Ben Paul (Video Game)

"I swear, before this is all over, I'm gonna show you I can do something right. I'll prove it to you, you'll see."

- Ben promising his help to Lee.

Ben Paul is an original character who first appeared in Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: Season 1. He is first seen in "Starved For Help" with a group consisting of his teacher, as well as a fellow student. Although kind-hearted, Ben often puts the group in danger by making poor or cowardly decisions, and is the one who caused the chain reaction of events that occur in "Long Road Ahead" and "Around Every Corner".

Rural, Georgia
Ben had a younger sister and was a high school student who played in his school band in his native town of Stone Mountain. He was traveling with the band on the way to the football playoffs when the outbreak occurred. They took shelter in the school gym for a while, but departed after an undetermined period of time. It was there that he learned that to become a walker you don't need to be bitten. He discovered this when one of the cheerleaders committed suicide through an overdose, reanimating soon afterwards. It is presumed he stayed with the group until bandits (possibly from the Save Lots) raided their camp. He soon fled with Travis and David Parker into the woods. During a conversation, Ben revealed that he used to work on a goat farm during the summers and it was revealed that Ben didn't know what happened to his parents and his sister.

"Episode 2: Starved for Help"
Ben is first seen in the woods with his friend Travis and his band teacher, David Parker. David's leg is caught in a bear-trap. Based on Lee's decision, either David will be left to be eaten by the walkers, Travis get panicked and accidentally get shot by Mark, or David will be freed but Travis will get distracted and attacked by walkers who eat him alive.

Ben is present later on when David or Travis dies from blood loss and becomes a zombie. He tells the survivors that they do not need to be bitten to turn, revealing that everyone is infected. He is also seen accompanying Lee, Mark, and Doug/Carley after meeting the St. John brothers, Andrew and Danny. After discovering some bandits, they arrive at the St. John family dairy where they meet Brenda St. John. Ben, along with Carley/Doug, head back to the Motor Inn to tell the others about the dairy and stay behind to watch the motor inn while they are gone. Ben appears later on with Doug/Carley, but only after Lee, Kenny, Lilly, and Clementine escape the meat locker. Lee informs them of the situation before they abandon the dairy when it becomes overrun by walkers. Ben partakes in looting an abandoned car they find before the end of the episode, stating that they now have plenty of food.

"Episode 3: Long Road Ahead"
At the start of the episode, Ben is shown to be on lookout duty while Kenny and Lee were scavenging supplies in Macon. When questioned, he denies breaking the flashlight and stealing supplies. Later, he is captured along with the others by the bandits but manages to escape with the rest in the RV.

Partway through the journey, Lilly questions Doug/Carley and Ben about being a traitor and manages to pull them outside while Kenny clearing a walker from under the RV. Doug/Carley and Lilly get into a heated argument while Lilly berates Ben and threatens both him and Doug/Carley repeatedly. The following action depends on Lee's decision to save between Doug or Carley in Episode 1. If Lee saved Carley, Ben witnesses Lilly shooting her in the head while the group is distracted. If Lee saved Doug, Lilly will try to shoot Ben, but will accidentally shoot Doug instead. Afterwards, Ben heads back into the RV.

Ben is noticeably depressed for the rest of the episode. When the survivors reach the train wreck, Ben helps Lee search them and ends up starting the brakes by pushing a flashing button that gets Lee on track to starting up the train. Later he is seen sitting with Clementine, Chuck, Katjaa, and Duck and innocently eating candy given to him by Chuck. Ben remains leaning over the railing in between the two carriages, noticeably depressed, and eventually reveals to Lee that he was the one who made the deal with the bandits for food in exchange for protection that eventually led to the deaths of Doug/Carley, Katjaa, and Duck and led to Lilly snapping and leaving/being kicked out. He is evidently remorseful. Depending on Lee's decision, Lee tells him to keep it to himself no matter what or that Lee is tempted to kill Ben for his choice.

"Episode 4: Around Every Corner"
Ben is walking the streets towards the waterfront with the rest of the group. When walkers attack the group on the street, he is cornered with Clementine. Lee yells at Ben to help her, but he runs off instead in fear of being eaten but in all the panic he forgets to grab Clem and just runs himself. In the Crawford House, Ben tells Lee that he has gotten to know Kenny better and that he wants him to know that he is responsible for Katjaa and Duck's deaths. Lee can then either tell Ben that this is a good or bad idea. Later, Ben removes the hatchet from the door Lee put in while helping Kenny, this causes zombies to break into the classroom at Crawford. Ben, saying that he cannot live with the blood on his hands, though Lee may be able to. Ben then admits that it was his fault that Katjaa and Duck are dead. Kenny goes ballistic and rushes at Ben out of rage but is held back by Lee and Vernon. Lee can either defend Ben, be against him, or make the group vote if they want Ben to stay with the group. They say "no", but if Clementine comes to the Crawford and asks if she has a vote, Lee can respond "yes" or "no". If he says "yes", Clementine will reveal that she was friends with Ben, and friends don't leave friends behind. This will sway Christa and possibly Lee's opinion on the situation. Brie then asks if she will have a say. The door is then bashed opened by the group of walkers which leads to her being devoured. The group then run up the stairs to the top of the bell tower. While the group is escaping through the window in the bell tower, Ben is grabbed by a walker hanging on the bell. After Lee shoots the walker, they lose their balance and drop down, Lee is still in time to grab his arm. Ben asks Lee to let him go, so he and the others can escape. Lee will have the option to save him or let him go.

