Ben Tennyson

In the early 2000s, Man of Action (writer collective composed of comic book creators Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle) was hired by Cartoon Network Studios to create an action animated show. They pitched twenty different ideas in twenty minutes, with each being a minute long. The eighth pitch, one about a boy named Ben 10 with the ability to change between 10 transformations, ended up being chosen.^[1] It was pitched to Cartoon Network in 2002^[2] and during pre-production phases, the title went through several revisions, including Force 10 and Ben to the Tenth.^[3] The pitch in its earliest stages featured Ben Tennyson wielding a device known as the "Megawhat" that would transform him into alternate versions of himself around the multiverse.^[4][5] Around this time, the working title was Ben¹⁰, before the final title was decided to be Ben 10.

Artist Steven E. Gordon designed concepts for Ben, his device (now known as the Omnitrix), and Ben's transformations. Gordon's concepts of Ben depicted him as a slightly taller redhead boy and the Omnitrix resembled an ordinary wristwatch.

Ben's final design for the 2005 series was made by Dave Johnson.^[6][7][8]

The character's middle name, Kirby, was conceived as a reference to comic book artist Jack Kirby.^[9]

Despite Man of Action receiving credit for creating the series, their involvement following the end of the original series in 2008 was minimal with the show's production and had already moved on to other projects.

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.^[10]

In Gordon's concepts, the transformations were shifted from being alternative versions of Ben to superheroes. Gordon designed concepts for the ten Omnitrix transformations. Unlike the official versions, these transformations were all still humanoid superheroes, each possessing one unique ability. These superheroes were Digger, Dragonfly, Ghostfreak, Greymatter, Inferno, PlantGuy, Razorjaws, StrongGuy, Upgrade, and XLR8.^[11] Aspects of Gordon that were retained included the names of Ghostfreak, Greymatter, Upgrade, and XLR8.

The idea of bringing in aliens was conceived by writer Greg Johnson during the original show's three-year production, though he was uncredited.^[12] Gordon updated his concepts, making his superhero concepts more alien and monster in nature. By 2005, artist Dave Johnson redesigned the transformations, following the decision to make them extraterrestrial aliens instead of superheroes. Johnson was credited with redesigning Ben and his transformations, in addition to the major supporting cast during the first two seasons of the classic series. He left the show, citing poor treatment and was replaced with Thomas Perkins.^[7][13][14] Johnson's final contribution to the franchise was designing the alien transformation Feedback for Ben 10: Omniverse years later.

Early on in development, it was decided that a villain would be within the Omnitrix. After Ghostfreak was created, dialogue was added into the first season to hint there is something more to Ghostfreak. Originally, Cannonbolt, the 11th alien transformation in the series, was intended to be in the original set of aliens but was replaced with Diamondhead.^[15] When working on test animations for the series, the first transformation to be showcased 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.

Tara Strong (left) and Yuri Lowenthal (right) have voiced Ben as a child and teenager respectively throughout the franchise.

Strong first voiced 10-year-old Ben in the original 2005 series. She would later reprise the role in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, in the episode "The Forge of Creation" and in flashback episodes of Ben 10: Omniverse, with Ben at age 11. Strong also returned to voice Ben in the 2016 reboot, again portraying the character as a 10-year-old; along with voicing his original series incarnation at age 10 in "Alien X-Tinction".^[16] According to Man of Action, Strong had to re-audition for the role in the reboot; as they initially considered casting a child actor before ultimately retaining her in the role.^[17][18] Strong voiced 10-year-old Ben in all series to date except Ben 10: Alien Force, where he never spoke.

Lowenthal first voiced teenage Ben (age 15) in Ben 10: Alien Force. When casting 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.^[19][20] He would later reprise his role as 16-year-old Ben in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and Ben 10: Omniverse, sharing the role in the latter with Strong, who voices the younger Ben. Both Strong and Lowenthal also voice alternate versions of Ben in Omniverse.^[21] 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".^[22]

Philips (left) and Kelley (right) portrayed Ben in Race Against Time and Alien Swarm, respectively

In the film Ben 10: Race Against Time, he was portrayed by Graham Phillips.^[23] The film originally aired on Cartoon Network on November 21, 2007.

