Betty Ross
Betty Ross | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | As Betty Ross: The Incredible Hulk #1 (March 1962) As the Harpy: The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #168 (July 1973) As the Red She-Hulk: Hulk vol. 2 #15 (September 2009) As the Red Harpy: Immortal Hulk #16 (2019) |
Created by | Betty Ross: Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) The Harpy: Steve Englehart (writer) Herb Trimpe (artist) The Red She-Hulk: Jeph Loeb (writer) Ed McGuinness (artist) The Red Harpy: Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (artist) |
In-story information | |
Full name | Elizabeth "Betty" Ross Talbot Banner |
Species | Human gamma-mutate |
Team affiliations | Ancient Order of the Shield[1] Defenders |
Notable aliases | Elizabeth Ross-Talbot Harpy Red She-Hulk She-Rulk Mr. Blue Red Harpy |
Abilities |
Elizabeth "Betty" Ross (later Talbot and then Banner) is a character appearing in
The character was portrayed by Jennifer Connelly in Hulk (2003) and by Liv Tyler in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Incredible Hulk (2008). Tyler will reprise the role in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Publication history
Betty Ross debuted in
Stan Lee originally portrayed Betty Ross as a strong willed and independent-minded, yet conventionally polite woman. Mid-1980s The Incredible Hulk writer/artist
In Hulk vol. 2 #15 (September 2009), she appears for the first time as Red She-Hulk, who was created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness.[7] Loeb said, "We've been very careful with the creation of this character. We wanted to make sure she didn't come off as silly—my memory of the introduction to [the original] She-Hulk—before anyone had read a page. But the character was a completely different take on the Hulk, a Hulk we'd never seen before. Jen [Walters] is a wonderful character. Our intention is [that] Red She-Hulk will make an equally important impression on the Marvel Universe [sic]."[8]
Red She-Hulk is also present in the "
In October 2012, as part of
Fictional character biography
Early history
The only daughter of General
After his dual identity becomes public knowledge Banner becomes a hunted fugitive. But with the help of
As a result of the failed wedding and Banner's relapse into the Hulk, Betty suffers a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized. In an effort by the Sandman to rid himself of his glass like form, the Sandman orders the Dr. Marquand to provide him with a patient with the same blood type as him which turns out to be Betty Ross. As the result of the blood transfusion, the Sandman reverts to his previous form, yet Betty receives the glass properties, which Sandman surmises would eventually kill her.[16] Betty's father recruits Dr. Leonard Samson to reverse the effect by siphoning the Hulk's Gamma and psionic energies to simultaneously cure Bruce and Betty. The result would have permanently cured both of them, if not for Bruce purposefully re-exposing himself to the siphoned Gamma energy, as a means to combat Samson who had also done so, and was subsequently flirting with Betty. This ended in Hulk defeating Samson, yet later on Samson would pursue the Hulk.[16]
Finding him in the aftermath of a battle as the Hulk, Betty hears Banner mumble, "Jarella... my love..."[17] After Banner seemingly disappears from Earth forever, Betty accepts a marriage proposal from Glenn Talbot. While Betty and Talbot are on their honeymoon, her father is captured and sent to a Soviet prison. Talbot takes part in a successful rescue mission, but is captured in the process, held prisoner by the Gremlin at Bitterfrost (a top secret Soviet installation in Siberia), and believed dead.[18]
Becoming the Harpy
The villain MODOK kidnaps Betty and subjects her to gamma radiation, at a higher level than Banner had been subjected to, transforming her into an insane and lethal woman-bird hybrid creature called the Harpy. MODOK tells the Harpy where to find the Hulk and she flies off in search of him. She ambushes him and, after a lengthy fight, knocks him out with her hellbolts.[19] Before she can take the Hulk back to MODOK, however, they are abducted by the Bi-Beast to his city in the sky. Banner agrees to repair the machines that cause the city to float in exchange for permission to use the advanced equipment to cure Betty. MODOK comes to the island and instigates a fight just as Banner starts the equipment.[20] Banner, nonetheless, manages to escape the collapsing city with a now-cured Betty.[21]
Return
Talbot is eventually rescued by General Ross, Clay Quartermain and the Hulk.
