Osmosian

Introduction
Osmosians are a species of parasitic aliens that dwell on the distant planet Osmos (Aggregor once referred to it as Osmos V). The names "Osmosian" and "Osmos" are a play on the word "osmosis", the process by which a solvent (e.g. water) diffuses from an area of a high concentration through a semi-permeable membrane into an area of low concentration. It is also the process by which cells absorb water and nutrients.

Powers/Abilities
Osmosians have the unique ability to absorb matter or energy from anything in order to use it in various ways. This includes, but is not limited to, electricity (and presumably any energy within the electromagnetic spectrum), the energy, DNA, and powers of other life forms, mana, fire, water, plasma, chemical energy, kinetic energy, and the mass and physical properties of solid matter. Since everything contains either matter or energy, there is no limit to what they can absorb. In addition to being able to absorb matter and energy, Osmosians can synthesize the chemical makeup of solid matter they have absorbed, as seen in Kevin's Big Score and Too Hot To Handle.

As demonstrated by Kevin in Ben 10, Devin in Ben 10: Alien Force, and Aggregor in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Osmosians can absorb energy and use it to activate, deactivate, overload, and manipulate machinery on physical contact. They can also channel the energy through their hands to discharge it as a powerful energy blast or use it to speed up cellular regeneration to increase their strength or recover from injuries at an accelerated rate. However, the energy will dissipate over time or through excessive use, so they are required to recharge from a reliable power source.

If an Osmosian were to absorb an excessive amount of pure energy (such as electricity or the energy of the Omnitrix or Ultimatrix) and cannot control it, the energy will cause the Osmosian to become mentally unstable. Storing that same energy for periods of time will only worsen their instability unless they quickly discharge it or their body uses up all of the energy. When an Osmosian has recently absorbed energy, they will develop black marks around their eyes. (Kevin had these marks around his eyes during the original series as did Aggregor in Ultimate Alien.

Though Osmosians normally eat food to sustain themselves, they are also parasitic and can feed off of the metabolism and life force of other life forms to sustain themselves. However, absorbing pure energy without quickly discharging it will turn this method of feeding into an addiction (as pure energy is metaphorically an addictive drug for Osmosians as well as a source of sustenance), causing the Osmosian to become insatiable and seek out any possible source of energy to feed off of. If they are forcibly drained of the energy they have absorbed, it will restore their sanity but also posses risks to their physical health if they do not have proper medical attention as the process will either leave them exhausted and famished or weakened to the point of unconsciousness due to them having been living off of energy instead of eating and sleeping properly.

While overindulgence in energy and storing it for periods of time can cause Osmosians to become mentally unstable, it is possible that an experienced Osmosian, like Devin, knows their limits and can control their cravings and discharge energy better than a young or inexperienced one, who give in to their cravings whenever the opportunity presents itself and do not know when to stop. This explains Aggregor's behavior and why he was so desperate to obtain the newborn Celestialsapien's incomprehensible and immeasurable powers and abilities. This also explains why Kevin began absorbing the life force of whoever he came across to satisfy his insatiable hunger in Absolute Power and why his sanity was immediately restored after he was drained of the excess energy he had absorbed.



As demonstrated by Kevin in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Osmosians are able to absorb and synthesize the mass, properties, and chemical makeup of solid matter to grow an armor-like outer that is as durable as the material used to make it and by extension proportionately enhance their strength and durability. Osmosians can extend their armor to anything they are touching when absorbing matter, as demonstrated by Kevin in Plumbers' Helpers.

As demonstrated by Kevin in Too Hot To Handle, Osmosians can repair objects composed of the same material they have currently absorbed by sythesizing a liquid version of that substance and hardening it again. Osmosians can also manipulate whatever substance they are touching by absorbing it (which allows them to momentarilly merge with the actual substnce) and them morphing it into any shape or form they want. Also, after absorbing matter, Osmosians can temporarily absorb extra mass to gain limited regenerative abilities as well as manipulate their atomic structure to grow spikes and extensions on their body, fire projectiles, and shape-shift their limbs into various weapons, tools, and forms.

As seen in Kevin 11, Escape From Aggregor, Ultimate Aggregor, The Forge of Creation, and Absolute Power, when Osmosians absorb the energy and DNA of other life forms, they only gain 1/10 of that creature's powers and abilities (this all Osmosians can take under normal circumstances). When they absorb the powers of other life forms their bodies will undergo a slight mutation (or none at all, depending on the powers they have absorbed) to accommodate the absorbed abilities, for example, when Aggregor absorbed the powers of a Geochelone Aerio his appearance remained unchanged though he could now open six hollow ports on his torso to create wind attacks and fly.

Regardless of how much an Osmosian absorbs, the energy will dissipate and their own DNA will eventually overwrite the alien DNA in time, causing them to lose their absorbed powers (unless they have mechanical aid which will allow them to fully absorb the powers of other life forms, though it will cause them to mutate). The amount of these energies an Osmosian can absorb at once, as well as the extremeness of their mutation, depends on their age and experience.

