Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 4: Beginning the Bastion Build-Up

Bastion's development leading up to "Operation: Zero Tolerance" was minimal at best--likewise the build-up to his Operation: Zero Tolerance organization. The appearances that qualify as prologue are somewhat tortured, as though the writers were undecided about whether to follow the character before the event started or to ignore him entirely. Add to that a significant departure from Bastion's established characterization in his biggest appearance and the long build-up proves to be somewhat rocky with good appearances and...a much less good appearance.

The following includes spoilers for multiple X and non-X books, most significantly Onslaught: Epilogue. With the exception of Onslaught: Epilogue these issues are skippable if you're not a completionist.

The Token Bastion

Wolverine Annual '96

Lobdell wastes no time reminding readers of the danger Bastion poses in the two X-Men series as soon as "Onslaught" ends. From there he starts making other appearances as the writers try to build him up as a major threat. Unfortunately most of these add very little.

Wolverine Annual '96 sees Wolverine traveling to Japan where he rescues Sunfire who is being held by the Japanese government after losing control of his powers. This prompts the release of the Red Ronin, a Japanese sentinel. The plot comes off as a rebuke to Japanese leadership which, in an early scene, refuse to join Bastion's Operation: Zero Tolerance because they think they can control any mutant problems they might have on their own.

Bastion then pops up in X-Man 22 on a single page where he's observing Nate Grey. These kinds of appearances, where Bastion appears on a page or two doing nothing but observing an X character, will make up the bulk of his pre-"Operation: Zero Tolerance" appearances and are usually completely flat scenes that add nothing to his character.

X-Man 22

By far the weirdest and least impactful tie-in to the developing story, though, is Silver Surfer 123. Bastion's scene in X-Man 22 reads in part as a set-up for Silver Surfer--an attempt to point X readers to an issue that serves as a soft relaunch of the Surfer's series. But despite what X-Man 22 suggests, Bastion doesn't actually appear in the Silver Surfer issue. He is name checked as the authority to examine the being (eventually revealed to be the Surfer) entering Earth's atmosphere. The story never justifies why he's in charge of this aspect of the military, and it's obvious that this reference along with a two panel cameo by the X-Men is an attempt to bring in X readers by dangling connections between the characters (something also done in X-Men Unlimited 13 where Silver Surfer guest starred).

Bastion vs. Xavier

Onslaught: Epilogue might be the strangest prologue issue there is which is unfortunate because it's also the one where Bastion features most prominently. After a series of appearances featuring a measured, somewhat dispassionate attitude, he is written here as a full on emotionally uncontrolled fanatic bordering on lunacy.

Onslaught: Epilogue

Charles Xavier, after surrendering himself to Val Cooper in X-Men 57, was handed over to Bastion. Most of the issue is focused on Xavier being interrogated. All that Bastion knows (or at least all he says he knows) is that Xavier claims to know something about Onslaught. There are many weird moments throughout the issue, though, where Bastion suggests he knows more about Xavier than he's saying and Xavier comes very close to revealing he was responsible for Onslaught.

Bastion is a crazed man when he interrogates Xavier. He screams. He threatens. He throws Xavier around. His conduct outside of his interactions with Xavier is not much better; Bastion takes his frustration out on everyone he possibly can.

The best description for Bastion's portrayal here might be "bizarre". Even during "Operation: Zero Tolerance" proper Bastion doesn't get this over the top. He's a far more measured character, a ruthless and analytical scalpel rather than an overly emotional cudgel. I'm not sure what Larry Hama was thinking when he wrote this script, but it reads like he and Scott Lobdell never spoke because this Bastion doesn't resemble the character Lobdell created and built up.

Onslaught: Epilogue

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

It's possible that these somewhat half hearted attempts to develop Bastion are a result of the new extended lead up to the event. Bastion shows up a couple times during the issues tied into the Graydon Creed campaign storyline, but his only appearances that directly lead into "Operation: Zero Tolerance" are in Generation X. And even those are barebones. None of these appearances will be any more significant than those in Wolverine and X-Man, but they will be more consistent than whatever Larry Hama intended in Onslaught: Epilogue. Unfortunately in this case no build-up might have been better than this build-up.

~~~

For an index of the entries in this "Operation: Zero Tolerance" retrospective, jump back to the landing page here. And for an issue-by-issue commentary check out Twitter @theroncouch #CompleteOZT.

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