Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson, more commonly known as Ben 10, is a fictionalsuperhero and the titular protagonist of the Ben 10 franchise created by Man of Action and owned by Cartoon Network. The character was designed to resonate with younger audiences, incorporating elements of science fiction, superhero fiction, and the coming-of-age genre. Ben 10 has become one of Cartoon Network’s most successful franchises, with the character appearing across various media, including animated television series, feature films, video games, and merchandise. Introduced in the original series, Ben started the franchise as an ordinary 10-year-old boy on summer vacation with his family, during which he discovered the Omnitrix, a watch-like device of alien origin. It permanently latched itself onto his wrist and allowed him to transform into various alien species. Supported by his first cousin, Gwen, and paternal grandfather, Max, Ben battled an extensive rouges' gallery of villains, including primary enemies, Vilgax, Dr. Animo, and Kevin 11. Over the course of the series, Ben becomes more adept at utilizing the Omnitrix and starts to understand the weight of his responsibilities as a superhero. His character development is central to the overarching narrative of the franchise, as he learns to balance the responsibilities of a superhero with the challenges of adolescence.
In the sequel Alien Force, following the conclusion of the original series, the narrative takes a more mature turn and introduces complex storylines. Set five years after the classic series, a now 15- year-old Ben has mostly retired from superhero life but is forced to reequip the Omnitrix after his grandfather disappeared. Once again supported by Gwen and reformed enemy, Kevin Levin (formally Kevin 11), Ben and his team face off against the Highbreed, an alien race attempting to invade Earth and are victorious in preventing a full-scale invasion. Ben, while awarded greatly for his efforts, suffers a moral dilemma and clouded judgement. In addition, numerous enemies from his past resurface, including archnemesis Vilgax, who conspires with Albedo (Ben's evil doppelganger) to perform an abduction of Gwen and Kevin. To save them, Ben chooses to sacrifice the Omnitrix to and replace it with Albedo's Ultimatrix to defeat Vilgax.
In the direct sequel, Ultimate Alien, beginning a year after the events of Alien Force, a now 16-year-old Ben faces new challenges as his secret identity is publicly exposed, making him a worldwide celebrity. Still supported by Gwen and Kevin, the group enter uncharted territory with publicity, scrutiny and new alien threats in the form of Aggregor and Diagon. Ben familiarizes himself with the Ultimatrix and makes regular usage of the Evolutionary Function to evolve his aliens into their ultimate form. The alliance between Ben, Gwen, Kevin are tested through adversity as Kevin temporarily becomes evil while Ben occasionally struggles with the temptations of stardom and the growing complexities of his responsibilities as a hero. After defeating Diagon, Ben is awarded the completed Omnitrix from Azmuth.
The final continuation of the original timeline, Omniverse, introduces a dual narrative structure, featuring flashbacks to an 11-year-old Ben while focusing primarily on his adventures as a 16-year-old hero. This series seeks to retroactively bridge the gap between the original Ben 10 and Alien Force, explaining some of the inconsistencies in the storyline. The main storyline continues focusing on Ben's exploits with new Omnitrix after Ultimate Alien. He has teamed up with a new partner, Rook Blonko, after Gwen and Kevin depart for college. Together, Ben and Rook explore the hidden alien city of Undertown, confronting a mix of old and new villains. The series also delves into the concept of the multiverse, with Ben meeting alternate versions of himself and exploring different realities. Omniverse was meant to undo some story elements introduce in the franchise between 2008-2012 while bringing the franchise back to its roots
In the 2016 series, the continuity underwent a reboot, reintroducing Ben as a 10-year-old in a modernized, more contemporary setting. The reboot returns to the original concept of Ben’s summer vacation adventures with Gwen and Max, but with updated technology, new villains, and an overhauled animation style. Additionally, the series brings back classic continuity characters like Kevin Levin. Over the course of the series, Ben's Omnitrix undergoes several cosmetic changes, and he battles an extensive array of villains with help from Gwen and Max. Ultimately, he aids his future self, assists the younger Generator Rex and fights alongside alternate versions of himself to defeat the villainous Alien X who is revealed to be a corrupt future version of himself.
Concept and creation
Logo of Man of Action Entertainment
In the early 2000s, Man of Action (writer collective composed of comic book creators Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle) was hired by Cartoon Network Studios to create an action animated show. They pitched twenty different ideas in twenty minutes, with each being a minute long. The eighth pitch, one about a boy named Ben 10 with the ability to change between 10 transformations, ended up being chosen.[3] It was pitched to Cartoon Network in 2002[4] and during pre-production phases, the title went through several revisions, including Force 10 and Ben to the Tenth.[5] The pitch in its earliest stages featured Ben Tennyson wielding a device known as the "Megawhat" that would transform him into alternate versions of himself around the multiverse.[6] Around this time, the working title was Ben10, before the final title was decided to be Ben 10. Artist Steven E. Gordon designed concepts for Ben, his device (now known as the Omnitrix), and Ben's transformations. The transformations were shifted from being alternative versions of Ben to superheroes. Gordon's concepts of Ben depicted him as a slightly taller redhead boy and the Omnitrix resembled an ordinary wristwatch. Gordon designed concepts for the ten Omnitrix transformations. Unlike the official versions, these transformations were all still humanoid superheroes, each possessing one unique ability. These superheroes were Digger, Dragonfly, Ghostfreak, Greymatter, Inferno, PlantGuy, Razorjaws, StrongGuy, Upgrade, and XLR8.[7] Aspects of Gordon that were retained included the names of Ghostfreak, Greymatter, Upgrade, and XLR8.
