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Ben 10 is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device resembling a wristwatch, which contains DNA of different alien species. Using the Omnitrix, Ben can transform into powerful aliens with various abilities. The Omnitrix initially contains ten aliens, although later on Ben obtains more species by adding and unlocking their DNA.
The Ben 10 franchise has received widespread critical acclaim, winning 3 Emmy Awards. It consists primarily of 5 television series and 5 films, the latter of which aired between August 2007 and October 2020. Spanning over 16 years, it is Cartoon Network's second longest-running franchise to date. There is also a Ben 10 toy line manufactured by Bandai for the first four shows and Playmates Toys for the reboot. Worldwide, the franchise has grossed over $6 billion in retail sales.
Ben 10 (2005 TV series)[edit]
Main article: Ben 10 (2005 TV series)
The series centers on Ben Tennyson, a 10-year-old boy on a summer vacation road trip with his cousin Gwen and their grandfather Max, who is later revealed to be a member of a secret intergalactic organization called the Plumbers. On their first night camping in their grandfather's RV, nicknamed the Rust Bucket, Ben finds a mysterious watch-like alien device that attaches itself upon his wrist, giving him the ability to transform into several (initially ten but later more) alien life-forms, each with special abilities. During their vacation, the Tennysons are attacked by various enemies, ranging from aliens such as intergalactic warlord Vilgax, bounty hunter duo Sixsix and Kraab, and Ectonurite high king Zs'skayr, criminals such as 11-year-old energy absorbing delinquent Kevin Levin, mad scientist Doctor Animo, and the mysterious paramilitary organization the Forever Knights, to supernatural entities such as interdimensional sorcerer Hex and his niece Charmcaster, and clown mastermind Zombozo and his Circus Freak Trio.
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Characters
Further information: List of Ben 10 characters
Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson:
Ben is a cocky, immature boy, who is not above enjoying attention and enjoys making jokes even during fights. Though his immaturity makes a bad impression on some people, Ben is good-hearted, noble and loyal, and his actions are motivated above all by a strong and sincere will to help and save others in need. He will stop at nothing to protect his family or anyone in danger whether human or alien. Ben proves to be resourceful, intelligent (Ben has been known to have an eidetic memory), shrewd and cunning when needed, which saved him from many situations, especially when the Omnitrix cannot activate or doesn't provide him with the alien he originally wanted.
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson:
Gwen is Ben's cousin and is depicted as a kind and intelligent girl, very skilled with computers and possessing a level of martial arts skills. She is also very independent but is very organized, sometimes to the point of compulsive, but can be a light-hearted schemer and immature as Ben. Overall, her most notable skill is her innate, if latent, ability at magic, first shown in "Tough Luck" when She was able to use Hex's staff, which can only be used by a master magician, to defeat Charmcaster. She later obtains Charmcaster's spellbook in "Change of Face" and begins improving her magic.
Grandpa Maxwell "Max" Tennyson:
Ben and Gwen's grandfather, who takes the two on a cross-country road trip for summer vacation. In "Truth" Max reveals he was a part of the Plumber's an intergalactic police force, and handled many extraterrestrial encounters in the past. His history as a plumber has given him knowledge, training, and equipment for fighting aliens as well as an unconventional taste in food, much to the dismay of his grandchildren. In "The Visitor," an old alien acquaintance of Max's called Xylene reveals that Max was the intended recipient of the Omnitrix.
Main villains
Vilgax – A Chimera Sui Generis warlord regarded as one of the most feared aliens in the galaxy, who stops at nothing to take the Omnitrix, which he wishes to use in order to create a transforming super army. In the past, Vilgax was an enemy of Max. Vilgax was injured and remained in a regeneration chamber in the first season, but when completely healed, he was cybernetically enhanced, giving him colossal size, strength and durability that made him a match for every alien Ben could access at that time, therefore becoming the boy's archenemy. Vilgax was the main antagonist of the first season and second season, a recurring antagonist in third season and the main antagonist in the final episode of the fourth and final season.Sixsix – A Sotoraggian bounty hunter
Kraab – A Piscciss Premann bounty hunter
Kevin Ethan Levin – An 11-year-old delinquent sociopath with a mutant power that allows him to absorb energy. He uses the ability to commit crimes to benefit himself, never caring if it hurts anyone. He originally wanted to team up with Ben to become unstoppable, but after Ben refuses the offer, he absorbs power from the Omnitrix instead. He uses to cause chaos and pose episode long challenges for Ben, becoming Ben's secondary archenemy in the series with the nickname "Kevin 11". In season 4 episode "Ken 10", set in the future an adult version of Kevin, Kevin 11000 serves the main antagonist, having DNAs of all of future Ben's 10000 alens and manipulates both Ben's son Ken and his own son Devlin Levin to free him from the null void and fights of against the adult Ben 10000 outmatching him, but is ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of Ben, Ken and Delvin and is sent back to the null void dimension.
