The Tennysons are attacked by a villainous dimension-hopping Omni-alien known only as Alien X. With help from a parallel universe version of Max, they bring multiple alternate Bens and Gwens together to form an alien hero army and combat this threat.
Plot
The special opens with Ben and Grandpa Max sitting at a campsite, roasting marshmallows. Max teaches Ben how to make a perfect s'more, while Ben is miserable. We learn they are not from our typical dimension, and that in this dimension, Gwen decided to attend summer school instead of accompanying them on their road trip. All of a sudden, a portal opens behind them and a being, who we later learn is called Alien X, arrives and attacks them, prompting Ben to transform into Cannonbolt. Alien X easily overpowers both Cannonbolt and Max; he takes Ben's Omnitrix from him and fuses it to his chest. After he leaves, an alternate Max Tennyson, Maximilian, arrives and repairs Ben and Max's damages. Ben, confused and angry, wants his Omnitrix back, but Maximilian tells him that, unfortunately, it's gone forever. Ben hugs Max and Maximilian leaves this dimension.
Maximilian arrives back on his ship: his own Rustbucket. He records a captain's log of his recent mission to stop Alien X, expressing frustration as to why he always arrives one step too late. He decides to pull up his map of the multiverse and find an untouched dimension to get to first before Alien X. After he selects one, "our" dimension, his ship gets attacked by Phase Parasites in the dimensional hyperspace. Maximilian is forced to activate his ship's self-destruct sequence and make his final warp to that dimension. Meanwhile, in that dimension, Ben is fighting Zombozo as Shock Rock, while a hypnotized Max drives the Rustbucket and Gwen is tied up. After a couple jabs at Zombozo's shopping choices and some fighting, Gwen easily frees herself and she and Max put a stop to Zombozo, much to Ben's annoyance. Back on the road, Max asks the kids where to go next before the summer ends. While Gwen is excited, something is bugging Ben. Ben says he might need a break, which Gwen eventually figures out means that he doesn't want to be a hero with the two of them anymore, flying solo instead. Ben says he wishes he could show off his aliens' true potential, and thinks he can't when people are getting in his way trying to help. Their conversation is cut short when Alien X appears in front of the road, flipping the Rustbucket over by simply letting it hit his outstretched hand.
As Max and the kids recover, Alien X moves towards them. Ben transforms into Four Arms and tries to fight him as he usually does, struggling against Alien X's telekinesis. The Omnitrix times out and recharges immediately, and Ben transforms into Heatblast. Alien X dodges all of Heatblast's fire, revealing he can teleport. The watch times out and recharges again, and Ben transforms into Humungousaur, whose attacks Alien X blocks; though he manages to knock him back once. Thrown against the Rustbucket, Humungousaur times out and Ben stalls Alien X. Gwen and Max decide to help Ben, whether he wants it or not, and plan to use an incoming truck nearby. Max gets Alien X's attention and jumps out of the Rustbucket before he gets to them. As Alien X realises they baited him to the front of the road, the incoming truck runs into him; Alien X easily destroys the truck.
The Tennysons flee to an abandoned factory and catch their breath. Ben complains that he was going to defeat Alien X if Max and Gwen had not gotten in his way. Gwen and Ben start to argue over it until Max breaks them up, saying they need to formulate a plan. All of a sudden, a green portal flashes and out comes Maximilian. Gwen assumes he is from the future, but he corrects it to "alternate dimension". Ben impatiently transforms into Diamondhead, but Maximilian explains to him that they are all part of a larger Omniverse that Alien X is storming through, wanting nothing less than the collection of every Omnitrix from every alternate Ben Tennyson. He reveals that he also failed at keeping his own Ben safe from him. We are shown Maximilian's home dimension at the time of Alien X's arrival. Max wants his Ben to warp away with him, but he gallantly runs off to fight Alien X, later being defeated and killed. Because that happened, Maximillian won't allow himself to fail, and plans to make a final stand to permanently stop Alien X in our Ben's dimension. Diamondhead doesn't want to be used as bait, and Maximilian gets angry that he doesn't understand the importance of his safety, to the point of clashing with him over it. Alien X interrupts them and Diamondhead denies running away. Alien X quickly breaks down the door and uppercuts Diamondhead to the second floor, where he times out. Maximilian gives Ben an opportunity to run away, and so Alien X locks him, Max and Gwen behind a door.
