Gwen Tennyson (Classic)

Gwendolyn Tennyson, known simply as Gwen, is Ben's cousin and a main character of each series. Gwen was first introduced in And Then There Were 10, when her parents send her on a summer-long trip with her Grandpa Max and her cousin Ben.

Like Ben, she is a Human/Anodite hybrid, but unlike her father, uncle, brother, and, cousin, she has "the spark".

Appearance
Gwen has red hair and green eyes(in Alien Force eyes and hair appear to be darker). In the original series she wears a blue long sleeved shirt with a cat on it, white pants, and white shoes. In season 1-2 of Alien Force she wears a white shirt under a dark blue sweater, black stockings under a black mini skirt, and black high heels. During Season 3, she wears a red shirt paired with a black vest, gray pants, and black slippers. Her hair is worn in a ponytail. In Ultimate Alien her outfit is similar to her outfit from the first two seasons of Alien Force, but with a red sweater while her hair still is styled in a ponytail.

Original series
In the original series, Gwen uses her laptop to research any strange people and creatures they might come across, and is a capable gymnast and has had some training in martial arts.

In Ben 10,000 her future self says she got her black belt years ago(probably referring to Alien Force) and it's come in handy many times. She has also shown an almost innate skill in using various complicated devices or objects, such as in the "What If?" episode Gwen 10, when Gwen gained the Omnitrix instead of Ben and proved to be far more adept in its use than he initially was, even being able to write her name with fire while Ben took a month to be able to do it(although she maybe albe to use it better because of her powers). She is depicted as snobbish and very mean due to her young girl attitude. Overall, her most notable skill is her innate, if latent, ability at magic. Having within her what Charmcaster calls a "magical aura", Gwen is capable of using various magical artifacts, charms, talismans and spells. When using the magical, luck-giving Charm of Bezel, she was able to activate it instinctively, whereas Hex did or could not. Later on, when she takes and uses his staff, she was able to make it fire a yellow-colored energy blast—according to Charmcaster, only someone of Hex's skill should have that ability. Gwen starts tapping into her magical powers when she procures a small book of spells from Charmcaster in the episode A Change of Face. On two occasions, Gwen uses the Charms of Bezel's incredible and unique powers and abilities to become a superhero by the name of "Lucky Girl." At first, her ability drew from the luck-granting Charm of Bezel, which innately gave her perfect luck and the abilities and powers of probability manipulation. While wearing the charm, any action she took would result in a Rube Goldberg-style chain reaction benefiting her original intent, but usually injuring Ben in the process. She later brought back her superhero identity after obtaining the legendary Keystone of Bezel, which greatly strengthened and increased her natural abilities to superhuman levels rather than just affecting her luck. Both times, Gwen was forced to retire when the Charms of Bezel were destroyed

. Gwen has shown to have two swimsuits; one which appeared in Divided We Stand and the other appeared in A Small Problem.

Alien Force
In the sequel series, Ben 10: Alien Force, fifteen-year-old Gwen has grown into a calm, confident, and collective teenager, and she and Ben get along much better and are no longer openly hostile towards one another(most of the time). In this series during seasons 1-2, Gwen wears a plain, white shirt, loosely-buttoned blue sweater, a black skirt with black tights, her hair is much longer and darker and her eyes are much darker as well. Gwen is now a black belt(taking classes in Tae Kwon Do, according to dialogue in Simple), but tends to favor using her powers. She is able to create energy constructs for nearly any purpose, usually creating platforms to levitate herself(and others), beams to grab enemies, circular blasts to knock enemies back, projecting beams from her eyes that seem to simulate heat vision, and opening up interdimensional portals. In Ben 10,000, her future self is able to create time portals. She also has a wide range of other loosely defined supernatural abilities, such as dowsing, limited telepathy, and clairvoyance. In the episode Everybody Talks About the Weather, Kevin says she gets her powers from her alien bloodline, but she refuses to believe him. Little does she know that she would realize he was right in What Are Little Girls Made Of?. Her powers are revealed to be alien in origin; her grandmother, Verdona, is an energy being known as an Anodite and surprisingly she is the only descendant of hers who inherited Verdona's powers. Verdona tells Gwen that what she and others originally thought of as "magic" was actually the manipulation of mana, a substance of magic - making Anodites a magic-wielding race. Verdona offers to take Gwen to her home planet and train her in the mystical ways of the Anodites, but Gwen prefers to remain on Earth with Ben and Kevin. She hates being called an "energy being", referring to her Anodite heritage. In the episode In Charm's Way, it's implied that highly gifted humans like Charmcaster can also be trained to utilize mana.

