| “ | Thanks to this, I get to walk a mile in other lifeforms' shoes. So, I can totally understand what it's like to be them since... I have been them. | ” |
–Ben speaking of the gift that being the bearer of the Omnitrix has bestowed upon him. | ||
Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson is one of the protagonists of the A-B10's Saga, first appeared in SuperBen. He was an ordinary 10-year-old boy until he found the Omnitrix, a powerful watch-like device that allowed him to turn into ten different aliens. Though initially immature and clumsy, Ben grew to be a true hero. By the time he was 16, he had become famous in not only his hometown of Bellwood but on Earth and beyond. Ben has also been deputized by the Plumbers and has gained more aliens as time progressed.
Appearance[]
Ben[]
Somatic Traits[]
Ben's physical appearance has changed over time, going from a 10-year-old boy to a 46-year-old man. However, it retains some recurring characteristics. He has unkempt brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, and he is quite skinny for his age, though he shows a lot of muscle definition due to being athletic.
Regular Appearances[]
In Original Series and flashbacks, Ben's usual clothes consisted of a black-striped, white shirt with short sleeves, military green cargo pants with side pockets with a black belt hidden under his shirt, and black and white sneakers with black stripes. Ben wore the original Omnitrix on his left wrist.
In Alien Force, Ultimate Alien - Part I, Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien and Ultimate Alien - Part II Ben wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt, blue jeans and a green jacket with white stripes on his left sleeve and the number 10 on the right, white socks, and black and white Converse-style shoes. Ben wore the recalibrated original Omnitrix in Alien Force, the Ultimatrix in Ultimate Alien and in Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien on his left wrist. From "Partenza", Ben wore the Omnitrix on his left wrist.
In OmniSword, Ben wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt, blue jeans and a green jacket with light green stripes on his sleeves and the Omnimatrix Devices logo on the right, white socks, and black and white Converse-style shoes. Ben wore the Omnitrix on his left wrist.
In future appearances, Ben wore a short-sleeved, bicep-length, round-neck white t-shirt tucked into her tight-fitting military green pants pulled to the waist. His shirt has a bright green stripe around the neck and on the front and back, and a matching 1-inch border on the sleeves. The green stripe on his shirt corresponds to the Omnitrix when fully charged. His belt buckle has the number 10K on it, green colored knee pads and dark graphite. And his footwear transforms into black and silver calf boots. He also wears black fingerless gloves. Ben wore the recalibrated Omnitrix in Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien on his left wrist and the Biomatrix in OmniSword on his both wrist.
Infinite[]
Somatic Traits[]
In his Infinite form, Ben still retains his slender physique, but is more muscular and has brighter brown hair, and yellow eyes. Subsequent transformations have mostly changed the haircut or the musculature.
Regular Appearances[]
In Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien up to "Salva il gatto", Ben wore a golden armor according to the medieval style. The simple breastplate is decorated with a "flower" in the center and an oval blue gemstone set in it, and tops the greyish tunic.
From "Salva il gatto" onwards, Ben wore a more complex version of the previous armor. The golden armor, which has become more stocky and robust, covers his body more and the white tights that cover him entirely. He wears an elegant helmet which, along with his shoes, are adorned with a pair of golden wings. He has a long red cape that runs from his shoulders down to his knees. He wears a belt with utility pockets with a buckle vaguely resembling a cat's face (representing Gwen), chains wrapped around his forearms and secured by padlocks (representing Kevin) and the Omnitrix symbol on his chest (probably represents Ben himself, Grandpa Max or the Plumbers).
In future appearances, Ben wore gold armor partially inspired by medieval European knights, although it retains great maneuverability and speed instead of armor clumsiness. He has yellow lighting on his helmet and wears a red cloak along with his armor. Ben wore the recalibrated Omnitrix/Biomatrix symbol on his chest.
.png "Infinite (Futuro).png (285 KB)")
_(Debutto).png "Infinite (Ben 10) (Debutto).png (360 KB)")
Personality[]
Initially arrogant, childish, and selfish, Ben's immaturity and attention-seeking behavior often led him to joke around, regardless of the situation, which got him into trouble with adults. When he was 10 years old, he often misused the Omnitrix to benefit himself instead of actually helping others. His allies often criticized his attitude, unaware that he used humor to mask his fears. It was also implied that, on some level, Ben helped people get rewards and for the thrill of being a hero, rather than because it was the right thing to do. Despite some childish behavior, Ben was heroic, thoughtful, and generally good-natured, always willing to save others at any time, even at his own risk.
