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general-jackson · 3 years

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Forgot to include in my response, but OV + UAF introduced TOO MANY love interests. I wanted to see a (final) girl that could actually connect with Ben while having an interesting and likable personality and a unique design to boot. Personally I feel like Ben shouldn't have gotten romantic subplots if the writers weren't going to handle them properly. Or, they could have done it like Jake x Rose and actually develop his romances without relying on tired tropes.

I don’t personally like the idea of the harem either.

and neither did Ben in canon

But, what I think was worse was that almost all of his relationships with girls ended up abusive, if not borderline abusive.

They were teenagers, and, realistically, teenagers sometimes date a lot of other teenagers throughout their youth, even if those relationships aren’t extremely serious. I didn’t find any of them to be that great for various reasons, but at the age of sixteen, I also wouldn’t expect them to be great and serious relationships.

I can understand, as fans of fiction, to want the hero or protagonist to be given a final love interest to sum up his story and fill every spot. But, I also feel like that idea reinforces all the restrictions of this “destiny” or “fate” that is being forced upon him.

It makes it seem as though, at the young age of sixteen, every part of his life had to be set in stone already, with no freedom to explore other possibilities in the future.

I liked that Omniverse left off open ended in every other sense aside from the forced “endgame” romance. And on the topic of said forced romance, it really showed how uncomfortable it made those involved.

Something I kept hearing being said after Omniverse had ended was that now Ben and Kai were an official couple, even though it was never really officially acknowledged by the characters themselves.

Yeah, we were shown that future where they were together, but the fandom seemingly forgot that, according to Omniverse itself, there is a Multiverse. And, by that logic, every possible scenario for Ben Prime’s life is just another branch off the tree. Spanner then came from the future which happened in that particular branch.

Every decision Ben has made which has led him to become the character we know today was made on his own free will. He should also have the freedom to do what he wants with his future and romance situation.

I say this because, returning to what I have stated in the beginning, almost all of the canon love interests ended up borderline abusive because they seemed to want to chain him down. Kai, however, was the only one who didn’t really want to chain him down. And that was because she didn’t want him at all, and that is damaging in it’s own way.

Elena’s case is unfortunate because I’m not sure if I’m supposed to attribute her actions to mental illness or not, but it is definitely still unhealthy to end up with the mindset that if the object of your affection cannot be yours, nobody can have him. And therefore he must die.

Julie started off sweet and innocent, but her outlook on her Boyfriend’s life and responsibilities turned into more of a “it’s either your job or me” attitude. That’s no fair when Ben actively encouraged her own career and let her have her space.

Ester also seemed to have a good friendship with Ben in the beginning, but very quickly, she began pushing him into being more romantic with her without communicating properly. And when he did something (such as bringing Rook along to the Museum literally because he thought he was being a good, thoughtful friend) to further hinder her advances unintentionally, she just got all mad at him with no explanation. It’s no wonder he was confused.

Do I even have to go over Kai?

In other words, they made engaging in a romantic relationship more difficult than fighting dangerous aliens and risking his life every day.

It’s no wonder so many people prefer to ship BenRook because, even though I still don’t find it ideal, Ben and Rook had that basis for a good friendship that the love interests skipped. A friend wouldn’t ghost you if you picked up a phone call while distracted by a video game. Best friends should know all your faults and shortcomings and still be your friends and care about you enough to see your potential. It takes vulnerability, understanding and forgiveness.

If your significant other can’t be your friend, how can they be your girl/boy friend?

I agree that if Ben is going to have an “endgame” love interest, it definitely should be someone who is unique and can connect with him. But while that is true, maybe it just doesn’t happen during the events of Ultimate Alien or Omniverse.

And that’s okay. He still has a “glorious future” ahead of him. There’s still time for that.

No need for this clown to force it down his throat.

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general-jackson · 3 years

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Why Ben is NOT a “bad boyfriend”

Even though the majority of the fandom seems to think so.

Fandom:

Ben:

Something I often hear is that “Ben is oblivious to romantic or romantic cues at all.” I wouldn’t say that this is necessarily either a good or bad thing, but at the same time I would argue that he’s not as oblivious as is believed. I think he just doesn’t jump to conclusions about other people and their emotions and create massive assumptions about them. He has common sense.

Ben 10: Omniverse episode “Hot Stretch”

This episode introduces Ester - a new female character and subsequently a new love interest for Ben. Ester immediately is shown to have a romantic interest in Ben, but this is probably due to the fact that Ben is famous. This means she would have known about him before they even met. Ben, on the other hand, has never seen her in his life. Throughout this episode they get acquainted but still are practically strangers. It’s very apparent that Ester is interested in Ben, but reasonably it’s only been a couple hours.

