Ben 10 I really think has the potential to be a big franchise like the trio above, and its international popularity certainly shows that. But storywise, it's flailing. The story only ever focuses on Ben and doesn't offer a large enough glimpse into his universe. What happens when Ben is an adult? Are kids still going to want to watch the adventures of college-age Ben? Nobody planned for that. What about his supporting cast? Max has a great backstory and should get his own show from his days as a Plumber. Kevin had a hell of a character arc and is still interesting enough that he could have his own show and it would be amazing. Now, yes, the show is called Ben 10 for a reason. And to be perfectly honest, this is where it flounders. Even Superman and Batman have a larger world that they explore. And they're locked into a specific age unless you want to do something like Batman Beyond where a younger hero takes the reins.
Ben is never locked into a specific age. Originally he was, but they made him grow. And once you do that, there's no turning back. So what they do instead is mentally regress him, send him back in time to meet his younger self, things like that. You can't build a franchise on trying to keep everything in the past, where it was safe. You have to take chances and grow and evolve. And the first seasons of AF and UA did just that, but the fear always took over and they regressed (do you hear me, Samurai?). You've got a lot more room to do that when you've reached 20 or so years and you want to go back to old days. Ben 10 isn't even 10 yet. It's 6. The original Kamen Rider had reached a hiatus by that point, but what had it done? It had produced five strong series featuring seven Kamen Riders (eight if you count Tackle, and I do, so there) in total. After three or four years off the air, they tried a reboot and that didn't even stick. The new series? 2006 was Kabuto, a fight against aliens disguised as humans. Super Sentai? If you use Goranger as the starting point, then you have Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan, a sequel to the previous season where a three man (and yes, I do mean man) team against remnants of the previous bad guys. Using Battle Fever J, the 6 year point is Changeman, where the Earth itself grants the power to the military heroes who decided to protect it. Power Rangers? Was exploring the Lost Galaxy, having put a close to the story arc it had been running since the original. New stories, new gimmicks. Ben 10 is stale in comparison.
Ben is never locked into a specific age. Originally he was, but they made him grow. And once you do that, there's no turning back. So what they do instead is mentally regress him, send him back in time to meet his younger self, things like that. You can't build a franchise on trying to keep everything in the past, where it was safe. You have to take chances and grow and evolve. And the first seasons of AF and UA did just that, but the fear always took over and they regressed (do you hear me, Samurai?). You've got a lot more room to do that when you've reached 20 or so years and you want to go back to old days. Ben 10 isn't even 10 yet. It's 6. The original Kamen Rider had reached a hiatus by that point, but what had it done? It had produced five strong series featuring seven Kamen Riders (eight if you count Tackle, and I do, so there) in total. After three or four years off the air, they tried a reboot and that didn't even stick. The new series? 2006 was Kabuto, a fight against aliens disguised as humans. Super Sentai? If you use Goranger as the starting point, then you have Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan, a sequel to the previous season where a three man (and yes, I do mean man) team against remnants of the previous bad guys. Using Battle Fever J, the 6 year point is Changeman, where the Earth itself grants the power to the military heroes who decided to protect it. Power Rangers? Was exploring the Lost Galaxy, having put a close to the story arc it had been running since the original. New stories, new gimmicks. Ben 10 is stale in comparison.
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