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“ | Being a hero isn't about others knowing you did something good, it's about you knowing you did something good. Being a hero is its own reward. | ” |
Magister Maxwell "Max" Tennyson[13][14] is Ken, Gwen and Ben's paternal grandfather. Max is widely considered the greatest Plumber in the Milky Way,[15][16] and is currently Magister of Earth.
Appearance[]
Regular Appearances[]
In the Original Series, Max wore a white shirt, covered by a red buttoned-up Hawaiian shirt with a floral design. He had grey hair and blue pants, as well as brown shoes.
In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Max's appearance did not change except for his blue pants being changed to brown, he had more wrinkles, a slightly darker shirt, and whiter hair. He wore black shoes.
In Omniverse, Max's appearance has not changed that much except for his brown pants, which are now white. He has whiter hair, more wrinkles, and his eyes have been changed to little black dashes. His white shirt that he wore under his red button up shirt has changed to black. Also, his shoes are now grey at the top and black at the bottom.
Occasional Appearances[]
In the Original Series, his pajamas were blue and had yellow lightning streaks.
While in the hospital in The Alliance, he wore a light blue hospital gown, with a cast around his left leg, bandages around his head and a band-aid on his left cheek.
In Dr. Animo and the Mutant Ray, he wore an orange life jacket.
As a Lepidopterran hybrid in the same episode, he had a maggot-like body with green skin and six legs. He had four eye stalks with orange eyes and grey hair.
In Back with a Vengeance, he wore a yellow raincoat while touring Niagara Falls on a ship.
In A Change of Face, he wore a pilgrim outfit.
In Merry Christmas, while cursed as Santa Claus, he wore a red and white robe, a red hat and green gloves.
In Game Over, while inside Sumo Slammers Smackdown, he wore grey armor which covered his left pectoral and lower body. He had brown hair on top and on the sides of his head, along with a brown beard.
In Monster Weather, he wore his regular shirt, along with blue jeans, a brown headband, a brown vest and brown sandals.
In Under Wraps, he briefly wore a blue bath robe.
In Under Wraps, The Return and Be Afraid of the Dark, he wore a hazmat suit.
As Ultra Grandpa in Perfect Day, he had a stereotypical superhero costume. He wore frameless blue goggles, a cyan shirt and white pants. He also donned a white cape like Ultra Ben.
In Divided We Stand, he wore his regular shirt, brown shorts and brown strap sandals. He also wore goggles and later, a jetpack.
In Don't Drink the Water, Max briefly wore a pair of glasses.
After being turned into a 10-year-old in Don't Drink the Water, Max's hair was similar to a crew cut, and he looked skinny. He initially wore his own clothes, then switched to Ben's clothes.
In Big Fat Alien Wedding, during the wedding ceremony, he wore a black tuxedo.
In Ben 10 vs. Negative 10: Part 2, he wore a grey exo-suit with blue markings on its visor. He later wore a visor.
In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, he sometimes wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt with light brown pants and a green pouch with a sling that hangs on his shoulder.
In a flashback in Ben 10 Returns: Part 2, Max wore his regular shirt as well as dark blue shorts, white socks and brown shoes.
In Max Out, he wore a light brown long coat and a brown hat with a horizontal black stripe, over his regular outfit.
While under the identity of the Wrench, he wore a black T-shirt and light brown pants under a brown robe.
In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, he occasionally wore a Plumber suit.
In Alien Swarm, Max wore a blue Hawaiian shirt instead of a red one. He wore a brown jacket over this outfit near the end of the movie. In a video recording, he wore a bluish grey vest over a long-sleeved white shirt, as well as blue pants.
As seen in a flashback in Moonstruck, 17-year-old Max had short brown hair. He wore a brown jacket over a red shirt as well as light brown pants. He briefly wore his Air Force uniform.
In a flashback in Of Predators and Prey: Part 2, Max's fishing outfit consisted of a brownish grey hat with a horizontal grey line, as well as baggy brownish grey pants held up by black straps.
