This article belongs to the Classic Continuity

Voided is the twenty-third episode of the first season of Ben 10: Alien Force, and the twenty-third episode overall.

Synopsis

Ben goes into the Null Void to aid the Plumbers' Helpers defeat D'Void.^{[CN 1]}

Plot

The episode starts when Gwen and Ben are in Ben's room. Gwen received a message from Helen through her energy field before the episode started and she and Ben are waiting for Kevin so Gwen can get both him and Ben up to speed. Suddenly, Gwen receives another message from Helen just as Kevin walks in. Helen and Manny call on Ben to help deal with a dangerous foe in the Null Void. Gwen then gets a headache and almost passes out. Gwen says that they should all go to help, but Ben tells them that he is going alone.

They end up in Kevin's garage, where Gwen opens a portal to the Null Void while Kevin attaches a Plumber Snake to a jetpack that Ben is wearing so they won't lose him in the Null Void. Once inside, Ben sees an Alien Serf, who is being attacked by Null Guardians. Ben saves him, but while he is doing so, the cable that he was attached to broke. Meanwhile, the serf tells him about D'Void who has taken control of the Null Guardians and enslaved the inhabitants of the Null Void. Using them as slaves, he has built a machine to drill through the dimensional wall, hoping to bring his army to take over Earth. While they are sitting down talking, Ben and the serf are attacked by D'Void, but before he can get to them, Manny and Helen come out of nowhere. Manny puts the serf on a flying creature and sends him away, before he, Helen and Ben attack D'Void. They fail, but Ben recognizes D'Void as none other than one of his most formidable adversaries from his glory days: Dr. Animo.

The gang escapes from D'Void, and they go back to Helen and Manny's hideout. There, Ben learns that Manny lost his hand fighting D'Void once. Ben also tells them that D'Void is actually one of the former villains that he fought back on Earth. Ben also finds out that the Null Void isn't just a prison, it's a penal colony originally started by the Galvans. When some of the prisoners turned peaceful and decided to start over, the Galvans created the Null Guardians to separate the good and bad. Helen suggests that Ben go see their leader, the Wrench, for help in defeating D'Void.

While they're on their way there, Pierce shows up and tells Ben that he will have to beat him in order to see the Wrench. Ben loses, but Pierce lets him through anyway because it was a test to see if he was one of D'Void's spies. Before they go in the cave that the Wrench is in, Pierce tells Ben not to eat anything that he offers him. Ben tells the Wrench about his problem, when the Wrench reveals that he's Max.

Ben and Max hug each other. Max explains that when he used the Null Void projector as a hand grenade, it sent him to the Null Void instead of killing him. He wonders why Ben lost and Ben says he did it on purpose, which enrages Pierce upon learning that Ben purposely let him win their fight. Upon finding out that D'Void wants to create a machine that will take his alien army into Earth, Max makes a plan to defeat D'Void and destroy his machine that's making a hole between the dimensions. The prisoners are mining rocks that power the machine D'Void is building.

They sneak in and Ben discovers that Animo's newfound invulnerability is a result of his generator supercharging him and transforms into Big Chill to ice it. Gwen opens another portal for Ben and is overjoyed to discover that Max is alive. Ben tries to convince Max and the others to come back with him, but Max and the others have to set things straight in the Void first and Ben returns home with the help of Gwen and Kevin.

Noteworthy Events

Major Events

• Dr. Animo returns as D'Void.
• The origins of the Null Void are revealed.
• Max and Pierce are revealed to be alive.

Character Debuts

• Null Guardians (Alien Force debut)
• D'Void (Alien Force debut)
• Alien Serf
• Null Void Settlers
• Havoc Beast (Alien Force debut)
• Vulpimancer (Alien Force debut)
• Wigzellian Orc Beast (Alien Force debut)

Location Debuts

• Null Void (Alien Force debut)
  • Null Void Dirt Farm
  • Max's Hovel
  • D'Void's Citadel

Minor Events

• It is revealed that Kevin owns supplies required to get into the Null Void.
• Manny is now missing his lower left hand and uses a clamp.

