Origin
Betty Brant first met Peter Parker at the Daily Bugle when Peter was employed by J. Jonah Jameson as a photographer, and Betty replaced her infirm mother as secretary. Betty fell in love with Peter Parker and they dated several times. But one day, Betty’s brother Bennett was implicated in a deal with Doctor Octopus , who then kidnapped Betty. Peter Parker ran to her rescue, but during the battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, Bennett Brant was accidentally killed. Betty blamed Spider-Man for her brother’s death.
Creation
Betty Brant was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in the Amazing Spider-Man #4 (1963).
Mayor Story Arcs
Rocky Relationships
After that, Betty’s relationship with Peter Parker became increasingly strained, and she ended up leaving him for Ned Leeds . When Ned proposed to her, she accepted. However, Ned Leeds was brainwashed by Hobgoblin and became violent, leading gangsters to believe he was the Hobgoblin. He was then murdered. After months of grieving, Betty fell into the arms of Flash Thompson .
A new Betty
After Ned Leeds ‘ murder by Foreigner‘s agents, Betty joined a sect controlled by Mister Fear. This caused for strange and erredic behavior on betty’s part as the weeks went by. Eventually, Peter Parker found out about the sect and Betty was rescued by Flash and Peter’s alter ego Spider-Man. During an invasion of Earth by demons, Betty met
‘s ghost. After this event, Betty became bolder and decided to take matters into her own hands. She become a journalist and acted more tough then ever before. She even started to dress that way too and always took a gun wherever she went. It was time for her to not be a victim anymore.
Hobgoblin Legacy
Betty was determand to once and for all, find out what really happened to her husband. She could not believe that Ned had really been the Hobgoblin. In doing this, she started an investigation on Foreigner and his agents, feeling they had more knowledge about the Hobgoblin’s true identity. She managed to take out a few of Foreigner’s agents and recorded Roderick Kingsley saying he was the true Hobgoblin and that her husband had just been framed for it all those years. Betty went straight to the authorities and, with a little help from Spider-Man, Kingsley was arrested. Betty learned that Flash Thompson was an alcoholic, so she left him as well. Even after he was detoxified and apparently cured, they were unable to make the relationship work.
Daily Bugle and Dexter Bennett
As the Daily Bugle entered a tough time a few months after Civil War, J. Jonah Jameson had a heart attack after getting into a dispute with Peter Parker. Jameson survived, but his wife sold the Bugle to protect his health. Its new editor-in-chief was Dexter Bennett, a sensationalistic and purpose driven reporter. His articles attacked all sorts of people, including Spiderman (whom Bennett called a murderer after bodies were found with spider-tracers) and Martin Li (not for his secret criminal life but for the fact that he endorsed Billy Hollister for mayor). Bennett also renamed the Daily Bugle the DB in order to boost sales.
Sick of Bennett’s actions many DB employees quit and went to work at Ben Urich‘s Frontline: among these people was Parker. Brant, however, wanted a steady job and continued to work with Bennett, who had her write stories she personally believed were inaccurate and offensive.
A chance encounter near the DB building caused Betty Brant to meet J. Jonah Jameson Sr., J Jonah Jameson’s father. Brant recommended Jameson Sr. meet Peter Parker’s Aunt May, a lady whom Brant highly regarded. Jameson did see May and ended up marrying her! At Brant’s birthday, Betty thought Peter Parker was going to throw her a surprise party. She was angry when he did not, and a few hours into their private celebration confronted him about it. He reluctantly admitted that no one would come, people–like Harry Osborn, Aunt May, and Ben Urich–being mad at the work she did with Bennett. Betty admired Parker’s loyalty and decided that despite his odd activities he was a great friend.
Dark Reign
Dexter Bennett wanted Betty to do an article on Mister Negative. Her research led her into a gang war between Mister Negative’s gang and the Hood‘s Crime Syndicate. She got dangerously close to discovering Negative’s identity as Martin Li. Coincidentally Spiderman got involved in the conflict, so Negative quickly touched Spiderman.
Negative’s touch caused people to become aggressive and follow his command, so Spiderman began pursuing Betty with the intent to kill her. His dark resentment over Brant’s articles against him caused him to become impassioned in his quest, and he threw Betty through a glass window. Brant thought of despairing, remembering how costumed characters had caused the deaths of both her brother and husband, but she decided that she wasn’t them and she could survive.