Zs'Skayr – An Ectonurite high king whose rule over the Anur star system saw an opportunity to expand when he learned of the Omnitrix from one of Vilgax's crash-landed data probes. Searching the galaxy, he tried to sample Florana DNA into the Omnitrix but ended up having his own DNA sampled along with it, becoming the genetic donor of Ghostfreak. His powers include invisibility, intangibility, possession, tentacles, energy beam projection, telekinesis and firing energy beams from his hands. He was a minor antagonist in the second season and the main antagonist of the third season.Doctor Viktor - An alien resembling Frankenstein's monster who is Zs'Skayr's second in command and oversees his master's plan during Season 3. While trying to stop Ben from interfering with their plan, Viktor accidentally opens a portal to the Null Void and is sucked in.
The Werewolf - A werewolf-like alien who serves Zs'Skayr and gathers satellite equipment for his master's plan. When the Tennyson's interference causes the satellite equipment gather to explode, the Velnodooshi is caught in the blast.
The Mummy - A mummy-like alien who serves Zy'Skayr, gathering a dangerous energy crystal with mutagenic properties called Corrodium. When Viktor opens a portal to the Null Void, the Mummy is sucked in along with him.
The Forever Knights – A secret British paramilitary organization formed during the Middle Ages and evolved into an international syndicate that first came to the United States in the 1920s.Driscoll / Forever King – A former Plumber kicked out in disgrace after being caught stealing technologies from alien criminals for personal gain, who joined the Forever Knights and eventually became their leader with the goal of achieving world domination. After learning of the Plumbers' secret "sub-energy" weapon the Forever King assembles the Negative 10, a team of the Tennysons' human enemies, to steal it to achieve his goal. He was the main antagonist of season four.
Enoch – One of the leaders of the Forever Knights, though he mostly works behind the scenes and rarely directly battles the Tennysons. At the end of "Perfect Day" he becomes trapped in his own dream machine and is replaced by the Forever King.
Dr. Aloysius James Animo – A promising veterinary scientist whose career was cut short when he was discovered performing twisted genetic experiments on mutating animals. He had hoped that his research would win him the Verties Award. Because of the nature of his research, he lost the award to another doctor named Kelly. This drove him insane, and he dropped off the map for five years until he could perfect his research. After being defeated by Ben for the first time, Dr. Animo makes himself a personal nemesis to the boy, always hoping to defeat him and rule the world. His powers include controlling mutant animals, reviving them and creating them. He is Ben's tertiary archenemy.
Hex – A self-proclaimed master magician and sorcerer from the inter-dimensional world of Ledgerdomain.Charmcaster – Hex's gifted 15-year-old niece, who at first appears loyal to her uncle but was actually using him to get power for herself. She later attempts to use a spell to swap bodies with Ben in order to gain possession of the Omnitrix only to switch with Gwen by mistake and be foiled, and have her spell book stolen by Gwen. She later becomes a member of the Negative 10 to get revenge on the Tennysons, though her grudge is mainly against Gwen. Her powers include mana manipulation and spellcasting. She is Gwen's archenemy.
Ben 10: Alien Force[edit]
Main article: Ben 10: Alien Force
The series begins five years after the events of the original series. Ben has removed the Omnitrix and returned to living a normal life, but he is forced to use it again to save his grandfather Max, who has been abducted by a xenophobic alien species called the Highbreeds as part of a plot to rid the Earth of human beings. Ben's age causes the Omnitrix to reboot, granting him access to new aliens along with a few from the original series. Ben is joined by Gwen and former enemy Kevin Levin as they fight the Highbreed's universal extermination plan.