The idea of bringing in aliens was conceived by writer Greg Johnson during the original show's three-year production, though Greg was uncredited.[8] Gordon updated his concepts, making his superhero concepts more alien and monster in nature. By 2005, artist Dave Johnson redesigned the transformations, following the decision to make them extraterrestrial aliens instead of superheroes. Johnson was credited with redesigning Ben and his transformations, in addition to the major supporting cast during the first two seasons of the classic series. He left the show, citing poor treatment and was replaced with Thomas Perkins.[9] Johnson's final contribution to the franchise was designing the alien transformation Feedback for Ben 10: Omniverse years later.
Early on in development, it was decided that a villain would be within the Omnitrix. After Ghostfreak was created, dialogue was added into the first season to hint there is something more to Ghostfreak. Originally, Cannonbolt, the 11th alien transformation in the series, was intended to be in the original set of aliens but was replaced with Ghostfreak. When working on test animations for the series, the first transformation to be showcased was Four Arms, and it was the most popular transformation out of all the aliens for Man of Action. Many unused designs for Upchuck were repurposed in the episode "Ben 10,000" as two of Ben's aliens, Spitter and Arctiguana, and the villain Sploot. The character's middle name, Kirby, was conceived as a reference to comic book artist Jack Kirby.[10]
Despite Man of Action receiving credit for creating the series, their involvement following the end of the original series in 2008 was minimal with the show's production and had already moved on to other projects. Initial concepts for Ben's Alien Force and Ultimate Alien designs were made by Glen Murakami. His head and hair were reworked by Glenn Wong, who also gave him his green jacket, while colors were added by Chris Hooten.[11]
Personality
You think I don't know? When it's hero time, if I mess up, somebody could die. From what you told me, if we mess up this time, everybody could die... Maybe that's too much to have in your head when you have to win. Maybe if I pretend everything is a big joke, when the time comes, I'll be able to do what I have to do.
— 10-year-old Ben to 17-year-old Kevin asking him to be serious.[12]
Initially cocky, childish, and selfish, Ben's immaturity and attention-seeking behavior often led him to joke around, even in serious situations. His allies often criticized his attitude, unaware that he used humor to mask his fears. Despite his childish attitude, he was heroic, caring, and good-natured, always willing to save others.
Over time, Ben develops as a character as he becomes more mature and takes on the role of a hero. He has displayed leadership skills and the ability to adapt to a situation, such as when the Omnitrix provides him with the incorrect alien. He is also kind-hearted and willing to sacrifice himself for others. His idealistic views and unwillingness to compromise his values – aspects condemned by Azmuth, yet commended by others – sometimes drive him to act against reason, such as helping his enemies.[13] Professor Paradox has praised Ben's good nature, stating he had the gift to make the right choices at the right moments, and Azmuth states that Ben always does the right thing.[12] Ben is also determined to do what is right for those in need, especially his family, friends, and mentors.[14]
However, when Ben fails to save someone or if someone is hurt because of his failures, he becomes angry and more violent. Perhaps the most notable of these instances is when Kevin willingly mutates himself to defeat Aggregor, as Ben was set on killing Kevin, even fighting Gwen when she refused to help him.[15] He also threatened to hunt down and destroy the Forever Knights after making Driscoll promise to cease hunting aliens.[16]
Later on, Ben starts thinking of himself as more of a superhero than a Plumber, often remarking that he is not a cop, but a superhero.[17]
As Ben 10,000
A future version of Ben sees him become strict, cynical, and serious about the hero business to the point of obsession. He mostly spent time in alien form patrolling and defeating criminals, and also stopped naming his aliens. After meeting and having a talk with his younger self, he lightens up and starts naming his aliens again. He likes to spend time with his son and, while he tries to be close to him, he sometimes doubts his abilities as a parent and becomes overprotective. He can also be somewhat obtuse, not realizing where his son got his attitude from and grasping the obvious. Despite being older and more mature, he still has a teasing side, jokingly calling his cousin Gwen "dweeb". Ben 10,000 possesses bravery and courage. Even after becoming more light-hearted and relaxed person, he still has a fierce temper. As shown when he turned into Way Big and beats Kevin 11,000 to a near pulp after he harmed his son.
The series centers around Ben Tennyson (Tara Strong), a ten-year-old boy on a cross-country summer vacation with his cousin Gwen (Meagan Smith) and grandfather Max (Paul Eiding). During his first night camping in Max's RV, affectionately called "The Rustbucket," Ben goes walking in a nearby forest and stumbles upon a crashed meteorite, which turns out to be an alien pod containing the Omnitrix. The device permanently attaches itself to his wrist, giving him the ability to transform into a variety of alien life-forms. With his newfound abilities, and later discovery of Max's past as part of a secret government organization called The Plumbers, he navigates through the responsibilities of being a hero. During their vacation, the Tennysons are attacked by various supervillains such as Vilgax, Zs'Skayr, Kevin 11, The Forever Knights, Dr. Animo, and others. Despite being immature and sometimes using the Omnitrix for selfish purposes, Ben proves to be a worthy wielder of the Omnitrix and saves lives. Throughout the summer, Ben grows closer with his family and becomes more experienced with the Omnitrix.
