In Ben 10,000 Returns, it is revealed by future Ben that Vilgax is alive and will return. Vilgax returns in The Flame Keepers' Circle, where he reveals that he had survived the events of his last battle with Ben. After surviving the explosion created by the fusion reactor on board his ship, Vilgax was left in a weakened state and thus unable to return to his usual form. He eventually washed up on a beach and was discovered by humans who made him into an exhibit at a traveling carnival. Although he was subjected to the indignity of becoming a spectacle for the masses, Vilgax took advantage of the situation and slowly regained his strength until a group of financialists liberated him. The Flame Keeper's Circle discovered him in his squid-like form, believing the intergalactic conqueror to be