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien[edit]
Main article: Ben 10: Ultimate Alien
After Ben's last battle with Vilgax, which destroyed the Omnitrix, Ben replaces it with the Ultimatrix, a device which allows him to evolve his alien forms into their ultimate forms. With the recent public reveal of his identity, Ben has become a worldwide celebrity. Meanwhile, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin must stop an Osmosian villain named Aggregor, who hunts five elemental aliens from the Andromeda Galaxy and intends to use their powers to achieve the "ultimate prize". Later, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin have to prevent an extra and inter-dimensional demonic entity and deity called Dagon from taking over the universe.
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Characters
Main article: List of Ben 10 characters
Heroes
Benjamin "Ben" Tennyson (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal)
At the age of fifteen, Ben fills the role of leader after Grandpa Max mysteriously disappears. The powerful Omnitrix has recalibrated, giving him access to a new set of alien heroes that are much stronger and more powerful than those in the original series. Over the past five years, Ben has matured dramatically and gained strength, leadership and wisdom.
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson (voiced by Ashley Johnson)
At the age of fifteen, Ben's cousin Gwen is much more skilled with her innate magical powers. She is able to create, control, and manipulate magical energies that she can mold into various shapes and forms such as ropes and bridges, solid projectiles and shields, and stepping stones for quick traversal of dangerous areas. She is not nearly as fiery or short-tempered as she was in the original series, and she shows a much more concerned and caring attitude toward her cousin.
Kevin Levin (voiced by Greg Cipes)
A former nemesis of Ben, Kevin now works as an alien tech dealer. He unintentionally gets involved in the Highbreed plot and joins Ben out of a desire to make up for his actions. He has the ability to absorb the properties of any solid matter he touches--like rock or steel--providing him greater strength and protection in battle.
Julie Yamamoto (voiced by Vyvan Pham)
Julie is Ben's love interest and girlfriend. She enjoys tennis, eating chili fries, and caring for her pet, Ship (an alien Galvanic Mechomorph found by her and Ben).
Max Tennyson (voices by Paul Eiding)
Max is a semi-retired member of the Plumbers--an interplanetary law enforcement group--and Ben and Gwen's paternal grandfather. He disappears while investigating the Highbreed plot, leaving only a few cryptic messages for Ben to find. He is briefly reunited with his grandchildren in "Max Out" but sacrifices himself to destroy a Highbreed factory at the end of the episode (transporting himself to the Null Void). In the episode "Voided", Ben and Max reunite in the Null Void, and he promises Ben that he'll come back soon. He eventually returns in the second season finale of the show to aid Ben in his final assault against the Highbreed.
Villains
Main article: List of Ben 10 villains
Highbreed
The Highbreed believe themselves to be the purest and most powerful of all species and intend to cleanse the galaxy of impure lower life forms. It is later revealed that they were dying out, having become sterile and vulnerable to disease due to heavy inbreeding and that they intend to destroy the rest of the universe.
DNAliens
These human-Xenocyte hybrids are alien drones that serve the Highbreed. The DNAliens are able to disguise themselves as humans using special identity masks called ID Masks.[2]
The Forever Knights
A paramilitary organization that has worked in secret since their formation in the Middle Ages, Forever Knights steal and then trade alien technology with anyone who is willing to pay large amounts of money.[2]
Vilgax (voiced by James Remar)
One of Ben's most formidable foes from the original series, Vilgax is an alien warlord set on conquering the universe. His desire is to take Ben's Omnitrix and use it to further his goal. While not present in the first two seasons, he returns in season three with new powers and abilities. He loses to Ben in the episode "Vengeance of Vilgax" and is banished from Earth, though he swears vengeance. Keeping his promise, Vilgax returns in the episode "The Final Battle" to procure the Omnitrix and destroy Ben, but is unsuccessful.[3]
Albedo (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal)
Albedo is a young and arrogant Galvan. A former assistant to Azmuth, the creator of the Omnitrix, Albedo asked for an Omnitrix of his own. When Azmuth refused, Albedo built one himself of inferior quality and synchronized it to work exactly like Ben's. Instead of being able to control the transformations himself, however, because Ben's device was the default, Albedo was transformed into a clone of Ben, even developing many of Ben's habits, which he considers utterly repulsive and has a craving for chili fries. Albedo's goal is to steal Ben's Omnitrix so that he can undo the cloning transformation and return to his original form.