In a flashback in Malefactor, Max wore a Psycholeopterran-proof visor.
In a flashback in Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51, as a young adult, Max had black hair and was scrawny. He wore the same Hawaiian shirt he wears in the present.
In Something Zombozo This Way Comes, as a Zombie Clown, Max had white makeup, red lipstick, a red nose and different hair.
Personality[]
“ | Max should have been like us. He had a spark all his own. An adventurer, troublemaker- | ” |
An easy-going, kind, and normally jovial man, Max often comes across as pleasantly absent-minded at times, but is actually quite perceptive. For instance, he knew early on in Ben's adventures who was most likely pursuing him.[17]
Max is a very brave man, having dedicated his life to preserve peace on Earth between humans and extraterrestrial life. He regularly focuses on saving the lives of citizens caught up in Ben's fights with villains, and did so even while maintaining his secret life as a Plumber and not having access to Plumber weapons. His bravery has resulted in him being injured;[17][18] having his DNA spliced;[1] nearly killed in several dozen ways; and more.
Max is also brave and adventurous in the culinary world, and often has an appetite for foods considered weird or gross, both from Earth and beyond. This comes from his travels across the globe and galaxy.[pop-up 1][19]
Though well-meaning, Max is not without a stern side, having sometimes struggled to guide Ben during his grandson's possession of the first Omnitrix, and having fights with Ben on rare occasion.[20] He acts stern out of love, but can also act out of conviction. He is not afraid to call people out, no matter who they are, on their selfishness and mistakes.[21]
One of Max's few faults is that when personal threats from his past resurface, he tends to not think clearly[22] and acts more self-propelling, to the point of omitting information from those trying to help him, family included.[23][6][24]
History[]
Background | Ben 10 | Omniverse flashbacks | Alien Force | Ultimate Alien | Omniverse |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Click on the images above to see the respective histories.
Powers and Abilities[]
Max is skilled in using a variety of Plumber tools and weaponry.[23][5][25][10][26] He also has experience with some alien tech, such as Transporter Discs.[27]
Max is proficient at driving. For example, when being chased by the Mechadroids, he was able to repeatedly swerve the Rust Bucket out of the way to avoid their lasers.[23]
Before joining the Plumbers, Max was a United States Air Force pilot. As such, he was an expert at flying an F-104 Starfighter, which included dogfighting, as he was able to pursue and shoot down an alien spacecraft;[28] and he can sufficiently pilot both helicopters[6] and Earth spaceships.[29] He has also been shown to pilot alien spacecraft proficiently, such as Vilgax's ship[16] and the Skipper.[30]
Max is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and has been shown to hold his own against beings with powers.[4] He is also a seasoned strategist; skilled at using the objects in his environment to gain an advantage in a fight.[31][32]
Despite his age, Max has incredible reflexes. He frequently dodges enemy attacks,[33] including a blast of electricity from Yetta;[34] once perfectly parried a series of laser beams from the Great One's zealot;[31] and could keep up with and outfight a DNAlien[35] and Arachnichimp[36] during each's respective surprise attack.
Due to his age, and the particularly adventurous life he has lived, Max has collected a wide array of general knowledge and skills. Most notably, he is a decent mechanic: sometimes able to patch up and repair the Rust Bucket during emergency stops,[37][6] and was able to fix a broken jetpack.[38] He has knowledge on cooking;[39] farming;[3] sleuthing;[40] camping and emergency survival.[41] He knows a recipe for a Chinese cold remedy;[33] a technique to instantly subdue mad dogs;[40] and how to work a nuclear reactor.[33]
Equipment[]
Max keeps Verdona's bracelet in the Rust Bucket 2.[28]
Max sometimes uses a Plumber rifle in combat.[5][42][26]
Max formerly owned the Rust Bucket. After it was destroyed, he replaced it with the Rust Bucket 2.
