Verdona

This article belongs to the Classic Continuity

“	Don't forget to have some fun, kiddo! Grandma's going to drop in now and again to see how you're doing...!	”
– Verdona to Gwen.[1]

Verdona is Max's partner, Carl and Frank's mother, and Ken, Gwen, Ben, and Sunny's paternal grandmother.

Appearance[]

Verdona is a female Anodite whose elderly human form has neck-length silver hair, dark blue eyes, and faint wrinkles, with a blue cloak being her only form of clothing. Her Anodite form physically appears to be much younger with a more youthful form and long purple hair made out of energy.

When she was younger, Verdona had red hair in a short haircut, a white-blue dress with a black belt, with a long-sleeved white shirt with a black stripe down the middle.

Personality[]

Like all Anodites, Verdona is a free-spirited being. Though sometimes acting more mature and grown-up, she mostly acts like a playful child. She also likes to listen and dance to Max's favorite band, Shag Carpeting.^[1]

There is another side of Verdona which is somewhat amoral and uncaring. For example, when she almost destroyed Ben and Kevin when they first confronted her, were it not for the intervention of Gwen and learning who they really were, and when she was willing to destroy her granddaughter's physical human body to release the Anodite inside. She also viewed beings that were not Anodites as being lesser than herself, as she was constantly unimpressed with and condescending on them, especially humans. As such, she was also very apathetic, not realizing how hard it was for Gwen to leave her family and friends and was confused by it.^[1]

Although Verdona wasn't happy neither of her sons inherited her powers, she still cared about them. She was amused Frank could tell she was watching and remarked on how Carl had a good son.^[1]

Verdona considers Gwen to be her favorite grandchild, and while initially disappointed that Ben didn't inherit the spark like Gwen did, they ultimately reconciled, especially after seeing how much he cares about Gwen. One thing that Verdona has in common with Ben is that they both have an uncanny sense of humor.^[1]

Also, she was later shown to be a strict disciplinarian and can be serious where she needs to be, like when her other granddaughter, Sunny, misbehaved.^[5]

History[]

Background[]

Verdona left her homeworld, Anodyne, in an unspecified time long before the Original Series and was brought to Earth by a robot alien who had captured her and wanted to use her to power his planet. Verdona escaped when they crash landed. Later, a teenage Max met Verdona at Thunderclap Diner. When the Synthroid attacked the diner, Max and Verdona fled. However, the Synthroid was able to find and beat Max and he took away Verdona. Using his telepathic connection with Verdona, Max was able to locate and rescue her and Magister Labrid, who had come to arrest the Synthroid. The Synthroid was destroyed and the bracelet that prevented Verdona from using her mana powers fell off. Revealing her true form, she asked Max whether he would go with her back to Anodyne. However, Max declined, and with a kiss, they parted.

They met again an unspecified amount of time later. They fell deeply in love with each other and romantically courted. During this time, she hid her Anodite heritage from others and blended in with human society. She and Max ended up having two sons, Carl (Ben's dad) and Frank (Ken and Gwen's dad), neither of whom inherited her Anodite powers. During their time together, Verdona always had to deal with Max's occupation as a Plumber and eventually after a long, happy, and somewhat distant relationship, when their sons were grown and out of the house, she returned to Anodyne; after so many years on Earth, Verdona wanted to get back in touch with her background. Her grandchildren initially knew very little about her other than that she and Grandpa Max met in St. Louis^{[note 2]} and that she is "gone".^{[pop-up 1][6]}

Sometime after, when her grandkids were born, she returned to see if they had inherited her powers and abilities. Presumably due to Gwen's powers having not been developed yet, she was put under the impression that none of her human grandchildren had inherited her powers, until the events of What Are Little Girls Made Of?.

Alien Force[]

In What Are Little Girls Made Of?, when news went out about Max's disappearance, Verdona came to his favorite lake to remember the good times they had had together. However, she met two of her grandchildren; Ben and Gwen, along with their friend Kevin, who assumed she was a trespasser. She then magically disappeared, leaving behind a flower at the base of a tree which had engraved a heart with "Max + Verdona" on it. She then returned later in the night, deciding to have a "little fun" with Ben and Kevin. When Gwen intervened, she revealed herself as her and Ben's paternal grandmother.

