Kevin’s Transformations

I think an analysis of Kevin’s mutations and how it affects his character are in order.

Let’s start by comparing them to Kevin in human/Osmosian(depending on whether you consider the Rooters arc canon or not) form. The baseline, so to speak.

Baseline Kevin

Now, as a kid, he acted like a little sociopath. I admit it. It’s hinted that he’s lonely and bitter due to being treated like a freak, and that it’s the energy absorption and especially the Omnitrix absorption that are driving him mad. @crown-made-of-unicorn-tears made a post explaining Child!Kevin in better detail than I could. In Omniverse, we see signs of Teen Kevin’s redeeming qualities in his preteen self. Befriending the Amalgam children, giving Argit extra rations and considering him his only friend after the mindwipe. Argit even said he escaped the Null Void to find friends.

As a teenager, he seems much better behaved. Now don’t get me wrong, he‘s still a juvenile delinquent, but one that is much more concerned with the rewards and much more averse to wanton destruction. He’s also still a bitter, angry cynic, but throughout UAF he also grows to have a sense of justice and care about innocent lives, though he still won’t shy away from shooting the bad guy, unlike the Tennysons. I think something that isn’t discussed about baseline Kevin is his loyalty: He maintains that Ben gets Max’s holo as early as Kevin’s Big Score, allowing his powers to be abused for Vulkanis’s quick buck, is a devoted boyfriend to Gwen(which he should be, considering what she put up with) and finds taking advantage of people to be a special kind of evil. 

Kevin 11

Now, let’s take a look at Kevin 11. In this form, Kevin’s energy-madness is at its worst: He’s violent, hyper-confrontational, megalomaniacal and vengeful. This is Baseline!Kevin’s worst fear, and it sets the tone to his relationship with his powers. After being imprisoned within the Null Void and realizing this just doesn’t work for him, he gets rescued by a benevolent mentor: 

In many ways, Kevin 11 was the unstable, maladaptive shell of the scared, lost child Kevin was. And with Kwarrel’s guidance, he learns to use his powers to build a healthier shell he can will in and out of - his matter absorption powers. 

And then Servantis got his hands on the boy, and fed him the idea of being a hero, exploited his grudge and used mundane brainwashing tactics when he realized Kevin couldn’t be directly mind-controlled like his teammates were. When sent to carry out their mission, Kevin couldn’t resist absorbing the Omnitrix and mutates for a second time, Kevin 11 vol.2. Kevin 12? Ah, what the Hell.

Kevin 12

This is the craziest Kevin would ever get. He could no longer tell friend from foe, ensnaring Ben and Max, as well as Gwen and his allies the Amalgam kids in his vines, monologuing about being the hero. I personally find this mutation sad and am kind of glad Kevin grew up with it wiped from his mind - it shows how badly he wanted to be the good guy all along. And it puts a different context on his friendship with Argit - the one who subdued him. We actually see him apply Kwarrel’s teachings here - changing back to normal at the sight of Gwen. 

Four years later, two yahoos get the bright idea to hack the Omnitrix, The smart one backs off at Azmuth’s warning, but the stupid one who wears it doesn’t. Which leads to Kevin rushing to try and contain the blast, absorbing the Omnitrix’s power yet again in the process. Now his third mutation might not look like it, but his mind was clearly subtly affected:

Stone Kevin

Having only remembered the first mutation, Kevin is understandably disraught from “[being] a monster again”. That doesn’t explain the sheer glee he has at the prospect of beating Chromastone up, lashing out at Gwen several times unprovoked, the mood swings and road rage, not to mention the Charmcaster episode: Would she have fooled a fully-lucid Kevin, who saw through Michael Morningstar? Thee business with Ragnarok is trickier, since we know for a fact Kevin’s attached to the idea of his father, but there could be an argument for his condition exacerbating his vengefulness. Due to the cause of the mutation - unintentionally absorbing the energy of the overloaded Omnitrix, the only cure was for it to be destroyed. 

And now we get to the most interesting mutation: 

Ultimate Kevin

Honestly, everything that can be said about this has been said in @emperorsfoot​ ‘s in-depth analysis. All I’ll add is note that while he has a LOT more power than the previous transformations(at least, not moderated by matter absorption like Stone Kevin), this is wher he shows signs of retaining fragments of his sanity. I also find it interesting that they utilized Michael Morningstar to reverse his transformation, someone who’s clearly more dangerous than Kevin. Though, granted, they did have failsafes. 

And then we get to the final (confirmed) mutation: 

Weapon XI

I actually liked the Rooters arc, believe it or not, and I think it adds another layer to Kevin’s character. As for this transformation, I don’t buy Kevin’s claims that he’s in full control. I think he’s in much better control than before, even compared to Stone Kevin, but I still see hints of rage and manic laughter. I think he’s using his altered state of mind to his advantage when it comes to tricking Servantis, and while willingly changing back the moment he utilized what he needed out of this form(Feedback’s antennae to free the Amalgam kids), try and tell me that “do you MIND?!” outburst isn’t residual rage. Speaking of residual, Kevin himself offers an even better explanation to his improved control than “headbutting Servantis, the guy who could never literally get into my head, gave me control”. He confirmed the tolerance theory - that ever since the first season of Alien Force, Kevin 11 has been scratching at the back of his mind, but he’s gotten better and better reasons to ignore it, until eventually it was like a second nature to him. 

Until, 25 years later, he didn’t. 

Kevin 11000

Now this mutation is the scariest. He has reportedly absorbed thousands of aliens in the Null Void, and by his looks also the fully unlocked Omnitrix, and can will himself in-between this mutated form and his original one. But this time, he didn’t lose his sanity, but his humanity. No remorse, no love for his son Devlin, nothing matters to him except revenge on Ben. Now I’m still not convinced this is a post-OV future, since it seems to contradict with End of an Era, but if it is, it’s quite sobering to see. Makes it hard to root for his character, knowing the heart Kevin had in his late teens will eventually be snuffed out. In a way, it means the OG monster in the back of his mind will eventually devour the budding hero. And that even if the Tennysons rescue him, he’ll fall again, and again, and again. It’s part of why I cling to the alternate future part of Ken 10, even if Ken himself is confirmed to exist in the prime future. 

This is sort of my attempt at improving the Rooters armor, something more sleek and deadly looking, with a helmet to make Kevin less humanoid and really beef up the “living weapon” thing (helmet design heavily referenced from Elfen Lied). 

It all kinda ties in to a Weapon XI AU in my head centered around the concept of: “What if Osmosians were still an alien race but had been systematically wiped out by the Plumbers?” 

More under cut!

Seguir leyendo

Holy hell! 

I love this so much! 

The potential for angst! 

The world building!

The morally questionable actions of an organization canon would have you believe are “the good guys”! 

I LOVE ALL OF THIS! 

You must make more content for this AU! 

At some point, I’m sure Kevin must have said, “Bite my shiny metal ass.”

thinking about

him

I will admit, that layered cut he had at 17 was much more flattering than just the long un-textured mop they give him in his 40s.