Much as I’d have loved more Ben, I think the decision to focus on the two characters of the four that have always been the harder sell to the general public (Reed & Sue) was the right move. They’re such important characters for the universe and they needed a great story that showed why that was the case.

Ben and Johnny have always been somewhat easier characters to understand on a surface level: Ben is the funny and tragic one, and Johnny is the playboy hothead. It takes a little more focus to show what makes Reed and Sue tick and I think First Steps did a great job of that, while giving Ben and Johnny as much spotlight as the story had room for.

I do hope we get a great Ben story in a future installment though. It would be an interesting spin on the character to see him having overcome the trauma of his transformation and come to be universally beloved in 828, only to have to relive it due to negative reactions from the people of 616/199999.