She then later came to Gwen's house, explaining her history with Max and then offered Gwen to come back with her to Anodyne to reach the full potential of her powers and abilities (which would require 60 to 70 years). After thinking on the roof, Gwen refused. Verdona then shed her human body, revealing her Anodite form, and thought that Gwen was too young to make her own decisions and decided to destroy her human body to free the dormant Anodite inside, but the two boys stepped in to defend Gwen.

After a brief battle that tore up the front lawn (and part of the house), Gwen explains that for as much as she loves for Verdona, her human life on Earth is too important for her to give it up and go with Verdona to Anodyne, so she'd rather stay on Earth. Verdona told Gwen that Max should have been an energy being like them, expressing her deep longing for him and that her desire to take Gwen with her could be just a front to fill the void in her heart that Max left. Verdona then magically patched up the damage and flew into space, promising to come and visit every so often to see how Gwen and the others are doing.

Ultimate Alien[]

Verdona made a reappearance in Girl Trouble, where she was able to overpower Sunny, who was attacking Gwen, and she took Sunny and her boyfriend Antonio back to their home planets to allow their parents to decide on their punishment. Verdona talked with Gwen for a bit, complimenting her for being clever enough to call her through her mana field and noting how, despite her lack of formal training (as well as the fact she's not a full-blooded Anodite like her and Sunny), Gwen's powers were developing quite nicely. She then asked Gwen to accompany her to Anodyne, but Gwen still refused. Verdona took the rejection in stride and flew off with Sunny and Antonio.

Powers and Abilities[]

Verdona is a full-fledged Anodite, an energy being who draws life from the mana around her, and she can manipulate mana for a variety of effects. Being decades older and more experienced than Gwen and Sunny, Verdona's powers dwarf those of her granddaughters. Her powers are enhanced when she is given an excess of mana.^[1]

Verdona can project mana from her hands, such as in the form of beams.^[1]

Verdona can send out a burst of mana from her hands to create an explosion.^[1]

Verdona can create mana constructs, such as tendrils as offensive attacks^[1] and bubbles to grab or throw people or objects.^[5]

Verdona can tamper with the mana constructs of Anodites who are not as powerful as her, as shown when she turned Sunny's shield into a bubble to trap her.^[5]

Verdona can unleash a burst of mana from her body.^[1]

By enveloping a person or object in mana, Verdona can move them around as a form of telekinesis.^[5]

Verdona can absorb mana from other living things or from someone else's mana attacks.^[1]

Verdona can fly at great speeds surpassing that of an Aerophibian^[1] and levitate.^[2]

Verdona can turn invisible.^[1]

Verdona is technically biologically immortal, as she is able to manipulate her crafted body's age at will,^{[DM 3]} and her comment on how she supposed in "human time" she hadn't seen her son in a while further hinted at her race's extended lifespan.^[1]

Verdona can create a body to inhabit, to conceal her true form, and shed it at will.^[1] Interestingly, she seemed to formerly have an innate, natural human body back when she first met Max, seeing as she shifted into her Anodite form rather than shedding her human disguise when her power limiting bracelet fell off,^[2] suggesting that she used to have a natural human body like her granddaughter.

Verdona can communicate with others through the mana field, as displayed when Gwen called her while struggling with fighting Sunny.^[5]

Verdona possesses telepathy, allowing her to receive telepathic messages through her energy field. She was also able to read Max's mind and project her thoughts into his mind even from extreme distances.^[2]

Verdona can teleport herself and others.^[1]

Verdona can warp reality to an unknown extent. For example, she undid the damage to Gwen's house caused by her battle against Ben, Gwen, and Kevin with the snap of her fingers, shifting Ben and Kevin back into their human forms in the process.^[1] Her reality warping abilities also allow her to create, repair, and dissipate objects, seen when she fixed a broken glass at Gwen's house, created duct tape around Ben's mouth, and later made the duct tape disappear.^[1]

Verdona is strong enough to tear apart an Arachnachimp's webbing.^[1]

Verdona is durable enough to endure being pelted with large stone rocks without being visibly injured.^[1]

Verdona can survive in space.^[5]

Verdona can manipulate the hair-like stream of energy that radiates from her head, solidifying it to use as tendrils to grasp or ensnare objects.^[1]

Equipment[]

Verdona was once forced to wear a bracelet on her left wrist which prevented her from assuming her true form. Max now keeps it in the Rustbucket 2.^[2]

Weaknesses[]

Verdona's raw mana attacks are useless and ineffective against certain species such as Geochelone Aerios.^[8][9]