Themes
Ben 10: Alien Force is set five years after the original series. The second series is quite different from the first one: the storyline is notable for having matured the characters and taken a darker tone with more complex plots, more characters dying, and much less humor. The original logo has changed from the original series. This change received mixed reactions from the fans, and caused a division among them.[citation needed] Despite this, Ben 10: Alien Force's ratings were successful, allowing the production of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, taking place one year later.
The evolved Omnitrix
Main article: List of Ben 10 aliens
When the Omnitrix was recalibrated it gained a more watch-style shape, a green wristband, and became smaller and sleeker with the face plate becoming black and green. The inside of the hourglass shape on the face now glows in different colors at special moments; these colors signify the state that the Omnitrix is in. The display mode of alien-shaped black silhouettes printed on the face has been replaced by a dark green 3D hologram hovering above the watch, giving a more detailed look of the selected alien.
The new Omnitrix also functions as a Plumber's badge which is used in the series as a communicator, a detector of other Plumber's badges, an alien-language translator, and as a key for accessing the Extranet, an intergalactic Internet.
In Ben 10, the reason Azmuth invented the Omnitrix was for all the beings of the universe to better understand each other. It was revealed in Ben 10: Alien Force that there was another reason for the creation of the Omnitrix. Azmuth tells Ben that the Omnitrix was invented to preserve the DNA of all living beings in the Milky Way Galaxy and restore them if they should ever become extinct.
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Plot
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien takes place a few weeks after the events of the previous series. With the Omnitrix having been destroyed in the series finale of Alien Force, Ben Tennyson, now sixteen years old, must learn to master the powers of the Ultimatrix, a modified version of the Omnitrix which has the ability to evolve Ben's alien forms into much more powerful versions known as "ultimate forms." The series begins with the exposure of Ben's secret identity to the world by J. Jonah "Jimmy" Jones, a young internet conspiracy theorist who deduces his identity by studying alien sightings in Ben's hometown of Bellwood. Ben's exposure polarizes public opinion, with younger fans idolizing him, and adults (particularly news anchor Will Harangue) deriding Ben as a menace to society. Ben is now forced to adjust to a new life that not only involves battling the forces of evil alongside his cousin Gwen Tennyson and his best friend Kevin Levin, but also his struggle against the pitfalls of his new-found fame.
The first season of Ultimate Alien revolves around an Osmosian villain named Aggregor, who kidnaps five powerful aliens from the Andromeda Galaxy in order to steal their powers. Although Ben and his team try to stop Aggregor, he succeeds in absorbing the aliens into himself, becoming virtually unstoppable. Ben then learns from Azmuth, the creator of the Omnitrix and Ultimatrix, that Aggregor's goal is to find the scattered pieces of the Map of Infinity, a map of spacetime which can lead him to a realm known as the Forge of Creation. Aggregor intends to enter the Forge of Creation and steal the powers of an infant Celestialsapien, a species of omnipotent, godlike aliens which can manipulate reality and time to an essentially unlimited extent with their thoughts.
Aggregor manages to reach the Forge of Creation and the team pursues him. They are nearly defeated by Aggregor, but Kevin, as a last resort, absorbs the powers of the Ultimatrix and is able to defeat Aggregor, absorbing his powers in the process. Unfortunately, the absorption of too much power overwhelms Kevin, leading him to insanity and an unquenchable thirst for more power. This leads to a stand-off between him and Ben, who, after failed attempts at tracking and saving Kevin, resolves to kill Kevin to prevent him from hurting anyone. But with the aid of Gwen, he is able to instead remove Kevin's absorbed powers, saving him and restoring the five aliens from the Andromeda Galaxy back to life.[2]
The second season features primarily self-contained stories, including an episode in which Ben's ultimate forms achieve sentience and attempt to free themselves from within the Ultimatrix by trapping Ben within it. Ben decides to sacrifice himself so that the ultimates can be free; instead, the Ultimatrix recognizes his selflessness and frees both him and the ultimates.
