It Was Them

It Was Them is the fifth episode of the first season of Ben 10: Omniverse, and the fifth episode overall.
==Synopsis==
Dr. Animo has escaped his Plumber prison, and Ben and Rook must track him down before he turns the world into his personal mutant ant farm!
==Plot==
The episode starts with Khyber and his dog watching Ben order at Burger Shack from a nearby rooftop with his telescope. Khyber sends his dog to attack Ben and the dog leaps to Burger Shack and transforms. At Burger Shack, the ground shakes and Slamworm pops out. Ben transforms into Diamondhead in order to fight with the creature. Diamondhead shoots crystals at Slamworm and it retreats into the ground and manages to tunnel around Diamondhead. Slamworm bursts out from underneath Diamondhead and throws him into the air. Diamondhead lands in its mouth and struggles to break free.
Diamondhead stabs Slamworm's throat, causing Slamworm to spit him out. He regrows his shattered hand and regards the writhing Slamworm. Diamondhead surrounds Slamworm with crystal, but Khyber, watching from afar, whistles for Slamworm to come back. Slamworm retreats and transforms back into Khyber's dog. Diamondhead transforms back into Ben and becomes disappointed where he sees that his lunch has been wrecked and trudges back to the Proto-TRUK.
In the truck, Ben discovers that Rook has been eating the whole time. Ben tells Rook that he believes that someone is sending alien monsters to kill him. He thinks that Dr. Animo is responsible. Rook pulls up Animo's file to discover that he is in prison. At Plumber Headquarters, Ben and Rook argue about whether or not Animo is able to orchestrate the attacks from his cell. Ben recalls the many times he has defeated Animo, and Rook believes that Animo sounds harmless. They enter into Animo's cell only to discover that Animo is missing. Ben discovers the fact that ants are crawling in the cell and follows them back to a tunnel that is behind the toilet. Ben and Rook crawl through the tunnel and emerge into a sewer. While in the sewer, Ben and Rook encounter a giant, Mutant Ant. The Mutant Ant projects fire at them, with Ben recognizing it as Animo's handiwork. Ben tries to transform into Swampfire, but he transforms Echo Echo instead. Echo Echo screams at the Mutant Ant to free Rook from its blast and the Mutant Ant chases Echo Echo, who makes several copies of himself. Rook and Echo Echo pursue the Mutant Ant. Echo Echo confuses the Mutant Ant with clones before surrounding and destroying it with a wall of sound attack. The ant explodes and Rook arrives as Echo Echo transforms back into Ben. Unfortunately, more Mutant Ants arrive and surround them.
Suddenly, the Mutant Ants walk away. Ben and Rook follow them and notice that the creatures are carrying large machinery and hitch a ride on one of the Mutant Ants. The Mutant Ants emerge in a desert. Ben and Rook leap off. Ben notices a giant anthill and believes that Animo is inside of there. Ben and Rook enter into it. As Ben was about to activate the Omnitrix, Rook covers himself and Ben in ant pheromones, due to the fact that Rook knew that the scent would prevent the Mutant Ants from attacking them. Ben is disgusted. They go up to the anthill, where they are smelled by a Mutant Ant who then walks away. Ben and Rook enter into the anthill and find Animo, who is standing at a console on a tower. Animo is surprised to see Ben, saying that he hadn't planned on killing him yet. Animo also knows nothing about the aliens that have been attacking Ben and says that his device transforms all of the ants on Earth into giant mutants that he can control. Khyber and his dog arrive at the anthill. Khyber sends his pet into the anthill. Ben admits that while Animo's plan is cool, it has to be stopped. Rook sees ants carrying a Kormite power core and tries to retrieve it, leaving Ben to fight Animo. Ben tells Rook to hurry and tries to transform into Swampfire again, but he transforms into Rath instead. Rath yells at the Omnitrix for transforming him into the wrong alien before he goes off to attack Animo. Animo summons his Mutant Ants to attack Rath, but Rath quickly dispatches them. More of the Mutant Ants pile onto Rath, crushing him.
Before the Mutant Ants are able to defeat Rath, Rook blasts them off of Rath and pulls him away with a cable. Rath begins to yell at Rook, but he transforms back into Ben before he finishes his sentence. Rook fights the Mutant Ants while Ben transforms into a new grasshopper-like alien that he names Crashhopper. Animo wears an ant suit and declares himself as the Ant King. Crashhopper, who is unimpressed, accidentally bounces into a wall. Crashhopper leaps around Animo's tower and attacks him as Rook battles ants. Rook takes the power core and grapples to a higher level. Crashhopper and Animo battle, with Crashhopper using his incredible jumping powers. Rook calls Crashhopper and he jumps up to him. Rook says that he can detonate the power core enough to destroy the ants. Animo arrives, as well as Khyber's dog. Animo says that Khyber's dog does not belong to him, but it will be. The dog transforms into Mucilator, shocking Crashhopper and Rook and impressing Animo. Animo tries to control Mucilator with his helmet, but it fails. Mucilator charges at Animo. Crashhopper leaps at Mucilator but does no damage and he quickly becomes stuck in one of Mucilator's sacs as Khyber watches, ready to end the hunt. Rook uses the Proto-Tool and tugs Crashhopper free. The tower activates as Mucilator attacks Crashhopper. Crashhopper destroys Animo's mind control device and the ants, sensing an invader, pile onto Mucilator. Rook detonates the core, which destroys the ants. Mucilator transforms back into Khyber's dog and runs off as Rook apprehends Animo and Crashhopper transforms back into Ben. Khyber's dog is disappointed and returns to Khyber, who is not mad. At the base, Rook agrees that Ben is not being paranoid about someone trying to kill him and Ben realizes that Khyber's dog had transformed into the perfect predator in order to fight Crashhopper. Meanwhile in his cell, Animo vows to have vengeance on Ben.