How can you not expect Ben to pull away from the awkward embrace from a girl he barely knows?

But even besides that, he is understanding enough to allow her a second chance to fix the situation rather than punish her for being involved with a crime that she didn’t know would go so far.

Compare this instance to a little while later, once Ben and Ester get more acquainted.

He is perfectly okay with being hugged, and doesn’t make any effort to push her away.

I’d like to argue that the majority of Ben’s love interests are emotionally manipulative and selfish. (Yes, I am turning the tables.) And this is why…

Ben 10: Omniverse epsiode “Fight at the Museum”

People often like to make fun of Ben for bringing Rook along on his supposed “date” with Ester…but logically is that really something to make fun of him for?

Ben was being considerate because he knew his friend would enjoy something like the museum tour, and knew that he would probably be bored on his own.

What I personally think is funny is how exactly one asks someone out on a date without making it abundantly clear you want it to be a date?

What the hell did she ask him? “hey Ben u wanna go to the musuem?” *wink wink nudge nudge* ???

To add to it, throughout the tour, Ben is constantly singled out and put on the spot by both Kai and Ester for being “stupid.” He has never once done this to either of them without being provoked.

What do you want from him?

Anyway, after Kai’s musuem exhibit tour (and after being bullied), Ben helps Kai move all her artifacts. Which brings me to my next point…

Ben being called an asshole and/or jerk. And why it’s wrong.

Have you ever wondered why Kai would even consider inviting Ben to a museum exhibit that she knows he wouldn't be interested in? Because she knows that if someone were to try to steal an artifact, she would never be able to stop them herself.

She needed a security guard.

Who better to call then the guy who previously had a crush on you and also conveniently has superpowers that allow him to do pretty much anything?

Kai’s demeanour completely changes when she is about to ask him for this favour.

Ben couldn’t possibly win in this situation. No matter what he would or wouldn’t do, he would still be seen as a jerk/asshole.

These are literally his options:

1. Leave Kai to her own devices and be considered a jerk for not helping her.

2. Stay, try to protect her artifacts, but inevitably have the blame be thrown on him because Spanner made it look like the Orb was stolen by the thieves.

THERE. IS. NO. WAY. OUT.

Now, all that taken into consideration, if you were if his situation…would you not begin to resent the idea of romantic relationships?

I’ve heard the theory that Ben would eventually decide that romance is not for for him, or that he is not “good at romance.” Which then turns into the claim that he is “unshippable” and…”unlovable.”

But that, to me, is ridiculous. Love itself is not romantic.

“Love” generally, in the most simple way, just means…to care.

So here’s why I don’t believe he is a “bad boyfriend”…

Ben himself is quite the loving and compassionate person at heart. He is not a jerk/asshole and does not respond in that way unless he is provoked into doing so.

But doesn’t pretty much everybody do that?

The following examples are from the Omniverse comic “Parallel Paradox.” The way he defends Elena (even when she has made some bad moves herself) is very sweet.

This is also a constant thing in another Omniverse comic.

As long as nobody is starting fights with him and being immature, he is very considerate.

And the last example I would like to include is from a little earlier.

Ben 10: Ultimate Alien episode “The Transmogrification of Eunice.”

Aside from the fact that Ben’s love interest in this episode fell out of the sky naked (and is technically made from Gwen’s DNA)

Ben is very quick to protect her right to be alive.

Yes, his relationship with Julie is really suffering at this point in the show, but I really would like to know how exactly one is supposed to respond when your previous GF/BF clearly doesn’t seem to want to pursue the relationship any further. She showed very little desire to cooperate. So if you’re basically broken up with them, does that mean you’re not allowed to see other people? They’re not married.

(I almost want to theorize that because of what happened in the episode “Duped”, she felt like she needed to prove she is just as important as Ben. She joined a charity group in the episode “The Flame Keeper’s Circle.” She even argued that not everything is about Ben…which clearly shows her competitive attitude towards him from then on.)

I mean, put yourself in Eunice’s place. You’ve woken up in a strange place, don’t remember who you are, or where you came from. Even your own name is foggy.

You’ve met three people who helped “save you.” Two of which are pretty suspicious of your whereabouts. What obligation do they have to believe anything you say, especially with all the alien stuff they’re already encountered?

Would you not want to have someone who trusts you?

Defends you?

Reassures you that everything will be okay?

Aside from the romantic aspect of the plot, Ben was that person for Eunice.

That doesn’t make him perfect. But he always tries.