If an Osmosian were to attempt to absorb the energy and DNA of several life forms at once or the energy of the Omnitrix or Ultimatrix, the alien DNA will overwrite their own, causing them to mutate into a chimerical fusion of most, if not all of those creatures. While they are powerful in these chimerical forms, their powers are still only 1/10 of their original strength. However, because they are a mixture of aliens, they can mix and match their abilities to make up for their reduced potency (such as Kevin 11 using Heatblast's flames and Stinkfly's goo to form an explosive attack or combining Four Arms's strength. XLR8's speed, and Diamondhead's invulnerability for, as he put it, "one mean punch"). In addition, their mutant form limits their ability to utilize the special powers of the aliens they have absorbed; being a random fusion of aliens, they can only access the powers that make up the major components of their mutant form unless that power does not require a specific organ or appendage (Ultimate Kevin was able to use Echo Echo's sonic scream despite not having any visable Echo Echo body parts).

As seen in Ken 10, whenever an Osmosian takes on a chimerical mutation caused by absorbing the energy and DNA of several life forms at once, they can learn to shift between their normal form and mutant form once enough time has passed. (Dwayne McDuffie confirmed that during the flashback in ...Nor Iron Bars a Cage, Kevin had managed to change back to his human form once [which explains why he was wearing jeans instead of cargo shorts] before becoming stuck in his mutant form again due to lack of experience and his inability to control his anger.) The initial transformation will leave its genetic imprint on their DNA. This means that the mutation can be passed down to their offspring. This is shown with Devlin, who has the unique ability to shift between his father's first mutated form and his human form at will.

Even without absorbing energy or matter, Osmosians possess a minor degree of super strength and durability. While not on the same level as Tetramands or Petrosapiens, they are still stronger and more resilient to damage than an ordinary human. This has been repeatedly demonstrated by both Kevin and Aggregor, who, even without absorbing matter or energy, are strong enough to lift and throw the combined weight of several people and resist physical trauma that would severely injure an ordinary human with moderate discomfort. According to Dwayne McDuffie, an Osmosians strength and durability does not solely come from the energy and matter they absorb; rather they possesses a minor degree of super strength and durability in their normal form that is simply increased whenever they absorb energy or matter.

In The Creature From Beyond it's revealed that Osmosians can synthesize some of the material they have currently absorbed and use it to create armor for other people such as when Kevin made a helmet for Gwen to protect her from Lucubra's mind attacks.

Osmosians are outwardly indistinguishable from humans except for the fact that Osmosians live for hundreds of years (it takes about ninety to one hundred years for an Osmosian to fully mature [their life span is approximately five times the life span of a human {humans normally live for about 70 years, Osmosians may live to be about 350}]), and that they will begin to grow four small, rounded, flesh-colored horns on their forehead as they mature.

Weaknesses
Osmosians have few natural weaknesses. While they are still stronger and more resilient to damage than an ordinary human in their normal form, they are largely powerless without energy or matter to absorb and must have a decent amount of said matter to completely encase themselves and utilize their matter-based abilities to their full potential,

An Osmosian's biggest weakness is their insatiable hunger for raw energy (only if they absorb energy and become this way)(though it is normally latent and becomes easier to control if they are mature and have experience with absorbing energy) and a lot better if they avoid absorbing raw energy at all cost. If an Osmosian were to absorb raw energy and cannot control it, the energy will cause them to become mentally unstable and insatiable unless they were to quickly discharge the energy or wait untill their body uses it up (the amout of time it takes for their body to use up the energy depends on how much energy they have absorbed). The more energy they absorb (with the exception of the DNA energy of other life forms), the more they lose control, thus hindering their ability to think properly and eventually causing them to revert into a primal state of mind.

Any powers an Osmosian has absorbed from other life forms will begin to wear off and eventually disappear (unless they use them periodically). The more life force, metabolic energy, and DNA they absorb, the longer it takes for their absorbed powers to wear off.