Characters

Main Characters

• Ben Tennyson
• Max Tennyson

Supporting Characters

• Gwen Tennyson
• Kevin Levin
• Helen Wheels
• Manny Armstrong
• Pierce Wheels

Antagonists

• Null Guardians (first reappearance)
• D'Void (first reappearance)

Other Characters

• Alien Serf (first appearance)
• Null Void Settlers (first appearance)
• Havoc Beast (first reappearance)
• Vulpimancer (first reappearance)
• Wigzellian Orc Beast (first reappearance)

Transformations

• Brainstorm (x2)
• Chromastone
• Humungousaur
• Big Chill

Locations

• Earth
  • United States of America
    • Bellwood
      • Ben's House
      • Kevin's Storage Unit
• Null Void (first reappearance)
  • Null Void Dirt Farm (first appearance)
  • Max's Hovel (first appearance)
  • D'Void's Citadel (first appearance)

Quotes

“

D' Void: (after Ben saves Manny as Brainstorm) Who dares?! Brainstorm: That isn't how to tell a joke, miscreant! First, I say, knock knock! Then you say who dares! D' Void: You would mock D' Void?! Brainstorm: D' Void A.K.A Dr. Animo! I most certainly would mock you. I'm doing so now. Albeit... subtly. D' Void: You know my name helper, how? Brainstorm: Although I'm generally much too modest to boast, on rare occasions I do come out of my shell.

”

“

Pierce: (while leading Ben to the Wrench) Don't eat anything he offers you! Ben: (standing behind the Wrench, unable to see the face) Mr. Wrench, I don't mean to get in the middle of your war, this whole dimension is destabilizing. The Wrench: (revealing himself to be none other than Max) Why don't you tell me about it while eating my favorite centipede Gumbo! Ben: (appears to be shocked, then he and Max embrace each other and start laughing, Pierce being there to say if anything doesn't go wrong, he also seems surprised by the reunion) So, you gonna make me ask? Max: Well when I detonated that Null Void grenade, it didn't blast me to Kingdom Come, it blasted me here. I meant to come back home, but once I saw how badly these folks were being oppressed... Ben: You took it upon yourself to eighty-six Dr. Animo's reign once and for all! Max: Yeah. Or at least throw a monkey wrench into the machinery. Ben: Hence the Wrench. And the helpers, Plumbers' helpers! I just got it. Max: Pierce here helped me round up everybody willing to fight D' Void. But enough about me. What are you doing here? How did you get here? And how on Earth did Pierce beat you? Ben: (jokingly) I kinda let him win. Pierce: (raising the spikes on his face) You what?! Ben: I figured it was the only way you would lead me to the Wrench, uh, Grandpa. (realizes and puts his spikes off)

”

“

Ben: Are you still a doctor, Animo? D' Void: What?! Ben: 'Cause it hurts when I do THIS! (Transforms into Humungousaur) HUMUNGOUSAUR! (attempts to stomp D'Void, but he dodges)

”

“

Ben: That's it. Hang tight, Grandpa. Max: What are you doing? D' Void: Ben Tennyson fleeing before me! The Wrench at my mercy... and then, a world to conquer! Ben: Sounds like a busy day! I hope you had a big breakfast! D' Void: What? Max: Ben, get away from there! Ben: This furnace, it doesn't only power the drill, it powers him. That's why he's so much stronger here, in his fortress! And that's why it has to go! (Ben jumps down the drill) Max: Nooooo! Ben: (while falling down the drill, transforms into Big Chill) Let's see how cold I can make this thing! D' Void: You'll join him soon enough! (suddenly the the entire drill freezes, and starts freezing the fortress) What! Impossible! (a piece from the drill breaks, thus making the Null Guardians to retreat) Nooo! Noooooo! (D'Void goes to attack Max, but instead is twice slapped by Max, making him unconscious) Big Chill: (rises from a piece of ice, reverts back to Ben) Nice work! Max: I did have a big breakfast!