Ben runs away in terror and Alien X quickly catches up to him. Ben turns into Rath and fights Alien X outside in a forest; however Alien X's teleportation, telekinesis, and other skills prove to be too powerful and Rath loses hard. On the roof of the factory, Ben times out and Alien X grabs him by his Omnitrix. Just as he prepares to take it, Maximilian interrupts and shoots Alien X with a blast from his arm cannon, the feedback accidentally making the Omnitrix detach itself from Ben's arm while still in Alien X's hand. Alien X places Ben's Omnitrix in the center of his chest and leaves through a portal. Ben is devastated. Maximilian surmises this dimension's Omnitrix has a failsafe release and tells the Ben to be grateful he still lives. Gwen tries to come up with a plan to get it back, such as finding a dimension where Ben hasn't yet found the Omnitrix. Max tells them he's stuck in their dimension, as there doesn't exist an omniversal roadside service that drops in out of thin air.
Suddenly, another portal opens and out steps what Maximus identifies as a Crystalsapien. It introduces itself as Chromastone, before reverting into a teenage version of Ben from a different dimension. He, like Maximilian, has been tracking Alien X through the dimensions and also frustrates over getting to him too late. However, unlike Maximilian, he has the assistance of an intergalactic law enforcement agency known as the Plumbers (something Max is surprisingly aware of and tries to steer the conversation away from); and that with his portal generator, he has no transportation problems. Maximilian offers to join this Ben (aka Alien Force Ben), but he refuses. Gwen suggest that since Alien Force Ben still has an Omnitrix, they can use him to lure Alien X back to this dimension. Maximus believes that the plan will never work because of Ben being a stubborn brat, which offends Max. Ben breaks up all the arguments when he agrees with Gwen's plan, believing two Bens can stand a chance against Alien X.
While Maximilian searches for another Omnitrix using the portal generator, the others plan to set a trap for Alien X. Ben picks the location: his favorite amusement park Adrenaland. Not only does he know the area well, but it is closed for the season and there are no people to get caught up in the fighting. The Tennysons and Chromastone build their trap using attractions throughout the park. After they are done, Gwen pressures Alien Force Ben to tell her about his dimension's version of her. He tells her that she grows taller, loves magic books and has a crush on Kevin, which disgusts her. When Alien X eventually arrives in search of Alien Force Ben's Omnitrix, he transforms into a Necrofriggian named Big Chill and orders the other Tennysons to activate the trap. However, the trap fails, Big Chill is defeated, and Alien X decides to rethink his prior mercy and take Ben's life. Before he does, Maximilian returns with another Ben from another dimension. This one looks undisguisable to the other teenage Ben, but has a different watch. Ordering Maximilian to take Ben to safety, he (Ultimate Alien Ben) turns into an Amperi named Ampfibian, teaming up with Alien Force Ben as Chromastone to take on Alien X. As Gwen and Ben watch, she makes him realize they need to expand their family even more. Ben takes the portal generator from Maximilian and pulls him through a portal to find more Bens; Gwen understands because the only person who Ben will listen to is himself. Alien X lifts up an entire Ferris wheel and almost flattens the rest of them, but Chromastone stops it and Maximilian and Ben return with reinforcements.
The reinforcements are two new alternate Ben 10s (Original Series Ben and Omniverse Ben), as well as a Gwen 10. They all transform into their own aliens and try to take shots at Alien X, but he manages them all. As Alien Force Ben admits that they are not winning, Alien X lifts up a giant rock and throws it at them, forcing them inside a cave and blocking the entrance. They all sulk over not being able to put a dent in Alien X. Ben realizes that they all have the same problem: they're too hard-headed and try to take Alien X on one at a time. In order to win, they have to synchronize their powers and work together, as a team and as a family. They all put their hands together and yell "It's Hero Time!". Maximilian gives Gwen and Max some weapons to join in the fight, while all the alternate Bens (and Gwen) transform. With a newfound attitude, Team Tennyson busts out of the cave entrance and makes their stand against Alien X. They fight against him, protecting their teammates when in danger and pressuring Alien X to focus on defending against attacks from all directions. Eventually Gwen 10, as Ripjaws, pulls Ben's Omnitrix out of Alien X's chest, and Ben finally takes it back. He turns into Heatblast and teams up with Original Series Ben, also as Heatblast. The team regroups and attacks Alien X, pulling off as many Omnitrixes as they can before he pushes them away. Eventually, he is left with only one Omnitrix left, and he stands off against Ben, as Four Arms. Four Arms beats Alien X's punch with his "Quadruple-Decker Knuckle Sandwich", finally defeating Alien X.