In Ben 10: Alien Swarm, he was portrayed by Ryan Kelley.^[24] The film originally aired on Cartoon Network on November 25, 2009. According to Kelley, two additional sequels were planned but never came to fruition.^[25]

Initially cocky, childish, and selfish, Ben's immaturity and attention-seeking behavior often led him to joke around, regardless of the situation, which landed him in trouble with adults. When he was 10 years old, he often used the Omnitrix improperly in order to benefit himself instead of actually helping others. His allies often criticized his attitude, unaware of the fact that he used humor to mask his fears. It was also implied that, on some level, Ben helped people to get rewards. and for the thrill of being a hero, rather than because it was the right thing to do. Despite some childish attitude, Ben was heroic, caring and generally good-natured, always willing to save others at any time even at the risk of himself. In spite of this good nature, heroism, and his moments of maturity, Ben could occasionally get carried away when it came to fame and recognition. This led him to act rather arrogantly and recklessly, and occasionally made dire mistakes and alienated his loved ones. However, he was quick to realize his mistakes and is quick to take responsibility and knew not to take things too far.

Over the years, Ben has displayed good leadership skills, as well as the ability to adapt his attitude to a situation, becoming serious when it's called for. He became more mature, responsible and sensible. He continues to be kind-hearted and willing to lay down his own life for others. His idealistic views and unwillingness to compromise his values sometimes drive him to act against reason, such as helping his enemies if they need it. Professor Paradox has praised Ben's good nature, going so far as to say he had the gift to make the right choices at the right moments, and even Azmuth himself states that Ben ultimately always does the right thing. Also, Ben doesn't give up and wouldn't let anyone stop him from doing what's right for those in need, especially his family, friends and mentors, or to bring enemies down, even when he once got a broken arm.

However, even as a teen, Ben still displays some of his negative childish traits at times, which usually comes to light when Ben gets too caught up with fame much to the annoyance of Gwen and Kevin. Ben also has a violent, aggressive side: when Ben fails to save someone, is worried about the well-being his loved ones, or if people get hurt because of his failure, he becomes angry and lashes out, even at people he cares about. Ben confessed to Max that he felt guilty for letting fame get into his head and claimed that he was trying to act more mature for once.

Ben has experienced trust issues, when it comes to automatically trusting everybody and teaming up with people whose true colors are later revealed and turns against the team. Though often perceived as unintelligent because of his immaturity and constant joking, Ben is cunning and resourceful when needed, quickly adapting when the Omnitrix doesn't provide him with the alien he wanted. He has once admitted that people assume he's not paying attention, but he actually is. In Omniverse, Ben started thinking of himself as more of a superhero than a Plumber, often remarking that he's not a cop, but a superhero.

Ben is a fairly proficient fighter, even as a human. Although he mainly employs a loose street fighting style, he also knows martial arts. On top of that, he has gained practical experience from years of fighting aliens. Has also received basic Plumber training, having succeeded in the Plumbers' Academy with a 95 out of a 100.

Ben can jump very high, is acrobatic, and has parkour skills. Ben has good reflexes, being able to dodge attacks and shots, as well as retaliate in kind. It is evident that Ben is smart in some respects, possessing an above-average to high intelligence, and has an extraordinarily sharp memory. Ben has great willpower and has a knack for turning his weaknesses into strengths.

He is incredibly talented with hoverboards and snowboards, as well as being an expert pilot of cars and spaceships. He is ambidextrous and has also demonstrated skill as a marksman and swordsman. Ben is proficient in baseball, soccer (primarily as goalie), and drums, and is knowledgeable in various electric guitar techniques such as shredding, hammer-ons, and artificial harmonics.