Over the years, Ben has demonstrated good leadership skills, as well as the ability to adapt his attitude to the situation, becoming serious when required. He has become more mature, responsible and sensitive. He is kind-hearted, willing to sacrifice even his own life for others. His idealistic views and reluctance to compromise his values sometimes push him to act against reason, such as helping his enemies if they need it. Professor Paradox praised Ben's good nature, going so far as to say that he had a gift for making the right choices at the right times, and even Azmuth himself states that Ben always does the right thing in the end. Additionally, Ben doesn't give up and doesn't let anyone stop him from doing what's right for those in need. Although he is often called foolish or unintelligent due to his immaturity, Ben is cunning and resourceful when necessary, quickly adapting when the Omnitrix does not provide him with the alien he desired. However, when Ben fails to save someone, or if people get hurt because of it, he becomes angry and much more violent.
Following his return to Earth, Ben developed a kind of survivor's syndrome. He started trying to stay as busy as possible and strategizing and stuff (similar to Adora) in an effort to hide his fears from the war. This apparent burst of maturity was praised by Gwen and Kevin (who were unaware of the reason), but was questioned early on by those around Ben and discovered in "Va tutto bene". Overall, Ben became very similar to the original Ben 10,000 until the events of "Patto inaccettabile"; from there Ben began to slowly return to his old self.
Ben's future appearances have shown that he will remain as such to his youth; arrogant, laid back and with a tendency to crack jokes, but still a strong-willed individual who puts everyone else first. He is shown to still be overprotective and to have an aggressive and ferocious nature when it comes to protecting the people he cares about. Although he continues to be carefree, it is not clear whether he still has fears regarding certain situations.
History[]
Background[]
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Ben 10[]
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Alien Force[]
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Ultimate Alien - Part I: Pre-Etheria[]
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Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien[]
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Ultimate Alien - Part II: Post-Etheria[]
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OmniSword[]
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Legends of Tomorrow[]
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Powers and Abilities[]
Abilities[]
- Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Ben is a crafty, intelligent fighter, having been trained in savate and karate by Gwen. He also knows Marquess of Queensbury boxing. He uses freestyle fighting, being able to hold his own against Pierce. Max has hinted that Ben is a highly skilled fighter, even as a human. Ben has also received basic Plumber training, having succeeded in the Plumbers' Academy with a 100 out of a 100. On top of that, he has gained practical experience from years of fighting aliens.
- Enhanced Jumping: Ben can jump high in the air.
- Enhanced Intelligence: It is evident that Ben is smart in some respects, possessing an above-average to high intelligence and maintaining a B+ average at school. Gwen even stated that he really is not working up to his potential at school.
- Enhanced Reflexes: Ben has good reflexes, being able to easily dodge shots from Manny's blasters before disarming him while in human form and dodge Sunder's axe attacks.
- Enhanced Eidetic Memory: Ben has an extraordinarily sharp memory, as he was perfectly capable of remembering and writing down the mystic rune-like symbols for entering the inter-dimensional realm of Legerdomain with just one glance from a distance. This is even more true for things that interest him.
- Piloting Proficiency: Ben has impressive piloting skills, as shown when, at 10 years old, he could adequately control a gyropod (a small ship designed for alien pilots) within seconds of testing; and at 16 years old, could pilot the Rust Bucket 3. He gets this skill from a combination of playing video games and tap lessons Sandra made him take, though he would never admit it. Despite this, Kevin is considered to be a better pilot than Ben.
- Leadership: Ben has been shown to be a competent leader, capable of coordinating her allies and develop strategies.
- Indomitable Will: Ben is very determined to prove himself worthy of protecting those he cares about.
- Powers via the Sword of Protection and the Ultimatrix/Omnitrix:
- Transformation: Using the Sword of Protection and the Ultimatrix/Omnitrix, Ben can transform into the legendary warrior known as Infinite, becoming taller and more muscular in the process. As of "Salva il gatto", Ben also gained the following abilities:
- Enhanced Strength: When transformed, Ben is stronger than any other human, being able to easily dent tanks without much trouble.
