Zombozo

**Herbert J. Zomboni,** also known as **Zombozo,** is a villain in 5 Years Later. He is one of the first of many villians faced by Ben Tennyson during his heroic career.

## Appearance

Zombozo resembles an undead clown with pale skin, weathered red hair, purple nose, long yellow nails, and a glowing blue eye. He wears a black and blue coat, a hat and striped gray pants with a blue belt. There are several gray straps with blue orbs on his upper arms, hands, and one on his hat.

## Personality

Zombozo is a cruel and sadistic individual with a twisted sense of humor. He has attempted to murder children and steal the happiness of innocent people.

He is tactical in his crimes, rarely working alone and smart with hiding from the law.

Zombozo has a creepy demeanor, making threats that will unsettle his opponents. He finds pleasure in terrifying and tormenting others, notably Ben Tennyson. He often makes puns pertaining to his clown/circus theme while in battle.

## Abilities

* **Fear Absorbsion**- Zombozo feeds on the general state of panic he is surrounded by.
* **Extendable Arms**- Zombozo can elongate his arms by several feet to grab onto far away objects/pull himself towards a target.
* **Illusion Creation**- Zombozo can create interactable illusions.
* **Teleportation**- Zombozo can suddenly appear/disappear in an explosion of confetti.
* **Enhanced Strength**- Zombozo has above average strength.

### Equipment

* **Psyclown (formerly)**- A machine that Zombozo used during his first fight against Ben Tennyson. The device extracted positive energy from crowds to feed Zombozo's hunger for emotion.
* **Circus-Themed Weaponry**- Zombozo has used a variety of circus-themed gadgets, among other weapons, including: acid spray, a large mallet, steel streamers that entrap his opponent, a laser whip, and a long distance punch launcher.

## Weaknesses

* **Lack of Terror**- Zombozo must feed on fear regularly or he will become unenergetic and frail.
* **Paralizing Fear**- Despite being known to inflict fear on others, Zombozo has previously been terrified to the point of sudden defeat. Although he has only reacted this way to Ghostfreak's tentacles, Gwendolyn Tennyson's Anodite form/threat, and Toepick's nightmarish appearance.
* **Clown Theme**- Zombozo's general theme of being a creepy clown can lead to his enemies using common sense to figure he is operating out of a clown-themed local, such as an amusment park.

## History

### Before 5 Years Later

Zombozo owned a traveling circus that he used as a cover for his crimes. Using a machine he named the Psyclown, Zombozo fed on his audience's positive energy. He was assisted by the trio known as the Circus Freaks. During one show, Zombozo fed on Gwen and Max during Ben Tennyson's first summer with the Omnitrix. Zombozo tormented the 10-year-old hero until Ben faced his fear of the clown and utilized Ghostfreak to horrify Zombozo, leading to the criminal's retreat.

6 years after his initial confrontation with the Tennyson family, Ben 10's secret identity was revealed to the world. Zombozo organized a group of Ben's rogues gallery, including: Charmcaster, Vulkanus, and SevenSeven among others, to kill Ben's family. His plan almost succeeded with the near death of Ben's mother, Sandra, but ultimately failed when he was threatened by Gwen Tennyson while she revealed her Anodite form, prompting another retreat from the Tennyson family.

A short while after his previous encounter, Zombozo stole from Bellwood's brain bank, but was thwarted by Ben, Gwen, and Kevin Levin during the last adventure the latter two would have with Ben before heading off to college.

In Undertown, Zombozo attended Psyphon's auctioning of a dwarf star. Before being able to bid, it was revealed Ben Tennyson was in possesion of their desired item. Zombozo made brief allies in Trombipulor and Fistrick, some of Ben's other enemies. Zombozo, along with all the other villains, failed to claim the dwarf star. After this battle, Zombozo was locked up in the Plumber prison on Earth.

Zombozo remained imprisoned until he secretly broke out to cause terror in Bellwood with his old henchmen, the Circus Freaks. They unleashed a zombie-clown virus for their weakened boss, which struck enough fear in Bellwood and Ben Tennyson that he was restored to his former strength. Ben, although terrified himself, managed to scare Zombozo so much he retreated.

## Trivia

* Zombozo is a Grizanim, the same species as Cursecrafter, Hex and The Emissary.