most formidable challenge yet.