- Enhanced Durability: As Infinite, Ben is more likely to survive powerful attacks. His endurance, however, has a limit.
- Enhanced Agility: Ben is shown to be able to make incredible leaps while transformed.
- Space Survival: In his infinite form he can travel trough the void of space without the assistance of a space suit.
- Transformation: Using the Sword of Protection and the Ultimatrix/Omnitrix, Ben can transform into the legendary warrior known as Infinite, becoming taller and more muscular in the process. As of "Salva il gatto", Ben also gained the following abilities:
Equipment[]
- Omnimatrix Devices: Ben is the wielder of the Omnitrix (formerly the Ultimatrix and Original Omnitrix), which gives him the power to modify his own genetic code in order to turn into various alien creatures.
- Aliens Features: When transforming into an alien, Ben gets all the creature's features, including its appearance, voice, all of its unique and special abilities and powers, strengths and weaknesses. Though he mostly retains his personality, there are some cases where the transformation causes a change in it, like with Rath and Juryrigg.
- Evolutionary Function: In addition to transforming into aliens, the Ultimatrix and the Omnitrix included what is referred as an "evolutionary function", that allowed Ben to evolve his alien forms, referred to as Ultimate Forms.
- Universal Translator: The Omnitrices and Ultimatrix have a built-in Universal Translator that allows Ben to communicate with most aliens that do not speak English.
- DNA Manipulation: The Original Omnitrix displayed the ability to manipulate and repair genetic damage, a function he used to cure DNAliens and save the Highbreed from extinction. Azmuth also mentioned that Ben could use the original Omnitrix to bring back to life any species stored on Primus.
- Failsafe: The current Omnitrix also has a failsafe to help prevent Ben from dying.
- Plumber's Suit: Ben has a Plumber suit, allowing him to survive in unsuitable environments. His suit was modified by Kevin to enable him to deliver electric shocks.
- Hazmat Suit: Ben formerly had a hazmat suit, given to him by Max. The suit protected him from the effects of Corrodium and allowed him to survive in space.
- Spacesuit: Ben temporarily wore a spacesuit, given to him by Tetrax, which allowed him to survive in space.
Weaknesses[]
- Short Attention Span: Ben appears to have a short attention span and very little patience at times. More often than not, it can get him into trouble. Though he has matured substantially, he is still a teenager with much to learn and is prone to irrational impulses and recklessness.
- Hypnosis: Ben is vulnerable to hypnosis.
- Peanuts: Ben has an allergy to peanuts.
- Coulrophobia: Ben has a fear of clowns, which was indirectly caused by Max.
- Virus: Ben is vulnerable to the cold virus.
- Corrodium: Ben is not immune to Corrodium and will be mutated when exposed to this mineral unless he either wears special protection or transforms into an alien.
- School's Subjects: Ben's worst subject is Physics, followed by Chemistry.
- Electricity Vulnerability: Ben can experience pain from electricity, such as that generated by a Nosedeenian and Phil's as a Terroranchula.
- Omnimatrix Devices: Ben is the wielder of the Omnitrix (formerly the Ultimatrix and Original Omnitrix), which gives him the power to modify his own genetic code in order to turn into various alien creatures.
- Times Out: Whenever the Omnitrices times out, Ben is left powerless until he either dodges or switches to a new alien form.
- Aliens Features: In addition to gaining the selected alien's powers and strengths, he gains its weaknesses. At times, the natural biological behavior of certain aliens can override Ben's behavior, such as Necrofriggian's reproductive phase or Methanosian's blossoming process.
- New Alien Forms: Whenever Ben unlocks a new alien form, he is at a disadvantage of not knowing its abilities and weaknesses until he gains experience with using that alien. However, this was not an issue when he wielded the recalibrated original Omnitrix, as the device granted him full understanding of the aliens' powers.
- Missing Knowledge: Despite his experience in using the Omnitrices and Ultimatrix, Ben still does not know every function of them. Due to his inquisitive nature and impatience, he has accidentally unlocked new functions such as the Master Control and the randomizer, which can at times do more harm than good.
- Lack of mastery: Though the current Omnitrix is designed to work only for him, Ben still has not mastered it. According to Azmuth, Ben may get the Master Control on his 18th birthday.