Ben even criticizes himself at one point (Ultimate Alien episode “Absolute Power” part 1) and says this:

“I let my fame go to my head. I’ve been as big a jerk these past few months as I ever was.”

The fact that Ben is able to look back at himself and evaluate how he might have come off to others shows that he really isn’t the huge jerk you all make him out to be. He voluntarily admits this.

In the same scene, he goes on to say this:

“I’ve had fun but I always told myself that when the situation got serious, so would I.”

And this just brings me back to my main point, Ben is always willing to fix things and make them right. He’s willing to listen to others. He always has good intentions in the end.

Because of these qualities, I don’t believe that he would be a bad boyfriend.

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general-jackson · 3 years

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I agree

The Overlooked Reality of Being a Superhero's Significant Other

(Specifically, in the case of Ben 10)

“But I guess that’s the deal when you decide to date a superhero.” - Julie Yamamoto (Ultimate Alien - “Duped”)

And this is the deal when you decide to be a superhero.

It is one thing to say that your significant other is a superhero, and it is another thing altogether to realize and accept exactly what that entails.

First and foremost, something which has surprisingly been overlooked by many of Ben’s canon love interests is the fact that dating Ben 10 would mean that they would be agreeing to date someone who has chosen, voluntarily, to continue to make saving the world his priority. It goes unrecognised that Ben, since Alien Force, arguably even since the original series, he has chosen voluntarily to take all of the following factors and consequences into what should be his normal life. Regardless of whether it is assumed by some that he continues to be a hero for the thrill or in the interest of helping others, he has still chosen to deal with all of this.

While the saying goes that, in every healthy relationship, both partners should sacrifice things for each other, it is almost impossible to equate any kind of sacrifice the girlfriend/significant other of a superhero can make for him in comparison to what he is voluntarily “sacrificing” everyday of his life.

The Ultimate Alien episode “The Perfect Girlfriend” tries to handle this idea. The episode opens with Ben driving Julie to the airport, and before he can walk her up to the gate, Ben’s car picks up a police report about a suspected hostage situation involving an alien criminal. The following is that report word for word:

“Ssserpent has escaped from prison…Police believe Ssserpent is holding a hostage. Negotiators are tying to reach him by phone. But how do you bargain with something like that?”

Immediately, as expected, and as indicated by Gwen’s attempt at hiding the situation from Ben so that it doesn’t get in the way of his relationship with Julie again, Ben decides to go handle it. Both Gwen and Julie are obviously upset with him for this decision. And, as I have stated multiple times when discussing these types of conflicting relationship situations, it effectively makes Ben look bad for choosing to deal with a serious call for help instead of continuing to spend time with his girlfriend.

Before I continue, I’d like to point out that we can not really balance the importance and urgency of a hostage situation and a tennis tournament.

During this scene, Gwen also states that she could handle it instead. And, while I do not doubt that she absolutely should be able to, the last time Gwen and Kevin were up against Ssserpent in Alien Force’s “Vengeance of Vilgax” they were having a really hard time defeating him until Ben showed up.

This only further encourages the idea that Ben has to ultimately find the solution to every problem, because, if something goes wrong, and he doesn’t stop it like they expect him to, it is automatically his fault no matter how many people are in charge of handling the situation.

Whereas, in terms of his relationship with Julie, Ben’s decision to prioritize innocent lives which might be in danger as soon as he hears about a hostage situation, will not affect Julie’s freedom to live her life, which is what she seems to personally value the most in these types of conflicting scenarios.

Julie: “My life is just as important as yours!”

Returning to the episode plot, Julie, who, for the majority of this episode after the initial airport scene is actually Elena disguised as Julie, is shown “sacrificing” the things she enjoys for Ben so that their relationship would be “perfect.”

Gwen brings up an interesting point about sacrifices within a relationship, challenging Elena-disguised-as-Julie’s point of view.

Gwen: “I wanted to talk to you, about not going to Europe.”

Julie/Elena: “I already told you. It was an easy choice.”

Gwen: “But it shouldn’t have been.”

Julie/Elena: “Look. I love Ben. That’s all there is to it.”

Gwen: “Fine. But that doesn’t mean you should make such a big sacrifice for him.”

Julie/Elena: “That’s what you do when you love somebody.”

Gwen: “No. You both make sacrifices for each other. What’s Ben giving up?”

I understand where Gwen is coming from. In terms of her relationship with Kevin, they have both made sacrifices to be together, and, at this point, been through countless difficult situations which tested how far they were willing to go to stay together. Dating their former enemy, accepting their past, changing themselves for the better, and then watching each other struggle with their powers and private lives, respectively, just to name a few.