”

Naming and Translations

Language	Name	Origin
French	L'Être et le Néant	The Being and the Void
Hungarian	D Űr	D'Void
Polish	W Nicości	In Nothingness
Portuguese (Br)	Anulado	Voided
Romanian	În Vid	In a Vacuum
Spanish (HA)	Proyectado	Projected
Spanish (Spain)	Vacíos	Empty
Turkish	Hükümsüz	Void

Cast

Voice Actor	Role(s)
Yuri Lowenthal	Ben Tennyson
Ashley Johnson	Gwen Tennyson
Greg Cipes	Kevin Levin Farmer's Son
Dee Bradley Baker	Big Chill Brainstorm Humungousaur Chromastone Farmer
Paul Eiding	Max Tennyson Alien Serf
Khary Payton	Manny Armstrong
Juliet Landau	Helen Wheels
Adam Wylie	Pierce Wheels
Dwight Schultz	D'Void Null Guardians

Continuity

• Manny, Helen and Pierce are still stuck in the Null Void in this episode. Manny and Helen went into the Null Void in Plumbers' Helpers to look for Pierce, who accidentally went there sometime before the aforementioned episode.
• Ben mentions that he did not need any special equipment the last time he went into the Null Void, which occurred in Back With a Vengeance.
• Ben mentions that Kevin stole the Rustbucket II, which occurred in Kevin's Big Score.
• Max is shown to be alive in the Null Void after his presumed death in Max Out.

Errors

• When Gwen holds Ben's battle ring, its roof is transparent for a short while.
• When Ben talks to Gwen about his battle ring, his hair is darker than usual.
• When Helen appears in Gwen's vision, her eyes are white instead of green.
• Before Ben tells Gwen and Kevin that he will go to the Null Void to save Helen and Manny, the black stripe on the Omnitrix is missing.
• In one shot, the colors of the "10" on Ben's jacket are inverted.
• In one shot, Manny does not have his prosthetic hand.
• When Manny hangs on to Brainstorm after the latter blasts some Null Guardians away, he is the same color as Brainstorm.
• Brainstorm is smaller than usual in several different shots, and his electricity is blue instead of yellow.
• Chromastone's hologram faces Ben at an angle instead of straight on.
• Chromastone's energy beams are green instead of multi-colored.
• Before Brainstorm is kicked by D'Void, his brain is smooth.
• Max should not know about Swampfire as Ben had never transformed into him in front of Max.
• Before Ben transforms into Big Chill, one of the Omnitrix's buttons is on a different layer and the hologram for Big Chill is missing.