Drop Ben (Dead)
If Lee lets him go, he falls down the bell tower and breaks his legs. Lee escapes by climbing the ladder out of the Bell Tower. You then witness Ben screaming and getting devoured by walkers alive.

Save Ben (Alive)
Saving him results in him going down the ladder with Lee, albeit noticeably depressed at missing his opportunity to die/redeem himself. If Lee saved Ben, he is seen with Christa, Omid, and Kenny after Lee got bitten. If Ben joins Lee in searching for Clementine, Ben promises that he will prove himself to Lee.

Let Crawford take care of him (Dead)
If Lee doesn't shoot the walker hanging on the bell tower (Crawford Oberson) when he's grabbing Ben, the bell's rope breaks and the result is that Ben falls, break his legs, and then is devoured by walkers alive.

"Episode 5: No Time Left"
Ben will continue to appear in this episode if Lee saved him in Episode 4. If Lee did save Ben, then after Lee and anyone that was with him return to the mansion, then Kenny will start to get angry with Ben. After Kenny says that Lee should have left Ben in Crawford, Ben tells Kenny off, exclaiming that he is sorry for what he has caused, but says that Kenny was lucky that he had time to say goodbye to his family before they died, and that he doesn't even know if his family is alive or dead, or worse.

After breaking through the wall in the attic of the mansion, the group will proceed to jump across a small balcony. It breaks as Ben tries to jump across, and he falls. When Kenny and Lee go down to the alleyway to rescue him, Ben says he's okay, but when removing objects on top of him, it is revealed the balcony arm impaled Ben in the stomach. When walkers see the three of them, Kenny pushes Lee away into a gate to protect him, telling Lee to find Clementine. As walkers start to attack, Kenny shoots his last bullet, or if Lee gives Kenny his bullets, he shoots multiple bullets. It can be assumed that Kenny shot Ben to put him out of his misery, and if Kenny received multiple bullets, he may have put himself out of his own misery. The fate of Kenny is unknown, but it can be assumed that Ben is dead.

"400 Days"
In Shel's Story, the remaining survivors of the cancer support group align themselves with Roman, Shel, and Becca as allies at Gil's Pitstop. Depending on the in-game choice in Episode 5, and if Ben stayed behind to guard the boat, he will be mentioned by Boyd as the "teenage boy" when speaking about the past experience of having stolen Kenny's boat in Savannah.

Killed By
As the survivors are escaping from Crawford, a loud bell rings behind Ben. He covers his ears, and unfortunately gets grabbed by the zombified C. Oberson who had been hung from the bell. Lee then readies his shotgun and aims at Oberson's head and shoots. If Lee doesn't shoot Oberson then Ben falls to his death.
 * Crawford Oberson (Zombified, Determinant)
 * Lee Everett (Caused, Determinant)
 * Zombies (Determinant)

If Lee lets go of Ben, Lee watches Ben fall and break his legs, causing the nearby walkers to attack and devour him alive.

Killed By
If Ben is saved by Lee in Episode 4, he will fall off a loose balcony in an alleyway in Savannah. When Lee and Kenny try to help Ben, they discover that the rung of the balcony has impaled his stomach. Ben's screams attract walkers and they get trapped. Kenny saves Lee by locking him behind a gate and then uses his last round to shoot Ben in the head out of mercy, as it was Ben's worst fear to be torn apart by walkers. Kenny couldn't leave him which implies that he had finally forgiven him for his actions. After Lee hears the gunshot, he will start crying.
 * Fall from roof (Caused)
 * Kenny (Out of Mercy)

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Ben has killed:
 * Tess (Indirectly Caused)
 * Carley/Doug (Indirectly Caused)
 * Duck (Indirectly Caused)
 * Katjaa (Indirectly Caused)
 * Brie (Indirectly Caused)
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Non-Canon Deaths
If Lee fails to complete certain tasks, it is possible for Ben to be killed. These deaths are considered non-canon and result in a game over. Lee will then re-spawn and be allowed to try again. Below is a pictorial list of when Ben can die.

"Episode 3: Long Road Ahead"

Relationships
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Lee Everett
"God...poor fucking kid. He didn't deserve any of that."

