Betty Ross
Betty Ross is a female comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Elizabeth Ross
When she was young, she was smoking when she heard her father coming and she attempted to hide the cigarettes behind a radiator. Her father found the pack and she attempted to lie by saying it belonged to a boy. Thaddeus Ross then decided to use this as an opportunity teach his daughter a lesson where he bought a pack of cigarettes that he forced her to smoke in order to weed out the habit as he believed any habit done in excess was weakness. (Hulk v2 #16)
Incredible Hulk
Under the name Mr. Blue, she began to provide information to the Hulk and to help him. She did not want a relationship with Bruce but felt obliged to help him. (Incredible Hulk v2 #34)
Red She-Hulk
Unknown to anyone, Betty was actually placed in cryogenic suspension by her father until he found find someone that could cure her of the cancer. This saw him turn to the Leader and his allies among the Intelligencia who transformed her into the Red She-Hulk where they stripped her of her free will and turned her into their agent. (Incredible Hulk v1 #610)
In the chaos, she intervened to save Bruce from Doctor Doom who she knocked out of the Helicarrier where she intended to reveal her origins to Banner but came to be speared by Skaar's sword causing her to revert to her human form. (Incredible Hulk v1 #609) But was content to die and refused to turn back into her Red She-Hulk form until Samson arrived with this provoking an emotional response that triggered Betty's transformation with this saving her life. She then participated in the events that led to the defeat of the Intelligencia. (Incredible Hulk v1 #610)
As Red She-Hulk, she continued to seek thrills and went into the forbidden forest in New Guinea where for weeks she battled the various creatures inhabiting the area. It was then that she discovered an ancient pyramid and came upon the Terranometer world computer. The device absorbed her sword and gave her the location of Eleanor Bennett who was a port into the system. Betty then decided to track Eleanor down in her human guise where the connection with the young girl exposed her to the prediction of the Terranometer. It showed the creation of the Echelon Project by General Reginal Fortean with this spiralling into a superhuman war which threatened to destroy the planet. Haunted by this vision, she decided to stop the project as the Red She-Hulk but her efforts only further spurned the development of the program that imparted superpowers into military volunteers. Ross was then joined by Machine Man who came to learn of her vision and the two worked together to stop the possible end of the world. (Red She-Hulk v1 #61)
She continued her work with the Order of the Shield which was when the Terranometer revealed that Bruce Banner would be responsible for an extinction-level event. Thus, she had the Order arrange for an assassination attempt on Banner on the condition that it was painless. This resulted in a hired agent shooting Banner in the head and leaving him comatose for a time. It was then that she was approached by Rick Jones who revealed to her that the Hulk's newest persona Doc Green had embarked on a mission to purge the world of gamma radiation. This saw him targeting any gamma mutate and removing their powers with a new serum he had created with Jones being one of the victims as he was no longer A-Bomb. Doc Green then arrived with Betty transforming into Red She-Hulk as she did not want to lose her powers. However, she learnt that Rick had slipped the cure into some tea she drank earlier and she was returned to being a baseline human once again. (Hulk v3 #8)
Red Harpy
After being turned human again, the Order of the Shield stopped responding to her attempts at contacting them and she was no longer affiliated with the secret society. (Immortal Hulk v1 #14)
She attended her fathers funeral where she was shown not to had been saddened at his demise and wondered if he was truly dead. After returning home, she was reunited with Bruce where she expressed her anger at him being in hiding as she had mourned him when she believed he had died. During their talk, she was shot in the head by Bushwacker who was an operative for Shadow Base and had defied orders in an attempt to assassinate Banner. In anger, Bruce transformed into the Hulk to avenge her death but was unaware that her body was regenerating as she was among the many gamma-powered beings that had become immortal and resurrected during the night. (Immortal Hulk v1 #14) She was transformed into a new monstrous form that resembled a cross between her as Red She-Hulk and as the Harpy where she was found by Jackie McGee who was tracking the Hulk. The pair worked to find him where they found a town being isolated by mercenaries working for Shadow Base who had deployed a new version of the Abomination against the Hulk. This Abomination was a twisted monstrous merger between Rick Jones and Emil Blonsky that was made as a living weapon tailored to fight the Hulk who was critically wounded in the fight. After Betty killed the mercenaries, she arrived on the scene but rather than aid the Hulk she tore out his heart and consumed it. (Immortal Hulk v1 #19)
