Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Season 1 Episode 20 — "Absolute Power: Part 2"

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The dark and emotionally exhausting arc of the first season reaches its definitive, explosive conclusion in the twentieth episode of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, titled "Absolute Power: Part 2." Standing as the spectacular seasonal grand finale, all the fractured narrative threads, hidden motivations, and intense character conflicts collide in a final battle for Kevin Levin's soul.

With a high-powered energy containment field primed and ready at a local refinery, the final trap is sprung to cure Kevin before his humanity is completely wiped out. Armed with the absolute peak evolutionary matrix settings of the Ultimatrix, Ben Tennyson must engage his former best friend in a brutal, no-nonsense duel, risking everything to keep him pinned down long enough for the extraction process to work.

“He's back, Gwen. The real Kevin is back.”

Episode Summary

Picking up immediately from the previous cliffhanger, Gwen manages to survive Kevin's fiery outburst, managing to trap him inside a heavy mana containment grid long enough to lure him toward Los Soledad. Michael Morningstar (Darkstar) prepares the heavy energy-siphoning artifact, the Dominus Librium, connecting it directly to a massive localized power plant grid to handle the immense cosmic signatures flowing through Kevin's composite body.

To ensure Kevin enters the core chamber, Ben acts as the ultimate bait, challenging the mutated Ultimate Kevin to a final, catastrophic slugfest. Pushing the Ultimatrix past its traditional hardware safety limits, Ben triggers a barrage of heavy high-tier forms, transforming into Ultimate Ultimate Echo Echo and deploying lethal sonic containment discs to physically break through Kevin's composite armor plating. The high-intensity combat shakes the entire base, matching Kevin's stolen properties step-for-step until he is forcefully driven straight into the extraction chamber.

Gwen activates the terminal, and the Dominus Librium siphons the massive absorbed energy signatures out of Kevin. The energy feedback cleanly restores Kevin back into his standard human form, simultaneously returning all the stolen powers back to the five Andromeda fugitives and the Plumber's Helpers. However, the victory takes a brief dark turn when Darkstar instantly betrays the team, siphoning the raw leftover energy to grant himself omnipotent strength. Having anticipated the corporate double-cross, a completely cured Kevin uses his baseline matter-absorption traits to rip the artifact away, disabling Darkstar and leaving the team finally reunited as brothers.

Themes & Character Development

The Power of Empathy vs. Pragmatism: The resolution serves as a beautiful validation of Gwen's stubborn, empathetic refusal to give up on family. While Ben's cold pragmatism was necessary to physically subdue Kevin, it was Gwen's unwavering love that ultimately designed the path toward salvation.
Redemption and Rebirth: Kevin's restoration marks a massive emotional sigh of relief for the franchise. Ridding himself of the corrupting cosmic energy allows him to re-enter his human relationships with a profound appreciation for his second chance at life.
Predictable Corruption: Through Darkstar's instantaneous betrayal, the narrative reiterates the season's ongoing critique of absolute power, proving that malicious entities will always collapse under the weight of their own greed.

Production Details

First Aired: December 10, 2010
Created By: Man of Action Entertainment, developed by Dwayne McDuffie and Glen Murakami
Written By: Dwayne McDuffie
Directed By: Dan Riba
Produced By: Cartoon Network Studios
Art Style: Dark, industrial, and highly kinetic animation formatting, featuring glowing cyan sonic visual waves, explosive electrical debris field effects, and polished action filters fit for a high-stakes seasonal finale.
Voice Cast:
- Yuri Lowenthal as Ben Tennyson
- Ashley Johnson as Gwen Tennyson
- Greg Cipes as Ultimate Kevin / Kevin Levin
- Wil Wheaton as Michael Morningstar / Darkstar
- Dee Bradley Baker as Ultimate Echo Echo / Andromeda Aliens

Fun Facts & Trivia

Did You Know?

This episode marks the spectacular, legendary showcase of Ultimate Echo Echo's absolute combative peak, utilizing his *Sonic Doom* technique to totally incapacitate Kevin.
The complete restoration of the five Andromeda fugitives (Bivalvan, Galapagus, P'andor, Andreas, and Ra'ad) cleanly resolved a multi-episode arc of failure, delighting the global fanbase.
Late showrunner Dwayne McDuffie purposefully structured the finale's ending to show Kevin instantly countering Darkstar, proving that Kevin's strategic street smarts remained intact post-cure.
The location for the final showdown, Los Soledad, acts as a highly nostalgic callback setting, as it was the exact same abandoned military base where the team originally fought across major *Alien Force* milestones.
The closing scenes features Ben, Gwen, and Kevin happily driving off together to get burgers, beautifully resetting the status quo and preparing the trio for the cosmic threats of Season 2.

Legacy & Impact

"Absolute Power: Part 2" stands as a monumental landmark and a highly voted masterpiece that brilliantly concluded the entire introductory phase of the *Ultimate Alien* era. By cleanly balancing intense emotional drama with arguably the single best animated fight sequence in the franchise's history, it left a permanent impact on the community.

The successful redemption of Kevin Levin solidified the core moral center of the series: that brotherhood, family loyalty, and relentless empathy can overcome the most dark, reality-warping corruptions the universe can throw at them. It remains a flawless finale that perfectly set the standard for future serialized storytelling across the cartoon landscape.