- Lee about Ben's death.

Lee has his doubts about Ben but accepts him as a part of the group. However, this relationship becomes strained after discovering that Ben is partially responsible for the bandit attack which forced them to leave the motel. In "Around Every Corner", Lee is visibly angered with Ben as he ran away from zombies that endangered Clementine while he was in a position to help. Lee may not blame Ben for the bandit attack as he knows that Ben never meant for any of it to happen and attempts to show Ben that he trusts him as much as anyone else in the group, or he may be mistrustful and frustrated towards Ben to the point where Lee can allow him to die in Crawford.

If Ben escapes Crawford, then, after Lee is bitten, Ben will trust Lee to decide whether or not Ben should go with him to search for Clementine. However, if Lee leaves the decision up to Ben, then Ben's decision will depend on his relationship with Lee; if Lee has not shown him much faith and support in the past, then Ben will decide to stay behind, but if Lee has always tried to support and defend Ben, then he will willingly accompany Lee out of gratitude.

Throughout "No Time Left " Ben will prove instrumental if he is taken to the morgue to find Clementine. Ben will save Lee's life when Lee misses the jump off the bell tower (Determinant). When the group traversed up into the attic for safety from the walkers in the house, Lee, in a hurried state, dropped Carley's gun, which was Lee's last momento of her. Ben, however, will pick it up and give it back to Lee.

If Ben is saved, he is impaled on the rung of the balcony after it comes loose when Kenny jumps across. Lee can either choose to leave Ben with Kenny, or exclaim he's not going anywhere, causing Kenny to forcefully shove him out into a gate. After Ben's death, Lee is extremely depressed, saying that he didn't deserve any of it.

Clementine
"Ben's nice. He's my friend. We don't leave friends behind."

- Clementine defending Ben.

Clementine appears to be Ben's closest friend in the group, their friendship began when Clementine showed him some of her drawings to help him take his mind off what has just happened to Travis and David, Ben later finds some stickers and gives them to Clementine for her walkie-talkie. In Episode 4 their relationship takes a serious hit when Ben Paul, left Clementine to the walkers, due to his fear of getting eaten. If taken to Crawford Clementine showed concern for herself when she was paired up with Ben. if she is taken to Crawford then she defends Ben from the rest of the group who are considering leaving him behind, If Ben dies in Crawford then Clementine is upset and if he survives then Clementine is concerned about him as he's clearly shaken up. After Clementine is kidnapped Ben is unsure about what to do, because while he wants Clem to be safe his confidence is at an all time low so he fears that if he tries to help he will make things worse, making him unsure about what to do.

Carley
"Fuck evidence. Stop treating him like this!"

- Carley defending Ben from Lilly's accusations.

Carley told Lee she thought he made the right decision bringing Ben and his group back to the motor inn. Carley seemed to have trusted Ben, as she brought him back with her to the motor inn and trusted him to help her guard it while everyone was gone. Episode 3, if Lee tells Ben his secret, Carley will doubt Ben was able to understand the information that was given to him. After the bandit attack, Lilly begins to question both Carley and Ben, accusing them of giving supplies to the Save-Lots Bandits. The two will defend one another, showing they have become friends. Carley will aggressively defend Ben against Lilly's accusations and after Carley is shot by Lilly, Ben is shocked and extremely guilt-ridden, as he was the one truly giving the bandits supplies. The guilt over Carley's death, along with Katjaa and Duck's, makes Ben reveal to Lee that he was the one who gave the bandits supplies.

Doug
"Evidence or not, this isn't a way to treat one of us."

- Doug to Lilly defending Ben.

Ben and Doug become friends during Episode 2, the depth of their friendship is never properly explored but during Episode 3 Doug tried to stand up for Ben when Lilly aggressively accuses Ben of stealing supplies and saves Ben from Lilly's attempt to murder him at the cost of his own life, an event that left Ben visibly shocked.

Kenny
"I never made it home. They could be alive, or dead, or walkers or WORSE, and I DON'T KNOW, SO GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!"

- Ben, standing up to Kenny.

Kenny and Ben have a slow developing relationship because Kenny doesn't trust him to be on watch and thinks he panics too much. But he does trust him to look after Duck while he is out scouting for supplies or fixing the RV. Kenny is knowledgeable of Ben's dealings with the bandits. However, he found out what Ben did, and Kenny's initial reaction was to kill him, ultimately leading to the end of their friendship. If Ben was killed in Episode 4, Kenny will tell Lee he did the right thing.

