How Does the Ben 10 Series Ultimately Conclude?
After over 200 episodes spanning multiple seasons, Ben 10 comes to an end with young hero Ben Tennyson making the difficult choice to destroy the powerful Omnitrix device that granted him his alien superpowers. This climactic act allows Ben to defeat his sinister archenemy Vilgax in their final battle, wrapping up the show‘s overarching narrative.
Franchise Background – The Rise of Ben 10
Premiering in December 2005, Ben 10 centered on 10-year-old Ben Tennyson who discovers the Omnitrix, a watch-like gadget containing alien DNA that allows Ben to transform into a variety of extraterrestrial heroes. Each episode saw Ben, his cousin Gwen, and Grandpa Max battling enemies across the country each summer in Max‘s RV…
Ben 10 proved massively popular during its initial run, spawning new seasons and iterations of the show, movies, video games, toys, massive viewership globally especially among young boys. Some key Ben 10 franchise stats:
- Aired in over 70 countries within a year of premiering
- Won 3 Emmy awards since debut
- Total runtime of over 1,750 half-hour episodes
- Over $6 billion revenue from consumer products
Clearly Ben 10 resonated widely, following Ben‘s hero journey from a cocky kid to responsible hero over the years.
An Impactful Finale – How Ben 10 Chose to End
After setting up the climatic conflict between Ben and Vilgax over the course of the series, Ben 10 chose to end with a literal destruction of the source of Ben‘s power – the Omnitrix. This marked a clear narrative conclusion to Ben‘s arc as a superhero.
Other major animated children‘s franchises have ended in similar definitive ways:
| Show | Series Finale Resolution |
|---|---|
| Avatar: TLA | Aang defeats Fire Lord Ozai, ending 100-year war |
| Teen Titans | Titans defeat Trigon, saving the city |
| Dexter‘s Lab | DeeDee accidentally destroys Dexter‘s lab |
Ben 10 followed storytelling convention by ending the central narrative conflict that drove the series – Ben vs. Vilgax over control of the Omnitrix.
Destroying the Omnitrix:
- Completed Vilgax‘s story as Ben‘s archenemy who could never defeat Ben on his own
- Ended Ben‘s trajectory as a superhero now that source of his heroism was gone
- Let Ben come full circle from arrogant kid to mature hero making the ultimate sacrifice
As an analyst, I found this finale organic, surprising in its boldness, and thematically resonant. It left Ben‘s future open for potential follow-ups focusing on Ben while still delivering closure to this chapter of his life.
Conclusion: A Fitting End for a Beloved Series
In closing, Ben 10 ended in a dramatically appropriate way by destroying the Omnitrix device that had defined the show. This let Ben defeat Vilgax once and for all, wrapping up the series‘ major narrative arc to deliver a poignant and memorable finale for longtime fans.