There are some people who are actually not in favour of how the build up of Gwevin was handled, or, according to them, lack thereof. Within the context of the universe they exist in however, the opportunity to form a strong connection with people who have taken you in and shown you a better way to live will have a profound effect one oneself, namely Kevin. And, just to state the obvious, one of those who helped him find a better place to be and heal was Gwen.

Throughout Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were not just a simple group of friends. They were team mates. They’ve been through life and death situations together. Gwen and Kevin’s bond comes out of the loyalty and strong friendship which they up kept while going through countless traumatic situations together.

Unfortunately, this is not the same situation with Benlie.

When it comes to Ben and Julie, making these “sacrifices” for each other is not a common factor because of the disconnect and misunderstanding which divides and differentiates them. This is saddening to type because it could have absolutely brought them closer together if they could sympathize or empathize with each other, and, in turn, sacrifice things which would benefit their significant other.

I don’t want to constantly put Julie on the spot, but I believe the “issues” she had within her relationship with Ben were unnecessarily made into a big deal. Just like us, the viewers of this show, she should perfectly capable of understanding a superhero’s reality.

“Be careful, Ben” - Julie Yamamoto (”War of the Worlds” - Alien Force)

We were not directly there to experience what Ben has, however we can still sympathize or empathize with the human emotions he feels. Why else do we become so emotionally invested in a character such as Ben?

You make those “sacrifices“ for another person out of the empathy or sympathy you feel for them. That is, by definition, love. And, in regards to being the significant other of a superhero, that empathy or sympathy should come out of an understanding of the things they have already sacrificed in order to obtain the title they have. Because, as I stated previously, it is difficult to equate any kind of sacrifice you can make for your significant other when their job may lead them to sacrifice their own young life in exchange for the lives of others.

In regards to Ben, I would argue that part of what drives him to continue to try to help others is the fact that he feels empathy and sympathy for them. A superhero saves lives simply because he cares they they do not suffer. And, in order to care that others do not suffer, you must know what pain feels like.

(”Back with a Vengeance” - Original Series)

By “pain”, I am referring to both the literal sense and the psychological sense. There have been moments in his life which have caused him either or both, and even in spite of this, he still chooses to go on with his perceived duty to be a hero so that he may prevent that kind of suffering from spreading to others. Painful moments like this would include alien criminals trying to cut his arm off, rip the watch out of his skin, or even having his family threatened to be killed.

(”Max Out” - Alien Force)

Obviously, getting physically involved in these types of scenarios may even leave him with injuries, bruises, or scars, whether they be from fighting or potentially, in the hypothetical case that no amount of Azmuth’s ‘perfecting’ of the device can prevent it, from rapidly transforming.

(”Showdown: Part 2″ - Omniverse)

And, I think there’s no question that anyone in Ben’s place could develop a level of PTSD, indicated by how Ben often responds when others are vulnerable to dangerous alien technology, for instance. Such as they were in the Alien Force episode “Pet Project”, where Ben refused to let his unarmed and inexperienced girlfriend go on a potentially fatal mission.

Before I begin to explain the more serious aspects of this lifestyle which may be over looked for various reasons, I’d like to point out something Julie might have had an easier time understanding in terms of sacrifice, since, she very obviously wanted others to value her life and her tennis career.

Tennis is a sport which she is obviously very invested in and loves to play. In the first episode of Alien Force, Julie is shown approaching Ben after his Soccer match. This indicates they had something in common from the beginning - an interest in sports.

However, since then, Soccer is something he has seemingly needed to give up when his hero work became a much bigger part of his life, and, subsequently, took up much more of his time. It is still probably something he enjoys, but he can no longer be a part of a soccer team.

Unlike an alternate Ben, No Watch Ben, who was immediately shown playing soccer to indicate that he still had the time for it from his lack of hero responsibilities. I bring this up to show that it is also the little things which he has had to somewhat “give up” or “sacrifice” in the name of the universe’s safety. This is possibly why, when he does have “free time”, it results in him being quite invested in a video game or a movie because he finally has the chance to actually enjoy it. This kind of behaviour can be seen in pretty much every Ben 10 series.

(”Pet Project” - Alien Force)

Perhaps the most notable instance was Omniverse’s “It’s a Mad Ben World.”

“Doors: locked. Privacy: ensured. Phone: off. Omnitrix Comm link: disabled. I must not be disturbed under any circumstances. The fate of the entire universe is at stake…

The Sumo Slammer’s Universe, that is. Ah, my first afternoon off in weeks. Nothing can possibly ruin it.”