He meets a future counterpart of himself dubbed Ben 10,000. A more powerful, but emotionally detached version of himself. The youthful Ben helps his older counterpart change his ways, assists him in battling Future Vilgax and Future Animo, and attends Future Max's 80th birthday. Ben unlocks new aliens Cannonbolt and Widvine, while losing access to Ghostfreak after its DNA Host (Zs'Skayr) escapes the Omnitrix, bringing his alien count to 11. He momentarily gains "Master Control" which allows him shift quickly between his 11 alien forms and he faces the combined forces of Kevin 11 and Vilgax (Both of whom are left stranded in the Null Void). Zs'Skayr is resurrected by his minions and the Tennysons have encounters with each minion around the country. The Omnitrix scans each minion and unlocks three new aliens (Benwolf, Benmummy, Benviktor, renamed Blitzwolfer, Snare-Oh, Frakenstrike in Omniverse). Zs'Skayr is defeated by Ben and his DNA is reabsorbed by the Omnitrix, bringing Ben's alien count to 15. A woman from Max's past named Xylene, returns to Earth and reveals to Ben that the Omnitrix wasn't meant for him, but rather his grandfather and the watch is only attached to him due to his relativity with him.[18] This causes Ben to doubt his capabilities as a hero, but he proves himself worthy when he uses Upchuck (his 16th alien) to save Max from danger. Toward the end of the summer, Ben unlocks aliens Ditto and Eye Guy which boosts his alien count to 18. The Tennysons face the Negative 10, a group composed of the family's many enemies, and all three work together to defeat them.
In the film, Secret of the Omnitrix, Tetrax brings Ben and Gwen into space to find the Omnitrix's creator after its self-destruct mode activates. While in space, they find Myaxx, who assisted in the Omnitrix's creation, and she joins them in searching for the creator. Vilgax escapes the Null Void and tries to retrieve the Omnitrix once more. On the planet of Xenon, Ben meets the watch's creator, Azmuth, a member of the Galvan (Grey Matter's species). He refuses to help Ben and Vilgax launches an attack on Xenon using an army. Ben battles Vilgax with a deactivated Omnitrix and this restores Azmuth's faith. He repairs the Omnitrix and unlocks Way Big, the 19th alien, to help defeat Vilgax. Tetrax brings Ben and Gwen home and The Tennysons resume their adventures. In the film, Destroy All Aliens, summer has ended and Ben struggles to readapt to civilian life. Tetrax intends to take Ben to space again until the Omnitrix malfunctions and leaves him stuck in his alien forms for extended periods. Ben encounters a rouge Galvanic Mechamorph (Upgrade's species) named Retaliator and they fight across the planet until Ben escapes. Max and Gwen meet Ben in Bellwood along with Retaliator and the Omnitrix teleports them within it. The three manage to escape along with a rouge To'Kusar (Way Big's species) and Ben battles the To'Kustar as Way Big. Ben realizes the To'Kustar is Azmuth and he's able to help the latter regain his senses. Azmuth fixes the Omnitrix and reconciles with the Retaliator who was his father using advanced technology. In the Omniverse Flashbacks that retroactively take place a year after the original series, the Tennyson encounter Malware, a corrupt Galvanic Mechamorph who harbors hatred for Azmuth. Ben unlocks aliens Arctiguana, Spitter, and Feedback,[19] increasing his alien count to 22. He grows increasingly attached to Feedback and loses access to him in an altercation with Malware. Zs'Skayr manages to escape the Omnitrix offscreen which locks Ghostfreak, decreasing his alien count to 20. While battling Eon, the minds of young and teenage Ben are swapped, and they use the Clockwork transformation to undo the damage. Clockwork is subsequently locked afterward. The Tennysons encounter Kevin Levin twice and he's reverted back to human. He absorbs the Omnitrix and temporarily mutates again. Ben continues to use the Omnitrix for some time, but eventually removes it and resumes a normal life for four years.
Grandpa Max unexpectedly disappears in the line of duty, and Ben searches for him with Gwen and Magister Labrid's assistance. He reequips the Omnitrix, and the group witness a weapons deal between the Forever Knights, DNAliens, and Kevin Levin whose been released from the Null Void. Kevin is double-crossed by both parties and is apprehended by Labrid. All four are attacked by both groups and Ben attempts to use the Omnitrix, but it recalibrates and unlocks 10 new aliens (Swampfire, Humungousaur, Big Chill, Goop, Chromastone, Brainstorm, Spidermonkey, Echo Echo, and Alien X) while the older 20 are locked. Labrid dies in the line of duty and Kevin reforms in honor of Labrid's death. He joins Ben and Gwen, and they form the Alien Force.[20] The Alien Force continues searching for Max and learn the DNAliens work as servants for the outwardly Highbreed. The Alien Force gather more intel about the Highbreed and forms alliances with other people. Ben also starts dating tennis player, Julie Yamamoto, and while on a date with her, she takes ownership of Ship, a pet Galvanic Mechamorph. Max is revealed to be alive but sacrifices himself to save the Alien Force from a Highbreed. The Alien Force meet a time-traveler named Professor Paradox and assist him with the trans-dimensional monster. Ben uses his 10th alien, Alien X, to reverse a flood and learns it is omnipotent, but he'll have to cooperate with personalities Bellicus and Sareena. Due to this, he won't use Alien X often. Albedo, a former assistant of Azmuth, equips himself with a duplicate Omnitrix and starts framing Ben for trouble. In an altercation with Ben, Albedo's form is turned into a negative mirror of Ben, and he is sent to prison. Ben is briefly possessed by his Big Chill transformation and ends up giving birth to 14 Necrofiggian Offsprings through asexual reproduction. The Alien Force learn Max is still alive and he's taken refuge in the Null Void.