Max has a Plumber suit, allowing him to survive in unsuitable environments and granting him increased defense during battles with his opponents.[8]
Max has magnetic plungers, allowing him to stick to metal surfaces or grab metal objects.[6]
Max owns a Plumber jetpack, allowing him to fly.[6][16]
Max has a scanner which can detect spectral activity[32] and Corrodium.[3]
Max has a Sun Gun which projects a beam as bright as sunlight, providing him defense against beings who are weak to light, such as Ectonurites.[32]
Max owns several Plumber grenades.[25]
Max has a watch which temporarily acted as a homing beacon for the Omnitrix. The watch was also linked to his Null Void Projector and had a gauge to indicate when the Null Void portal would close.[25]
Max has a laser pistol.[25]
Max has a ray gun which can project electricity at its targets.[43]
Max has a grappling hook, allowing him to cross long distances.[43][44]
Max has a hazmat suit. The suit protects him from the effects of Corrodium[3] and allows him to survive in space.[29]
Max has a cryptographic sequencer, allowing him to bypass security systems which require passcodes.[45]
Max has a machine capable of entering one's dreams.[46]
Max has three Plumber handguns, two of which he lent to Gordon and Betty Jean during their battle against the Mann Family's Bodyguard.[47]
Max owns a ray gun capable of incapacitating its targets.[48]
Max owns a Plumber pistol.[49]
Max owns a motorcycle.[49]
Max owns a Plumber badge.[50]
Max owns two Plumber ray guns.[50][24]
Max has a Mark 12 Techadorian Multiblaster.[51]
Max owns a Plumber bazooka, which was stored in the attic of Ben's house for years.[52] He has since taken it back.[51][8]
As a teenager, Max drove a 1960 Chevrolet Corvette.[28]
Max formerly had explosive pellets.[6]
Max formerly owned a Null Void Projector,[35] which he took from the Mt. Rushmore Plumber base.[25] It was destroyed when he set it to explode to destroy the Hatchery.[35]
Max owned an expandable boomerang.[53]
Max temporarily wore an exo-suit which he found in the Mt. Rushmore Plumber base, increasing his strength and durability.[54]
Max formerly had a Plumber armor which provided him with multiple pouches to store items, along with a communicator.[30] It was destroyed by Vilgax.[26]
While under the identity of the Wrench in the Null Void, Max used a staff capable of producing electricity.[4]
Max had a Nuclear Fusion Grenade, which he used to destroy the Hyperspace Jump Gate.[55]
Max temporarily used a Galvan Jetpack while on Galvan Prime.[9]
Weaknesses[]
Max is far from the athlete he was during his Plumber days, now being a senior citizen, and not having managed to keep in shape. As such, while he has retained some athletics, he now has low stamina, and easily tires out in chases.[40][56][57]
Max is vulnerable to being possessed by an Ectonurite.[58]
Max is vulnerable to hypnosis.[59]
Relationships[]
Family[]
Gwen Tennyson[]
Between Ben and Gwen, Max appears to trust Gwen slightly more, as she was put in charge of watching the former during the team's visit to Galvan Prime.[60]
When Gwen thought Max had died after detonating the Null Void Projector,[35] she expressed deep sadness, as seen when she did not play games with Ben and Kevin when they visited Max's old fishing spot.[7]
Gwen keeps a framed picture of Max in her bedroom.[61]
Ben Tennyson[]
In the Original Series, Ben's relationship with Max seemed to be that of a father and son, because the majority of the series took place in the summer and Max was the only guardian available. When he was seriously injured in The Alliance, Ben went full strength with Four Arms and brutally destroyed Vilgax's Mechadroids as they were the catalyst for his injury.[17] His relationship with his grandfather has not changed much at all during Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, and Omniverse.
Love Interests[]
Verdona[]
See Article: Relationship with Verdona
Xylene[]
During Xylene's early years, she met Max, who at the time was a Plumber. She wanted Max to go to Ringa Morr with her, but Max declined, saying he had to defeat Vilgax.
When Xylene awoke from her sleeping pod on Earth, Max again declined to go with her, saying that Ben and Gwen were his world.
