Ben Tennyson is a normal 10-year-old boy. What makes him unique though is that with a flick of his wrist, he can transform into any one of 10 alien beings with amazing superpowers, like the powerful Four Arms or the slime-spitting Stinkfly. Despite his ability to change physically, Ben is still a kid at heart and has a little trouble figuring out how to act like a superhero when the pressure is really on. Ben 10 will debut on Cartoon Network in the US in May 2006.

Cartoon Network senior VP development Sam Register says, “What kid doesn’t want to be a superhero? And wouldn’t being 10 superheroes be 10 times as cool?. Ben 10 will continue in the tradition that Cartoon Network has established of creating a new generation of superhero shows, like Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited, for a new generation of kids. It’s an undeniably original premise with amazing alien heroes and incredible villains.”

At the start of the show Ben discovers a strange device, the Omnitrix, that locks itself on his wrist. With “the watch,” Ben has the ability to morph into bizarre aliens like Heatblast, Upgrade, Grey Matter, Stinkfly, Ghostfreak, Razorjaws, Wildmutt and Diamondhead, each with its own set of special abilities, while still maintaining his 10-year-old personality. With these powers, he can play the part of a superhero, righting wrongs, saving the world and getting into some old-fashioned kid-style trouble. Ben and the Omnitrix catch the attention of an intergalactic bad guy named Vilgax who will stop at nothing to get the kind of power that Ben has managed to acquire.

When he’s not tangling with Vilgax’s cronies or other earthbound villains, Ben is traveling the country in his Grandpa Max’s car. Grandpa Max is a good-humoured, open-minded and unsuspecting mentor who wants to put a little more excitement into his grandson’s life by taking him on a cross-country summer vacation. Ben and Grandpa are joined on their road trip by Ben’s cousin Gwen, who is smart, level-headed and not exactly thrilled to be along for the ride. Still, as the voice of reason, she’s invaluable in times of chaos, which is pretty much all the time.

Ben’s main challenges are finding the best way to harness his power and making good decisions about when to summon his inner superheroes. It’s a good thing that his worldly and wise grandfather and shrewd cousin Gwen are there to keep him in check – and bail him out of trouble when he needs it.