The Highbreed launch a galaxy-wide assault across the universe and Paradox brings Azmuth to Earth to alert Ben of the news. He quickly calls in Gwen, Kevin, and other allies to help defend Earth and Azmuth grants Ben master control again. With it, he reuses Cannonbolt, Way Big, and Upchuck for the first time in years. The Alien Force travels to Augstaka, and learn the Highbreed are dying from generations of inbreeding and intend to take the universe out with them. Ben uses the Omnitrix to merge the Highbreed with the DNA of the Omnitrix to save them from extinction. The Highbreed are disgusted at first, but later accept it due to Reinsaragg III's convincing. Ben is praised for his efforts in ending the Highbreed Wars and receives awards from hundreds of planets. He loses access to Master Control but keeps access to the aliens he reused and unlocks a new one named Lodestar which brings his transformation count to 14. Heatblast and Wildmutt were unlocked offscreen, further increasing Ben's alien count to 16 The awards Ben receives push his ego to new heights and it causes him to act more immature. Vilgax returns and seizes control of 10 planets through the Conqueror's Challenge and threatens to do the same to Earth. Ben asks Azmuth for Master Control, but he refuses due to his disappointment in Ben's arrogance from stopping the Highbreed Wars. Ben and Kevin try unlocking Master Control themselves, but this causes more issues as it leaves Kevin mutated and multiple aliens escape the Omnitrix. The Alien Force retrieves each alien and Ben battles Vilgax at the park. The odds are mostly in Vilgax's favor until Way Big's DNA is reabsorbed by the Omnitrix. Ben attempts to transform to Way Big but is transformed into Chromastone instead. Vilgax destroys Chromastone, but his remains reform into Diamondhead. Ben swiftly defeats Vilgax and saves Earth whilst Diamondhead replaces Chromastone's sport in the Omnitrix.
In the film, Alien Swarm, the Alien Force witness a weapons deal between bikers and learn Ben's old friend, Elena Validus, is a member. Elena admits she orchestrated the deal purposely to receive Ben's help as her father, Viktor Validus, has gone missing. The weapons contain sentient technology named Nanochips and they attack the Alien Force. Elena escapes, but she regroups with the Alien Force. They work together to gather more intel on the Nanochips and while at Plumber HQ, they learn the Nanochips have dispersed across the globe. Kevin gifts Ben a new car (DX Mark 10) and they travel to the town of Barren Rock to find the Nanochip Queen. They infiltrate a factory and discover the queen has taken residence within Viktor Validus' body and the Omnitrix uses the nanochips and merges it with Ben's DNA to create Nanomech, Ben's 17th transformation. Ben defeats the Queen and saves Earth from the Nanochips. Viktor reconciles with Max and Elena becomes a close ally of the Alien Force. Vilgax later requires the Alien Force's help after Zs'Skayr seizes control of Vilgaxia and Ben helps defeat him, reabsorbs Zs'Skayr's DNA into the Omnitrix, and reunlocks Ghostfreak which brings his alien count to 18. He later unlocks other aliens like Rath and regains Chromastone through Sugilite which brings his alien count to 20. Albedo escapes from prison and steals an incomplete Omnitrix from Azmuth. He modifies it into the Ultimatrix and equips it with the evolutionary feature (evolves aliens into their Ultimate form). He collaborates with Vilgax and the two abduct Gwen and Kevin. Ben finds the two but surrenders the Omnitrix to Vilgax in exchange for Gwen and Kevin's safety. Vilgax betrays Albedo and imprisons him within his ship. The Alien Force infiltrates Vilgax's ship and Ben destroys the Omnitrix to keep it from Vilgax. This reverts Kevin's mutation and Ben replaces the Omnitrix with the Ultimatrix. Ben battles Vilgax in his sinking ship and successfully overpowers him while leaving him in his sinking ship. Ben reunites with the Alien Force while Albedo is left stranded on Earth.
Ben has wielded the Ultimatrix for roughly a year and his secret identity has been revealed worldwide by a boy named Jimmy Jones. His fame greatly impacts his life, and he is smeared regularly on news by Will Harangue. Between Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Ben unlocked Four Arms offscreen, increasing his alien count to 21. While not dealing with the celebrity world, the Alien Force are investigating the arrival of several aliens on Earth with connections to each other. The Alien Force learn these 5 aliens were all being hunted by an Osmosian warlord named Aggregor and they sought refuge on Earth after their ship crash-landed. The Alien Force attempts to help each Andromeda Alien, but each are captured by Aggregor. While helping them, Ben's Ultimatrix scanned each alien (Armodrillo, AmFibian, Terraspin, NRG, Water Hazard) which increased his alien count to 26. Aggregor merges the aliens with himself and sets off on a quest to four places around the universe to gather each piece of the Map of Infinity. The Alien Force attempt to reach each location before Aggregor, but fail each time. While visiting Pisciss, the Ultimatrix scans several Pisciss Volann offscreen which reunlocked Ripjaws,[21] increasing Ben's alien count to 27. Azmuth scolds the Alien Force for failing, but Ben introduces one last option. He tries using Alien X to see if he can cooperate with Bellicus and Sareena, but they still haven't forgiven Ben since their last conversation which leaves them out of options. Paradox returns and uses his abilities to teleport the Alien Force into the Rust Bucket III and has the ship make its way towards the Forge of Creation. Paradox mentions he cannot continue with them due to his banishment from the Forge but warns them not to lean against the Chrono Randomization Barrier. Ben forgets and leans against it by mistake which ends up bringing his younger self into the future. Due to them being outside time, no consequences will happen.