Alien X laments that he was "so close", to which Ben says he never stood a chance because he was trying to do it all on his own. Alien X then detransforms, revealing he was also an alternate version of Ben this entire time. The evil Ben confesses that he doesn't belong to anyone, and that after an encounter with his version of Vilgax that got his version of Max and Gwen killed, he decided that his family was wrong in trying to help him. He would have proved that going it alone is the only way to succeed, by travelling across the omniverse to ensure every other Ben feel the same pain that he did. Maximilian then tells him that he could always start anew, if he had people willing to accept him as his new family, offering himself. Ben is appalled, but Maximilian explains that while this Ben needs to pay for his crimes, he isn't beyond help, and that the people who love Ben would offer him a second chance, were he in this Ben's shoes. Evil Ben says he'd rather go back to the Null Void, but Maximilian promises him that after his sentence, they'll both be spending some quality "grandfather/evil-grandson time". Maximilian opens an exit portal and thanks Team Tennyson for reminding him that everyone needs a family. All the alternate Bens and Gwen celebrate saving the omniverse and say goodbye as they exit. After everyone leaves, Max tells Gwen that they should probably give Ben some space, but Ben surprisingly hugs them and tells them to never leave him again, saying he'd rather be with them than ever riding solo. Max informs them that that means Team Tennyson is back on the road!
Noteworthy Events
Major Events
Team Tennyson learns about the Omniverse and meets alternate versions of themselves.
Alien X invades the Reboot Timeline and steals Ben's Omnitrix, though he manages to reclaim it with the help of his family and counterparts.
Gwen: Who? Max: What? Ben: Whoa! Another Diamondhead! Maximus: State your business Crystalsapien. Chromastone: Call me Chromastone! And I mean you no harm, Max. Uh, Maxes. Max: How do you know who I - who we are? Chromastone: Bet you've never been this alien before, huh? (Ben shakes his head no before Chromastone reverts back into human) Alien Force Ben: Don't worry. You'll grow into him. Probably. Ben: Are you, me? (Alien Force Ben nods his head) Gwen: No way! Ben: Obviously way. No let him, I mean me, I mean him, speak! Alien Force Ben: So how long have you had your Omnitrix, other dimension me? (Ben looks down at his wrist) Oh, guess I'm too late. He's been here already. Maximus: You know Alien X? Alien Force Ben: That's not what we call him. Maximus: We? Alien Force Ben: The Plumbers! Hello? (A worried Max motions to stop talking about the Plumbers.)
Road Trip Without Gwen Ben: Who... who are you? Alien X: I am your fate. Road Trip Without Gwen Ben: Wait, Wait, no! (Alien X hits him and steals his watch.) Alien X: I leave you with your life. Consider it a gift.
Alien X: Foolish Tennyson. Ben: Hey! Who are you calling foolish? Seriously, which one there's a bunch of Tennysons right now. Alien X: EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!
Maximus: Captain's log. (Sigh) Maximillian Tennyson. Interdimensional coordinates: 12041.5. (Sighs) Another dimensional Ben was attacked today. Lost another Omnitrix to the entity Alien X. But at least this Ben survived. You think I'd be use to it all by now but... (Looks at picture of him, Ben, and Gwen on summer vacation 6 years ago) Anyway, this isn't about revenge anymore. Not when there's still Bens to save and Omnitrixes at stake. As for Alien X. Have to figure out why I'm always one step behind him. (Pulls up map of the multiverse). Find a dimension he hasn't hit yet. Get there before he does and wait for him. There. ID coordinates: 27998.3.
Max: Alright kids, we're back on the road. No more interruptions. Where to next? Gwen: Ooh. We still haven't seen the world largest corncob. 50 feat tall. Max: Or, the worlds largest bowl of egg salad. Gwen: What about you Ben? Any sites you wanna see before summer's over? Ben: Yeah, a new sumo slammers high score on my tablet. Gwen: C'mon. Don't glue your nose to a screen. What about the pretzel hall of fame? C'mon Ben. You know you love pretzels. Ben: Eh, I think I'm over them. Gwen: Okay. what's bugging you? Ben: Maybe I just need a break. Gwen: We're already on break. Summer break. Ben: Well, maybe I need a break from my break.
Maximus: "Benjamin?" Max: "He's not your Ben. Is he?" Evil Ben: "I'm no one's Ben. Unlike you fools. I learned that going in alone is the only way."