At age 10, Ben became the bearer of the prototype Omnitrix (which was later replaced by the Ultimatrix, and then by the definitive Omnitrix), an alien watch-shaped device that gives him the power to modify his own genetic code to transform into various alien creatures. Traditionally, he was only allowed to transform into ten aliens, but he later gained additional forms, either by unlocking them or by scanning the DNA of aliens he encountered. In total, Ben has access to 1,000,912 transformations.

When transforming, Ben acquires all the characteristics of the creature, including its appearance, voice, all its unique and special abilities and powers, strengths and weaknesses. He usually retains his personality, but there are some cases where the transformation causes a change in it. Although he uses them to fight, he can also use them to impersonate them.

Among other functions, it includes a Universal Translator, which allows him to communicate in any language in the Universe, a Genetic Repairer, which manipulates and repairs genetic data and can even bring back extinct species, and a safety system that prevents Ben from dying.

The Ultimatrix allowed him to evolve his aliens, through the "Evolutionary Function," into the so-called Ultimate Forms. Ben also possesses an alien hoverboard, a sports car called the Mark 10, given to him by Kevin, and the Tenn-Speed, a motorcycle made by Jury Rigg with alien technology.

Ben begins his summer vacation with Gwen and Max. During their first night camping in Max's RV, Ben finds an alien pod containing the Omnitrix after a meteorite crashes nearby. The device latches onto his wrist, granting him the ability to transform into ten different alien life forms.^[27][28] With his newfound abilities, and later discovery of Max's past as part of a secret government organization called The Plumbers,^[29] Ben navigates through the responsibilities of being a hero. Throughout the summer, Ben encounters a range of villains, including Dr. Animo,^[30] Kevin Levin,^[31] and the Forever Knights,^[32] with Vilgax serving as the series’ primary antagonist,^[33] alongside various other foes. Despite his immaturity and occasional use of the Omnitrix for selfish purposes, Ben proves to be a worthy wielder of the device. Over the summer, Ben grows closer with his family and becomes more proficient with the Omnitrix.

After discovering that the Omnitrix can unlock transformations beyond the ten he initially had, Ben gains access to new alien forms, including Cannonbolt^[34] and Wildvine,^[35] ultimately unlocking nine additional transformations by the end of the series. He later loses the ability to transform into Ghostfreak after the Omnitrix's Ectonurite DNA sample, which retained the consciousness of its original host,^{[note 1]} manifests independently and escapes.^[36] In his first time-travel adventure, Ben is sent twenty years into the future, where he meets an older, battle-hardened version of himself who has mastered the Omnitrix, along with future versions of Gwen, Grandpa Max, and several of his long-time enemies.^[37] Later, Ben accidentally unlocks "Master Control", an Omnitrix feature enabling him to switch between his alien forms without time constraints.^[38] He also learns that the Omnitrix was originally intended for Grandpa Max.^[39] Towards the end of summer, the Tennysons battle the Negative 10, a coalition of the family's numerous enemies.

In the film Secret of the Omnitrix, Ben and Gwen are brought to space by Tetrax in search of the Omnitrix's creator after the self-destruct mode is activated. They are headed to Incarcecon to find the creator but instead find Myaxx, a former assistant involved in the development of the Omnitrix and locate the creator on the planet Xenon who is revealed to be Azmuth of the Galvan race. Frustrated by the weaponization of his creation, Azmuth refuses to help Ben, preferring the universe to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Vilgax launches an attack on Xenon using an alien army. Witnessing Ben's battle against Vilgax, despite the futile circumstances, restores Azmuth's faith and he repairs the Omnitrix and unlocks the To'kustar transformation, which Ben names Way Big to aid in defeating Vilgax. Tetrax returns Ben and Gwen home, and the Tennysons resume their summer adventures.

Two more films were produced for the original series: one during the run of the classic series and another four years after its conclusion. The first live-action film, Race Against Time, was originally canon, but was retconned from continuity during the run of Ultimate Alien,^[40] while the previously non-canon CGI animated film, Destroy All Aliens, was incorporated into continuity.^[41] Additionally, the Omniverse flashbacks introduced new plot threads during the in-universe period between the original series and Alien Force.

