In the vast universe of the Ben 10 franchise, few villains have left a mark like Vilgax. Known as an intergalactic alien warlord, Vilgax is a Chimera Sui Generis who stands as Ben Tennyson’s most formidable and recurring foe. Appearing in multiple series throughout the franchise, Vilgax’s relentless pursuit of power and domination has cemented him as one of the most iconic antagonists in the Ben 10 universe.
Appearance and Evolution
Vilgax’s appearance has undergone significant changes over the course of the series, reflecting his evolving character and the increasing threat he poses:
- Original Series: Vilgax initially appears as a humanoid with an octopus-like face, characterized by pale green skin, yellowish spots, and red eyes. He sports a beard of tentacles and wears a black and red-brown armored suit with spiked shoulder pads. Over time, he becomes burlier, reaching a towering 15 feet, with longer tentacles and more advanced armor.
- Alien Force and Ultimate Alien: After recovering from previous injuries, Vilgax adopts a new look with red and blue armor, a belt for his raygun, and the addition of the Ruby Ray of Rouleau and Shield of Seagle. His facial features are more pronounced, and he loses his red-brown armor.
- Omniverse: Vilgax regains some of his original features, such as the green cheek sacs, while introducing new elements like spiky tentacle ends. His armor returns to a style reminiscent of the original series, with gold cylinders on his arms and a more aggressive, fearsome appearance.
In his true form, Vilgax resembles a colossal octopus with numerous tentacles and spikes, highlighting his alien nature and formidable power.
Personality and Motivations
Vilgax is driven by an insatiable hunger for power and domination. Regarded as “the most dangerous being in the universe,” his primary goal is to acquire the Omnitrix, a device that would allow him to build an army of aliens and conquer the galaxy. Vilgax’s ruthless and cruel demeanor is matched by his strategic cunning and relentless pursuit of his objectives.
Despite his villainous nature, Vilgax does exhibit a sense of duty toward his own people, the inhabitants of Vilgaxia. However, his actions often reveal that his motivations are more about personal glory than genuine care for his race. His reputation as a fearsome conqueror precedes him, having conquered ten worlds, destroyed five others, and even created a black hole.
Powers and Abilities
Vilgax possesses an array of powers and abilities that make him a formidable adversary:
- Superhuman Strength and Durability: He can break through walls, survive nuclear explosions, and withstand powerful attacks from Ben’s aliens.
- Energy Projection: Capable of firing potent energy projectiles to subdue his enemies.
- Combat Skills: A master of hand-to-hand combat, proficient with weapons like swords and blasters.
- Enhanced Reflexes and Speed: Quick enough to catch fast-moving opponents like XLR8.
- Regeneration: He recovers quickly from severe injuries.
- Immunities: Resistant to fire and cold environments.
Vilgax’s cybernetic enhancements in the Original Series further increased his strength and agility, making him an even more dangerous opponent.
Equipment and Arsenal
Vilgax’s formidable abilities are complemented by his arsenal of advanced equipment:
- Ruby Ray of Rouleau: A powerful laser projector capable of debilitating foes.
- Shield of Seagle: Generates a protective force field to deflect attacks.
- Vilgax’s Sword: Can emit energy beams and coat itself in flames or crystals, cutting through nearly anything.
- Malware Armor: Allows him to absorb technology and significantly boosts his physical power.
Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities
Despite his immense power, Vilgax has several weaknesses:
- Electricity: Vulnerable to electrical attacks.
- Magic and Mysticism: Superstitious and fearful of magic.
- Cold Virus: Even Vilgax is not immune to the common cold.
Trivia
- First Character Introduced: Vilgax is the first character to be introduced in the Ben 10 franchise.
- Ben’s Worthy Opponent: Vilgax considers Ben Tennyson a worthy opponent.
- Psyphon’s Role: Before Omniverse, Vilgax used Psyphon to seek revenge for his previous defeat.
- Mistaken Identities:
- Myaxx has been mistaken for Vilgax since they are both Chimera Sui Generis.
- Helena Xagliv is sometimes confused with Vilgax because they share the same voice actor, and “Xagliv” is “Vilgax” spelled backwards.
- Bill Gacks, who shares a similar name and voice actor with Vilgax, admits to this common mix-up.
- Vilgax’s Firsts:
- Vilgax is the first villain in the series to kill Ben Tennyson, having done so in “Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2.”
- He is also the only villain to have killed Ben twice, repeating the act in “And Then There Were None.”
- Vilgax’s Future: He is predicted to meet his demise approximately 200 years after the events of the original series.
- Character Design:
- In Omniverse, Derrick J. Wyatt intended for Vilgax to resemble his original design, but Matt Youngberg preferred the Alien Force/Ultimate Alien appearance for its personality.
- Derrick J. Wyatt initially designed Vilgax with a respirator like in the original series, but executives discarded it to allow more expression. Although Derrick hoped to use the respirator eventually, it never happened.
- Perceptions:
- Dwayne McDuffie regarded Vilgax as Ben’s most relentless enemy.
- Vilgax is considered the most powerful Chimera Sui Generis.
- Derrick believed that Vilgax was stronger than Khyber, comparing Vilgax to Thanos and Khyber to Captain America.
- In a hypothetical equipment-free fight, Vilgax would win.
- Unused Raygun:
- Despite having a raygun in his holster, Vilgax never uses it in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien.
- Promotional art and the Nintendo DS version of Vilgax Attacks depict him wielding a hammer and other weapons never seen in the show. In the game, the hammer generates a short-range field of golden electricity, while the raygun shoots blue bolts. He also uses mines and self-tracking lasers.
- Fan Favorites and Contributions:
- Vilgax is Eugene Son’s favorite villain.
- Tramm Wigzell is credited with naming Vilgax.
- Sebastian Montes introduced Vilgax’s arm rods as boost steroids, originally just for show.
- Dave Johnson designed Vilgax and his spike ball vehicle in “Secrets.”
- Cultural References:
- Vilgax is rumored to have a warrior son raised in another dimension.
- His appearance and universe-conquering plans resemble Cthulhu, further emphasized in his true form and when absorbing Dagon’s power.
- Matt Wayne jokingly named the ten planets Vilgax conquered: Moe, Larry, Curly, Ganymede, Daphne, Velma, Arcturus-7, Westworld, Abbott and Costello-3, and El Segundo.
- Franchise Presence:
- Vilgax is one of four villains, along with Dr. Animo, Hex, and Charmcaster, to appear in every series, including the reboot.
- He is the only villain and the second character after Ben to appear in both the first and last episodes of the Classic Continuity.
- Alternate Version: A negative-polarity version of Vilgax would appear as a shining knight of justice in gleaming silver armor.
