What if Venom was a Ben 10 Alien? (Art & Story)

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In a world where Klyntars exist within the Ben 10 Franchise, how would Ben Tennyson handle transforming into a Symbiote?

[TheInkTank]

Hey guys, addressing some info bits for this video:
1. We forgot to mention Klyntar's weakness to sonic frequencies, we had it in our notes but because this was mostly non scripted we were bouncing ideas off each other and forgot to mention it.


2. When we said size would be a limiter for what aliens would be compatible, we were speaking in the sense of 5 Years Later. Putting a narrative limiter on the alien so it wouldn't become too OP. Plus we thought about it from a genetic stand point: small amount of DNA cycled into a big body, likely to be washed out.
Same goes for fire and sound based aliens. Likely harmful to DNA, so won't work.


Other than that if you guys have other suggestions for What Ifs, or notes on this video, let us know. We'd love to hear them.
-O.R.Ash

[EYYYYYJustin]

Venom: *Exists*

Heatblast and Echo Echo's species: *It's free real estate*

[enderknight]

Personally, I would have called XLR8 with the symbiote "NIL8" (Annihilate).

[carbonsinatrenchcoat]

You guys lost the chance to call him "BENom" LMAO. I love this video so much!

[spenserfarman]

I’d think Ben’s addiction to using Venom would be like when he kept using Feedback, but as a more severe obsession.

[riandickson]

The Klyntar aren't inherently aggressive. They take on the personality of their hosts, so if Ben was bonded with a fresh one, he wouldn't go bad necessarily, but would if was a symbiote that had previously bonded with a mentally unstable host

[revalentinemashups]

"OVERKILL!"

"...Ben, that joke is just as tasteless as it was five years ago."

[BoneChill]

Overkill, that name has layers considering Ben names camalien that as a joke when he first transformed

[barrybend]

So he's just Upgrade but for biological beings only.

[shonklebonkle]

There are few things that i know about klyntar:
1. They are capable of copying most powers of previous hosts
2. They instinctively have a want to be heroes but will sometimes go overboard in ways such as taking control of the hosts body at night not allowing the host to sleep.
3. They are easily corrupted by their hosts
4. They like chocolate

[matthewvincentvillaranda]

Generator rex: am I a joke to you?

the parasites: yes

[visualax]

I feel like ghostfreak was already very similar to venom. They both had a host who they influenced negatively before eventually breaking away from them

[BlueAngel]

Symbiote Rath... That's either terrifying or hilarious

[PopCross]

1:01 Hey I recognize that guy! Hahaha, these are AWESOME!!! Wish I'd seen this earlier, I've got another episode on Venomized Ben 10 aliens coming out later today!

[brox]

5:58"Wanna re-watch Ben 10 for the 17th time"

HOW DID HE KNOW!?!!?!!

[SKy_the_Thunder]

I'd see his transformation more as a biological version of Upgrade: Ben explicitly only becomes the symbiote and has to fuse with something or someone else to make it viable, vastly enhancing them in the process. That would create a unique challenge for this transformation during eras where he doesn't instinctively know his aliens' abilities. On its own this symbiote is pretty much a worse version of Goop - sure, as a mostly amorphous black blob it can fit through most gaps and is hard to damage, but it's weak, not especially fast and almost feels to suffocate. If fused with someone else however, they gain the classic Venom benefits: Increased strength, stamina, durability (against anything but heat and sound), as well as limited shape shifting and full sensory awareness of everything close to them. They share control over the body, communicating via a telepathy-like mind link - or the symbiote can try to dominate the host and take full control.

In the original series Ben would try it out once, not understand its powers, and then never touch it again because he thinks it's useless. It would occasionally pop up as a failed transformation he then complains about - until late into the series, when he accidentally takes over one of the Villain of the Week's minions, venomizing it. Ben now recognizes its potential, but the mind control aspect and sharing another person's body freaks him out enough that he avoids using it unless he has to.
That changes somewhat with Alien Force when he regains access to it, and Kevin suggests fusing with him. Between Kevin's Absorption powers and the symbiotic enhancements and shape shifting, they make for a one-man army when facing overwhelming forces, deepening their friendship in the process. Ben still mostly avoids fusing with anyone else though, at most another plumber or alien ally if they're willing (family members would be weird and he doesn't want to forcefully take over anyone), until one episode he ends up locked into the transformation, with Julie as the only viable host. While he doesn't want to do it at first, he is forced to fuse with her (creating a classic She-Venom form) which ultimately leads to a better understanding between them.

Once Ben gets the Ultimatrix, things change, since he's now able to use the Ultimate form of the symbiote transformation. This Ultimate can no longer possess others, but instead allows Ben to pick one of the other compatible aliens to venomize. While they aren't quite on the level of their own Ultimates as far as their inherent abilities go, these transformations would benefit from increased strength, partial shapeshifting, improved durability and the symbiote's vastly enhanced senses, allowing entirely new uses for their powers. He is also able to switch the fused alien while transformed - but that takes several seconds, since the symbiotic mass needs to reshape between hosts, forcing Ben to use that ability strategically, not on the fly.


I prefer having a Venom transformation as purely the symbiote (at least at baseline) because it introduces a huge drawback which can be used to great effect, narratively. It allows the episodes to play on morality, or give other characters the spotlight alongside Ben for a while, forcing him into a supporting role. It also prevents it from being just a better version of other aliens, for which you'd otherwise have to write a justification why he even uses their base forms... I'd also avoid the corruption aspect (aside from maybe slightly more reckless and direct behavior while transformed) and instead only hint at the possibility that Ben could puppeteer his hosts to do anything if he wanted. Maybe throw in Albedo doing exactly that to someone close to him for an episode.

[ghostspider]

Imagine if Cash kept and gained control of the Techadon armor, he'd be this shows Agent Venom

[misterzygarde]

Imagine if a Transformer like Starscream was an alien in the omnitrix

[krb]

5:17 LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, EYES, LUNGS, PANCREAS, THERE ARE SO MANY SNACKS BUT SO LITTLE TIME AND THAT JUST MAKES RAGE

[retaliation]

I'd expect the symbiote to have no effect on chromostone similarly to how the DNAlien tried to attach to chromostone in Alien Force Season 2, if I remember correctly.