In between the events of the original series and Alien Force, Ben removed the Omnitrix for unspecified reasons. After Grandpa Max disappears in the line of duty, Ben reequips the Omnitrix, which, after several years of dormancy, reboots itself, locking his older batch of aliens in favor of a new set of ten aliens. Assisted by Gwen and a reformed Kevin Levin, the group embarks on a mission to find Max. Upon discovering the Highbreed, an alien supremacist race, and their servants, the DNAliens, who are planning to invade Earth, they assemble a team dubbed the Alien Force to thwart their conspiracy.

In his free time, Ben is in a romantic relationship with Julie Yamamoto, and during a date she takes ownership of "Ship," a pet Galvanic Mechamorph. The Alien Force locates Max, but he sacrifices himself to save them from a Highbreed. Following Max's death, the Alien Force forges alliances with several people, including time-traveller Professor Paradox, a group of alien hybrids known as the Plumber's Helpers, and a technopath named Cooper. Ben unlocks his 10th alien, Alien X, a Celestialsapien who possesses vast reality-altering abilities. However, he refrains from regular usage of Alien X due to the two personalities within it that he must compromise with to use the transformation's abilities. Meanwhile, Albedo, a former assistant of Azmuth, frames Ben for crimes after gaining a duplicate Omnitrix and being transformed into his doppelgänger. Later, while fending off the Null Void from complete control by Dr. Animo, the Alien Force learn Max is still alive and has taken refuge there.

The Highbreed launch their galaxy-wide offensive across the universe, prompting Azmuth to travel to Earth and reinstate the Master Control in the Omnitrix. The Alien Force travel to Augstaka, the Highbreed home world, where they learn that the species is facing extinction due to generations of inbreeding and plan to annihilate the universe as a result. In response, Ben uses the Omnitrix to infuse the Highbreed with DNA from other species, averting their extinction. Although he loses access to Master Control, he retains access to the aliens he previously used. In Alien Swarm, Ben prevents the Queen from controlling humanity through microchips.

After Vilgax threatens to attack Earth, Ben requests Master Control from Azmuth, who declines due to Ben's growing arrogance. Ben and Kevin's attempt to unlock Master Control independently results in Kevin mutating again, the Omnitrix malfunctioning, and several aliens gaining sentience and escaping. The Alien Force recapture the aliens, and Ben confronts and stops Vilgax.

After escaping from prison and stealing an unstable and incomplete Omnitrix from Azmuth, Albedo modifies it into the Ultimatrix and equips it with the evolutionary feature: evolving existing aliens within the Omnitrix into their "ultimate forms". Seeking revenge on the Alien Force for thwarting his previous attempts to steal the Omnitrix, Vilgax and Albedo form an unlikely alliance and perform abductions of Gwen and Kevin. Max alerts Ben of the situation and Ben battles Albedo but is ultimately defeated. To save his allies, Ben surrenders the Omnitrix, which he self-destructs to prevent Vilgax from using it. Ben takes Albedo's Ultimatrix, which is synced to the Omnitrix's DNA source, the Codon Stream.

Ben has wielded the Ultimatrix for over a year since defeating Vilgax, and his secret identity has been revealed to the world by a young boy named Jimmy Jones. Ben's newfound fame alters his life, as he is frequently smeared in the news by Will Harangue and is entangled with the celebrity world and media industry. When not navigating the media landscape, the Alien Force is investigating the arrival of five aliens from the Andromeda Galaxy. They learn that these aliens were being hunted by an Osmosian warlord named Aggregor and sought refuge on Earth. Despite the Alien Force's efforts to assist the aliens, they inadvertently facilitate their recapture by Aggregor. After imprisoning the Andromeda aliens, Aggregor merges their DNA with his own and embarks on a quest to gather the four pieces of the Map of Infinity. Despite Ben's efforts, Azmuth manages to obtain the Map of Infinity.

