Benton

History[]

Strike of the Serpentine[]

Benton was a member of the Elemental Alliance, fighting alongside the other Elemental Masters against the serpentine tribes during the first Serpentine War. During the Battle of Birchwood Forest, Clouse used Dark Magic to take control of Benton, compelling him to turn against the other Elemental Masters by wielding his Earth powers against them. This betrayal forced the alliance to retreat, allowing the Anacondrai to claim victory, after which Benton created a statue in their honor. However, Clouse eventually lifted the spell, and Benton, regaining his senses, was horrified by his actions. Arcturus coldly expressed gratitude for Benton’s "support," suggesting that he had proven his worth as a warrior. In response, Benton labeled Arcturus a monster, but Arcturus countered by pointing out that the alliance would view Benton as the true monster given his recent deeds. After the Anacondrai departed, Benton remained consumed by guilt until he spotted a flower blooming, realizing it was Brook. Initially thinking she had come to mock him, Benton acknowledged her insight. Brook comforted him, sharing that she had witnessed much since their last encounter and that the world was deeply scarred and suffering. Yet, she remained hopeful, believing that despite the devastation, growth was still possible.

Pause and Effect (flashback)[]

During Ray and Maya's explanation to their children, Benton is shown with the other Masters despite his betrayal, meaning all animosity between him and the other Masters had ended. He helped battle the Time Twins.

Lost in Time[]

After the Time Twins returned to the Battle for All Time in their Iron Doom, Benton fought against them and their Vermillion hordes alongside the rest of the Elemental Alliance. Although the Alliance at first struggled against their seemingly immortal foes, information relayed to them by "Ray" and "Maya" allowed the Alliance to turn the tide against the Twins. However, after the Twins regrouped their forces to rejoin the Iron Doom, Benton and the rest of the Elemental Masters were unable to handle such a powerful foe, being briefly defeated until the interjection of "Ray" and "Maya", who forced the twins to flee.

LEGO.com description[]

15 Years of LEGO® NINJAGO®[]

Benton, father of Lilly and grandfather of Cole, was the legendary Elemental Master of Earth during the First Serpentine War. When Clouse used a spell to possess him, Benton broke free, rejoined the Alliance, and helped lead them to victory. As a result, the Anacondrai were banished to the Cursed Realm.^[3]

Relationships[]

Family[] First Master of Earth (ancestor; deceased)[1] Lilly (daughter; deceased) Lou (son-in-law) Unnamed (daughter or extended in-law; deceased) Cole (grandson) Allies[] Elemental Alliance Kai (unknowingly) Nya (unknowingly)

Enemies[] Serpentine Chen (deceased) Clouse Mogra (former ally) Time Twins (former allies) Vermillion

Appearances[]

Sets[]

• 71858 Four Weapons Blacksmith

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]

Season 4: Tournament of Elements[]

• 40. "Spellbound" (flashback; no lines)

Season 7: The Hands of Time[]

• 65. "The Hands of Time" (painting)
• 66. "The Hatching" (flashback; no lines)
• 67. "A Time of Traitors" (painting)
• 72. "Pause and Effect" (flashback; no lines)
• 74. "Lost in Time" (no lines)

Decoded[]

• 4. "Ninjago's Most Wanted" (video)
• 6. "The Elemental Masters" (video)

Books[]

• The Splinter in the Blind Man's Eye (mentioned)

Graphic novels[]

• Strike of the Serpentine (flashback)

Etymology[]

Benton comes from the rock formation called "Benton Shale". It also shares similarities with the name "bentonite," a type of clay.

Behind the scenes[]

• Benton shares several physical traits with characters from both Ninjago and other LEGO themes:
  • He uses designs from two LEGO The Lord of the Rings characters: Aragorn's face and Gimli's torso.
  • He uses a recolored version of the Samurai Warrior's legs from Minifigures Series 3.
  • He and Chen have the same symbol on the belts of their torsos. This could signify his unwilling allegiance to Chen in the Serpentine War.
  • He has the same helmet as the Golden Master.
  • He has the same torso as two of the samurai warriors pictured in the Battle for All Time painting.

Trivia[]

• In one of the flashbacks in "The Hatching", Wu mistakenly refers to Benton as "Metal".
• In "The Hatching", his torso and leg design appear slightly different, with golden highlights. He wears a different belt with the same design, but a bronze symbol, and a darker shade of gray on the hexagonal shaped area surrounding it, as well as darker belt clasps. This makes him the second member of the Elemental Alliance to wear a variation of their original outfit, the first being Ray. However, he is chronologically the first member to have a variant of his outfit. In "Lost In Time", however, he wears his original outfit once more.
• When asked about how Benton fought against the other Elemental Masters in 2017, Tommy Andreasen responded that the answer would be in his novel, Way of the Departed.^[4] This came true around a week later, when he released Chapter 9 of the story which mentioned that Chen "cleverly used manipulation, deception, dark magic and the hypnotic powers of the snakes to turn Elemental Masters against each others."^[5]
  • In 2022, it was specified in Chapter 13 of The Splinter in the Blind Man's Eye that Benton was manipulated by Hypnobrai hypnosis, confirming what Andreasen had suggested in 2016.^[6]
  • However, it was later retconned in Strike of the Serpentine that Benton had been possessed by Clouse.
• Regarding his age, Tommy Andreasen stated, "You need to be less than 20 to become a parent. Less than 40 to be a grand parent. A grand parent doesn't need to be an old person."^[7]
  • This means that even without the confirmation that Benton is Cole's grandfather, it could be assumed with a high level of certainty that this was the case. As revealed in "The Hands of Time," the Serpentine War took place around 40 years before the start of the series, so if the Master of Earth fathered a child shortly after the war, that child could have gone on to become a parent in around 20 years.
  • According to Chris "Doc" Wyatt, it is possible for a Elemental Master to not inherit their parent's power at birth.^[8] So Lilly may have been born sometime before the Serpentine War. However, It is storngly implied in Strike of the Serpentine that Benton had not fathered Lilly yet, due to him claiming that he had nothing to do before participating in the Serpentine War.
• Benton is the only known Master of Earth who is not known to have unlocked the Spinjitzu Burst.
• According to Tommy Kalmar, there is more in the relationship between Benton and Brook.^[9]

Gallery[]

Minifigures[]

Promotional media[]

In Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]

Season 4: Tournament of Elements[]

Season 7: The Hands of Time[]

References[]