Ben Tennyson

Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson, commonly known as Ben 10, is a fictional superhero and the title protagonist of Cartoon Network's Ben 10 franchise, created by Man of Action. 

Ben started out as a regular 10-year-old boy until he encounters the Omnitrix during his summer vacation; a watch-shaped alien device which initially allowed him to transform into 10 different aliens, but he unlocks more as the franchise progresses. Supported by his cousin Gwen and grandfather Max, Ben fights criminals, but is quickly drawn into fighting supervillains as well. At some point, for unknown reasons, Ben removes the Omnitrix and briefly retires from being a hero for four years. In Alien Force, Ben returns to active duty after Max's disappearance, and along with Gwen and former enemy and rival Kevin Levin, stops the Highbreed invasion and defeats Vilgax, destroying the Omnitrix in the process.

In Ultimate Alien, Ben starts using the Ultimatrix, which is capable of evolving his aliens. In addition, his identity is revealed and he becomes famous not only on Earth, but also across the universe. Over the course of the series, he thwarts the plans of foes like Aggregor and Dagon, and gains a new Omnitrix. In Omniverse, Gwen and Kevin leave for college and Ben gains a new partner, Rook Blonko. In addition to being hunted down by Khyber, Ben also engages in a Multiversal War against Eon and Vilgax and a Time War against Maltruant.

In the 2016 series, the character underwent a reboot, returning to being a 10-year-old boy who travels across the country during his summer vacation, along with his grandfather Max and cousin Gwen, and uses his powers to fight supervillains. Ultimately, Ben meets his adult future self, helps the young Generator Rex, and fights alongside his alternate versions.

He was created for original 2005 series, voiced by Tara Strong. Yuri Lowenthal voiced Ben as a teenager in the sequel series: Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and Ben 10: Omniverse. Strong returned to voice young Ben in one episode of Ultimate Alien, and then continued to voice him in Omniverse during flashbacks. 

Tara Strong reprises her role as 10-year-old Ben in the 2016 reboot; along with voicing his 2005 counterpart in the series finale. Yuri Lowenthal also returns to voice counterparts of teenage Ben from Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, and Omniverse in the series finale of the 2016 series.

Concept and creation 

Ben 10 was created by Man of Action, consisting of comic book creators Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle, and was produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The group worked on the concept of Ben 10 and its title character roughly three years before Cartoon Network picked up the series. Dave Johnson also helped with the design development. Early on in development, it was decided that a villain would be within the Omnitrix. After Ghostfreak was created, the creators added dialogue into the first season to hint there is something more to Ghostfreak. Originally, Cannonbolt, the 11th alien transformation in the series, was going to be in the original set of aliens, but was replaced with Ghostfreak.

When doing test animations for the series, the first alien transformation to be tested 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. Steven E. Gordon worked on an early version of the series, and his concept work shows that Ben was originally going to have red hair. It also shows early designs of the Omnitrix which resemble a watch more than the final version, as well as different designs and names for the alien transformations. Some of the early names for the Omnitrix transformations were "StrongGuy", "Inferno", "RazorJaws", "Dragonfly", "Plantguy", and "Digger", and some of their early designs were more human, similar to Dial H For Hero. The character's middle name, Kirby, was designed as a reference to comic book artist Jack Kirby. 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.

Personality 

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. 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. Ben is also determined to do what is right for those in need, especially his family, friends, and mentors.

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. He also threatened to hunt down and destroy the Forever Knights after making Driscoll promise to cease hunting aliens.

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. 

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.

Fictional character biography

Ben 10 (2005–2008) 

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 their first night camping in Max's RV, which they affectionately call "The Rustbucket," Ben goes walking in a nearby forest and stumbles upon a crashed meteorite, which turns to be an alien pod containing a watch-like device called the Omnitrix. The device permanently attaches itself to his wrist, giving him the ability to transform into a variety of alien life forms, each with their own unique skills and powers. With his newfound superpowers, and later discovery of Max's past as part of a secret intergalactic government organization called The Plumbers, he has to learn the responsibilities of being a hero. During their vacation, the Tennysons are attacked by various enemies ranging from aliens and criminals to supernatural entities, including Vilgax (Steve Blum), Sixsix and Kraab (Dee Bradley Baker and Billy West), Zs'Skayr (Steve Blum), Kevin Levin (Michael Reisz and Charlie Schlatter), The Forever Knights (Richard Doyle), Dr. Animo (Dwight Schultz), Hex (Khary Payton), and Zombozo (John Kassir).

