Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-6527064-20150725002151/@comment-26812877-20151014164423

You're right. The way that Kevin turned out didn't have to happen that way. Not even Ben wanted wanted that for Kevin. He wanted to help Kevin but because of the type of person that Kevin is, what happened did happen. This is also what made Kevin more relatable as a villain. He had a troubled past that all led up to how he is in the present. Another point about Kevin is that he is the exact opposite of Ben. Kevin shows what Ben could have become if he, like Kevin, wanted more. Kevin wasn't evil from the start but he did become evil. Again, as I stated before, it makes absolutely no sense and is completely not understandable as to why Kevin would transition into a good guy, team up with Ben, and be Gwen's boyfriend. If it doesn't make sense and isn't understandable, it doesn't work. That's what kills Kevin and his credibility completely. He did something that he would never ever do. I mean like come on, remember the episode "Ken 10" in the Original Series. Who was the main villain in that episode? Oh yeah, it was Kevin and don't give me that excuse with future Kevin in Omniverse because that was a terrible and lazy excuse. Kevin's absorbing too much power isn't what really makes him go insane. It was Kevin himself. Man of Action intended for Kevin to stay as a villain.

"What makes one personality the right one that the show must abide by?" Because it has to be the right personality to fit with the right character and the reasoning behind that character having that personality. Ben being just serious doesn't fit Ben. Ben doesn't even want to be that type of person. The episode "Ben 10,000" is an example of that. Ben's future self became so serious with his hero work that he even became a jerk. That's why Ben doesn't want to be too serious because he doesn't want to end up like Ben 10,000. In fact, it was stated that Ben became Ben 10,000 because of a tragic event that would happen later in his life. Heck, future Gwen brought Ben and Gwen to meet Ben 10,000 just so Ben can make Ben 10,000 his old self again, which goes to show that even though Gwen finds Ben annoying because of his ego and cockiness, she prefers that type of person out of Ben and even grew to like him for the type of person that he is. Considering the circumstances that led to Ben becoming Ben 10,000, if Ben was all serious in Alien Force and even took the Omnitrix off before the events of that show, then something tragic must have happened to him, right? Except, nothing was explained. It was never explained why Ben became all serious in Alien Force and why he took the Omnitrix off. In fact, there was a lot about the Ben 10 sequels that were never explained. If the show were to explain why Ben took the Omnitrix off and became more serious with himself, then more viewers would have been fine with how Ben turned out in Alien Force.

What I expect to happen in a 5 year time lapse is the "why". To, again, explain what happened within that time lapse that led to the events of Alien Force. The show needs to explain what needs to be explain. Otherwise, if it doesn't make sense, is not understandable, and don't get the "why," then the credibility of the show and its elements are killed off. Because the show never revealed why Ben took the Omnitrix off and became someone that he didn't even want to become, then Ben's credibility is killed off or at the very least greatly damaged and the same went with Gwen. So yeah, Ben and Gwen never really grew up.

Yes, Gwen complained a lot in the Original Series but the difference between her in OS and Gwen in Alien Force is that the Original Series Gwen would get on Ben's case over his behavior and straighten him out. Again, Gwen is the voice of reason. It wasn't just Max that mentored and shaped Ben into being a better hero. It was Gwen as well. And yes, Gwen was inexperienced in magic in the Original Series but she became proficient at it quite quickly. Even without her magic abilities, Gwen still actively participate in battle. As I stated before, Gwen was the voice of reason yet she was willing to fight when necessary. Even without her powers.

Once again, Kevin is better off as a villain and was supposed to stay as a villain and Ben and Gwen are better off being their Original Series selves unless there is a sensible and understandable reason for them to change. Ben wasn't just an arrogant and cocky twerp. As I stated before, the Original Series Ben was cocky, ego-centric, fun-loving, and impulsive yet he was also mature and serious. In the Original Series, he learned to grow up, to develop, to imrpove and make himself a better person and hero. That is what defines Ben at his best and differentiates him from how he was in Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, and even Omniverse.

There is one more thing, the only people that knows what's best for the Ben 10 series is Man of Action themselves. They have the best direction and mindset for the series. That is a major reason why MOA being replaced by new writers for the sequels led to the Ben 10 series going downhill. Everything that happened with the sequels were not actually supposed to happen. Alien Force may be the official sequel to the Original Series but it's not the true sequel. The true sequel was Hero Generation. No, Hero Generation was not the working title for Alien Force. Hero Generation was actually the pitched sequel idea that Man of Action had that would focus on Ben and Gwen training the Plumbers' Kids. Even TvTropes points this out people. Hero Generation was the sequel that we were supposed to get. Not Alien Force.