Both the second and third seasons of Ultimate Alien primarily focus on the Forever Knights, and particularly their leader and founder, Sir George, an immortal soldier and the origin of the myth of Saint George and the Dragon. George seeks to prevent the threat of Dagon, an extradimensional energy being which he defeated in the 12th century, which now seeks to return to Earth and take over the minds of all humans. George is killed, but Dagon himself is absorbed by Ben's nemesis Vilgax. Ben defeats Vilgax by using George's sword, a weapon built by Azmuth that is powerful enough to destroy planets, to absorb Vilgax's power into itself.
Though tempted by the sword's power to wipe out all evil with a mere thought, Ben overcomes the temptation and returns it to Azmuth. Azmuth, impressed by Ben's exercise of self-control in the face of such strong temptation, tells Ben to give up the Ultimatrix and rewards him with a new Omnitrix which he says he has been working on since Ben got hold of the first Omnitrix in the original series. He then departs, telling Ben to use the Omnitrix well and do the right thing.
Ben 10: Omniverse[edit]
Main article: Ben 10: Omniverse
Ben Tennyson acquires the new and perfected Omnitrix, which gives him access to another new set of aliens along with all of the previous ones. After Gwen goes away to college with Kevin accompanying her, Ben pairs up with Rook Blonko, a by-the-book Plumber from the planet Revonnah. He is targeted by an intergalactic huntsman named Khyber, who has a copy of the Omnitrix, the Nemetrix, with the help of mad scientist Dr. Psychobos. Both of them are working with an enemy from Ben's past, a corrupted Galvanic Mechamorph named Malware. Ben later contends with Vilgax, the Incurseans, Albedo, Zs'Skayr, Psyphon, Charmcaster, the Plumber's Black-Ops Unit (called the "Rooters"), his alternate dimension self Mad Ben, and the rogue Chronosapien Maltruant.
Ben 10 (2016 TV series)[edit]
Main article: Ben 10 (2016 TV series)
The official Twitter feed of Cartoon Network PR[3] confirmed a rebooted series that would return to following the adventures of Ben, Gwen, and Max Tennyson and feature new alien forms. In mid-June 2016, Cartoon Network released the first poster for the series, in which ten of the most popular aliens from the franchise were featured. The series would premiere on international Cartoon Networks beginning in October 2016, with Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & African versions, and continuing into 2017 with the North and Latin American versions.[4][5]
The world premiere was on Cartoon Network (Australia and New Zealand), airing on October 1, 2016.[6] The U.K network premiered the series on October 8, 2016.[7] The German Cartoon Network premiered the first two episodes on October 10, 2016.[8] The series premiered in the United States on April 10, 2017.
Future[edit]
On June 14, 2011, producer Joel Silver announced that he, along with Warner Bros. and Dark Castle Entertainment, would be working on a film version of Ben 10.[9] In January 2012, Albert Torres was announced as screenwriter.[10] In February 2013, Ryan Engle was announced to work on Torres' script. Andrew Rona, Steve Richards, and Joel Silver were producers. Alex Heineman and Sarah Meyer were executive producers.[11] As of 2023, no update has been given about the film.
In 2013, in response to fan questioning about rumors of a Gwen 10 spin-off series, Man of Action confirmed they were actively working with a Japanese anime company to develop a series that would "just follow Gwen without any Ben" as they attend college, retaining her boyfriend Kevin Levin as a supporting character, citing the character's greater popularity in Asia compared to Ben as the reason for the solo series entering development.[12] Despite this, no update on the Gwen 10 spin-off has been given as of 2023.
According to Duncan Rouleau, Cartoon Network has plans they are working on right now. He hoped that there would be some announcements by the end of 2021,[13][14] but as of 2023, no announcement has been made so far. The crew was developing many options; the changing fields of platforms from cable to streaming, the consolidation of Warner Bros. franchises, and a "thousand other factors" determined where, how, and when this iteration will finally settle.[15]