When General Ross suffers a nervous breakdown, Talbot returns to the military as a Colonel and it is revealed that he had fired a ray gun that sent the Hulk to the Sub-Atomic universe after the Hulk stormed into Gamma Base, looking for Jarella. This incident proves to be the last straw in Talbot's already deteriorating relationship with Betty, and their marriage later ends in divorce. Blaming the failure of his marriage on Banner, whom he also tried to have court-martialed, Talbot steals the War Wagon prototype and dies in Japan while trying to destroy the Hulk. Betty admits to Rick Jones afterwards that she had never stopped loving Banner all the while she was married to Talbot.[volume & issue needed]
When Betty learns that her father had conspired with MODOK to kill the Hulk, she accuses him of treason. Realizing Betty was right, Ross nearly commits suicide and then disappears.[25]
Banner again achieves a state in which he can control his transformations and maintain his normal personality and intelligence while in the form of the Hulk. But Betty is upset because she wants Banner to be rid of the Hulk, not to control him, and leaves him once again.
However, Banner begins dying as a result of being physically separated from the Hulk. The two are secretly merged once more. Betty soon discovers this. General Ross later dies before his daughter's eyes, sacrificing his life to destroy an unnamed mutant that nearly killed both Betty and Banner seeking a strong host to whom to be parasitically linked.[30]
Betty becomes distraught on learning that Banner had sometimes consciously triggered his transformation in the past and is willing to become the Hulk to deal with menacing threats. Betty leaves her husband and returns to Ramon, but then changes her mind and abandons Ramon as well. She is then captured by the Leader, who sets her free after learning that she is pregnant with Banner's child, but after being tormented with terrible nightmares by the demons Nightmare and D'Spayre, Betty loses her unborn baby.[31]
She is eventually reunited with Banner, but soon afterward the Hulk seemingly perishes in a tremendous explosion at Gammatown. Believing Banner and the Hulk dead, Betty leaves for New York City, where she eventually begins training to become a nun. Betty spends some months in a convent to recover from the ordeal, but eventually reunites with Banner. They spend years living together as fugitives until the Hulk's enemy the
In a later retconned story arc, Betty is seemingly revived by the
Her resurrection is later revealed as a reality-distorting hallucination created by Nightmare, who supposedly raped her in her sleep to conceive his daughter, Daydream.[32][33][34]
Becoming the Red She-Hulk
During the "
After Ross fakes his own death, Betty also appears as herself at his "funeral", accompanied by a
During the "World War Hulks" storyline, after Skaar stabs her with his sword, the Red She-Hulk reverts to her human form, exposing her true identity.[37] Betty explains how she was brought back to life, and asks that Bruce allow her to die. But when Samson arrives, Betty's anger at his betrayal transforms her back into the Red She-Hulk, thus healing her injuries.[38] Now once again in control of her own mind, Betty (as the Red She-Hulk) helps Bruce/the Hulk to reconcile with his son Skaar.[39] When Bruce gains the upper hand in the ensuing final battle against Ross, Betty becomes worried for her father, which, combined with her heightened aggression when transformed, leads to conflict with the original She-Hulk, who prevails. After Ross is defeated and imprisoned, Betty convinces Bruce to grant her father an opportunity for rehabilitation and redemption.[40]
In the aftermath of the Leader's attempted takeover, Betty tells Bruce that they are no longer married, since she was declared legally dead and everyone else knows that Bruce had married Caiera.[41] But in the last series, the Hulk family defeats Fin Fang Foom. Afterwards, Betty and Bruce resume their romantic relationship, but it gets shaky as Bruce becomes obsessed with regaining the power of the Hulk.
