Benjamin Goldstein

**Benjamin Paul “Ben” Goldstein** (born April 16, 1995) is a male human who was born in Rochester, New York. He was raised by his mother, Paula Watson, and stepfather, Robert Watson, alongside his two brothers, Matthew and Ethan Goldstein. He was the temporary leader of the Rebellion. He currently resides in the United States with his wife, Millie Goldstein, and their three children.

## Biographical Information

### Born

April 16, 1995, Buffalo, New York (age 28)

### Died

August 11, 2076 (82 years at death) (liver cancer)

### Also known as

Ben (by family and friends)Idiot (by Jake Murphy)

## Relationship information

### Family members

David Goldstein (father)Paula Barnes (née Anderson) (mother)

Eugene Barnes (stepfather)

Matthew Goldstein (brother)

Ethan Barnes (half-brother)

Millie Prewitt (wife) (m. June 2, 2018)

Ashton Goldstein (son)

Talia Goldstein (daughter)

Wesley Goldstein (son)

Leroy Goldstein (paternal grandfather)

Elizabeth Goldstein (née Simmons) (paternal grandmother)

Richard Anderson (maternal grandfather)

Marjorie Anderson (née Carter) (maternal grandmother)

Donna Priestley (née Anderson) (maternal aunt)

Aaron Priestley (uncle through marriage)

Jackie Goldstein (paternal aunt)

Scott Goldstein (paternal uncle)

Michael Priestley (cousin)

Alexa Santiago (née Priestley) (cousin)

Thomas Prewitt (father-in-law)

Lori Prewitt (née Edwards) (mother-in-law)

Sabrina Goldstein (née Harris) (sister-in-law)

Isabel Goldstein (née Sullivan) (sister-in-law)

Sadie Goldstein (niece)

Jonah Goldstein (nephew)

Oliver Barnes (nephew)

Elliot Barnes (nephew)

Anna Barnes (niece)

### Allies

Millie PrewittJake Murphy

Tara Thornhill

MaKayla Cook

Adrian Saber

## Personality

Throughout the series, Ben is shown to be easygoing, friendly, and selfless. A noble warrior, he is extremely dedicated to the cause, and is willing to defend the things that he cares about the most. He is greatly loved by others for how kind-hearted and reliable he is. Although his friends sometimes think he is too soft-hearted, they know they could trust him to always be willing to help them, and they greatly value him for that. He is empathetic and kind, and is willing to listen to others. He is good with words and can easily earn the trust of others, which Jake often became jealous of, as it lead the others to look to him as a leader. However, Ben didn’t like being a leader, and hated the expectations that others had for him, and the pressure that was put on his shoulders. He never had any desire to lead; he wanted was stability and safety.

Ben is very hard-working, and is often unwilling to rest until a task is done. This quality can sometimes become harmful to himself and others, as he develops tunnel vision, refusing to stop working until the problem has been fixed. He tends to blame himself for everything, believing that he is responsible for others, which leads him to obsessively try and fix everything by himself. He believes that first impressions are important, and thus, tries very hard to get others to think highly of him when they first meet him. This can annoy his friends sometimes, as they think he comes across as fake.

Ben greatly values things that are familiar, and change often makes him uncomfortable. He adores his family and friends, and is very attached to his home. He is sentimental, and associates memories with objects and locations. According to Jake, when he starts caring about someone, he keeps them in his heart forever. This is shown when he was unable to let go of his love for Millie even when he was convinced that she hated him, and when he couldn’t give up on Adrian even though everyone told him he should.

At the beginning of the series, he tends to put a lot of trust in others, even if he has no reason to. However, as the series progresses, he matures after he was taken advantage of multiple times. He becomes less naive and quick to trust others. Despite this, he doesn’t hold grudges, and is very quick to forgive the people who hurt him. His willingness to forgive is both a good and bad quality, as it leads him to be accepting and kind, but also prevents him from feeling righteous anger at people who wronged him.

When faced with the idea of many different possibilities, Ben often develops anxiety and is unable to make decisions for the future. He prefers to think everything through, and is very cautious with decision-making. He sticks to what is familiar and what has worked in the past, and dislikes trying new things. His dislike towards new experiences sometimes leads others to see him as boring, which upsets him greatly, as he cares a lot about what others think of him. He often has trouble seeing beneath the surface and connecting the dots to realize the true intentions of others; he tends to see things as surface level and doesn’t think about hidden meanings. He has a poor grasp of abstract concepts, which often annoys Tara.