You know, the episode where Ben freed people from slavery and all he wanted was a little break from his demanding full time job?

It is easy to call him a “bad boyfriend” for being distracted with a video game while conveniently getting a call from his girlfriend, who is clearly upset his attention is not completely directed at her.

But did you ever consider what he might have been doing while his former girlfriend was supposedly enjoying her tennis career, and meeting new boys such as Hervé?

She seemed to want all of his attention. And, interestingly, even though many see Ben as someone who loves attention, he never really demanded much from her.

He let her be independent long enough for her to find someone new.

Julie: “I’ve been busy. Living my life and all.”

Someone like Ben probably would not even look at his work as something of a “sacrifice” because he is primarily motivated by the idea that it is what he has to do since it is the right thing to do. This is something he has believed from a young age.

“You think I don’t know? When it’s hero time, if I mess up, somebody could die. From what you told me, if we mess up this time, everybody could die.”

“Maybe that’s too much to have in your head when you have to win. Maybe if I pretend everything’s a big joke, when the time comes, I’ll be able to do what I have to do.” - 10 year old Ben (Ultimate alien: “The Forge of Creation”)

Please realize that a ten year old boy thinks this is something he HAS TO DO.

Not “wants to.” Not “might be expected to.”

He “has to.”

Cartoons, such as Ben 10, created primarily for a younger audience, already slightly gloss over the more serious and scarring parts of this concept. While it is not ignored completely, realistic attributes and side effects of this reality such as graphic battle damage are not usually drawn in detail. One can only infer the trauma that is caused by many of the scenarios presented within the series. That is part of why it is so easy for younger, inexperienced, and uninformed viewers to point towards Ben and claim he is a “bad boyfriend” for not making Julie’s interest in tennis his first priority every single time.

His “hero” persona is often made out to be fun, not serious. Even Ben himself claims that he “pretends everything is a big joke.”

I would like to compare this to something more understandable in real life - being a military girlfriend.

Just like a soldier, Ben is susceptible to unfortunate circumstances as a side effect of his job. Which, is important to mention because he doesn’t even seem to like to call it his ‘job’ or his 'work.’ To him, it is, more accurately, his lifestyle. This lifestyle often puts his own life on the line, as well as just his general mental and physical well being. He’s very susceptible to injury, trauma, PTSD, and death.

I would even argue that it is not entirely correct to compare him to only one soldier. He literally has the ability to be the entire army. And not just any army - a super powered, alien army.

At the age of sixteen.

“One man superhero team.” - Professor Hokestar (“Have I got a Deal for You” - Omniverse)

He could literally become multiple Echo Echoes, as shown in Ultimate Alien’s “Duped”, and then those individual Echo Echoes can turn into any other alien he has available to him…making quite literally, an army.

Not to mention, as admirable as this work may be, and how easy he may make it look, that does not undermine the fact that it is still extremely dangerous and often demanding. Take Omniverse’s pilot episode, “The More Things Change”, for instance.

The scene where we are shown our main trio chasing after Zombozo takes place while it is supposedly still night time. A little while later, we can see that the sun is starting to come up - it looks to be sunrise. Needless to say, another short time skip shows that it is now daytime.

Does this imply that our heroes were up all night taking down bad guys? Or did they just get up before the sun?

This is interesting because, as a number of other fans have speculated, it implies they might have irregular sleep schedules. The same kind of situation can be found throughout Alien Force and Ultimate alien as the series progresses, with many of the events taking place during the night while normal teenagers should be asleep.

(”The Creature from Beyond” - Ultimate Alien)

Some have even speculated that Ben may have insomnia, possibly caused by nightmares, which, are a common side effect of PTSD - an unsurprising condition to have when this is the reality you live in.

Throughout the rest of “The More Things Change”, Ben and Rook are shown searching for the “big bad” in charge of the recent attacks, and eventually are led to Psyphon, as well as his gang. A fight breaks out, where Ben and Rook split up taking on different opponents.

Before I address what concerns me regarding Ben, I’d like to point out that Rook is not only armed with what seems to be quite the useful and tactile Plumber tool, but he is also wearing special armour. This isn’t to say he can not be injured, but, it definitely adds some protection if he were to be in dire circumstances and unstable environments.

Ben, very obviously, is armed with the Omnitrix - a very powerful device, one of, if not the most powerful in the Universe. However, throughout the previous events of this episode, there is a constant running gag where the Omnitrix doesn’t give Ben the alien he wants. Regardless if this is his fault or not, keeping in mind this is actually a new Omnitrix and that it can still time out at this point, it makes his tool quite unreliable sometimes. And, unlike Rook, he does not wear any armour whatsoever in his human form.

