Marlin Xie

The year was 2010. I was five years old and finally allowed to watch television (my mother had a strict “no TV” rule until then). Quickly, my little mind was captivated. At first by the commercials advertising toys I would beg my poor mother to buy, but more importantly, by the characters that would pop up on that same television screen during early morning cartoon reruns—specifically Ben Tennyson, the protagonist of a popular series on Cartoon Network: “Ben 10.”

The Ben 10 franchise, created by the Man of Action trio, began in 2005 with the original series “Ben 10.” Today, the franchise consists of five different series, four of which exist as continuations of one another and the fifth as a spin-off of the original series, as well as a few movies. The franchise revolves around Ben Kirby Tennyson, who, at the ripe age of ten, stumbled upon an intergalactic device known as the Omnitrix.

In the original series, the Omnitrix latched onto Ben’s wrist in the form of a watch and allowed him to transform into ten different alien species. The story followed Ben on a road trip with his grandpa Max and cousin Gwen as he figured out how to use the device while using it to fight for good. As the series unfolded, Ben learned more about the Omnitrix and faced different threats to his life and the lives of those around him.

Putting aside its very creative concept, the show was, at its core, a family cartoon. What I mean by that is that “Ben 10,” like many cartoons in the ’90s and 2000s, was created not just for the child in mind but the entire family who may have been watching in the background. “Ben 10” had many jokes in the show aimed at the parents watching with their child. When I watched the show as a child these jokes flew over my head, only for me to discover them during my rewatches at an older age. Along with these jokes intended for older audiences, the show included surprisingly deep messages and themes beyond the basic motifs like family, kindness and sharing, which many modern children’s shows deliver today.

In the original series, Ben struggled with the responsibility bestowed upon him as a result of this powerful tool being given to him. At first, this immense power goes to his head; Ben is reckless in his actions and chases acclaim, recognition and reward. We see the effect this has on Ben as early as season one, episode two. Ben uses his powers to try to steal a playing card at a store but is caught by his cousin and scolded by his grandpa. Later that day, Ben saves the same store from destruction at the hands of a giant mutated hamster. After, the store owner is about to give Ben a reward in the form of the same playing card Ben had wanted, but Ben’s grandpa takes him away before he can collect the reward. Here we get one of my favorite quotes from the original series:

“Being a hero isn’t about others knowing you did something good, it’s about you knowing you did something good. Being a hero is its own reward.”

The franchise constantly has moments like this where the silly antics of the characters lead to real development and introspection. Later on, in the sequel series of the franchise, “Ben 10: Alien Force,” we see Ben tackle villains motivated not just by greed or power but by more complex motivations like prejudice and fear.

This series grew with its audience and followed Ben at the age of 16 tackling tougher villains and more serious themes. The season two finale of the series centered on Ben finding out the main villains of the season were motivated by the species’s terminal illnesses caused by inbreeding, which was due to their obsession with racial purity. Ben, after finding this information out, uses the powers of the Omnitrix to heal the villains’ species by filling in deteriorating gaps in their DNA with the DNA of various other aliens in his watch. Ben taught them about the harm of their ideas of racial purity and showed them there is a better, more kind way of living.

Ben used the Omnitrix not as a weapon but as a tool to bring people together. He was able to transform into any alien he wanted, and with that, he could experience life in their shoes. He used his understanding of others to spread love and empathy and fight hate and prejudice.

I know this might seem really heavy for a children’s cartoon, but because the show was packaged through the premise of aliens and science fiction, these lessons were made digestible for children. The Ben 10 franchise taught me life lessons and tackled real-life problems all the while remaining an entertaining show in which I got to see aliens shoot fire out of their hands, phase through walls and absorb electricity.

“Ben 10” was not just a show to me, it was a companion on my journey of growing up. It kept me company and helped me as I found my way through adolescence. I think everyone needs a Ben 10 in their lives.

Abdullah Hashimi is a member of the Class of 2027.