In episode eleven of the second season, Unearthed, an alien creature is able to see her as an Anodite, in which she looks exactly like her grandmother's true form, but slightly shorter. In the two-part season two finale War of the Worlds when Kevin was threatened by a Highbreed commander, she assumes her dormant Anodite form for the first time and easily defeats the commander with an exceedingly strong powerful burst of pure pink glowing energy. She was almost overwhelmed by her own power before Kevin snaps her out of it. During the course of the series she has developed a romantic relationship with Kevin. They have also been shown to have arguments, usually starting with Gwen always trying to force Kevin to "Ask her out." and him always answering "Don't push me." In the episode Fool's Gold, Kevin appears to be avoiding her because he is ashamed of his recent mutation due to accidentally absorbing a massive feedback pulse as a result of trying to hack the Omnitrix. She was unaffected by the blast because she put an energy shield around herself. Kevin gives her a locket of the two of them when he was in his human form, asking her to remember him as he was. Gwen says she doesn't care what he looks like,and he replies "But I do". In the two-part season three premiere, Vengeance of Vilgax, Ben and Gwen seem to have revived their infamous rivalry from the original series, in part due to Ben's cockiness and inflated ego. In the same episode, Gwen pours a smoothie over Ben's head, and he nearly returns the favor. Despite their rivalry, they both still have a strong bond, visible in the episode In Charm's Way, when Ben defends Gwen and informs Kevin that she has been spending all of her spare time in order to find a cure for Kevin's condition. It is shown in both Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2 and Inferno, respectively, that Gwen suffers from both arachnophobia and claustrophobia.

Unlike the original series, Gwen has worn other costumes besides her usual clothing.In the episode Time Heals, it was revealed that Gwen kept her Lucky Girl costume. In What Are Little Girls Made Of?, Gwen is shown to have a white bikini. In Charm's Way, she has a black bikini. In The Con of Rath she is shown wearing another one piece black bikini, pink flipflops, a hat, sunglasses, and a pink towel skirt. Whenever she does wear a bikini, a lot of her body is shown, including her belly button(can clearly be seen)and her breasts/cleavage. She also has a karate suit. In Save the Last Dance, Gwen was seen wearing a formal outfit (a white strapless prom dress).She has kept and worn her Lucky Girl costume, which is now bigger with Gwen being fifteen.

Ultimate Alien
In the sequel that takes place several weeks later, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Gwen is now sixteen years old. Her wardrobe has altered once again, wearing a combination of her outfits from Alien Force. She wears her old outfit from the first two seasons of Alien Force, but instead of a plain dark blue shirt it is now red and she also keeps her ponytail from the third season. In Video Games, she tries out for her driver's license and earned it in the end. Gwen's shields look less see through and have a different design than in Alien Force. In Andreas’ Fault, a little on going joke takes place when Kevin loves money more than anything in the world. (apparently more than Gwen) Despite doing everything he can to make it up to her, she remains pouty.

Ben 10,000
In the third season premiere, Ben 10,000, thirty-year-old future Gwen(who has been going by Gwendolyn since college) brought Gwen and Ben twenty years into the future during Grandpa Max's 80th birthday.Her hair is now cut.

Ken 10
In the episode Ken 10, an astral projection of a 42 year old Gwen was seen on Ken's tenth birthday just to say happy birthday to him.She also seems to have the five Charms of Bezel in her possession though for an unknown reason, she does not have the Keystone of Bezel.

Mana/Energy Control and Manipulation
Gwen is descended from a free-spirited alien race known as Anodites from the distant planet Anodyne. These aliens have the incredible incomprehensible power and ability to manipulate and control life energy more commonly known as Mana.