Here he is earlier, as Spidermonkey, alone, in a huge crater in the ground, which another building just fell down on top of, trying to fight Crabdozer (Zed as the Nemetrix alien).

Speaking of which, was sent after him with fatal intentions.

Look. At. Those. Teeth.

They want to rip Ben’s face off.

Without an alien transformation, he is barely protected from scenarios like this. (Following images from “A Jolt From the Past” and “Showdown”, respectively.)

Returning to the scene I would like to bring attention to, Psyphon effectively disables Ben’s arm, as Armodrillo.

Which, then leads Ben to throw himself into an electricity outlet, electrocuting himself to turn back to human so that he may prevent any damage potentially being caused by the out of control drill on his arm.

This leaves him visibly disoriented and vulnerable for a minute while he is lying on the ground still recovering from being electrocuted.

Psyphon can be shown preparing to shoot him again, now that he is human, but, this is also conveniently when Khyber’s dog attacks him, and, once again, pins him to the wall.

My reasoning for including these examples is not to say that Ben 10 should somehow be seen as incompetent or weak, because that is not the case at all.

My point is that being the girlfriend of someone who is expected to deal with situations such as these in his day to day life should include caring about how this would affect him emotionally and physically, regardless that he is capable of coming out of it alive. Just because he survives doesn’t mean he is unaffected.

Can’t you see the look on his face in most of those screenshots?

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was someone he could lean on and be vulnerable to, without having to fear them selfishly finding him guilty of not being there for them enough?

Such as that which I have suggested in my earlier example, a military girlfriend is often expected to be their boyfriend’s “rock” - “someone you can always rely on to help and support you.” (source).

If, even in spite of all I have already mentioned, you still insist that Ben neglected his girlfriend for some selfish reason, I’d like to remind you that he was shown trying to make it obvious that he notices and cares about how his responsibilities have affected her side of their relationship.

Ben: It feels like I'm always running off somewhere, doesn’t it?

Julie: It’s starting to.

Ben: Can we get together tomorrow night? For sure?

Julie: I’d like that.

(”Revenge of the Swarm” - Ultimate Alien)

When lives are on the line, for him, it’s hero time no matter what. He is not only a solider in the war. He is the first, and expected to be the strongest, line of defence. He is, more often then not, the universe’s only hope. This is especially important to remember when there are often circumstances where his back up, namely The Plumbers, are rendered defenceless, such as in the scenario presented in the Omniverse two parter episode, “The Frogs of War.”

In that particular episode, the Incurseans decide to send Ben into space in order to get him off the planet, leaving Earth enslaved without a hero.

Emperor Milleous: “I see you anywhere near this system, and I mean ANYWHERE, my mutated To'kustar pets destroy everyone and everything you ever cared about!”

Max agrees to their terms only because he believes it will save Ben’s life.

It is quite sad to realize that Ben’s Grandpa Max has to worry about losing him at a young age since he is, quite literally, fighting wars at the age of sixteen.

Max: “I already thought I’d lost you once today. At least this way, I’ll know you’re alive.”

Max is referring to this explosion from earlier, which was caused by Ben and Rook crashing into an Incursean ship.

To add to it, Ben is very adamant about helping to fight off the bad guys. Even if Max were to force him to stay out of a battle due to a malfunctioning Omnitrix, he won’t listen. You could see this as stubborn, but, for the universe which depends on him, he is always reliable. He seems to care more about stopping the threat than his own safety.

Or in other words, he never backs down.

Ben: “I can’t let them win! I never let Vilgax win, or Aggregor! I’ve never backed down and I'm not about to back down now!”

I know from experience that it is one of the most heart shattering things in the world to watch grandparents bury their (far too young to be dead) grandchildren.They haven’t even been around that long, their life had only begun, but, unfortunately, it is already over.

I don’t mean to make it seem as though we should pity him for all the things he has had to “give up” in order to be a full time superhero, but I do think it should be acknowledged, especially by the one we are going to call his significant other.

Why? Because Ben’s love interests really wanted to make a point of the things they were supposedly giving up and undermining by being asked to value Ben’s reality.

“Try Harder! Not everything’s about you, Benjamin Tennyson! This is important to me!” - Kai Green (”The Secret of Dos Santos” - Omniverse)

When he chooses to prioritize saving the world from whatever threat may come it’s way, he is also saving the life of his supposed “significant other” because they are a part of that world and therefore they would be in danger as well.

It would make no sense to consider it right to shun him for trying to make sure there is still a world in which he may continue to spend time with his significant other.

