Betty Brant
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Betty Brant is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #4 (September 1963)
She was originally portrayed as the personal secretary for The Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson and a romantic interest of Peter Parker, Spider-Man’s alter ego who works as a Bugle photographer.
She subsequently enters into a disastrous marriage with Ned Leeds, a Daily Bugle reporter. After Leeds’ death and many years of turmoil, she emerges as a top reporter for the Bugle.
Her appearance may have been inspired by Flo Steinberg, who worked for Marvel Comics at the time as a secretary for Stan Lee.
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[edit] History
Betty's mother had originally been Jameson's "girl Friday" and Betty took the position after her mother's death. Peter Parker (secretly Spider-Man) and she were attracted to each other because Betty wanted a normal, ordinary man, and they were romantically linked. However, her brother was accidentally murdered during a fight with Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, and she blamed Spider-Man. A year later, Betty broke up with Peter, and she eventually married Bugle reporter Ned Leeds.
However the marriage proved turbulent as Ned was often posted overseas. When he was stationed in Paris she found the life impossible and left Ned to return to New York. She turned to Peter Parker once more and the two had a brief affair. However Ned followed her home and she was caught between the two men. Peter regretted getting involved with Betty again and allowed the affair to break abruptly, driving her back into the arms of Ned.
Later on in the series, it became clear that Ned Leeds was in fact the villain Hobgoblin, although this fact was later retconned into Ned's having been a pawn of the real Hobgoblin. As Leeds became more hostile, Betty drifted into the arms of old friend Flash Thompson. A jealous Leeds framed Thompson as the Hobgoblin, but when the two battled, the Hobgoblin's mask slipped, and Betty discovered that Ned and the Hobgoblin were one and the same. This revelation, coupled with Ned's murder by the Foreigner, sent Brant over the edge into insanity.
Betty joined the Students of Love cult, led by the Teacher, before being saved by Flash and Spider-Man. Flash and Betty drifted apart as Betty recovered. She rejoined the staff of the Daily Bugle as an investigative reporter whose newfound courageous assertiveness and investigative skill impressed her colleagues. She finally cleared Ned's name when she revealed that Roderick Kingsley was the real Hobgoblin. She remains a recurring character in the Spider-Man comics.
[edit] Ultimate Betty
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Betty Brant is once again the loyal secretary of J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle. She's a headstrong woman, trying to get by in life and having as much fun on dates as she can get. She first appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man #8.
[edit] Other media
The character has appeared in the Spider-Man 1960s animated series, voiced by Peg Dixon, where she was a prominent supporting character much in manner of Lois Lane. As Betty Brant receded into the background in the comics in favor of other love interests, particularly Mary Jane Watson, she appears as a much more minor character such as in the feature film series as played by Elizabeth Banks.
Elizabeth Banks reappeared in Spider-Man 2 as Betty, and will reappear in Spider-Man 3. However she most likely will not begin dating Peter, since he already will be involved in the love triangle with Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.