In the episode What Are Little Girl's Made Of?, Gwen's magical powers and abilities are revealed to be of alien ancestry inherited from her grandmother Verdona, a member of a free-spirited alien race of energy beings known as Anodites, from the distant planet Anodyne. Verdona tells Gwen that, like herself, Gwen is also an Anodite; she has "the spark" and thus is able to freely manipulate and control mana, the Force-like life energy that is present in all living beings throughout the universe. Verdona offered to take Gwen back with her to Anodyne and teach her how to fully control her powers and abilities (which would require seventy-five years), but Gwen prefers to remain on Earth with Ben and Kevin. Gwen is able to create platforms, portals, beams, blasts, use telekinesis, dowsing, and limited clairvoyance and telepathy.

In the two-part season two finale War of the Worlds when Kevin's life was threatened by a Highbreed commander, Gwen assumes her dormant Anodite form for the first time and easily defeats the commander with an exceedingly strong and powerful blast of pure pink glowing energy. Kevin begs her to try to shut it down but she refuses, saying that she thinks she can defeat the Highbreed all by herself. Kevin reminds her that her grandmother said that it would take at least seventy-five years for her to fully master her powers and abilities though Gwen argues that they don’t have seventy-five years. Kevin further argues by saying that she’ll lose her humanity, that she won’t remember him or Ben, and tells her that Ben will find another way to win and wants her to come back to him because he can’t bear to lose her. Gwen then reverts back to her human form and she and Kevin embrace afterwards.

In the third episode of Ultimate Alien, Hit 'Em Where They Live, when Zombozo threatens to make Ben suffer by endangering his mother, a furious Gwen assumes her dormant Anodite form for the second time since War of the Worlds and shows that she can grow to huge heights. It is unknown if Gwen can use this power and ability when she remains human.



Spells/Magic
Gwen is seen using magic through reciting Spells, thus enabling her to use various powers.

In the original series all of Gwen's spells are said out loud to activate her powers, but in Alien Force, most of her spells are said mentally.

On two occasions, Gwen used the Charms of Bezel to become a super heroine by the name of Lucky Girl. At first, her ability drew from the luck-granting Charm of Bezel, which innately gave her perfect luck. While wearing the charm, any action she took would result in an Rube Goldberg-style chain reaction benefiting her original intent, but usually injuring Ben in the process. She later brought back her superhero identity in the episode Tough Luck after obtaining the legendary lost Keystone of Bezel, which greatly increased and heightened her natural abilities to superhuman levels rather than just affecting her luck. Both times, Gwen was forced to retire when the Charms of Bezel were destroyed.

In Ben 10: Alien Force, despite fifteen-year-old Gwen's current preference for direct forms of mana manipulation and control, she is still able to use magic in the more traditional sense. It was later revealed that what she and others all originally thought of as "magic," was actually her natural ability to manipulate a supernatural substance called life energy otherwise known as mana, meaning that Gwen has always had an innate affinity for magic. Gwen mentions to both Charmcaster and Kevin in the episode In Charm's Way that she still has Charmcaster's old spell book, and is currently looking through it constantly to find a cure for Kevin's mutation.

In the episode Time Heals, Gwen borrowed the spell book known as The Archamada Book of Spells (the only spell book mentioned, seen and used in the original series) in an attempt to use a time-traveling spell that will take her back to the time when Ben and Kevin tried to hack the Omnitrix, resulting in Kevin's present rock-like form, hoping to return him to his human form. However she returns home only to discover that her time-traveling resulted in both Hex and Charmcaster ruling the world. After finding and freeing Ben she recasts the time-traveling spell to return everything back to the way it was. Back in her room she puts The Archamada Book of Spells away on her shelf and is apparently not willing to use it for some time.

In the Ultimate Alien episode, Hit 'Em Where They Live, Gwen said to Charmcaster that she is much, much more proficient at magic than ever before, having have had more study, training and practice in the innumerable levels and ways of magic.

Althletics
Gwen is a capable gymnast and martial artist. Even in the original series, she was occasionally shown to be quite good in hand-to-hand fights against enemies who weren't too powerful. When she was possessed by Ghostfreak, she was used to her skills combined which pretty much says that she's good. At the age of fifteen it is revealed that she has already received a black belt in tae kwon do and has even started teaching Ben. When prefering to use her athletics during fights or when she can't rely on her powers like in In Charm's Way she is shown to be agile, precise and skilled which is shown through the course of the series.

