Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-6527064-20150725002151/@comment-24152851-20151014075945

Kevin's rivalry and contrast with Ben was good, but it didn't have to turn out like that. Ben and Kevin almost became friends in the original series, and when you boil it down they're not so different. Both kids with powers from multiple alien species, and both associated with numbers. They could have made it that Kevin wasn't so evil in the original series to begin with, and more easy to swing over to Ben's team. He was never pure evil, and simply misguided with a poor upbringing (no father, and hangs with lowlives). What if he wasn't so underprivileged and didn't have so much negative history with Ben? We this reboot, they don't have to have Kevin's repeated attempted murders on Ben's team.

I agree, the way Kevin was made into Ben's ally was a little hasty and could've been expanded upon. They could have made him more reluctant to cooperate for longer, and slowly opened up, like Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z who remained a villain on the hero's team for ages. However I'll add, the reason Kevin reformed was because despite hanging with criminals and loving wealth above all, he still has a heart and can feel indebted to over people. He experienced heavy guilt over watching Magister Labrid die, which was partly his fault, which inspired him to stick with Ben's team and see the DNAlien arc to the end. After all that ended, he had changed enough that he enjoyed being with Ben's team. Also, while he loves stealing stuff of value and garnering cash, I don't think he enjoyed being on the run and hunted by the authorities, which may have in part contributed to him turning good.

Umm sorry, who's to say if someone is "supposed to be only mature and serious"? What makes one personality the right one that the show must abide by? It's all down to opinion, neither personality takes precedence over the other.

"Ben and Gwen never really grew up and never really got the chance to do so" again, what gives your statement credibility? What do you expect to happen after a 5 year time lapse? That Ben is still an arrogant, cocky twerp who likes slapping his wrist. It also gave a reason why Ben matured so quickly, Max abandoned his post and forced Ben to take up the position as leader, which was further cemented when he thought he had lost Max.

"Gwen was changed into pretty much just someone who complains to Ben and Kevin for the actions that they take yet let's them walk all over her." I really disagree with this. OS Gwen complained far more, with every second sentence being some variant of "nice going doffus." Also OS Gwen was very inexperienced with magic, but she became much more proficient in AF/UA and was the most powerful member on the team. She actively participated in battle, and I don't think Ben's team would have made it that far without her.

Okay yes, OS Ben and Gwen did have that same childishness that Kevin had, but they were still pretty firm heroes, Kevin is a loose cannon on the team, who doesn't abide by the rules, that was something new he introduced. That whole ruffian archetype, with shady connections. Plus, Kevin never did stuff for hero glory that OS Ben loved, or a know-it-all like Gwen. A comic relief character works better with a straight man to contrast them and get annoyed at their behavior, Grandpa Max was too patient and understanding for that. I thought Max was better as a mentor role rather than an active member of the team. I was fine with OS with childish, arrogant Ben having a sibling/cousin rivalry with Gwen, but the same pattern for tiring and I wanted a change. Them growing up in AF was really refreshing, showed a new side to them.