Trivia

 * It's possible that Ben unlocked the Osmosian race off-screen by Kevin because the two are constantly doing Plumber work together. However, he probably just doesn't use it because Kevin is already around.
 * Dwayne McDuffie confirmed that absorbing energy potentially causes Osmosians to go insane, mature or not. He also confirmed that Osmosians normally don't absorb energy unless they are put in a situation were they absolutely have to. This might mean Aggregor once was in a situation like that and absorbed energy, then went insane and absorbed all the energy he could find.
 * Kevin Levin, one of the main characters, is a human/Osmosian hybrid; his father (Devin Levin), was an Osmosian, and his mother (Mrs. Levin) is a human.
 * Dwayne McDuffie confirmed that, even without absorbing matter or energy, Osmosians are a little stronger than humans and a lot more resilient to damage.
 * The potential danger from a premature Osmosian's physical and mental state from absorbing raw energy would explain Kevin's lacked control of transforming into Ben's original ten aliens and then mutation whereas his older, more experienced future counterpart could freely control his absorbed powers. It also explains his aggressive sociopathic behavior in the original series but later becoming relatively well-moraled after he stopped absorbing energy and returned to his normal physical self. Aggregor however is unaffected by this as he is already amoral and power-hungry to begin with, as shown in Ultimate Aggregor. It is possible that the degree of insanity affects each individual Osmosian differently and that a mature, experience, and strong-minded Osmosian is potentially more level-headed and less aggressive than a younger one and are able to control their sanity for a short time.
 * It can be determined from Ragnarok ("An Osmosian."), P'andor ("I did not realize there was an Osmosian on this planet"), and Aggregor's ("You're a long way from home") surprise to learn that Kevin was on Earth, as well as Kevin's response to Galapagus's claim that he had been kidnapped from his home planet by Aggregor ("An Osmosian? Doubt it."), that Osmosians rarely leave Osmos.
 * In Ultimate Aggregor, Aggregor disagrees with Kevin's belief that uncontrollably or improperly absorbing raw energy causes insanity in an Osmosian. He states that this is simply a lie told by the powerful to control the weak. It is likely his own personal belief and Kevin is more right than he realized as Aggregor's personality is very similar to Kevin's when he went though his first and third mutations (though Aggregor is not nearly as violent and aggressive and much calmer and level-headed than Kevin was due to his advanced age).
 * As seen in Escape From Aggregor and Absolute Power, Osmosians are parasitic by nature, feeding off of the metabolism and life force of other life forms as their primary source of sustenance, effectively killing their victim in the process (during Absolute Power, Kevin seemed to be absorbing energy to satisfy his hunger rather than for simply the sake of becoming more powerful). However, when they absorb pure energy (such as the energy of the Omnitrix or Ultimatrix) and cannot control it, this method of feeding turns into an addiction, causing the Osmosian to become insatiable and seek out any possible source of energy to feed off of. This explains why Aggregor was so desperate to absorb the newborn Celestialsapien's unlimited energy and incomprehensible and unimaginable power. This also explains why Kevin became obsessed with draining Gwen of her vast amount of mana and her potentially unlimited Anodite and magical abilities during Absolute Power.
 * It is confirmed by Dwayne McDuffie that there is Osmosian DNA in the Codon Stream.
 * In Fused, Aggregor calls Kevin a hatchling, as Kevin's age, power, and experience is far below that of his own.
 * If an Osmosian tries to absorb the metabolism, life force, and DNA of multiple aliens at once, as Kevin did with the Omnitrix and later the Ultimatrix or as Aggregor did with the Andromeda aliens, the alien DNA will overwrite their own, causing the Osmosian to become a chimeric mixture of the absorbed aliens.
 * In "Ultimate Aggregor", is confirmed that Aggregor lives on Osmos V.
 * Dwayne McDuffie has stated the concept of Osmosian's growing small horns as they age is something they thought of after the episode Paradox, in which Kevin was temporarily turned into an old man, which is why there were none on Kevin's head at the time.
 * Considering that Osmosians can modify and rewrite their own genetic structure by absorbing the DNA and energy of other life forms, as well as their sensitivity to energy that can alter DNA and their ability to possibly breed with humans without the use of technology, indicates that they have an unstable genetic structure.
 * Since Osmosians have an unstable DNA it is safe to assume they can get rid of diseases such as cancer by rewriting their genetic stucture on a massive scale.
 * In Map of Infinity episode, it is revealed by Aggregor that in Osmosian societies, their younglings have no manners.
 * There are actually ways to restore sanity to Osmosians and cure their energy craving - by draining all the excessive amounts of energy they have absorbed. This can is seen when Kevin regains his sanity after all of the energy he absorbed during his third mutation was drained from him with a fragment of Dominus Librium. However, the process posses risks to the Osmosian's physical health if they do not have proper medical attention, as the process will leave them exhausted and famished (as in the case of Kevin) or severely weakened to the point of unconsciousness (in the case of Aggregor) due to them having been living off of energy instead of eating and sleeping properly.
 * Dwayne McDuffie confirmed that after absorbing pure energy, is is both physically and psychologically difficult for Osmosians to discharge all of the energy they absorb since the initial effects of absorbing energy it is pleasurable for them (though the energy will also warp their mind if they cannot balance and redirect it through their body properly) and because the energy acts as a source of sustenance.
 * One common misconception by many fans of the series is that absorbing the powers and abilities of other life forms causes insanity in Osmosians. However, Ra'ad has specifically stated that Osmosians have three abilities: the ability to absorb matter, energy, or the powers of any living creature. While they must absorb a creature's DNA, metabolism, and life force to acquire their powers, it has been stated that only absorbing energy in its pure state above certain amounts causes insanity, and that the energy must be absorbed willingly. Osmosians (such as Devin) can also be trained to use their powers efficiently so that they can control the amount of energy they absorb, the rate of absorption, and discharge it properly to retain their sanity (though the action is still potentially dangerous).

Notable Osmosians

 * Devin Levin
 * Kevin Levin (1/2 Osmosian, 1/2 Human )
 * Devlin Levin (presumed 1/4 Osmosian, 3/4 Human)
 * Aggregor