- Malfunction: The current Omnitrix does not actually mistransform, but rather it is due to Ben hitting the Omnitrix too hard, thereby causing the time-out function to select another alien at random.
- Illness: Any illness Ben is experiencing in his human form will affect his alien forms.
Appearances[]
Ben has been in every episode, movie, special and short except 10 eroi per Ken and Cronache dalla Terra, the non-canon "what-if?" episodes Gwen 10 and Il ritorno a casa, along with Ben 10: Race Against Time, which features a Ben Tennyson from an alternate timeline. Here's a list of all his appearances throughout the series:
- Ben 10/Episodes
- Ben 10: Alien Force/Episodes
- Ben 10: Ultimate Alien - Part I: Pre-Etheria/Episodes
- Adora & Ben 10: Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien/Episodes
Trivia[]
- Gwen's birthday is in December, which would put Ben's in December too, as they both share the same birthday. Their childhood rivalry in the Original Series arose from this.
- Ben hates mushrooms, though this may have been a consequence of his ordeal with the Living Mushrooms.
- When Ben was 10, he used to sleep with his teddy bear, called Furry Freddy. However, Ben defended himself saying that Furry Freddy had his own bed, which happened to be right next to his.
- Ben passed the third grade by choosing C for all the answers on multiple-choice tests.
- Ben's left eye twitches whenever he tells a lie, but only Kevin and Adora appears to notice this.
- Ben does not have good table manners.
- According to both Azmuth and Sir George, Ben is the same as they were when they were young.
- Ben's history now has to be read at the Plumbers' Academy. It comprises approximately a "chapter and a half."
- Ben's favorite color is green, and his favorite food is chili fries.
- Ben's first crush was Kai Green.
- Ben has a scar on his body in the shape of New Jersey.
- Ben's favorite drink as a teenager is smoothies from Mr. Smoothy, despite hating them when he was 10 years old.
- He is still searching for his favorite smoothie flavor.
- Ben has a habit of referring to other members of his aliens' species by the names he gives his aliens because he does not know the names of most of his aliens' species, but never admits to this.
- Ben will have a glorious future. Azmuth even said that Professor Paradox once told him of Ben's "grand destiny" and that Ben would be "the legendary being who..." before Paradox cut him short.
- Arguably, the "grand destiny" is the events of Ultimate Princesses of Power Alien.
- Ben was the first freshman to start as goalie on his school's soccer team.
- Ben still plays soccer when he can.
- In Alien Force, Ben was in his freshman year of high school.
- In Ultimate Alien, his teachers were not nice on grading him, but they were fine with his bad attendance record.
- Ben has a lot of pull with the Plumbers.
- It is unknown if Ben gets paid for his Plumber work.
- Ben has other friends than the ones seen on-screen, but his coming out of retirement in Alien Force pushed them away.
- Ben has not thought about his career plan at all.
- Ben misses the good old days when he used to hang out with Gwen and Kevin without being mobbed by fans, so much that he secretly hates being famous and wishes he had his secret identity back.
- Ben knows some things about the original Ultimatrix that Eunice doesn't, and vice versa.
- Ben considers both Bow and Kevin his best friend.
- Ben still owns several old T-shirts.
- Ben owns a Tetramand flag in his bedroom.
- Before the events of the Original Series:
- Ben and Gwen once did not speak to each other for two months over an argument about a stick of gum.
- At one point, the arguing between Ben and Gwen had gotten so bad that their parents refused to take vacations together anymore.
- During the road trip in the Original Series:
- Disliking Max's cooking was one of the few things Ben and Gwen agreed on.
- Ben was secretly sorry for what happened to Kevin.
- Ben still had gym clothes from the first grade in his gym locker.
- Sumo Slammers is Ben's favorite game, book, and TV show, followed by Space Pirates.
- Ben's fight with Kangaroo Commando is one of his favorite memories.
- When he was younger, Ben's high energy often got him into trouble. As he got older, he learned to focus that energy into sports.
- Ben started calling himself Ben 10,000 after the Plutonian revolt of 2022.
- Eon has never come across another Ben like this Ben.
- His first future appearance is identical to Ben 10,000's Omniverse, but with only one Omnitrix giving him access to Ultimate Forms. From subsequent appearances it is identical to that of Omniverse.
- According to himself, in the future will a different Ben 10,000 than the one featured in the Original Series.