Old Ben

Old Ben, true name unknown, is a shapeshifting alien monarch, and a deuteragonist of "The Fugitive," the 25th episode of the 3rd season of The Twilight Zone, which aired in 1962. On Earth, and throughout most of the episode, Old Ben took the form of an elderly human man, but his true form is also human-like, albeit appearing far younger, closer to a man of twenty.
Old Ben was portrayed by the late James Rudolph O'Malley.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Old Ben is an member of a shapeshifting humanoid species, hailing from a planet unknown to Earth, and became the king of his species, serving for 1000 years. While popular amongst the citizens, he became bored and discontent with the bureaucracy and overwhelming responsibility, leading him to abandon his post and find another planet to live on, despite 4000 years remaining in his term as king. He was chased by some agents of the alien government, until he eventually landed on Earth, taking on the form of an old man and using the name of Old Ben. Living in a town somewhere in the US, Old Ben began to bond with a group of children who frequented a public park, revealing his abilities to them, including shapeshifting and molecular rearrangement, which he often used for magic tricks to entertain them.
=== The Fugitive ===
One day, at the park, the children were playing softball with Old Ben, but when it was Old Ben's turn to bat, his natural super strength sent the ball far out of the park. After losing the ball, the kids decided to play Spaceman, with Ben taking on the role of a Martian, shapeshifting into a crustacean-like creature for the part. Afterwards, Old Ben helped carry a girl named Jenny home, as she had to walk with a leg brace. Old Ben used roller skates to get to Jenny's apartment faster, and made them vanish upon reaching the door, but this was noticed by two shapeshifting agents. When Old Ben went to his apartment, which was above Jenny's, Jenny noticed the agents enter and talk to her aunt about Old Ben. She went upstairs to warn him, prompting Old Ben to turn into a mouse and hide in Jenny's pocket, allowing Jenny to bluff her way past the agents. When Jenny got back to her room, Old Ben returned to his elderly form and told Jenny that he was an alien, but did not reveal his true position. Knowing that he could not stay on Earth anymore, Old Ben used an alien device to heal Jenny's leg, something he never attempted before due to knowing its energy signature would tip the agents off to him. After healing Jenny, Old Ben turned into a fly and left.
Jenny attempted to run from the agents when they saw her without her brace, but they used their own alien devices to make her fall ill, which successfully lured Old Ben back to her, where he used his device to heal her again, but he was immediately confronted by the agents. However, instead of arresting him, the agents referred to Old Ben as "Your majesty," allowing Old Ben to finally tell Jenny that he was the alien king. The agents said that the shapeshifter populace wanted Old Ben back, and that Old Ben was the best king they had in eons. Old Ben decided that he had run for too long, and resolved to return home. Jenny wanted to go with him, as her parents were dead and her aunt was a poor ill-tempered guardian, but the agents refused, citing the alien laws. However, Jenny then whispered a plan to Old Ben, who had the agents leave the room for one minute. Before the agents re-entered, Ben shapeshifted into a perfect copy of Jenny, forcing the agents to take both to their homeworld to avoid taking the wrong one, also leaving behind a picture of Old Ben's true visage, a handsome young man. When Jenny grew to adulthood on Old Ben's homeworld, she became Old Ben's queen.
== Navigation ==
Category:Male
Category:Aliens
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Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Monarchs
Category:Nameless
Category:Non-Action
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Category:Benevolent Rulers
Category:Nurturers
Category:One-Shot
Category:Titular
Category:Cure-Bringers
Category:The Twilight Zone Heroes