Ben often has trouble accepting the love and affection of those he cares about, as he feels that he doesn’t deserve it. Due to his father, he has a toxic view of love, and believes that he must constantly be earning the approval of others, or else he doesn’t deserve it at all. His father also caused him to believe that what he wants doesn’t matter, and that he should simply do whatever others want of him so he can win their approval. Throughout the series, he struggles with this, but gradually starts to unlearn the mindset that his father instilled in him as a child. By the end of the series, he cares much less what others think of him, and is much more open to future possibilities. He learns to accept love and pursue what he wants, not what others want of him.

## Appearance

Ben is a muscular man with pale skin, dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. At the beginning of the series, he is quite skinny, but by the end of the series, he appears to have become much more athletic and muscly, likely due to his strict training schedule and the frequent battles and fights he participated in. In seasons 1-2, his hair is short, and he has bangs that go down to the tops of his eyebrows. In season 3-4 he has an undercut, but keeps the hair on top of his head longer, with an off-center part. In the last season, his hair is all the same length again, but seems to be slightly shorter. When he isn’t training, he seems to prefer wearing long sleeves and pants. He has a long face and a sharp jawline, as well as an aquiline nose that is similar to his father’s and Matthew’s. His eyes are narrow and almond-shaped, and are slightly hooded. In the last season, he grows out his facial hair, and looks much older and more mature than he did at the beginning. He is average height, at 5’9.

## Relationships

### Millie Prewitt

Upon first meeting Millie, Ben was struck by how different she was from the people he grew up around. He found her spirited, determined personality fascinating, but he frequently became aggravated by her stubbornness and her tendency to run headfirst into dangerous situations without a second thought. After she opened up to him about her feelings of insecurity that she would never live up to her parents, he was able to understand her strong desire to prove herself, and he told her about his similar feelings of never being good enough. After this conversation, Ben and Millie formed a closer bond, and were able to relate to each other greatly.

Millie put a lot of trust in Ben, and became attached to him, relying on him for support, advice, and protection. Ben recognized this and was always willing to help her. He noticed when she was in pain or felt sad, even when she did her best to hide her weakness. He felt very protective of her, which sometimes annoyed Millie, who was tired of being seen as someone who was inferior, weak, and incapable of taking care of herself. Millie felt the pressure of being leader after her mother’s “death”, and felt insecure when Ben tried to keep her out of danger. Believing that Ben didn’t trust her judgement, Millie left him and relocated to Maine, only to immediately regret it, missing him desperately.

Ben felt as though he was fully responsible for Millie leaving, and felt heartbroken at the idea of her hating him. In her absence, he realized how much he loved her and relied on her, but he pushed his feelings away and forced himself to focus on the Rebellion. When she came back and apologized for what she’d done, he felt overjoyed, accepted her back immediately. However, he still denied his feelings for her, believing that they weren’t important, and that he didn’t deserve love. He was afraid of being distracted, and so he refused to let himself accept Millie’s affection. Because of this, Millie became even more insecure, believing that he didn’t love her the way she loved him.

Millie was very concerned for Ben because of his unhealthy selflessness. She insisted to him that he didn’t have to give up everything for others, and that he should get to choose his own path in life. Upon hearing this, Ben became very conflicted, not knowing what he should do. When Millie confessed her love to Ben, he told her that he loved her too, and he kissed her, finally making a choice for himself. After the two began their relationship, they promised that they would always be honest with each other, and that they would always talk things out and communicate with one another. They both helped each other grow as people, and they developed a much more healthy mindset together. Ben believed in Millie and helped her see her own value, and he was the only person that made her feel safe. Millie helped Ben see that he wasn’t responsible for everyone, and that he should get to make his own decisions and think about what he wanted, not what others wanted of him.

After the war ended, Ben and Millie had three children, and both of them finally felt truly happy with each other.

## Trivia

* Ben was born with jet black hair.
* Before the war, he is shown to enjoy playing tennis. However, after the war began, he stopped playing tennis for several years. Later in his life, he is shown to be teaching his daughter Talia how to play tennis, which may mean that he got back into the sport.
* According to Jake, he is good at remembering small details.
* People sometimes think he is unfriendly because he has a serious resting face.
* He is half Jewish on his father’s side.
* He identified as an atheist in his teenage years, but became a Christian when he was 19.
* His mother and stepfather are both Democrats, although he is a Republican.
* His zodiac sign is Aries.