20 Years Ago, Cartoon Network’s Coolest Superhero Show Debuted a Multiverse (And Its Creators Want to Bring It Back)

20 years ago, Cartoon Network kicked off a whole new multiverse with its coolest superhero show, and the creators behind it all are still hoping to bring it back with new projects someday. Cartoon Network was a special place in the early 2000s as they experimented with all kinds of new shows hoping to tap into a different kind of market. Showcasing new action forward programs, many of these new shows led first with cool stories, cool transformations, and slick sequences bringing it all to life. And one show perfectly married all of these elements with its young hero who could change into aliens.

Ben 10 was one of the more notable hits of this wave as it made its premiere with Cartoon Network 20 years ago, on December 27, 2005. This animated series introduced fans to Ben Tennyson, a young kid who happens upon a mysterious watch known as the Omnitrix that allowed him to transform into ten different aliens. This soon expanded to a much wider roster over its series, and then became a massive franchise with its own multiverse, official sequels, reboots and much more. And the creators behind it all want to bring it back for more.

It Started When an Alien Device Did What it Did

Ben 10 premiered with Cartoon Network on December 27, 2005, 20 long years ago, and introduced fans to a wild world. This was one of the shows that had an early sneak peek premiere before coming back the next year alongside other debuts like My Gym Partner is a Monkey and Robotboy, but it’s definitely the one that had the most staying power. It came at the perfect time for Cartoon Network as they were in desperate need of a new anchoring franchise after the end of more of their older nostalgic hits.

Ben 10 offered a wealth of potential in many avenues too. The Omnitrix gave Ben access to the DNA of ten different aliens, and he would be able to transform into them in any given episode. The shake up for each one, however, is that he would not have control over which ones were available at what time. It meant that the creative team behind it all, the collective known as “Man of Action” – Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Steven T. Seagle, and Joe Kelly – were able to craft many different kinds of escapades and adventures.

It was also a highly successful merchandise seller with tons of toys and more that had sparked from this original series. Going on for four years, Ben 10 then went on to spread out across multiple sequels taking place at different times in Ben’s life such as the more teenage friendly adventures in Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and the later episode that brought them into a shared multiverse across multiple timelines and possibilities with Ben 10: Omniverse. The creators pretty much were on the cusp of having an entire shared multiverse of shows that included other projects like Generator Rex.

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Ben 10’s Creators Want to Bring it Back

Ben 10 has been active with various kinds of shows, live-action movies and other projects pretty much through to 2021 with the end of its own reboot effort too. But the Man of Action team behind it all are still hoping to bring Ben 10 back with something new in the future. The team has already brought the character back with plans for new stories told through comics, but they have also gone on record with their potential ideas for the animated series’ future.

Duncan Rouleau has gone on record revealing that Ben 10 would be perfect for a more adult-oriented version of the series, and that they are hoping for a full revival with enough support from fans. This was in the midst of all of the changes happening with Cartoon Network as a result of Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and likely will also change once it’s all sold to Netflix in the future. But if there’s any property perfect for multiple reboots of versions, it’s this one as Ben 10 fans are no strangers to new takes on their hero.

Ben 10 was one of the most significant superhero shows that ever premiered with Cartoon Network, but it continues to be one of those originals that’s not seen in the same light as other more comedic projects. But Ben 10 really showed out for Cartoon Network at a time when they really needed a hit, and were in the midst of transitioning towards their next era. Now all these years later, it’s become clear just how important of a debut Ben 10 really was.

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