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general-jackson · 3 years

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I ship Ben x Kai and Ben x Gwen

Fandom: Ben 10

Character: Ben

Sample Size: 214 stories

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general-jackson · 3 years

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Ben Tennyson - Ben 10,000 - Ben 10K

Hero of Heroes - Wielder of the Omnitrix

Ben has been through a lot growing up. It all might seem glamorous, and sometimes it looks like fun but the truth is that this life isn’t all perfect.

He’s had many victories throughout his life. He defeated Vilgax, destroyed Zs'Skayr, made peace with the Highbreed, saved Galvan Mark II from a psychotic vengeful Galvanic Mechamorph, prevented the Incursean Empire from taking over the Earth, made other realities and dimensions a safer place, and created the entire Universe twice.

This man never stops doing what he does best, being a true hero. He spends most of his time saving the universe or stopping some crook. However big or small the problem, Ben risks his life and jumps ahead to save the day. We saw that sometimes, Ben does get hurt, even if he got hurt as an alien. Ben risks his physical health without even considering how bad things could get because he believes that if he doesn’t step in, things could get worse, and can you blame him? People depend on Ben on a daily basis, and the job just gets harder and harder on him the older he gets, never really getting a chance to relax. Notice how I said job.

Ben started this life since he was 10, and took it as a game up until Vilgax threatened his family and showed him the risks of being a hero. Ben has spent most of his childhood as an outcast and as a target for bullying, the Omnitrix made him feel like he was worth something, like he was a hero. After defeating Vilgax for the first time, Ben still goofed off but knew deep down that there will come a time where he’ll have to get serious.

Zs'Skayr is a complete psycho, instead of beating the snot out of Ben like Vilgax, he hit him where it really hurt, mentally. Zs'Skayr possessed Gwen and threatened Ben by making her stand on the ledge of a building, willing to commit suicide by jumping off. The next time Zs'Skayr attacked Ben’s family, Ben was over protective of Gwen and Grandpa Max, he was scarred by his last encounter with Zs'Skayr. Gwen took it as him being cocky and selfish but the opposite is true, and for a 10 year old, Ben was completely brave.

In Secrets of the Omnitrix, Ben believed that Gwen was killed and completely blames himself, wishing it was him instead, a feeling that no 10 year old should feel.

Ben eventually unlocks Feedback, an alien he feels strongly attached to. During this time, he became enemies with a corrupted Galvanic Mechamorph named Malware. Malware eventually destroyed the Conductoid’s DNA within the Omnitrix, making Feedback unaccessible. Ben loses for the first time, and in his rage he straight up murders Malware. I assume it was after that incident Ben removed the Omnitrix for 4 years.

Enter Alien Force. Ben wears the Omnitrix again because he fears for his Grandfather’s life. This choice wasn’t easy because it shows that he enjoyed being normal, but as soon as someone needed his help, he didn’t hesitate to slam it on his wrist. He eventually becomes close friends with former enemy Kevin E.Levin.

Ben matured a lot during the first two season of Alien Force when he had to deal with the fact that his beloved Grandfather “died” and that he was in the middle of a Galactic War. After it ended and Max was revealed to be ok Ben managed to be happy again in season 3. Yet once again, Gwen mistakes this as him being cocky and wreckless, and even though he was a little cocky, Ben was just truly happy for once, and felt like a true hero again. At the end of Alien Force, Ben blew up the Omnitrix to stop Vilgax, proving that it’s not the watch that makes him a hero. Ben doesn’t feel this way though, and proceeds to take the Ultimatrix from Albedo.

In Ultimate Alien, Ben is now famous, not only across the stars, but on Earth as well. He has to deal with fame and criticism at the age of 16 while still trying to pass in his classes and save the Universe everyday. To a kid, this is a lot of pressure. In the beginning Ben seemed fine with it, but at some point it just seemed exhausting. Above all of this, his relationship with Julie, his girlfriend at the time, was rocky. She wished that he was there more but how could he? He’s constantly trying to keep the Universe safe, he hardly even gets a good night’s rest, and she expects him to be available? Again, the other characters make it look like it’s all Ben’s fault but the truth is, Ben can’t do anything about it, despite the fact that he could turn into aliens, he’s only human!