Ben 10: Alien Force (2008–2010) 

Set five years after the end of the original series, Ben (Yuri Lowenthal), now a teenager, once again wields the Omnitrix to protect Earth and other parts of the universe from villainous alien activity. The series is notable for maturing the characters and having a darker tone, with more complex plots, more characters dying, and less humor, with Ben having matured dramatically. At the age of fifteen, Ben fills the role of leader after Grandpa Max mysteriously disappears. The 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, teaming up once again with his cousin Gwen (Ashley Johnson) and former enemy Kevin (Greg Cipes).

Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2010–2012) 

Set several weeks after the destruction of the Omnitrix in the series finale of the previous series, Ben, 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 his alien forms into more powerful versions known as "ultimate forms." The series begins with the exposure of Ben's secret identity to the world by Jimmy Jones (Scott Menville), a young internet conspiracy theorist who deduced his identity by studying alien sightings in his hometown of Bellwood. Ben's exposure polarizes public opinion, with younger fans idolizing him and adults, in particular news anchor Will Harangue (John DiMaggio) deriding him as a menace to society. Ben must now adjust to a new life as he battles the forces of evil alongside his cousin Gwen Tennyson and his friend Kevin Levin and struggles with his newfound fame. Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United, a one-hour crossover with fellow Man of Action series Generator Rex, aired on November 25, 2011 on Cartoon Network, featuring Ben travelling to the dimension in which Generator Rex takes place.

Ben 10: Omniverse (2012–2014) 

The storylines alternate between that of eleven-year-old Ben (one year after the original series) and sixteen-year-old Ben (several months after Ben 10: Ultimate Alien). After Gwen leaves for college and Kevin leaves to be closer to her, sixteen-year-old Ben gets a new partner, a rookie by-the-book alien plumber named Rook Blonko (Bumper Robinson). On a mission to explore a secret underground alien city called Undertown, Ben  discovers that enemies from his past are looking for a rematch. In "T.G.I.S.", it is revealed that the Ben 10 universe shares the same universe with The Secret Saturdays.

Ben 10 (2016–2021) 

A reboot of the franchise set in an alternate universe, Ben 10 introduces a re-imagined Ben (reprised by Strong), his cousin Gwen (Montse Hernandez), and Grandpa Max (David Kaye), as they travel the country during summer vacation. When Ben finds the Omnitrix, a mysterious watch that can transform him into 10 different aliens, he gains superpowers and a world of extraterrestrials opens up to him as he encounters villains such as Vilgax (Yuri Lowenthal), The High Override, Forever Knight and Kevin 11. In the series finale "Alien X-Tinction", Ben encounters the Ben from the previous series and teams up with him and several other versions of Ben and Gwen to stop the titular Alien X from stealing their Omnitrixes and taking over the multiverse.

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. Ultimately, Strong reprised her role as the character. Strong voiced 10-year-old Ben in all series to date except Ben 10: Alien Force, where 10-year-old Ben never spoke. 

Ben 10: Alien Force, the sequel series to the original, sees 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. 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, dubbed "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 
He is portrayed by Graham Phillips as 10-year-old Ben in Ben 10: Race Against Time and was played by Ryan Kelley as 15-year-old Ben in Ben 10: Alien Swarm.

See also 
 List of Ben 10 characters
 Robby Reed and Chris King and Vicki Grant

Notes

References 

American superheroes
Animated characters introduced in 2005
Animated human characters
Ben 10
Cartoon Network Studios superheroes
Characters created by Steven T. Seagle
Child characters in animated television series
Child superheroes
Fictional alien hunters
Fictional extraterrestrial–human hybrids
Fictional shapeshifters
Male characters in animated series
Male superheroes
Teenage characters in television
Teenage superheroes
Television characters introduced in 2005