With no other options, Kevin absorbs the alien DNA of Ben's Ultimatrix, sacrificing his sanity in an effort to defeat Aggregor and stop him from gaining the powers of a Celestialsapien. After absorbing Aggregor's acquired DNA from the Andromeda Aliens, Kevin departs from the Forge of Creation while leaving Aggregor unconscious. Throughout the universe, Kevin embarks on a revenge-fueled rampage against those who wronged him in the past. Kevin's actions lead to Ben becoming convinced that Kevin needs to be killed to put an end his madness, causing friction between Gwen and Ben as they battle each other. Ultimately, Ben, as Ultimate Echo Echo, confronts Kevin and defeats him in battle. Ben, despite his earlier intention to kill Kevin, ultimately spares him. Kevin is reverted to normal, and the Andromeda aliens are revived.

The Alien Force later encounter another future version of Ben, known as Ultimate Ben, who possesses the ability to use his alien powers in human form. Ultimate Ben, with the assistance of Professor Paradox, confronts Eon, an evil alternate future version of Ben. After defeating Eon and his minions, Ultimate Ben unlocks every currently locked alien that Ben has ever used. In Heroes United, Ben is transported to Generator Rex's universe, where he helps him defeat Alpha.

George, the founder of the Forever Knights, reunites the group's divided splinter factions to combat the return of the entity Dagon. Meanwhile, the Flame Keepers Circle, a cult dedicated to Dagon, discovers the stranded Vilgax and mistakenly assume him to be Dagon. Vilgax becomes a pawn for Dagon while a war breaks out between the Forever Knights and the Esoterica, Dagon's followers. The conflict results in most of the Knights being killed, including George. Vilgax betrays Dagon and absorbs his essence into himself. Ben stops Vilgax and absorbs Dagon's essence into the sword Ascalon before using Ascalon to revert the Esoterica to normal. In recognition of Ben's efforts, Azmuth awards him the completed Omnitrix and takes the Ultimatrix.

The storyline alternates between that of 11-year-old Ben (one year after the original series) and 16-year-old Ben (several months after Ultimate Alien). In the present day, Gwen and Kevin leave for college and Ben is assigned to work with Rook Blonko, a newly deputized Plumber. Together, Ben and Rook travel underneath Bellwood to the underground city of Undertown to address the rising rates of organized crime. Ben is pursued by the alien hunter Khyber, whose pet Zed can transform into numerous predatory aliens utilizing the Nemetrix (a device similar to the Omnitrix).

Ben and Rook investigate an abandoned ship near Earth containing the Annihilargh, a doomsday device capable of erasing entire universes. It attracts the attention of multiple parties, including the Plumbers and the Incurseans. It is mistakenly activated, erasing the entire universe except for Ben, who survives as Alien X. Unable to reverse the universes' destruction, Ben convinces its personalities, Bellicus and Serena, to recreate the universe.

Ben is captured by Khyber after an argument with Rook and he learns about the creation of the Nemetrix along with the shared history between Khyber and his allies. Ben and Rook reconcile and later fend off Plumber HQ from Psychobos after he steals a piece of the Omnitrix to perfect the Nemetrix.

Khyber and his allies launch an attack on Galvan Prime, and Malware destroys Galvan B, the Galvanic Mechamorph home world. After landing on Galvan Prime, Malware battles Ben, defeating him and trapping him within his body. Inside Malware, Ben subconsciously meets his younger self and confronts his past. By addressing his regret over the loss of Feedback, who was destroyed by Malware years prior, Ben makes amends with himself and regains Feedback. As Feedback, Ben defeats Malware, leaving his remains as stone. Ben joins The Secret Saturdays to defeat V. V. Argost, who has allied himself with Dr. Animo. Shortly afterward, Ben and Rook accidentally travel to an alternate universe and meet Ben 23, a version of Ben who became a celebrity and began acting recklessly after his universe's Max died. They manage to help him become more responsible.

The Incurseans, a frog-like alien species, launch an invasion of Earth and succeed in conquering it with the help of mutated To'kustars. Ben is sent to exile in outer space but is saved by Azmuth. Ben uses his Incursean transformation, Bullfrag, to infiltrate the Incurseans and free their prisoners, without any of his friends knowing. The Incurseans are ultimately stopped and the To'kustars are imprisoned in the Null Void.