If Ben was saved however, Kenny tells Ben that Lee should have left him to die, Ben stands up for himself after Kenny's constant threats, telling him that he is still incredibly sorry for what happened to Kenny's family and never meant to hurt them. He goes on to state that he himself never even saw his family after the outbreak and Kenny at least had the time to say goodbye and the knowledge of what happened to them. This causes Kenny to finally understand where Ben was coming from and begins to pity him, eventually admitting to Lee that he was glad Lee saved his life in the end after hearing about Ben's wish to die. When Ben falls and gets impaled, Kenny would eventually give his life to protect Ben and use his last bullet to make sure Ben doesn't get eaten alive and reanimated by the Walkers.

Lilly
"She scares the crap out of me."

- Ben, referring to Lilly.

Ben and Lilly were never friends. Lilly never trusted Ben or found him particularly useful and Ben was scared of Lilly. Any chance they had of forming any kind of positive relationship was destroyed after the Save-Lots Bandits attacked and drove them out of the motel. Ben was Lilly's prime suspect if Lee saved Doug in Episode 1. When she tried to discover who was giving their supplies to the bandits and aggressively interrogated Ben to the point where he was completely terrified, Lilly didn't relent even when Carley/Doug and possibly Lee defend him. This ends with her murdering Carley or attempting to murder Ben and accidentally killing Doug instead. Ben is shocked by this and admits to Lee that he doesn't know what he would have done to her although he would have considered leaving her behind.

Omid
"Holy fuck! What are we gonna do?!"

- Omid showing his concern for Ben after he falls.

Omid and Ben are not seen interacting very much, but it can be inferred that Omid does not have a lot of faith in Ben. If Ben was saved in Episode 4 and is the only member left behind when Lee goes looking for Vernon he says, "Are we sure about leaving the boat here with only Ben to guard it?" However, if Ben is killed in Crawford, he will quickly notice his absence when the remaining group returns and if Ben is saved, he will show concern for him when Ben appears depressed. When Ben falls off a loose balcony (Determinant), Omid panics and asks the group what they should do. After hearing of Ben's death, Omid was deeply saddened.

Larry
"But nothing! She's making the smart choice. Those parasites you guys brought back need to go!"

- Larry to Mark and Lee, saying that Lilly is right in kicking Ben and David/Travis out of the group.

For the short while Ben knew Larry, he was scared of him because of how vulgar he was, and selfish. Larry wanted Ben and David/Travis to be kicked out of the group and leave because they would just be more mouths to feed.

Katjaa
Ben and Katjaa had a stable relationship. However, it is assumed by some that Katjaa would've been furious with Ben if she lived long enough to find out that Ben was the one who was giving supplies to the bandits and inadvertently caused her son to get bitten during the Motor Inn attack.

Trivia

 * Lee can choose to give one of the pieces of food to Ben, although it is said that it is an unpopular choice with the group. This is also shown in Episode 2, "Starved for Help", among players as Lee has to decide who to give food to. 19% of players choose to feed Ben.
 * Ben was often relegated to babysitting duty.
 * When you talk to Ben on top of the train after you meet Omid and Christa, he will say that if walkers get a hold of him, and he knows he can't make it, he'll kill himself.
 * If Lee fails to convince Kenny to stop the train, Kenny forcibly shuts Lee out of the compartment. Lee returns to the rest of the group in the train car, who have been killed off screen by a reanimated Duck. Ben's corpse is the only one shown. This is considered a game failure and spawns a reload.
 * In Episode 2, Ben's hood is white while in Episode 3 and onward it is shown to be red.
 * Ben was the only member of the group being unable to cut Lee's arm off on his own (if the player decided to go with him only), having Lee to do it instead. Ben will pass out at the beginning of the procedure.
 * Kenny also was unable to cut Lee's arm off if the player brings him with Christa and Omid, making Christa do it instead.
 * Ben is considered to be an inept combatant.
 * In Episode 5, if told to "Kill anything that gets in!", he will respond with "You know you're talking to ME, right?".
 * When Lee drops his Glock, Ben hands it straight back to him, telling him "I'm not good with these".
 * According to unused audio clips, Ben witnessed a lot of traumatic events, one of them being his classmates being raped to death by bandits while he was forced to watch.
 * Ben was named #7 in Game Informer's "Top 10 Dorks" in their "Top 50 Games of 2012" article.
 * During Telltale's live streaming of Episode 4, it was confirmed that Ben died a virgin.
 * Ben is one of two characters Trevor Hoffmann has voiced, the other being Justin.
 * Ben and Justin share some similarities:
 * Both were voiced by Trevor Hoffmann.
 * Both are the tallest member in their group.
 * Ben alongside Carley and Doug, are the only characters from the game who can die in a different episode if not saved. Carley and Doug can die in Episode 1, depending in who is saved and die later in Episode 3, both shot by Lilly, in Ben's case if he is pulled up by Lee in Episode 4 he will die in Episode 5, killed by Kenny in a mercy kill.
 * All of Ben's victims are killed indirectly.
 * Regardless of the player's actions, Ben's demise is always related to a fall from a building.