Appearances[]
- All episodes except Gwen 10 and Goodbye and Good Riddance.
- All shorts except Snack Break and Destroy All Aliens.
- Movies
- Season 1
- Ben 10 Returns: Part 1 (first reappearance; hologram)
- Ben 10 Returns: Part 2 (flashback)
- Kevin's Big Score (hologram)
- All That Glitters (hologram)
- Max Out
- What Are Little Girls Made Of? (flashback; silhouette; cameo)
- Voided
- War of the Worlds: Part 2
- Season 2
- Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 1
- Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2
- Inferno (hologram)
- Fool's Gold
- If All Else Fails (flashback and present)
- Above and Beyond
- Vendetta (flashback and present)
- The Final Battle: Part 1
- The Final Battle: Part 2
- Movies
- Season 1
- Hit 'Em Where They Live (first reappearance)
- Ultimate Aggregor
- Season 2
- Season 3
- The Big Story (photo)
- Girl Trouble (photo)
- It's Not Easy Being Gwen (photo)
- Prisoner Number 775 is Missing
- Moonstruck (flashback and present)
- The Ultimate Enemy: Part 1 (photo)
- The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2 (flashback; cameo)
- Specials
- Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United (flashback; cameo)
- 65/66 years old
- Season 1
- The More Things Change: Part 1 (first reappearance)
- The More Things Change: Part 2
- A Jolt from the Past
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Smoothies
- Of Predators and Prey: Part 1
- Of Predators and Prey: Part 2 (cameo)
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4
- Food Around the Corner
- Max's Monster
- Mud Is Thicker Than Water
- A Fistful of Brains
- For a Few Brains More
- Season 5
- Season 6
- Catfight (cameo)
- The Rooters of All Evil
- Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51
- No Honor Among Bros
- Universe vs. Tennyson
- Weapon XI: Part 2
- Season 7
- Season 8
- Young Adult
- Season 6
- 55/56 years old
- Season 5
- Season 7
- 60/61 years old
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4
- Season 6
- Season 8
- Cartoon Network Action Packs
- Ben 10
All Action Packs except The Once and Future Ben.
- Alien Force
- Ultimate Alien
- Chapter Books
- Alien Force
- Ultimate Alien
- Manga
- Alien Force
- Doom Dimension (Volume 1) (flashback; cameo)
- Short Books
- Alien Force
Video Games[]
Ben 10: Protector of Earth[]
Max helps Ben in his travel around the country.
At one point, he is captured by Kevin 11 and has to be rescued by Ben.
Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks[]
Max helps Ben and his gang destroy the Null Void power source. He joins the gang after the level MorOtesi. He appears in holograms on Plumber badges, in the beginning and ending of each level. He battles the Null Void monsters on Earth.
Ben 10: Omniverse[]
He gets captured by Dr. Animo and gets rescued by 11-year-old Ben and Rook.
Trivia[]
- Max was supposed to get the Omnitrix, but when Ben found it, his DNA was close enough to Max's that it attached itself to his wrist instead.[15][16]
- Max has presbyopia, and requires glasses to read text up close.[57]
- Max has been the subject of several running gags throughout the franchise:
- Max was similar to Kevin when he was Kevin's age.[65][7] For example, in Moonstruck, Teen Max said "Hey! Watch the paint job!" and "My ride!", both of which have been said by Kevin.
- Max has stock car driving experience.[56]
- Max was a Magister for at least five years.[66]
- Max previously thought Gwen's powers were magic. He did not realize it was Gwen's inheritance any more than her parents did.[DM 3]
- Max's favorite color is either pale green or magenta.[MW 2]
- Max once worked with the Saturdays[67] on The Bellwood Experiment, a secret project.[MW 3]
- Max's lucky Hawaiian shirt was given to him by Gwen's older brother, Ken.[pop-up 2][46]
- Max's design in the Original Series was created primarily by David Williams[DW 1] with some help from Dave Johnson, while his Alien Force and Ultimate Alien one was created by Glenn Wong.[GW 1] Overall, his design is based on the costume worn by Shazam from DC Comics, right down to his open shirt forming a lightning bolt and the colors of his shirt mimicking Shazam's cape.[DJ 1]
- In Omniverse, Max's eyes are a reference to Shazam[DJW 3] whereas his flashback design from Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51 was inspired by Shazam's alter ago Billy Batson.[DJW 4]
- The lightning bolt pattern on Max's pajamas in the Original Series is also a reference to Shazam.