Vilgax and Eon form a partnership and secretly recruit evil versions of Ben across the multiverse along with Albedo. Professor Paradox enlists the help of Ben along with Ben 23, Gwen 10 (a version of Gwen who acquired the Omnitrix), Ben 10,000, and a version of Ben from a universe where the Omnitrix was never created. Vilgax betrays Eon and uses the Chronosapien Time Bomb to erase every universe except No Watch Ben's universe. Before Ben Prime is erased frome existence, he gives the Omnitrix to No Watch Ben, who utilizes the transformation Clockwork to restore the multiverse before returning the watch to Ben Prime.

The Celestialsapiens hold Ben for trial for his illegal recreation of the universe. After being found guilty, Ben's Galvan lawyer, Chadzmuth, offers to invoke the "Tetramand Trial of Combat" to ensure his innocence. He wins and, in the process, gains complete control of Alien X. Ben and Ben 23 are left stranded in an alternate universe and have to work with Dr. Psychobos to free themselves. They later stage a revolt against that world's leader, Mad Ben, and return to their respective universes.

Ben and Rook follow Maltruant in his quest to reach the beginning of time. After reaching the Contemelia ship, Maltruant uses the Annihilargh in an attempt to recreate the universe in his image. Ben uses Feedback to absorb the Annihilargh's energy and destroy Maltruant, who is trapped in a time loop where he will attempt to reassemble himself and create his own universe, but fail each time after his defeat by Ben. After returning to Bellwood, Ben and Rook contact Gwen and Kevin to join them in a road trip across space.

Ben Tennyson
Ben 10 character
Ben Tennyson as depicted in Ben 10 (2016)
First appearance	"Waterfilter" (October 8, 2016)
Last appearance	"Alien X-Tinction" (April 11, 2021)
Created by	Joe Kelly Joe Casey Duncan Rouleau Steven T. Seagle
Voiced by	Tara Strong (child; child counterpart) (2016-2021) Yuri Lowenthal (elderly; teenager counterparts) (2018; 2021)
In-universe information
Full name	Benjamin Kirby Tennyson
Species	Human
Occupation	Superhero
Weapon	Omnitrix
Family	Max Tennyson (grandfather) Gwen Tennyson (cousin)
Nationality	American
Abilities	Omnitrix allows transformation into various alien species

This version is a first reboot of the franchise set in an alternate universe, featuring a reimagined Ben, his cousin Gwen, and Grandpa Max as they travel the country during summer vacation. Tara Strong reprises her role as Ben, just like its child counterpart, with Yuri Lowenthal briefly voicing an elderly version of Ben in the episode "The 11th Alien, Part 1" and teenager counterparts in "Alien X-Tinction".

Ben is portrayed as someone who prefers having fun to fulfilling his obligations. However, despite his carefree attitude, Ben has also demonstrated heroic and altruistic behavior, being willing to help and save anyone in need, including his enemies. He can be impulsive and reckless, often acting without thinking, which can cause him problems. He also tends to get bored easily and has difficulties with math and science.

Ben is known for acting without considering the consequences, and his reckless behavior frequently gets him into trouble. His tendency to make mistakes has been noted by his family, who sometimes comment on it even when he hasn't done anything wrong. He has admitted to feeling self-assured and afraid to show his emotions, often hiding behind various identities. He has expressed that the Omnitrix is ​​the only thing he considers truly valuable about himself, although he has also demonstrated the ability to focus on the positive side. He has also shown himself to be understanding and sometimes recognizes almost immediately when he says something offensive or "exaggerated."

Despite his flaws, Ben is committed to protecting his family and his planet, even in the face of challenges. Although he is generally impulsive, reckless, and tends to choose his alien forms based on superficial preferences or favoritism, he is surprisingly aware of his limitations and, in certain situations, manages to choose the correct form without any encouragement from others. Ben is also cautious with alien forms over which he has little control, often needing encouragement to even consider using them.