As the Alien Force travels into the Forge, they battle against Aggregor one last time, but Aggregor swiftly defeats them all and makes his way towards a baby Celestialsapien to grant himself Omnipotence. Young Ben tries to encourage Kevin to absorb the Omnitrix to regain access to mutations, but Kevin absorbs Older Ben's Ultimatrix which transforms mutates him into Ben's current aliens and several Ultimate Aliens at the cost of his sanity. Ultimate Kevin makes his way towards Aggregor, absorbs his powers acquired from the Andromeda Aliens, and knocks him out. Older Ben insists Kevin stops, but he refuses and departs the Forge of Creation. Throughout the universe, Kevin harms various people and this convinces Ben that Kevin is a threat that needs to be put down. Gwen disagrees with Ben and the two battle in which Ben is victorious. He battles Kevin once more on Earth but spares him in battle. Kevin is reverted to normal using a special machine, and the Andromeda Aliens are able to become whole again. The Alien Force run into another version of Ben 10,000 dubbed Ultimate Ben (able to use his alien abilities in human form). Ultimate Ben is being assisted by Paradox while fighting against Eon, and Eon is revealed to be an evil version of Ben. The Alien Force help Paradox and Ultimate Ben defeat Eon and he unlocks every alien young Ben has used in his lifetime that's still available in the Codon Stream (Ultimatrix's off world database) and throws in several new ones. The new ones include Fasttrack, Eatle, and Juryrigg. This brings the alien count to 52 (Including both Upchuck Subspecies)
Paradox warns the Alien Force to beware of Old George and the Creature from Beyond. This creature is revealed to be a Lucubra who works for Dagon, a demonic entity. Sometime later, Ben scans Prisoner 775 which unlocks Chamalien, his 53rd alien. George is revealed to be an elderly man who wielded the legendary Ascalon and created the Forever Knights. He unites the splintered groups into one organization with the goal of eliminating alien life on Earth (though this is a mere distraction for the bigger purpose of stopping Diagon's eventual return). Vilgax was found by the Flames Keepers Circle and he's mistaken for Diagon to which he gladly embraces. Albedo is still stranded on Earth, and he's been profiting off Ben's fame to raise money for a machine to revert him back to Galvan, but it fails and instead grants Albedo the ability to transform into aliens without an Omnitrix, but only for several seconds. This infuriates Albedo and he attempts to fight Ben once more but is defeated. The Ulitmatrix grants sentience to several Ultimates through a glitch, and Ben is willing to sacrifice himself for them, until him and the Ultimates are brought back to the real world. In the crossover, Heroes United, Ben is brought to another reality and faces off against that world's hero, Generator Rex. The two get off on the wrong foot, but reconcile to face a bigger threat, Alpha. Ben unlocks his 54th alien, Shocksqautch in the process. Vilgax becomes a pawn for Dagon and a battle breaks out between the Esoterica and Forever Knights. It leads to the death of most of the Knights and George himself. Diagon transforms Earth's denizens into Esoterica and Vilgax betrays Diagon and absorbs his essence into himself. He defeats Gwen and Kevin and Ben is left the last one standing. He uses George's sword, Ascalon, and faces off against Vilgax one more time. Ben wins and successfully defeats Vilgax, but he is almost tempted to eradicate evil by Vilgax, but does not listen to him and reverts all the Esoterica back to normal. Ben is awarded the completed Omnitrix by Azmuth and he hands back the Ultimatrix.
The storyline alternates between that of eleven-year-old Ben (one year after the original series) and sixteen-year-old Ben (several months after Ultimate Alien). It is revealed in this show that Ben continued to wear the Omnitrix a year after the original series, with episodes centered around 11-year-old Ben happening during weekend trips. Between Ultimate Alien and Omniverse, Ben would unlock multiple new aliens. Mainly Astrodactyl, Ball Weevil, Bloxx, Crashhopper, Gutrot, Toepick and Gravattack which increases his alien count to 61. The Alien Force go on one last adventure before Gwen and Kevin reveal they are leaving Bellwood for University. Ben was unaware of this and bids farewell to both of them. Max teams Ben up with a new partner named Rook Blonko, a recent Plumber graduate. The two discovers beneath Bellwood is a hidden alien town named Undertown. As they familiarize themselves with Undertown, they must deal with the faction composed of Khyber, Dr. Psychoobus, and Malware. The faction's main trump card is Khyber's pet, Zed, as she's armed with the Nemetrix (An Omnitrix-based device that turns the user into predators of Ben's aliens. Ben and Rook investigate an abandoned ship near Earth which contains the Annhilargh, a doomsday device that can erase universes. The device attracts the attention of multiple parties like the Plumbers and Incurseans, but its mistakenly activated and succeeds in destroying the universe aside from Ben who survived as Alien X. Ben convinces Bellicus and Sareena to recreate the universe, but it has several differences. Ben and Rook continue battling the Faction and he starts dating Ester after he and Julie broke up offscreen. Psychoobos manages to steal a piece of the Omnitrix to help perfect the Nemetrix while Ben is at Plumber HQ which causes an array of issues but unlocks several new aliens in the process. The new aliens include Walkatrout, Pesky Dust, Molestache, The Worst, and Kickin Hawk which further increases his alien count to 66. The Faction launch an attack on Galvan Prime and Malware destroys Galvan B (Galvanic Mechamorph homeworld).