During the "
Following the "
During the "Civil War II" storyline, Betty Ross was among those who learned about Bruce Banner's death and ended up mourning him at his funeral.[46]
Becoming the Harpy again
Shortly after Bruce's resurrection during the "No Surrender" arc, he visited Betty's home shortly after her father's funeral and explained that he had not contacted her for months due to emotional turmoil. As they talked, they were being watched by the Bushwacker, an agent of the U.S. Hulk Operations, who had orders to monitor Bruce and possibly kill him. Though the Bushwacker was ordered by General Reginald Fortean not to shoot, he ignored the order and fired his gun. However, he unintentionally hit Betty in the head. Bruce transformed into the Hulk and went after the Bushwacker, but the Hulk was held off by Doc Samson, allowing the Bushwacker to escape. When the Hulk and Samson returned to her house, her body was missing. It was later revealed that she was transformed into a red version of the Harpy when she confronted Jackie McGee on where the Hulk is.[47] The Harpy and Jackie track Hulk to Reno, Nevada, where he is fighting Rick Jones' Subject B form. The Harpy witnesses mercenaries from the U.S. Hulk Operations kill a civilian, causing her to mutilate them. Jackie confronted the Harpy about this action, to which she quoted "But this is me." After reminiscing about her toxic relationship with the Hulk, the Harpy arrived at the location where Subject B has used its acid attack to blind the Hulk and melt his limbs.[volume & issue needed]
After hearing Betty's voice, the Hulk begs for her to help. The Harpy uses her talons to rip open the Hulk's chest. When the Hulk asks why Betty is not acting like his friend, the Harpy thinks "This is me" as she rips out the Hulk's heart and eats it.[48] This caused Rick Jones' Subject B to attack Betty Ross' Harpy. The Hulk revives enough to regenerate his limbs and punch Subject B. The Harpy then continues her attack on Subject B and rips at his stomach to prevent him from emitting acid. During the fight between Subject B and the Harpy, the Hulk gets Jackie McGee to safety as two War-Wagons sent by Reginald Fortean arrive. When in the air, the Harpy dropped Subject B onto one of the War-Wagons as the Hulk destroys the War-Wagons. With Rick in tow after being ripped out of Subject B's body, the Hulk, the Harpy, and Jackie McGee fled the area upon the Hulk seeing Gamma Flight approaching.[49] Some days later, Betty learned to control her Harpy transformations and chose not to be in her human form around the Hulk. After Rick Jones was fully revived, he told them about the U.S. Hulk Operation's base at Groom Lake in Area 51. The Harpy joins the Hulk, Rick, and Jackie McGee into raiding the U.S. Hulk Operation's base.[50] While the Hulk and Gamma Flight fight General Fortean and the U.S. Hulk Operations' soldiers, the Harpy assisted Rick and Jackie McGee, where they found the gamma mutate Delbert Frye in a room with scientist and the U.S. Hulk Operations' lead scientist Dr. Charlene McGowan.[51]
Powers and abilities
The Harpy
As the Harpy, Betty had superhuman strength, stamina, speed and durability with which were even enough to fight the Hulk. She also had big bird-like wings from her back that she used to fly at high speeds through the air and perform aerial attacks. In addition, she could project blasts of nuclear energy she called "hellbolts" from her hands and had razor-sharp talons which were strong enough to cut through metal or carry heavy objects.[52]
The Red She-Hulk
As the Red She-Hulk, Betty has enormous superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability, and a
The Red She-Hulk carries a
Reception
Accolades
- In 2020, Scary Mommy included Betty Ross in their "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic" list.[62]
- In 2022, Screen Rant included Betty Ross in their "10 Best Female Superheroes & Villains Like She-Hulk" list.[63]
- In 2023, CBR.com ranked Betty Ross 5th in their "10 Greatest Hulk Allies In Marvel Comics" list.[64]
Other versions
Heroes Reborn
In the
House of M
In the alternate universe seen in the 2005 House of M storyline, Betty Ross is married to Major Glenn Talbot.[65]
Ultimate Marvel
In the
When the
In the
In other media
Television
- Betty Ross appears in "The Incredible Hulk" segment of The Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Maxine Miller.[74]
- Betty Ross appears in The Incredible Hulk (1982), voiced by B. J. Ward.[citation needed]
- Betty Ross appears in The Incredible Hulk (1996), voiced by Genie Francis in the first six episodes and by Philece Sampler in later episodes.[75]
- Betty Ross appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "Banner Day," voiced by Misty Lee.[75]
Film
- Betty Ross appears in Hulk, portrayed by Jennifer Connelly as an adult and by Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as a child.[76][77] This version is Bruce Banner's friend and colleague at Berkeley and an ex-lover of Glenn Talbot.