Ben eventually fails to save the 5 aliens that trusted him and then has to deal with the fact that his once best friend Kevin, is once again evil. It’s up to Ben to stop him, it has to be him wheither he likes it or not, and this obviously hurt him, but he has no choice but to stop him, even if it meant to go to the extreme if the situation required. Because deep down, it’s his fault, or so he thinks. He believes that maybe if he defeated Aggregor himself, if he was strong enough, Kevin would be ok. In the end it all worked out, but at what cost? Ben considered killing his friend, this will forever haunt him. He even willingly “sacrificed himself” to free all the Ultimate Aliens that blamed him for their imprisonment inside of the Ultimatrix, not because he had too, but because he wanted to. Freeing these creatures to him were far more important than his own life. At the end of Ultimate Alien, Ben gets the Ascalon and can now recreate the universe in anyway he wishes, destroy all evil, but he doesn’t, he just fixes everything. Ben isn’t arrogant or misuses his powers. Even though Ben can now control Alien X (or eventually) he wouldn’t do anything extreme because he has limits, he knows right from wrong.

In Omniverse, Ben has gone through a lot. Gwen and Kevin left him behind, his only two real friends that could ever understand him in a way. He eventually gets close to his new plumber partner Rook Blonko. At some point, Ben recreated the Universe after it was destroyed and is the only one that remembers it’s destruction. Even though he did something so heroic, he was forced to stand trial in front of the entire Universe for it. Not only that, but because of this one moment, another villain, Servantis, makes a hit squad to kill Ben just because he believes that Ben is too powerful to be trusted. Servantis also reveals Kevin as a sleeper agent. Ben again would blame himself for Kevin’s turn but was more optimistic about saving him this time. Instead of trying to kill him, he just wanted to leave, regroup, and come up with a plan (he didn’t know of course that Kevin was secretly good).

Ben was also forced to leave his friends and family behind on Earth thanks to the Incursean invasion. He was forced to deal with Malware, the alien that killed Feedback and mentally scarred Ben for years. He learns that in most realities he becomes evil. He temporarily died right before giving his Omnitrix to another Ben, but instead of being saddened by the fact that he’s dying at such a young age, he gives advise to the other Ben to become a hero, to protect this Universe from monsters like Vilgax. Ben as a person has gone through so much growing up, and we got to watch him become a true hero, a hero of heroes. He mentored a younger alternate version of himself, he taught Rook how to be a hero instead of just being a plumber, he taught Kevin the importance of friendship, he inspired Gwen to become Lucky Girl and pursue magic, he motivated Grandpa Max to become a plumber once more. Literally everyone that gets close to Ben will have some kind of heroic trait because Ben shows them what it means to fight for others, to be selfless, to truly become a hero.

Ben knows about the man he’ll become in the future, he’s well aware that things will get harder and that he’ll be a hero for ever. The pressure of knowing that he’ll have to fill those shoes eventually must put some pressure on him sometimes.

We now know that at the age of 20, Ben becomes more serious and more of a loner. The reasons why are unknown, and the possibilities are endless. Maybe he blames himself for the loss of his Grandfather’s arm or maybe he couldn’t handle the fact that he was forced to throw Kevin into the Null Void again. Whatever the reason, Ben decides that it’s for the best to do what he does on his own. Due to his history of almost losing his loved ones, it’s easy to understand that at some point something happened that made him quit having a team. He’d rather die than see the ones close to him get hurt, but with this solitude and loneliness, he eventually became angrier and less sociable. We also learn that with the help of his master control, Ben used XLR8 to patrol the entire planet on a daily basis to stop any kind of crime from happening.

Ben no longer sees this as a game, it’s his mission, it’s the one thing he believes he’s good for, being a hero. It’s all anyone ever needed from him, it’s all he thinks he needs to do. What’s troubling how ever, is his loss of self. Ben got so comfortable with the idea of going hero all day 24/7, he no longer becomes Ben, because to him, Ben is just a weak human transformation. He no longer needs Ben, he’s just the wielder of the Omnitrix, all that matters to him is being who people need him to be when he’s needed, but not by being himself.

After the episode “Ben 10,000”, Ben lightens up and begins to become the man he once was, one by one. In “Ken 10” he’s happy, up untill he sees Kevin again, realising that he can’t escape the mistakes of his past. This is when Ben reverts to his serious, more stubborn self, and pushes Ken, his son, aside to take Kevin down. Later when he sees Ken hurt, he loses his temper and demolishes Kevin as Waybig.

Four years later, we see that Kevin is better, angry, but better. Ben is still happily married with Kai (unlike Julie, Kai is also a hero, thus understanding the responsibilities and the pressure that Ben is under), Ken grew to be more of a hero, making his father proud, and Ben’s life seems to be fine in a way.

Ben’s life wasn’t easy nor fun, but in the end, he has a group of loving family members and friends to support him when needed, and as long as they are by his side, he can learn to enjoy life and still be the hero the world needs him to be.

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