Malware lands on Galvan Prime and enhances himself to reach colossal heights. This leads to Ben needing Way Big to bring him down, but Malware defeats Ben and traps him within himself. While inside Malware, Ben subconsciously meets with his younger self, and this leads to Feedback's unlocking which brings his alien count to 67. Feedback defeats Malware and the latter is left in stone. In the crossover, T.G.I.S, Ben assists the Secret Saturdays in dealing with V.V. Argost and Dr. Amino. Ben meets a reckless alternate version of himself named Ben 23. Ben helps Ben 23 change his ways and he becomes an important ally of Ben in the future. Eon returns and swaps the minds of 16-Year-Old Ben and 11-Year-Old Ben which causes an array of issues and temporarily messes with time itself. Both Bens transform into Clockwork and return things to normal. The Incurseans launch an invasion on Earth and succeed in conquering it through the help of mutated To'Kustars. Ben is sent to exile in Space but is saved by Azmuth. Ben unlocks Bullfrag, his 68th alien, and he uses him to infiltrate the Incurseans and free the Plumbers. Ben assists his friends and family while Rook sends them To'Kustars to the Null Void. The Incurseans are defeated, and a peace treaty is signed between them and Earth. Max's old, Plumber partner, Phil Billings, returns and attacks Ben through his mutated Terroranchula form and he accidentally unlocks Buzzhsock, Ben's 69th alien. Albedo returns and has created an Ultimatrix based stabilizer which not only allows him to stabilize the alien DNA within himself but evolve them too. Albedo leads Ben into a trap, and he's trapped on board Khyber's ship. Ben battles Khyber who is equipped with the Nemetrix again and Albedo attempts to steal Azmuth's intelligence. Ben manages to escape, and stops Albedo through his 70th alien, Atomix. Azmuth leaves Albedo stuck in a permanent 10-Year-Old Ben form as punishment. Ben and Rook later deal with Dr. Animo again and his future self, Future Amino. The duo's battle with both Aminos unlocks Ben's 71st alien, Gutrot. Ben and Rook travel to the Anur System and stop the combined threats of Zs'Skayr and Lord Transyl and in the process, Ben unlock Whampire, his 72nd alien. Vilgax and Eon gather several evil versions of Ben across the Omniverse while Professor Paradox brings in heroic ones like Ben 10K and Ben Prime. Vilgax uses the Chronosapien Time Bomb to erase every universe aside from 1 where that universe's Ben never had an Omnitrix. No Watch Ben is given the Omnitrix by Ben Prime before his erasure, and he uses Clockwork to restore every universe and defeats Vilgax while returning the Omnitrix to Ben.
Ben is later held for trial by the Celestialsapiens for his recreation of the Universe when it was destroyed and has to use the "Tetramand Trial of Combat" to ensure his innocence. He wins and, in the process gains full control of Alien X. The Rooters try to turn Ben and Kevin against each other, but fail, have their Plumber rights revoked and are left stranded in the Null Void. Khyber returns once more with the Nemetrix and is now armed with a Slimebiote which allows him to use weapons made of the DNA within the Nemetrix. The Slimebiote whose name is Skurd betrays Khyber for Ben's Omnitrix due to finding the watch's DNA better. Ben, Rook, Skurd, and Professor Paradox later deal with the Time War and have to face off against rouge Chronosapien, Maltruant, who is on a quest to gather artifacts scattered throughout the universe for a greater purpose. Vilgax and Albedo once again team up and they steal Malware's remains from Galvan Prime and develop Galvanic Mechamorph armor similar to the Retaliator. Ben manages to defeat Vilgax and leaves him in his exploding ship to be turned to stone. The Time War reaches its conclusion as Maltruant travels towards the beginning of time while Ben and Rook follow him. They make it towards before time in the Contumelia Ship and they meet the Countumelia. Maltraunt attempts to use his Annhilargh to create the universe in his image but Ben as Feedback attempts to stop it as the device explodes and he absorbs it. Through the power of all his 72 transformations, he absorbs the Big Bang from the Annihilargh and uses it to destroy Maltraunt. The Countumelia use the original Annihilargh to create the universe and Skurd says goodbye to Ben and Rook and he joins his ancestors. Paradox returns and explains that Maltruant will be left in an endless time loop where he will try to gather his broken body parts scattered across the universe but will fail each time and be defeated by Ben. After scattering Maltruant's body parts across the universe, Ben and Rook return to Earth and the two contact Gwen and Kevin to go on a road trip across space.
Future
Ben remained happy and cocky until he turned 20.[22] The events, while never being displayed, caused Ben to mutilate Vilgax, and become serious. He placed Vilgax's remains within a stasis pod to ensure he could cause no more harm. Throughout the next 10 years, he would unlock over 10,000 aliens, have unrestricted access to Master Control, and establish his own city named Omntrix City. He becomes distant from his family and dedicate his time towards patrolling Earth 24/7. Ben later comes into contact with his younger, 10-Year-Old self who was brought 20 years into the future by Gwen. His interaction with his younger self helps him change his ways and both face off against the combined forces of the revived Vilgax and Dr. Animo and attends Max's 80th birthday. Over the next 12 years, he married Kai Green and had two kids with her. That being Kenny Tennyson and Gwendolyn Tennyson. In preparation for his son's 10th birthday, he uses his smartest aliens to create a replica Omnitrix for his son. Him and Ken team up and defeat several villains, but Ken is frustrated that Ben keeps taking them down before letting him land a hit. Ken meets Devlin Levin (Kevin's son) and he betrays him and frees Kevin 11 from the Null Void. Ben fights Kevin and beats him to a pulp after witnessing him harm Ken. Devlin later betrays his dad and traps him within a Null Void egg. Devlin is later taken in to live with Ben and Ken.
