Crazy theory time: What if every Ben 10 series is a different universe?
-
While I disagree with Kuro that the Bens in the Alien X-tinction special are not the real Ben Prime, one thing got me to wonder: Maybe every Ben from the past shows is from a different universe? Like the original series, it ended with Goodbye and Good Riddance, but that is non canon to Alien Force, because its retconned. But think about it another way: What if Ben from the original series is an alternate Ben from the one in Alien Force. And that Ben from AF is an alternate one of UA, OV and Reboot aswell, and that they are all alternate to each other.
This really got me thinking, and all the stupid retcons over the years supports the theory too. Like Kevin was an Osmosian in UA, so was Aggregor, but in OV... they are still Osmosians, but not aliens. And Osmos V doesnt even exist. But thats because they are all from different dimensions!
It is so obvious now that I think of it. This really helped for the pressure I have had for the last few years, and also reduced my hate for OV, because: Its not canon to UA. Omniverse takes place in another universe. Which means everyone in the UA universe is still the same. Ben is still with Julie, Gwen and Kevin are still part of the team, and none of them look weird or ugly. Because its an alternate timeline.
What do you guys think of this theory?
-
@Mortie-10 This is pretty much a theory that was expressed by one of the users here, csgt, expressed in his Discord server. And yeah, I honestly agree with that theory. The original continuity is such a mess and I think this theory would at least help to lighten the load on that very mess.
-
@Tactical-Ochoa @Mortie10 I was thinking about making a post just like this one. With the amount of retcons that the series has gone through as detailed by Mortie, I think that it makes perfect sense that all 3 eras are set in different universes.
UAF turned the Plumbers from a slightly xenophobic Earth-exclusive organisation into an intergalactic peacekeeping force. They also retconned Gwen's powers into being half Anodite which clashed with the Gwendolyn Tennyson that we saw from the future in OS who was clearly using magic, while in UAF she was basically Pink Lantern. . I imagine that in the UAF universe, Kevin was more of a common crook who did bad things without realising the consequences rather than being a psychopath who is obsessed with making Ben suffer - it makes his redemption make far more sense anyway. .Kevin's powers are also different in the UAF universe , as is the Omnitrix's functionality (for example one of the most interesting things about the OS is how the Omnitrix was part of Ben and required really complicated means to remove, while in UAF he could just slip it off. There were other things that were changed which I won't go into now.
Omniverse retconned Kevin's already convoluted past yet again as well as that of the Plumber's kids in the Rooters Arc.. Gwen got nerfed in terms of power and now uses actual magic again, Ben's immature personality makes no sense after all that he went through, and so on. There were a lot of things that were changed to try and match the OS but they were all kinda confusing and just as bad as the UAF retcons in terms of continuity.
At the end of this, my opinion is that each era of the show was each writer's take on the concept of Ben 10. You could see the aspects of McDuffie's writing from his other shows like Young Justice for example. The OV team too had their own inspirations I'm sure, but I think that someone should've come out with a statement that each series is a slightly different universe in itself. I've subscribed to this this theory ever since I rewatched the series and it makes the later shows a lot more enjoyable knowing that they are different continuities.
-
It's a fun way to think about this what if every Ben 10 show was it's own standalone universe. It would seem odd to have alien force and ultimate alien as standalone universes.
