Netflix Saddles Up for Animated Steampunk Western Series BASS X MACHINA From the Studio Behind X-MEN '97
Netflix is loading up its adult animation slate once again, and this time it’s bringing steam-powered chaos to the Wild West. A new animated series titled Bass X Machina is officially in the works, and it comes from the animation studio that delivered X-Men '97'.
If you’re into gritty Westerns mixed with clanking machinery and supernatural danger, this one looks like it’s aiming straight at you.
Following the 2025 success of Long Story Short and Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, Netflix is clearly doubling down on mature animated storytelling in 2026. Now it’s stepping into steampunk territory with a show that sounds intense, emotional, and more than a little savage.
Here’s the official synopsis: "Bass X Machina is set in a lawless Steampunk West overrun by brutal outlaws, machines, and supernatural terrors, where a father is forced to become judge, jury, and executioner – knowing that every act of justice meant to protect his family may ultimately cost him the very people he’s fighting to save."
That concept paints a picture of a harsh frontier where survival comes at a heavy price. It isn’t just gunslingers and gears. It’s a story about family, sacrifice, and what happens when protecting the people you love turns you into something dangerous.
The series stars Brian Tyree Henry, best known to many fans as the voice of Jefferson Davis in Into the Spider-Verse and its sequels. This time, he steps into the title role as Bass, and he’s also serving as an executive producer on the project.
Henry has built a strong presence in animation over the years with roles in Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman, and HouseBroken, so he’s no stranger to the format.
He’s joined by an impressive lineup that includes Janelle Monáe from Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Tati Gabrielle of The Last of Us. The cast also features Cree Summer, Chaske Spencer, Currie Graham, and Starletta DuPois.
Animation duties fall to Studio Mir, the South Korean studio responsible for the slick action and dynamic style of Marvel's X-Men '97 and Netflix’s Devil May Cry series. If you’ve seen their work, you know they can deliver high-energy action with sharp character design and cinematic flair.
A steampunk Western feels like fertile ground for them to go wild with inventive visuals, mechanical monstrosities, and brutal showdowns.
Between the genre mashup, the heavy emotional core, and Studio Mir’s track record, Bass X Machina is could be one of Netflix’s more intriguing animated projects on the horizon. It sounds like a full-throttle Western drama with metal limbs and supernatural nightmares woven into the dust and gun smoke.
Bass X Machina premieres on Netflix on October 6.