Overview
Personality and attributes
At one point, she went under the code name of Mr. Blue where she would pass information to Bruce Banner through the internet. (Incredible Hulk v2 #34) Following her resurrection, she was transformed into a red-skinned gamma mutate where she was known as the Red She-Hulk. (Hulk v2 #16)
Her relationship with her father was noted for being troubled as she noted that he was a difficult man. It was because he expected greatness even from his child and as such he did not tolerate weakness. (Hulk v2 #16)
After becoming the Red She-Hulk, she became filled with anger and rage where she enjoyed letting loose. (Incredible Hulk v1 #610) A psychological assessment stated that she suffered from classic symptoms of high anxiety and mental instability. She was also diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder led to her being volatile. In addition, she suffered from a long history of mental repression and poor coping abilities. These led to symptoms of depression and bipolar tendencies that resulted in irrational hostility along with a variety of other mood disorders. It was said that the slightest imbalance in her psyche and loss of sense of control could trigger a dangerous emotional response. (Incredible Hulk v1 #606)
Powers and abilities
She was later cured of her gamma radiation poisoning by the Leader who subjected her to the Cathexis Ray turning her into a red-powered gamma mutate. (Incredible Hulk v1 #610) This saw her being given enormous superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability along with a healing factor that allowed her to easily survive normally fatal injuries such as stab wounds to the leg and abdomen by Wolverine's claws. (Hulk v2 #16) Ross came to classify her as being a Category 4 threat. (Red She-Hulk v1 #63)
For a time, she was shown to had improved regenerative abilities allowing her to resurrect even from fatal injuries that killed her. (Immortal Hulk v1 #16)
Notes
- Betty Ross was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where she made her first appearance in the Incredible Hulk v1 #1 (May, 1962).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In The Marvel Super Heroes, Betty Ross appeared in the 1966 animated television series in the Hulk segments where she was voiced by actress Peg Dixon.
- In The Incredible Hulk, Betty Ross appeared in the 1982 animated television series where she was voiced by actress B.J. Ward.
- In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Betty Ross appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "Banner Day" where she was voiced by actress Misty Lee.
Films
- In Hulk, Betty Ross appeared in the 2003 live-action film where she was portrayed by actor Jennifer Connelly who played her as an adult with actor Rhiannon Leigh Wryn portraying her as a child.
- In Ultimate Avengers, Betty Ross had a supporting role in the direct-to-video animated film where she was voiced by actor Nan McNamara.
- In Ultimate Avengers 2, Betty Ross had a supporting role in the direct-to-video animated sequel where she was once again voiced by actor Nan McNamara.
- In The Incredible Hulk, Betty Ross appeared in the 2008 live-action film where she was portrayed by actor Liv Tyler
- In Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, an older version of Betty Ross appeared in the animated direct-to-video film where she was voiced by actor Nicole Oliver.
- In Hulk vs. Thor, Betty Ross made a brief appearance in the animated direct-to-video film where she was once again voiced by actor Nicole Oliver.
Video games
- In Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Betty Ross was only referenced in the 2005 video game where her name is seen in her father General Ross' file.
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Red She-Hulk appeared as a playable character in the Facebook video game starting from Special Operation 32.
- In Marvel: Future Fight, Red She-Hulk appeared as a playable character in the setting of the mobile video game.
Appearances
- Incredible Hulk v1: (1962)
- Incredible Hulks v1:
- Defenders:
- Incredible Hulk:
- Red She-Hulk v1: #58
- Hulk v3:
- Immortal Hulk v1:
- Defenders v6: (2021)
External Links
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