Over the next several years, Ben develops the Biomnitrix (a dual system Omnitrix) using his smartest aliens again. Ben 10,000 later visited his younger 16-Year-old self, looking for Professor Paradox and informing him the Time War had gotten out of hand, the Chronosapiens went rouge, and Maltruant's temporal beasts are on a cross dimensional rampage. He later assists his younger self again along with multiple alternate versions of himself against Vilgax, Eon, and evil versions of himself. He was temporarily erased from time after the Chronosapien Time Bomb went off and was subsequently restored by No Watch Ben using Clockwork. He later assists Professor Paradox, his younger self, and Rook while dealing with Time Beasts and creates the Time Cycles for Young Ben and Rook to use. Later on, Ben and Kai try to stop Dr. Animo from using the Chronoporter from travelling back in time, but he succeeds but is quickly brought by Chrono-Spanner with the married couple remarking on how they haven't seen him in years. Ben calls on Ken to join him and Kai in transferring Animo back to Plumber HQ and Kai quickly confiscates his Omnitrix. They return to Plumber HQ and celebrate Max's Retirement while meeting with Gwen and Kevin (whose become good again) but are interrupted by Maltruant. Ben battles Maltruant as Atomic-X (fusion of Alien X and Atomix) and Chrono Spanner defends Ben from Maltruant's blast which reveals that Chrono Spanner was Ken all along. Maltruant later freezes time temporarily and goes off into the timestream to ensure he's able to remake the universe in his image (which he'll inevitably fail and be defeated by younger Ben). Ben is handed the wounded Ken by his younger self.
A reboot of the franchise set in an alternate universe, Ben 10 introduces a re-imagined Ben (reprised by Strong), his cousin Gwen (Montserrat Hernandez), and Grandpa Max (David Kaye), as they travel the country during summer vacation. Ben finds the Omnitrix offscreen and gains access to 10 aliens. (Cannonbolt, Diamondhead, Four Arms, Grey Matter, Heatblast, Overflow, Stinkfly, Upgrade, Wildvine, and XLR8). He meets with enemies like Dr. Animo, Hex, Zombozo, and others. He becomes accustomed to nine of his aliens and namesall of them. He awakens a Hydromander nesting in Niagara Falls and has to use Overflow (the one alien he hasn't used) to stop him. While battling Dr. Animo he unlocks his 11th alien, Gax (Chimera Sui Generis). The Tennysons later meet with Max's old friend, Phill Billings, and he places a device on the watch to get more readings off it. Ben develops an addiction to Gax and this attracts the true attention of Vilgax who takes the DNA of Gax to make himself whole again while locking the Gax transformation. Vilgax leaves and attempts to power a ship that'll allow him to leave Earth while Ben has to deal with the Omnitrix's rapid shifting between transformations. Ben faces off against Vilgax and the two battle in his ship. Ben realizes the only way to fix his Omnitrix is to enhance it so he uses Upgrade to repair which in turn "upgrades" the Omnitrix, locks Upgrade, and unlocks a new alien named Shock Rock as rempleaze. Ben faces off against Vilgax and leaves him to his fate in his sinking ship in a volcano. Ben joins with Max and Gwen and the Tennysons resume their summer vacation. Ben notices that Upgrade has seemingly vanished from the Omnitrix and has gained a strange new phenomenon of "Omni-Enhancements" which coats his aliens in strange electrical rock and blue energy and grants them electrically enhanced superpowers.
Vilgax survived his fate, but his ship's destruction leaves him stranded on Earth and he teams up with many of Ben's enemies. In Crossover Nexus, Ben is brought to an alternate dimension and meets with heroes Garnet, K.O., and Teen Titans member Raven and must stop a mysterious villain dubbed Strike. Ben is unable to turn into aliens and is stuck as Four Arms, but towards the end, he stops the villain using newly acquired aliens in the Nexus Realm (all of whom are inaccessible unless Ben is present there). While attending a race, Ben battles Vilgax once more and uses Shock Rock to capture him. Ben sleepwalks as Shock Rock and develops strange machines to which Vilgax warns. Ben frees Vilgax and the two go within the Omnitrix and meet Glitch. Glitch explains that Upgrade's DNA had to merge with Ben's DNA to survive the Omnitrix's upgrading when Ben and Vilgax fought each other. He further elaborates by mentioning that he had to replace Upgrade's spot in the Omnitrix with Shock Rock and the alien's DNA allowed it to absorb the excess charge which caused the creation of the Omni Enhancements. Every time Ben accessed Shock Rock, he sent a signal pulse to the Fulmuni's planet. Glitch tried his best to circumvent the issues, but a portal was established between the Fulmuni homeworld and the Omnitrix. The three battle the fulmuni, but matters are complicated when the High Override sends Vilgax to the Null Void and Ben is placed under his control. Max and Gwen go within the Omnitrix and help Ben break free from the Override's control and help defeat the High Override. The Omnitrix reboots and Glitch transports the three out of the Omnitrix. This causes Grey Matter, Wildvine, and Overflow to be locked and replaced with aliens Rath, Slapback, and Humungousaur while the Omni Enhancements are no longer accessible.