- The Ultimate Avengers 2, voiced by Nan McNamara.[75]
- An older Betty Ross appears in Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, voiced by Nicole Oliver.[75]
- Betty Ross appears in Hulk vs. Thor, voiced again by Nicole Oliver.[75]
- Betty Ross / Red She-Hulk appears in Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red, voiced by Laura Post.[78]
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Betty Ross appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Liv Tyler. This version is a cellular biologist who works at Culver University who, along with Bruce Banner, were recruited by the U.S. Army on top secret bio-tech force enhancement research that would go on to turn Banner into the Hulk.
- Ross first appears in the live-action film The Incredible Hulk (2008).[79][80]
- While Ross does not appear in the live-action film
- An alternate timeline version of Ross appears in the animated Disney+ series What If...? episode "What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?," voiced by Stephanie Panisello.[85]
- Tyler will return to portray Betty Ross in Captain America: Brave New World (2025).[86]
Video games
- Betty Ross appears in the Hulk film tie-in game, voiced by Katie Bennison.[75]
- Betty Ross appears in The Incredible Hulk (2008) film tie-in game, voiced by Liv Tyler.[75]
- Betty Ross / Red She-Hulk and her Ultimate She-Hulk forms are available as alternate skins for She-Hulk in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.[citation needed]
- Betty Ross / Red She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Grey DeLisle.[87]
- Betty Ross / Red She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Marvel Avengers Alliance.[88]
- Betty Ross / Red She-Hulk appears in Lego Marvel's Avengers and Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.[89]
- Betty Ross / Red She-Hulk appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight.[90]
Miscellaneous
- Betty Ross appears in Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, voiced by Heather Doerksen.[75]
Collected editions
Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
She-Hulks: Hunt for the Intelligencia | She-Hulks #1-4 and material from She-Hulk Sensational #1 | June 2011 | 978-0785150008 |
Red She-Hulk Vol. 1: Hell Hath No Fury | Red She-Hulk #58–62 | April 2013 | 978-0785165316 |
Red She-Hulk Vol. 2: Route 616 | Red She-Hulk #63–67 | September 2013 | 978-0785184461 |
References
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{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Walters, Jack (2022-06-12). "Jennifer Connelly's 10 Best Movies, According to Ranker". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ^ Poisuo, Pauli (2023-01-29). "Ang Lee's Hulk Is Way Better Than You Remember". Looper. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ^ "LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red (2023 TV Show) - Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 15, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ "Liv Tyler is Hulk's Betty Ross!". ComingSoon.net. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
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- ^ Raymond, Nicholas (22 December 2019). "Avengers: Endgame - Hulk's Snap Had A Touching Betty Ross Connection". ScreenRant. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Avengers: Endgame - Hulk's Snap Had a Touching Betty Ross Connection". Screen Rant. 22 December 2019.
- ^ "Red She-Hulk Powers, Enemies, History | Marvel".
- ^ "What If…? Episode 3 Cast Guide: Every New & Returning MCU Character". ScreenRant. 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
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