Ben has already demonstrated enhanced physical capabilities, possibly resulting from the Omnitrix's physiological adaptations.

Like his original counterpart, Ben is the wielder of the Omnitrix, which allows him to transform into various alien forms. When in the Real Nexus, he can transform into Cartoon Network characters. In addition to his transformations, thanks to the Omnitrix Key, he has the ability to equip his aliens with armor.

The three stopped near Mount Rushmore, where Ben ended up seeing a capsule fall while collecting firewood. Upon arriving at the crash site, he found the Omnitrix, which was stuck to his wrist. Immediately, he transformed into Four Arms and confronted some drones that had been sent to Earth to obtain the Omnitrix. After unlocking his 11th alien, Gax, Ben encounters Vilgax. Vilgax absorbs Gax's DNA to regain his full power, removing Gax from the Omnitrix. While battling Vilgax, Ben uses Upgrade to enhance the Omnitrix, which removes Upgrade from the Omnitrix and unlocks a new alien named Shock Rock. Shock Rock's influence gives Ben's other aliens "Omni-Enhanced" forms, coating them in electrical rock armor similar to Shock Rock's own.

Ben and Vilgax travel within the Omnitrix and meet Glitch, a hybrid entity created from Ben and Upgrade's DNA. It is revealed that Shock Rock had been sending signals to his species' home planet, creating a portal that allows the Fulmni to invade Earth. The three battle the Fulmini, but matters are complicated when the High Override sends Vilgax to the Null Void and Ben is placed under his control. Max and Gwen go within the Omnitrix and help Ben break free from the Override's control and help defeat the High Override. The Omnitrix reboots and Glitch transports them and himself out of the Omnitrix.

Phill Billings, Max's friend, gives the Tennysons the Omni Copter to traverse around the world and they learn that Ben's old schooler Kevin Levin has his own version of the Omnitrix dubbed the Antitrix. Ben and Kevin form a rivalry with each other and battle around the world. In Crossover Nexus, Ben is sent to the Nexus Realm, where, along with Garnet, K.O., and Raven, they defeat Strike, who was stealing the powers of Cartoon Network characters. Meanwhile, the mysterious Forever Knight is gathering intel on Ben. Ben is manipulated into working with the Forever Knight and the group of villains he has gathered up for his goal of preventing alien life from reaching Earth, only to come to his senses and betray Forever Knight.

In the film, VS The Universe, Vilgax crashes to Earth in a pod that is mistaken for a meteor. While trying to stop the pod, Ben is abducted by a spaceship and is sent to the Null Void, where he meets Azmuth, the creator of the Omnitrix. Ben learns how to unlock more aliens, including several transformations that were previously locked off and lost, and leaves the Null Void to return to Earth. Meanwhile, the Tennysons are assisting Kevin, but encounter Vilgax. Vilgax takes the Antitrix from Kevin and attacks the Tennysons, Phil, and Kevin. Vilgax grows exhausted of setbacks and terraforms Earth, but Ben stops him and Azmuth uses the Omnitrix to return Earth to normal.

Towards the end of summer, Ben meets his future self and defends Earth from the invading Xerge. He assists a young Rex Salazar and teams up with several alternate versions of himself throughout the multiverse to stop an evil Alien X, who turns out to be an alternative version of Ben.

Ben 10,000 is the future version of Ben. In this context, he has mastered all the functions of the Omnitrix, becoming a well-known hero throughout the universe and working full-time. Throughout the franchise, four different versions have been presented, each representing a possible future for Ben according to the narrative presented in its respective series. Hes was voiced by Fred Tatasciore in the original series as well as the 2016 reboot,^[43] while Sean Donnellan voices him in Ultimate Alien;^[44] and Judd Nelson in Omniverse.^[45]

When he was first introduced, he was portrayed as extremely serious about his life as a hero, to the point of being almost obsessive. He spent most of his time as XLR8 patrolling the planet and brutalizing criminals as quickly as possible, rarely appearing in human form. He had also stopped naming his aliens. Ben maintained this seriousness until Gwendolyn brought her 10-year-old self to talk to him.