Humungousaur: Yeah yeah yeah, you got fancy pants powers. Should I care? Alien X: You should. We are infinite. Humungousaur: Infinitely blasted. (Hits tail on ground creating a massive shockwave) Alien X: (Grunts). Impressive. Now it is our turn. Humungousaur: Our?
Maximus: (Falls through a portal and grunts) Ben: What the Whattt?! Gwen: Another Grandpa?! Maximus: Sort of. Name's, Maximillion, but you can call me Maximus. Max: Nice to meet you Maximillian. You look familiar. The name's Max Tennyson. But you can just call me Grandpa! Maximus: Yeah I won't be doing that. Ben: Hello? This is all too weird. Even for us. Max: True, but clearly he has rugged good looks, cool gear, and naturally charisma. He looks like some sort of a- Gwen: -Future Max. Maximus: Alternate dimension, but close enough. You were always the smart one. Ben: Ugh. (Transforms into Diamondhead) Ugh. I don't have time for this. Maximus: Make time kid. The future of the Omniverse is at stake. Gwen: The Omniverse? Maximus: It's like all the existing universes rolled into one, and Alien X is storming his way across them. Diamondhead: Alien X? 'X' like mystery, or 'X' like the roman numeral for 10? (Everyone looks at Diamondhead) Diamondhead: What? I know things. Maximus: He's a mystery alright. scouring dimensions for one purpose - to collect every Omnitrix he can get his grubby hands on. I tried to keep my Benjamin safe, but I failed him. Diamondhead: Your Benjamin? Gwen: What happened. (Flashback) Maximus: We need to warp, he's too powerful. Alternate Ben: Quit worrying Max, I got this. Alternate Four Arms: (Struggles to defeat Alien X). Alternate Ben: (Ben times out and Alien X grabs his Omnitrix). Ahh!
Alien X: Your heroics are mildly more impressive then others, Ben Tennyson. But ultimately futile, as they will always be. Max: Not on my watch monster. Maximus: Yeah, what I said. Alien X: You're too late, Max. Again.
Gwen: Ben! Max: Did he hurt you? Ben: My watch! How? Maximus: A failsafe release. Not every dimension's Omnitrix has one. I've seen it before. Be grateful you're still here to miss it. Ben: Grateful, I lost everything! You got to help me get it back. Maximus: No I don't. Thanks to your hard head, Alien X is one step closer to his ultimate goal.
Alien Force Ben: Adrenaland? Ben: It's Awesome! Please tell me you have them in your dimension!? Alien Force Ben: Yea-No. Ben: ....What a terrible terrible world.
The Tennysons acknowledge that the summer is ending.
Gwen questions if there was something familiar about Alien X, referring to Alien V.
When Ben mentions that he's bored, Gwen says not again, referring to the events of Ben 10: Versus the Universe.
Alien Force Ben states that his Max was a Plumber, acknowledging his supposed "death" in Max Out.
Alien Force Ben mentions his Gwen taking interest in magic, and Kevin.
When Alien Force Ben is impressed by the Ultimatrix, Ultimate Alien Ben tells him to "play [his] cards right, and [he'll] get it soon enough.", referring to the events of The Final Battle: Part 2.
When Gwen says Zombozo is trying to steal the Rustbucket again, it is a reference to Bomzobo Lives.
Allusions
The title is a combination of Alien X's name and the word "extinction". Interestingly, Original Series Ben says the name of the special on-screen during the Tennysons' fight with Alien X.
This movie event has musical motifs from almost every Ben 10 series. Specifically, the opening themes to both Alien Force and Ultimate Alien and the guitar riffs from the original series.
The plot shares similarities to And Then There Were None and And Then There Was Ben, as multiple versions of Ben and a version of Gwen 10 are shown working together against an extradimensional villain.
The Interdimensional coordinates for Road Trip Without Gwen's dimension is 12041.5. This is named after "Earth-12041", which is the official reality number for the Marvel Animated Universe series Man of Action worked on.
Diamondhead brings up the two possible meanings of "X" in Alien X's name.
Right before Alien Force Ben selects Big Chill, it seems to reference a similar scene from Kevin's Big Score.
Coincidentally, both that episode and this movie event feature Big Chill's first appearance in their respective shows.
When Big Chill's transformation sequence ends, he is doing the same pose like classic Big Chill did in Heroes United.
Much like how the first episode of the original series takes place in a campsite at night, the final episode of the reboot timeline takes place in the same setting.
The idea of an alternate timeline where Ben and Max go on their summer road trip without Gwen is a repurposing of the original premise of the original series.
