X-Men ’97 writer and creator Beau DeMayo confirms that the show’s main villain has secretly been hiding in plain sight in previous episodes.

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

Writer Beau DeMayo reveals that X-Men ’97‘s has hidden its main villain in plain sight all along, with cameos teasing his antagonistic role in five episodes of the Marvel animated show. Several villains seemed like the perfect culprits behind X-Men ’97 episode 5’s attack on Genosha. Mister Sinister, Apocalypse, and Cassandra Nova were some of the main suspects due to their lifelong feud with the X-Men and their evil precedents in both X-Men: The Animated Series and Marvel Comics.

Following the release of the easter-egg-filled X-Men ’97 episode 7, writer and show creator Beau DeMayo reveals on X that the villain responsible for Genosha’s destruction, the villainous Sentinel-human hybrid Bastion, has been present in almost every X-Men ’97 episode so far. According to DeMayo, the only episode that doesn’t feature a hidden Bastion appearance is episode 3, “Fire Made Flesh”. See DeMayo’s post below:

Fans quickly scrambled to find Bastion in previous X-Men ’97 episodes, and Beau DeMayo has confirmed some of the findings. User Cheshire Cat compiles some of Bastion’s appearances and references, which include Bastion next to Valerie Cooper in the war room, Bastion in a photo next to Forge, and part of Bastion’s head as he walks across the screen during the Gala right before the attack on Genosha. Beau DeMayo also confirms that the buyer mentioned by the Friends of Humanity is indeed Bastion himself, but affirms that not every hint has been found. See the thread below:

Bastion is the result of a fusion between Master Mold and Nimrod, the latter of which appears in X-Men ’97 ‘s opening credits.

Bastion’s Secret Appearances In X-Men ’97 Explained

Bastion Appeared In Episodes 1-2 & 4-7

Beau DeMayo’s confirmation that Bastion has been pulling the strings suggests that the Friends of Humanity, Valerie Cooper, and Forge have either worked for Bastion or have been manipulated by him. The Friends of Humanity were likely happy to receive support from someone who hates mutants as much as them, so it’s easy to see how their attack during Magneto’s trial could have been instigated by Bastion. Likewise, Valerie Cooper has lost credibility as a Mutant Affairs representative given her suspicious presence in most of the X-Men’s defeats so far, hence why her cooperation with Bastion wasn’t off the table either.

Bastion’s appearance in Forge’s photo holds unexpected implications. While it’s true that Forge’s involvement in Storm’s power loss made his seemingly genuine feelings for Storm a complicated matter, the fact that he’s close to Bastion strongly suggests that he has always had evil intentions. Forge helped Storm recover her powers in X-Men ’97 episode 6, partly because of the guilt he felt for designing the mutation inhibitor collars that inspired X-Cutioner’s weapon. Now, a future episode could reveal that Forge only helped Storm because the X-Cutioner’s weapon was supposed to hit Magneto instead of her.

Bastion’s brief cameo in X-Men ’97 episode 5’s ill-fated gala was clearly an omen of the impending tragedy. Bastion may have easily infiltrated the party and ensured that every possible mutant had their guard down under the same roof. Due to his advanced Sentinel nature, Bastion may not have worried about being harmed in the attack. Once the plan began, Bastion must have left, watched from a distance, or even killed some of the survivors while the X-Men were busy killing the three-headed “Godzilla” Sentinel. Only future X-Men ’97 episodes will reveal what Bastion has in store for mutantkind.