After this event, Ben 10,000 began to lighten up. Over the next twelve years, he changed his clothes to something similar to his youth, reflecting his emotional journey, resumed naming his aliens, and spent quality time with his son. Furthermore, he and Gwendolyn became more dependent on each other again, as their relationship strengthened.

Although he tries to be close to his son, he sometimes doubts his abilities as a father and becomes overprotective due to the various dangers of fighting crime. He can also be somewhat obtuse, not realizing where his son inherited his attitude and understanding the obvious, much to Max's irritation. Despite his shift to a more cheerful and relaxed person, Ben 10,000 has a fierce temper that causes him to revert to the more aggressive and dark personality he displayed until his thirties.

Ben 10,000 also possesses an admirable amount of bravery and courage. He is also perfectly willing to fight his enemies up close, even without being able to transform. Although experienced and mature, Ben 10,000 has shown to have a playful side again. He is also somewhat nostalgic for an earlier time in his life.

Ben 10,000 is frequently portrayed as the pinnacle of the human species and the ultimate hero, being referred to as the "Hero of Heroes." Prolonged use of the Omnitrix has optimized his metabolism and genetics, allowing him to achieve physical and mental abilities at the peak of human potential. His physique is extremely developed, demonstrating above-average strength, stamina, endurance, durability, agility, speed, reflexes, and cure as well as exhibiting exceptional physical resilience, surviving impacts and radiation that would be fatal to normal humans. He possesses advanced intelligence and eidetic memory; his sharp mind is capable of providing quick and logical responses, taking advantage of most situations and turning the tables in his favor. He is described as a master of hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, often not needing to transform to defeat his enemies. These skills are the result of years of adventure and training.

Thanks to years of use, Ben has fully mastered the Omnitrix, unlocking Master Control, which allows him to transform into any alien instantly and without time limits. He is able to use each of his transformations to their maximum potential, as well as enhance them with nanotechnology. His Ultimate Alien version can transform into "Ultimate Ben," being able to use the abilities of his aliens without transforming, and is also capable of using magic. His Omniverse version possesses the Biomnitrix, which allows him to fuse his aliens.

In the future, Ben becomes distant from his family and dedicates his time to patrolling Earth 24/7. Ben 10,000 later comes into contact with his younger, 10-year-old self, who was brought 20 years into the future by Gwen. His interaction with his younger self helps him change his ways, and the two face off against Vilgax and Dr. Animo. Over the next 12 years, Ben has two children: Kenny Tennyson and Gwendolyn Tennyson. In preparation for his son’s 10th birthday, he uses his smartest aliens to create a replica Omnitrix for him. After confronting Kevin 11,000, Ben adopts his son, Devlin.

After years of adventures, Ben acquired more powers and learned to use magic, in addition to unlocking "Ultimate Ben," which allows him to use his alien powers without transforming. He also became president of Earth for a brief period, being succeeded by Gwen. Ben traveled to the past with Professor Paradox, and with the help of his younger self, prevented Eon from using the Hands of Armageddon.

At some point, Ben developed the Biomntrix, which allows him to fuse his alien forms, and became involved in the Time War. He assists his past self in fighting the alliance of Vilgax, Eon, and various Bens from other realities. Later, he helps his younger self confront Maltruant and discovers that his son, Kenny, has been secretly traveling to the past to help Ben as Chrono Spanner.

Ben had a confrontation with Steam Smythe and had accidentally sent a signal to the invasive species known as Xerge who invaded Earth. Ben's Omnitrix upgraded for the fourth time and had given him access to 10,000 aliens. During an incident, Ben had failed his friends and family. After 20 years in hiding, Ben emerges to battle the Xerge. After some arguing, Ben has a vision of his past self and travels back in time through a time portal developed by his former enemies Steam Smythe and Dr. Animo. He brings his past self to the future and the two of them face off against the Xerge and successfully defeat them. After young Ben returns to the past, Ben 10,000 shaves his beard, loses weight, and returns to his hero activities.

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