The Alternate Max being referred to as "Future Max" is a reference to his design being based on his Ben 10,000 Timeline counterpart's design in Ben 10,000.
When Alien Force Ben is telling the Reboot Tennysons about the Plumbers, Reboot Ben's response to the way the organization is named could be a possible reference to Ben 23's and the first live action Ben's reaction to the same thing in Store 23 and Ben 10: Race Against Time, respectively.
During the same scene, Reboot Ben also asks if the Plumbers should be called the "Alien Force", referencing the name of both Ben's team on the series the alternate Ben represents and the show itself.
When Gwen asks how she is like in Alien Force Ben's dimension, Ben mentions that she has spell books and has a crush on Kevin. This is a reference to what Gwen Prime is like beginning in Alien Force.
Original Series Heatblast calls Reboot Gwen "Lucky Girl" and asks her to cast spells, both of which references to 10-year old how Gwen Prime is like in the original series.
When Reboot Ben turns into Heatblast for the second time Original Series Heatblast complained he couldn't pick a different alien. Reboot Heatblast states Heatblast is a classic, which is a nod to the Original Series, where Heatblast originates.
When Reboot Gwen and Max attempt to get Ben to put their hands together, it seems to be referencing the ending scene from Ben 10 Returns: Part 2.
This is referenced again when all the Bens and Gwen 10 put their hands together in the cave. Afterwards, they shout their signature catchphrase, "It's hero time!", just as Ben Prime did in that episode.
The blaster on top of the Rustbucket in Evil Ben's dimension resembles the blaster in Playmates' Rustbuster playset.
When Original Series Ben says "smell you later!" before returning to his dimension, it is a reference to the same line said in Goodbye and Good Riddance.
The purple portal which Alien X Opens For Dimension Traveling is similar to that of Roundabout Part 1 & 2 and Ben 10,010.
Trivia
The name of this episode was first revealed when Becky Lau revealed a background image from this episode which she worked on.[BL 1]
A multi-dimensional crossover was first hinted by Duncan Rouleau when dropped vague hints on what to expect for Season 5, mentioning appearances by Alien Force Ben, Omniverse Ben, and Gwen 10.[DR 2] However, he did not specify whether or not the former two would be incarnations of Ben Prime and whether Gwen 10 will be a new or returning version of the character.
Duncan would eventually drop hints at an explanation as to why Ben Prime did not appear in Crossover Nexus[DR 3] and a possible connection between the two continuities being explored.[DR 4]
Likewise, it was first confirmed at a press release that multiple versions of Ben from past series would appear.[1]
This is the final episode of the Reboot. Recently the next series are in the planning stages.[DR 5]
Strangely, despite entering Maximilian's dimension with nine Omnitrices and managing to kill Ben from that dimension, along with many other alternate Bens, Alien X is seen with only nine Omnitrix symbols when he enters the Road Trip Without Gwen Dimension.
The reason why the alternate Omnitrix users used one or two aliens during the special was due to time constraints and design costs.[DR 6]
Steve Blum was not asked to reprise his role as Original Series Heatblast.[SB 1]
Ana Lúcia Menezes's Dedication
In Brazil, this episode marks the final time Ana Lúcia Menezes and Júlio Chaves, the dub voice actors of Gwen and Max respectively, played their roles. They both unfortunately passed away in 2021.
In the Brazilian version, there is a dedication to Ana Lúcia Menezes in the end of the special. It's possible that there isn't one for Júlio Chaves because editing of this episode was finished before his death.
The first footage of the special was revealed on Cartoon Network's YouTube channel on March 22, 2021.[CN 1]
Duncan initially stated that there were no plans for either Ripjaws, Chromastone, or Ampfibian to appear in the reboot.[DR 7][DR 8][DR 9] The fact that they make appearances in this movie event indicates that these statements were made in order to prevent spoilers.
Notes
↑ 1.01.11.2Duncan Rouleau claims that the four alternate Bens featured in this special are the same as the Ben Prime from the previous four series.[DR 1]
However, there are subtle differences between the Bens compared to their Classic counterpart, such as Ultimate Alien Ben's Ultimatrix being drawn backwards. And while these could just be errors, it is never directly confirmed whether or not Alien Force Ben's device can travel through time. As such, it is open to interpretation as to whether or not they are Ben Prime.
This wiki however, considers them separate characters who are based on the Bens from the series they represent.
This article belongs to the Reboot Continuity
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