==Noteworthy Events==
===Major Events===
====Character Debuts====
*Dr. Animo (Omniverse flashback and present debut)
*Mutant Ants
*Mutant Frog (Omniverse flashback debut)
*Mutant Kangaroo
*Mutant Snail
====Omnitrix Alien Debuts====
*Diamondhead (Omniverse debut by 16-year-old Ben)
*Echo Echo (Omniverse debut)
*Rath (Omniverse debut)
====Nemetrix Alien Debuts====
*Slamworm
*Mucilator
===Minor Events===
*It is revealed that Animo's full name is Aloysius James Animo.
==Characters==
*Ben Tennyson (10 and 11 years old; cameo; 16 years old)
*Rook Blonko
*Plumbers
**Blukic (cameo)
**Driba (cameo)
*Gwen Tennyson (10 and 11 years old; cameo)
===Villains===
*Khyber
*Zed
*Dr. Animo (first reappearance; flashback and present; flashback was a cameo)
**Mutant Frog (first reappearance; flashback; cameo)
**Mutant Kangaroo (first reappearance; flashback; cameo)
**Mutant Snail (first reappearance; flashback; cameo)
**Mutant Ants (first appearance)
==Aliens Used==
===By Ben===
*Diamondhead (first reappearance by 16-year-old Ben)
*Echo Echo (first reappearance; intended alien was Swampfire)
*Rath (first reappearance; intended alien was Swampfire)
*Crashhopper (first chronological appearance)
===By Zed===
*Slamworm (first appearance)
*Mucilator (first appearance)
==Quotes==
==Naming and Translations==
==Cast==
==Continuity==
*Chronologically, the episode is set before So Long, and Thanks for All the Smoothies as Ben transforms into Crashhopper for the first time.
*While explaining to Rook about Dr. Animo near Burger Shack, Ben mentions some of Animo's previous creations, namely his Mutant Frogs, his Mutant Bats, and his Mutant Prairie Dog.
*Rath uses the "Sirius Butt-Kicking" move that he used against Manny in Above and Beyond.
**He also uses "Cosmic Clothesline" which he used against the second custom-made Techadon Robot in Greetings From Techadon.
==Allusions==
*The title is a play on the name of the Warner Bros. black-and-white science fiction film Them!.
**Similarly, the Mutant Ants are inspired by the giant ants that appeared in that film.
==Errors==
*When Ben is about to transform into Diamondhead, there is a faint pencil line on the left side of the screen.
*In one shot, the soles of Diamondhead's feet are black instead of green.
*In one shot, Echo Echo's right eye doesn't have its black outline.
*After defeating the Mutant Ant, the Echo Echo clone's "10" symbol is flipped. 
**The "10" is also incorrectly colored white in this scene.
**The black lining of the original Echo Echo's headphones is also incorrectly colored white.
*When Rook splashes pheromones on Ben's face, the Omnitrix symbol on the Proto-Tool is disproportionate.
*When Ben and Rook are behind Dr. Animo and Ben calls him, the ant pheromones are not on Ben and Rook's body. The pheromones reappear briefly afterwards, but then disappear for the rest of the scene.
*When Ben tells Animo that he can't let him get away with his plan, his fingers are not complete.
*In one shot, Rath's torso is orange instead of white. His neck is also orange in another shot.
*When Rook is about to save Crashhopper, his pupil is missing.
*After landing in front of Dr. Animo, the dust kicked up by Crashhopper overlaps the film on his leg.
*At the ending scene, in one shot in the truck where Ben is talking to Rook, the Omnitrix is missing.
*The end credits misspell Diamondhead's name as "DiamondHead". Arctiguana is also listed in the credits despite not appearing in the episode.
It Was Them (21).png|Pencil line
It Was Them (54).png|Black feet
Error Echo.png|Eye error
It Was Them (170).png|Symbol errors/Headphones error
It Was Them (223).png|Badge error
It Was Them (254).png|Missing pheromones
IWT Cropped Fingers.png|Unfinished fingers
It Was Them (344).png|Orange torso
It Was Them (350).png|Orange neck
It Was Them (495).png|Missing pupil
Error Crashhopper film.png|Dust error
It Was Them (555).png|Missing Omnitrix
It Was Them Voice Credits (1).png|Credit errors
==Trivia==
*This is the first episode where 11-year-old Ben doesn't transform or is seen as any alien.
*In this episode, Rath's design is slightly different compared to the rest of Omniverse. His eyebrows are orange and his teeth are white, making him look closer to his Alien Force/Ultimate Alien design.
*At some point in production, the episode was titled It Was Them!
==Notes==
==References==
===Crew Statements===
====Matt Wayne====
====Derrick J. Wyatt====
===Cartoon Network===
es:Fueron ellos
it:Il re delle formiche
pl:Mrowisko
pt-br:Foram Eles
ro:Ei erau
Category:Episodes
Category:Ben 10: Omniverse Episodes
Category:Ben 10: Omniverse Season 1 Episodes
Category:Episodes Aired Out of Production Order
Category:Episodes Written by David McDermott
Category:Episodes with Flashbacks