Trivia

• A clue is given that Max is the Wrench when Pierce tells Ben not to eat anything the Wrench offers him so, referencing Max's unconventional cooking.
• This episode briefly appears in an episode of SOS TATA, that episode being Season 6's La famiglia Del Fungo.
• When Max said Ben could have defeated Pierce, he was talking about his human form.^{[DM 1]}
• The aliens who joined Ben, Max and the Plumbers' Helpers during the battle against D'Void were previously sent to the Null Void by the Helpers.^{[DM 2]}
• The date each version of the script was completed is:
  • First draft outline: January 8, 2008.^{[outline 1]}
  • First draft: February 18, 2008.^{[script 1]}
  • Second draft: February 25, 2008.^{[script 1]}
  • Final numbered draft: February 26, 2008.^{[script 1]}
  • As-broadcast: October 29, 2008.^{[script 1]}
• The fight scene between Brainstorm and D'Void as well as the fight scene between Ben and Pierce were storyboarded by LeSean Thomas.^{[LT 1]}
  • For the latter scene, Glen Murakami and the designers did not have an idea on how Pierce would fight, so LeSean made his fighting style up as he went along. He was not a fan of how the final animation came out as he feels that all the life and natural poses were "zapped" from the boards to the final episode.
• In the first draft of the script outline:^{[outline 1]}
  • The team receives Helen's message in the garage of Ben's house.
  • The Plumber Snake is attached to the front of Carl's Range Rover.
  • The "wall" that separates Earth from the Null Void is becoming thin enough for the Null Void to collapse in on itself.
  • The Null Guardians are capable of speech.
  • Ben saves the Alien Serf using Jetray, referred to by his working name Bluestreak.
  • Instead of Dr. Animo as D'Void, the main antagonist of the episode is Degredus, the Lord of the Null Void. The Null Void was originally designed to contain him.
  • The bridge that Ben and Pierce fight on is Steve Ditko-esque.
  • Max offers Ben grasshopper gumbo instead of centipede gumbo.
  • Degredus' attempt to cross into Earth using his Dimensional Bore would lead to the destruction of the Null Void.
  • When trying to bring Ben home, Gwen accesses the Null Void through where Degredus' Dimensional Bore was digging.
• In the first draft of the script outline and the as-broadcast script:^{[outline 1][script 1]}
  • The scenes on Earth take place during the day.
  • The Null Guardians are described as being "more than mere machines and less than beings/animals".
  • Max's hovel is covered by electrified mist.
• In the as-broadcast script:^{[script 1]}
  • Gwen helps Ben put on his jetpack.
  • Gwen and Kevin both buckle Ben into a harness for his jetpack, instead of only Gwen.
  • The Null Guardians have eyestalks.
  • Manny wields energy crossbows instead of blasters.
  • During the settler's flashback:
    • An alien couple holding a baby is shown.
    • The alien homesteaders are shown being menaced by a small gang of monster criminals, like extraterrestrial bikers, which a Null Guardian chases away.
    • D'Void stands on the backs of two Null Guardians, holding them with leashes.
  • Helen calms Manny down by patting one of his arms instead of putting her hands on his chest.
  • After hugging Max, Ben wipes tears from his eyes.
  • Several miners pick D'Void off the ground after Max knocks him out.

References

Production Material

Scripts

Script Outlines

Crew Statements

T.J. Collins

LeSean Thomas

Dwayne McDuffie

Cartoon Network

Ben 10: Alien Force Episodes

Production Order U.S. Airing Order Season 1 Ben 10 Returns: Part 1 • Ben 10 Returns: Part 2 • Everybody Talks About the Weather • Kevin's Big Score • All That Glitters • Pier Pressure • Max Out • Be-Knighted • What Are Little Girls Made Of? • The Gauntlet • Plumbers' Helpers • Paradox • X = Ben + 2 • Alone Together • Darkstar Rising • Good Copy, Bad Copy • Save the Last Dance • Undercover • Birds of a Feather • Grounded • Pet Project • Unearthed • Voided • Inside Man • War of the Worlds: Part 1 • War of the Worlds: Part 2 Season 2 Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 1 • Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2 • Inferno • Don't Fear the Repo • Simple • Fool's Gold • Singlehanded • If All Else Fails • In Charm's Way • Trade-Off! • Ghost Town • Busy Box • Con of Rath • Primus • Above and Beyond • The Secret of Chromastone • Vendetta • Time Heals • The Final Battle: Part 1 • The Final Battle: Part 2 Movies Ben 10: Alien Swarm Unproduced Unproduced Alien Force Episode Season 1 Ben 10 Returns: Part 1 • Ben 10 Returns: Part 2 • Everybody Talks About the Weather • Kevin's Big Score • All That Glitters • Max Out • Pier Pressure • What Are Little Girls Made Of? • The Gauntlet • Paradox • Be-Knighted • Plumbers' Helpers • X = Ben + 2 Season 2 Darkstar Rising • Alone Together • Good Copy, Bad Copy • Save the Last Dance • Undercover • Pet Project • Grounded • Voided • Inside Man • Birds of a Feather • Unearthed • War of the Worlds: Part 1 • War of the Worlds: Part 2 Season 3 Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 1 • Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2 • Inferno • Fool's Gold • Simple • Don't Fear the Repo • Singlehanded • If All Else Fails • In Charm's Way • Ghost Town • Trade-Off! • Busy Box • Con of Rath • Primus • Time Heals • The Secret of Chromastone • Above and Beyond • Vendetta • The Final Battle: Part 1 • The Final Battle: Part 2 Movies Ben 10: Alien Swarm Unproduced Unproduced Alien Force Episode