Intelligence
Gwen is shown to be quite intelligent and knowledgeable. Before discovering her powers, she would often use her "brains" to help Ben. She is shown to be a bit of computer/tech wiz as well. She has her own laptop which she uses to research enemies she meets. She is straight foward and very brave despite the circumstances. Gwen has a strong commitment to herself resulting her to manifest her knowledge, magical and physical abilities. She also shares traits with Ben, she would stand up for what's right and fight for it and may act a little naive (e.g. trusting Charmcaster in the original series resulting her being tricked). Her naive nature was toned down with her being fifteen, she is even much more analytical. It is highly unlikely if she gets stupified, she is also a quick thinker and an instinctive person. But at times she trust others too quickly and that may disadvantage her or even injure her like in Too Hot To Handle. She could handle things well despite the conditions (such as when her powers were drained and Charmcaster hit her with a bolt of magical energy she immediately turned the spell though she had no power yet she could hold herself). Gwen is at times shown to be very concerned at things such as her surroundings, the people around her and the ones who she cares about. She is very strong (physically and mentally) and well mannered despite her inflating sarcasm and ego at certain times. Gwen is a very caring, compassionate such as shown from her acceptance of Kevin's past and recent action, also saying she does not care of Kevin's appearance. With her self being herself Gwen has high hopes and at times she would get frustrated when such unbelievable actions are taken. Gwen also has tendencies to get absolutely mad when she can't hold herself any longer, but despite this she is capable of taking care and helping others no matter what she has to go through to do so. At times in her life she bears a lot of pain, concern, affection and thoughtfulness for others as she wants the best for them.

Michael Morningstar
She first meets Michael Morningstar in the episode All That Glitters, where she instantly appears to be having a secret crush on Mike. She even goes with him on a dinner date and get close to kissing when Michael betrays her and absorbs her powers. After that, they were seen as utter enemies.

Kevin Levin
When they first met, he was a renagade 11 year old, who would later have a vengence aimed at Ben. He also almost smashed her and burned her in the episode Framed.

In Alien Force, they start to love each other. When Kevin gets mutated when he and Ben tries to hack the Omnitrix, he cuts things off between them during his bouts of self-consciousness.In The Final battle part 2,Gwen and kevin share there first kiss on-screen.In Ultimate Alien, having returned to his normal form after the destruction of the Omnitrix, they resumed the relationship, Kevin is still Gwen's boyfriend and he has been her boyfriend for the longest.

Cooper Daniels
She and Ben first meets Cooper in the episode Ben 10 vs. the Negative 10 (Part 1), where Grandpa max introduces him as his good friend's son. He also helps their team against the Negative 10. He is then seen in Undercover, when Kevin mentions about him and Ben replies that he had a crush on Gwen. Although she doesn't actually like him, her actions always show a certain type of a caring attitude. Cooper was then seen in War of the Worlds: Part 1 and 2, as one of the allies of Ben's Team. He was also reluctant to remove Michael (Darkstar) from the Null Void as he thought that he was not speaking properly to Gwen).

Trivia

 * Gwen and Ben share the same birthday.
 * In the episodes Ben 10,000 and Ken 10, Gwen is voiced by Tara Strong.
 * According to Ben, and proven by Gwen in the Save the Last Dance, her favorite flowers are yellow roses.
 * In the live-action movie Ben 10: Alien Swarm, Gwen says it's February, and Ben had told her birthday was two months before, revealing that their birthday is in December which may be possible as in the original series, in summer, Gwen was planning her birthday party six months in advance assuming it happened in June.
 * Gwen has a fear of spiders, as mentioned in the two-part season three premiere Vengeance of Vilgax.
 * In the movie Ben 10: Race Against Time she was played by Haley Ramm. In Ben 10: Alien Swarm she is played by Galadriel Stineman.
 * Gwen's powers and abilities rapidly changed over time. In the begining of Alien Force her pink glowing energy shields could not sustain a single laser pistol shot while later in the series she can deflect asteroids. Also her power sometimes varies in one episode, such as in Pet Project when she was crushed by two disruptors and later in episode she shielded Kevin from Ship's super powerful main beam turret. She was shown to be unable to withstand Vilgax's laser vision, but she did withstand a direct crater-making energy blast from her grandmother, a full-fledged Anodite, and resumed fighting immediately, suggesting that perhaps her shields are based off of willpower.
 * Both of Ben and Kevin's middle name were revealed by Gwen.
 * Gwen has had her powers and abilities absorbed three times so far.