Phill Billings gifts the Tennysons the Omni Copter to traverse around the world and they learn that Ben's old schooler Kevin Levin has his own version of the Omnitrix dubbed the Antitrix. Ben and Kevin form a rivalry with each other and battle around the world. Meanwhile, the mysterious Forever Knight is gathering intel on Ben. He later joins the Forever Knight and the group of villains he's gathered up for his goal of preventing alien life from reaching Earth. Ben realizes this will prevent him from finding the Omnitrix and betrays Forever Knight. He's assisted by Gwen and Kevin and the three defeat him. Phil informs the Tennysons a second piece came with the pod that held the Omnitrix and they travel back to the Omnitrix's crash site to retrieve the Omnitrix Key. Ben inserts it into the Omnitrix and unlocks the Omni Kix Armors while Stinkfly is locked and replaced with Jetray. In the film, VS The Universe, the Tennysons learn a meteor is heading towards Earth and Ben uses the Omni Naut Armors to traverse space. He misses the meteor and is left in deep space while the meteor is revealed to be a pod holding an escaped Vilgax. While in space, Ben is abducted by a spaceship and is sent to the Null Void where he the Omnitrix's creator. Azmuth explains to Ben that Vilgax assisted him in the Omnitrix's development but grew power hungry. Azmuth responded by absorbing half of Vilgax's DNA into the Omnitrix to stop Vilgax but was sent to the Null Void as punishment. Ben learns how to unlock more aliens including his own long-time aliens lost and leaves the Null Void to return to Earth. Meanwhile, the Tennysons are assisting Kevin, but encounter Vilgax. Vilgax takes the Antitrix from Kevin, and attacks the Tennysons, Phil, and Kevin. Vilgax grows exhausted of setbacks, and terrfaforms Earth. Ben returns to Earth and battles Vilgax as Way Big, Vilgax meanwhile transforms into Alien V. Ben is victorious and Azmuth uses the Omnitrix to revert things back to normal. Towards the end of summer, he meets his future counterpart and defends Earth from the invading Xerge and unlocks his 11th alien, Surge. He assists a younger Generator Rex from Hex's usage of nanites and teams up with several alternate versions of himself throughout the Multiverse to stop an evil Alien X and they discover the rouge figure to be an alternative and evil version of Ben called Ben X. After the Bens and Gwen 10 are returned to their universes, Ben happily embraces Max and Gwen.
Future
Ben had a confrontation with Steam Smythe and had accidentally sent a signal to the invasive species known as Xerge who invaded Earth. Ben's Omnitrix upgraded for the fourth time and had given him access to 10,000 aliens. During an incident, Ben had failed his friends and family. The incident left Max stuck as a Hologram and Kevin as Humungouraptor (Vaxasaurian Hybrid). After 20 years passed, he comes out of hiding and faces off the Xerge. Hex attempts to recruit him, but after Ben rejects, he brings in Max which convinces him to join. Hex takes Ben to the White House where Gwen and reunites with her for the first time. After some arguing, Ben as Buzzshock has a vision of his past self and travels back in time through a time portal developed by Steam Smythe and Dr. Animo. He brings his past self to the future and the two of them face off against the Xerge and successfully defeat them. After young Ben returns to the past, Ben 10,000 shaves his beard, loses weight, and returns to his hero activities by emitting his trademark catchphrase. "It's Hero Time"
Portrayal
Voice actors
10-year-old Ben is voiced by Tara Strong in the original Ben 10 series which aired from 2005 to 2008. She would later return as 10-year-old Ben in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, in the episode "The Forge of Creation" and reprises her role as Ben at age 11 in flashback episodes of Ben 10: Omniverse. The character underwent a reboot, returning as a 10-year-old in the 2016 reboot, with Strong reprising her role; along with voicing his original series incarnation at age 10 in "Alien X-Tinction". Strong had to re-audition for the role in the reboot; as Man of Action was initially considering the new iteration of Ben being voiced by a child voice actor before ultimately deciding that Strong reprise her role as the character.[23][24] Strong voiced 10-year-old Ben in all series to date except Ben 10: Alien Force, where he never spoke.
Ben 10: Alien Force, the sequel series to the original, reintroduced Ben at 15 years old; voiced by Yuri Lowenthal. When casting teenage Ben for Alien Force during the audition process, Lowenthal revealed that he was called back multiple times during the audition process to read for the role before ultimately being cast.[25] He would later reprise his role as teenage Ben (16 years old) in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and Ben 10: Omniverse (sharing the role in the latter with Tara Strong, who voices 11-year-old Ben). Both Strong and Lowenthal also voice alternate versions of Ben in Omniverse. Lowenthal returns in the 2016 reboot cameoing as an elderly Ben in the episode "The 11th Alien: Part 2", and later returns to voice the aforementioned 15 and 16-year-old counterparts of Ben in "Alien X-Tinction".
Adult versions of Ben have also been featured over the course of the five series, referred to as "Ben 10,000". Different versions of Ben 10,000 have appeared in each series (with the exception of Alien Force). Ben 10,000 was voiced by Fred Tatasciore in the original series as well as the 2016 reboot, while Sean Donnellan voices him in Ultimate Alien; and Judd Nelson in Omniverse.
Live action
In the film Ben 10: Race Against Time, he was portrayed by Graham Phillips. The film originally aired on Cartoon Network on November 21, 2007. In Ben 10: Alien Swarm, he was portrayed by Ryan Kelley. The film originally aired on Cartoon Network on November 25, 2009. According to Kelley, additional sequels were planned but never came to fruition.[26]