She tied her bloodied sock around a cat’s tail so Spiderman followed the wrong trail of blood. This gave her a head start. While looking for a hiding place Brant met a lady who knew information on Mister Negative. The lady told the story of how her husband had died on a boat and she had been assaulted by a gang wanting to pay his debts for the passage on the boat (the boat was taking illegal immigrants from China to the US).
The gangsters were torturing her to death when Mister Negative came in wanting to kill them so he could take their territory. He did just that and was about to kill the lady, but she told him his story and he stopped (the lady did not mentioned that he briefly transformed into Martin Li). Years later the lady heard that a man had survived the shipwreck and he had the same name as her husband–which happened to be Martin Li. However he was not the same man (the lady was not aware that a gangster had stolen Li’s papers and then been transformed into Mister Negative).
As the lady finished her story Spiderman arrived. The lady, Mrs. Li, tried to protect Betty, but Spiderman knocked her away, stating that Mister Negative wanted her alive. Spiderman then began to choke Betty, who told him that she no longer resented him because she realized he was as much a slave to darker forces as the rest of the world. Upon hearing her words and smelling her perfume, Spiderman began to reflect on the fact that he had dated Brant long before in his civilian identity as Peter Parker (Brant had never been aware of his other identity). Spiderman than managed to expel Negative’s dark forces from his body. Betty felt she would not accomplish anything by investigating Mister Negative and instead wrote a story glorifying Martin Li and sold it to front line.
Power to the People
Electro became a people’s hero as he led a cry for rebellion against big businesses. Dexter Bennett had the government bail out the DB while he had an unreasonable salary, so Electro led a charge against the building. Spiderman stopped him for a while, but Electro’s powers were upgraded and amplified by the support of the city–who turned on all their appliances. In another battle with Spiderman the DB collapsed. It appeared it would not be rebuilt and the business was gone for good. Brant was devastated, as it had been her only job.
Venom
More recently, Betty started dating Flash Thompson again, after he returned from his time in the U.S. Army where he lost both his legs. Betty is unaware that Flash is now also a secret agent for the U.S. government, wearing the Venom suit.
Characteristics
- Gender: Female
- Height : 5′ 7″
- Weight : 125 lbs (57 kg)
- Eyes : Brown
- Hair : Brown
Alternate Realities
On Earth-1610, the Ultimate version of Betty Brant was also a reporter at the Daily Bugle. She investigated the new Spider-Man after Miles Morales donned the suit in an attempt to uncover his identity, but wrongly came to believe that Miles’ father Jefferson was Spider-Man. She tried to get the Bugle to run the story, but Jonah Jameson, repentant over the paper’s treatment of Peter Parker, refused to do so. Betty tried selling the story to some other papers instead, but was killed by Venom before she could do so.
The Betty Brant of Earth-78227 gained spider-powers instead of Peter Parker.
Other Media
Films
Spider-Man Trilogy
Betty appears in all three movies as one of the Bugle staff and J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary. She is portrayed by Elizabeth Banks.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Betty is introduced in the MCU as one of Peter classmates and friend of Liz. She is also a host of the school’s news, along with Jason Ionello. Her physical appearance resembles Gwen Stacy. She is portrayed by Angourie Rice.
Television
Spider-Man (1960s)
Betty was a prominent supporting character in the cartoon, usually presented as a damsel in distress. She is voiced by Peg Dixon.
Spider-Man (1980s)
Betty appears in the serie, voiced by Mona Marshall.
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Betty Brant appears as J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary at the Daily Bugle and is older than Peter. She is voiced by Grey DeLisle.
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Betty appears in the episode “Along Came a Spider” as a reporter from the Daily Bugle. Grey DeLisle reprises her role.
Games
Spider-Man 2
She appears in the game, voiced by Bethany Rhoades.
Spider-Man 3
She appears in the game, voiced by Rachel Kimsey.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Madame Web shows a version of Betty from another universe who became Spider-Girl (Instead of Peter becoming Spider-Man).
Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Betty is referred in a newspaper as the wife of J. Jonah Jameson.