10-year-old Ben Tennyson (voiced by Tara Strong) expects a boring summer road trip across the United States in an RV (affectionately nicknamed the “Rust Bucket”) with his grandfather, Max (voiced by Paul Eiding), and his sharp-tongued cousin, Gwen (Meagan Moore).
But Ben finds a mysterious, watch-like extraterrestrial device called the Omnitrix that has crash-landed from space, which permanently clamps onto his wrist and allows him to transform into 10 unique alien heroes – each with distinct powers and weaknesses:
Heatblast – a pyrokinesis-wielding, magma-bodied Pyronite
Wildmutt – a ferocious, eyeless Vulpimancer with heightened canine senses and agility
Diamondhead – a crystalline Petrosapien who can project sharp crystal shards and deflect energy attacks
XLR8 – a velociraptor-like Kineceleran with hyper-speed capabilities
Grey Matter – a tiny, hyper-intelligent Galvin specimen brilliant at engineering and problem-solving
Four Arms – a massive, four-armed Tetramand possessing immense super-strength
Stinkfly – a bug-like Lepidopterran that can fly and shoot noxious, sticky sludge
Ripjaws – an aquatic Piscciss Volann adapted for underwater combat with a powerful bite
Upgrade – a fluid, metallic Galvanic Mechamorph that can merge with and improve any technology
Ghostfreak – a creepy, transparent Ectonurite with intangibility and invisibility powers
The series blended episodic “monster-of-the-week” sci-fi mysteries with heavy serialised arcs involving villains like the alien warlord Vilgax (voiced by Steve Blum) and the teenage mutant antagonist Kevin Levin (voiced by Charlie Schlatter and Michael Reisz).
The series’ success paved the way for multiple animated sequels – Ben 10: Alien Force (2008 – 2010), Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2010 – 2012) and Ben 10: Omniverse (2012 – 2014), live-action and animated movies, and an extensive range of toys and video games.
A Ben 10 reboot (2016 – 2021) returned Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max to their original 10-year-old summer road trip roots and featured a more comedic tone, modernised tech, and new mechanics like “Omni-Enhanced” and “Omni-Kix” armour for Ben’s aliens.
Ben Tennyson/Upgrade (voice)
Tara Strong Max Tennyson (voice)
Paul Eiding Gwen Tennyson (voice)
Meagan Moore Wildmutt/Stinkfly/Carl Tennyson (voice)
Dee Bradley Baker XLR8/Diamondhead (voice)
Jim Ward Heatblast/Ghostfreak/Vilgax (voice)
Steve Blum Four Arms/Exo-Skull (voice)
Richard McGonagle Ripjaws/Cannonbolt (voice)
Fred Tatasciore Grey Matter/Sublimino (voice)
Richard Horvitz Upchuck (voice)
Meric B Kevin Levin (voice)
Charlie Schlatter (1)
Michael Reisz (2)
10-year-old Ben Tennyson (voiced by Tara Strong) expects a boring summer road trip across the United States in an RV (affectionately nicknamed the “Rust Bucket”) with his grandfather, Max (voiced by Paul Eiding), and his sharp-tongued cousin, Gwen (Meagan Moore).
Heatblast – a pyrokinesis-wielding, magma-bodied Pyronite
Diamondhead – a crystalline Petrosapien who can project sharp crystal shards and deflect energy attacks
Grey Matter – a tiny, hyper-intelligent Galvin specimen brilliant at engineering and problem-solving
The series blended episodic “monster-of-the-week” sci-fi mysteries with heavy serialised arcs involving villains like the alien warlord Vilgax (voiced by Steve Blum) and the teenage mutant antagonist Kevin Levin (voiced by Charlie Schlatter and Michael Reisz).
A Ben 10 reboot (2016 – 2021) returned Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max to their original 10-year-old summer road trip roots and featured a more comedic tone, modernised tech, and new mechanics like “Omni-Enhanced” and “Omni-Kix” armour for Ben’s aliens.
Ben Tennyson/Upgrade (voice)
Gwen Tennyson (voice)