- In the early stages of production of the Original Series:
- Max was going to be a scientist who drove a blimp.[JK 1]
- Max originally wasn't a Plumber, he was just an average inventor.[pop-up 3]
- Alternate counterparts of Max do not exist on either Rex's or Mad Ben's home dimensions.[DR 1][DJW 5]
- In the case of the former, this was proven true during Ben's visit there, as he hypothesized that Max may not exist on Rex's Earth.[68]
- In Dimension 23, Max died before the Omnitrix reached Earth, leaving Ben 23 with no mentor or moral support until Azmuth 23 took up that position.[69]
- Thomas Perkins believes that Max's height in the Original Series was nearly six feet.[TP 1]
- Max's voice actor, Paul Eiding, likes that Max is more involved in Omniverse.[AC 1]
Notes[]
- ↑ Even though they have children, Derrick J. Wyatt believed Max has never been married to Verdona.[DJW 1] Correlating with this, Dwayne McDuffie believed that Max has been married twice.[DM 1][DM 2] Matt Wayne does not know if they are married.[MW 1] However, the synopsis for What Are Little Girls Made Of? provided on the official Cartoon Network website referred to Verdona as Max's wife.[CN 1]
- ↑ Manny was mentioned in Gwen 10, a non-canon episode. It is unknown if he exists in the canon timeline.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dr. Animo and the Mutant Ray
- ↑ Rook Tales
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Under Wraps
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Voided
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Truth
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Ultimate Weapon
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 What Are Little Girls Made Of?
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Absolute Power: Part 2
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Showdown: Part 2
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Rooters of All Evil
- ↑ Clyde Five
- ↑ Washington B.C.
- ↑ Gwen Tennyson
- ↑ The Return
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Azmuth
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 The Final Battle: Part 2
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 The Alliance
- ↑ Map of Infinity
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 And Then There Were 10
- ↑ Kevin 11
- ↑ Prisoner Number 775 is Missing
- ↑ Max's Monster
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Secrets
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Hit 'Em Where They Live
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 Back with a Vengeance
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Malgax Attacks
- ↑ The Galactic Enforcers
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Moonstruck
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Be Afraid of the Dark
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 The Frogs of War: Part 1
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 The Big Tick
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Ghostfreaked Out
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Side Effects
- ↑ The Final Countdown
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 Max Out
- ↑ The Final Battle: Part 1
- ↑ Hunted
- ↑ Divided We Stand
- ↑ So Long, and Thanks for All the Smoothies
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 A Small Problem
- ↑ Camp Fear
- ↑ Trouble Helix
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 The Unnaturals
- ↑ Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix
- ↑ The Return
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 Perfect Day
- ↑ Big Fat Alien Wedding
- ↑ Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 Ben 10: Alien Swarm
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 1
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2
- ↑ Grounded
- ↑ Ben 4 Good Buddy
- ↑ Ben 10 vs. Negative 10: Part 2
- ↑ War of the Worlds: Part 2
- ↑ 56.0 56.1 Framed
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 Don't Drink the Water
- ↑ From Hedorium to Eternity
- ↑ Midnight Madness
- ↑ Trouble Helix
- ↑ Girl Trouble
- ↑ If All Else Fails
- ↑ The Visitor
- ↑ Of Predators and Prey: Part 1
- ↑ Verdona
- ↑ Malefactor
- ↑ T.G.I.S.
- ↑ Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United
- ↑ Store 23