Most of Verdona's powers can be neutralized by mana disruption grenades,^[10] power dampening headbands,^[11][12] bracelets used by a member of the Synthroid race,^[2] and cuffs from Inspector 13's Techadon factory.^[13]

Verdona can be drained of her energy to the point of either being rendered powerless^[14] or near death.^[2] This can be done by trapping her in runes at midnight and exposing her to moonlight,^[14] or placing her in a machine used by the Synthroid race.^[2]

Relationships[]

Family[]

Gwen Tennyson[]

When Gwen first met Verdona, they both started off on the wrong foot, battling each other. Shocked to see her manipulate mana, Verdona was soon revealed to be Gwen's grandmother. Verdona explained that Gwen had the spark ever since she saw her use her powers and revealed much of her alien powers and background. Verdona then tried to convince Gwen to train with her on her home planet, Anodyne, which would take about seventy-five years to master. Refusing the offer, Gwen decided to stay home. Angered, Verdona tried to force the inner Anodite out of Gwen by fighting her. Fed up, Gwen demanded her to stop and eventually came to understanding terms with her. Verdona flew home and promised to revisit every now and again.

Verdona considers Gwen her favorite grandchild.^[5]

Love Interests[]

Max Tennyson[]

See Article: Relationship with Max Tennyson

Appearances[]

Alien Force[]

Season 1[]

• What Are Little Girls Made Of? (first appearance)

Ultimate Alien[]

Season 3[]

• Girl Trouble (first reappearance)
• Moonstruck (flashback)
• The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2 (flashback; cameo)

Video Games[]

Alien Force[]

• Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks (NPC)

Video Games[]

Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks[]

Verdona appears in Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks where she is instructed by Max to take Ben, Gwen and Kevin to Anur Phaetos.

Trivia[]

• Natalie and Verdona do not like each other.^[1] Matt Wayne called Natalie "a square" on this regard.^{[MW 1]}
• Verdona was merely toying with Ben, Gwen, and Kevin during her debut episode's climax.^{[DM 4]}
• Verdona approves of Gwen and Kevin's relationship, except that it might be keeping Gwen from going Anodite.^{[DM 5]}
• Verdona is not fascinated by the Omnitrix because she thinks it is beneath her^{[DM 6]} and does not find it interesting.^{[DM 7]}
• Verdona stays as an old woman in her human disguise because she likes that body.^{[DM 8]}
• Verdona is any age she wants to be.^{[DM 9]}
• Verdona was slated for a cameo in The Most Dangerous Game Show, but didn't make the cut probably because her model wasn't sent on time to the animation studio.^{[DJW 2]}
  • Her role in the episode would be limited to when Ben's relatives are zapped out by Charles Zenith.^{[DJW 2]}
• In Race Against Time, Max said that Ben and Gwen's grandmother was deceased. This was retconned in Alien Force, as she is revealed to be alive. However, in Ultimate Alien, the events of Race Against Time are stated to take place in an alternate timeline.^{[BTP 1]}
• Verdona's human form in Alien Force was designed by Glenn Wong, with color styling by Chris Hooten.^{[GW 1]}
• Verdona's Omniverse design was created by Dou Hong, based on Derrick J. Wyatt's roughs.^{[DJW 3]}
• In early development of Alien Force, Verdona was meant to be a Plumber.^{[HG Bible 1]}
• Verdona was based on Endora from Bewitched.^{[MW 2]}

Notes[]

References[]

Production Material[]

Hero Generation Series Bible[]

Crew Statements[]

Glenn Wong[]

Derrick J. Wyatt[]

Dwayne McDuffie[]

Matt Wayne[]

Pop-Up Trivia[]

Cartoon Network[]

Ben 10 Planet[]

Characters
Prime Timeline
Tennyson Family	Ben Tennyson • Betty Jean Tennyson • Big Chill's Offspring • Camille Mann • Carl Tennyson • Clyde Fife • Frank Tennyson • Gordon Tennyson • Gwen Tennyson • Joel Tennyson • Ken Tennyson • Max Tennyson • Natalie Tennyson • Sandra Tennyson • Vera Tennyson • Verdona
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Dimension 23	Azmuth • Ben Tennyson • SevenSeven • Tetrax Shard
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No Watch Timeline	Ben Tennyson • Gwen Tennyson • JT • Kevin Levin • Max Tennyson
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