Betty Ross

Doctor Elizabeth "Betty" Ross is a scientist and professor at Culver University who became infatuated with her colleague Bruce Banner. In 2005, she joined Banner in the Project Gamma Pulse, administering Banner with a primer she developed that allowed him to survive his exposure to gamma radiation and become Hulk. For five years, she was separated from Banner, while her father Thaddeus Ross spearheaded an international manhunt.

In Banner's absence, Ross had begun dating Leonard Samson. In 2010, she became an accomplice of Banner after she was reunited with him in the United States. Together, they went on the run from the Strategic Operations Command Center, until Banner was captured in New York City while consulting Samuel Sterns. During the Duel of Harlem, when Banner was released to fight Abomination, Ross' life was saved by Hulk. Afterwards, she and Banner went their own separate ways.

As a result of her father's relentlessness towards hunting down Banner, Ross' relationship with her father was strained and she ceased talking to him. In 2018, Ross was a victim of Thanos' Snap, but was resurrected by Banner five years later. In 2027, when her father, who had become President of the United States, was attacked, Ross finally spoke with him and listened as he explained how he was trying to change for the better. Ross finally reunited with her father while he was imprisoned in the Raft and decided to repair their relationship.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Childhood[]

Elizabeth "Betty" Ross was born on May 11, 1973 to Thaddeus and Karen Ross. Betty's relationship with her father was at times troubled, but one of their happier memories was walking together through the cherry blossom trees. Her mother died in 1993 when Betty was twenty years old. Ross came up with the epitaph for her mother's gravestone.^[6] Afterwards, Betty always wore a necklace that belonged to her mother, which was the last thing she had that belonged to her.^[2]

Professor at Culver University[]

Later in college, Ross met Bruce Banner, where they fell in love. At Harvard University, both participated in an experiment involving hallucinogenic drugs. After college, Ross and Banner both worked at Culver University as scientists and professors, with Ross teaching cellular biology and Banner working in nuclear physics and biochemistry.^[2]

Gamma Experiment[]

General Thaddeus Ross commissioned the Project Gamma Pulse, designed to recreate Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum from World War II. Both Betty and Bruce Banner were recruited into the program, although they were not informed of the serum's true purpose, instead being told that it would treat radiation sickness. While working on the project, Betty developed a myostatic primer that allowed an individual's blood cells to absorb gamma radiation temporarily.^[2] The scientists also saw the project's potential to eliminate malignant brain tumors caused by radiation exposure, find a remedy for neurodegenerative diseases and strengthen the immune system, but they still needed a patient having its hippocampus exposed to radiation.^[7]

Banner, who had substituted the original serum's vita radiation with gamma radiation, decided to inject himself with both the primer and replicated serum in an effort to impress Thaddeus.^[2] At a Culver University facility, Betty took a picture of herself and Banner before the operation for posterity. She reassured her boyfriend that he could still back out of the experiment if he believed it wasn't ready, but Banner insisted. Betty then gave him a kiss before they commenced with testing.

During the procedure, Banner increased the Gamma Ray Projector's dosage of radiation to speed up the results, over Betty's objections.^[8] Her primer allowed Banner to survive the tremendous amount of radiation he was subjected to. However, this caused him to transform into a giant green monster. With no control over the beast, Banner destroyed the lab, attacking Betty and injuring her, along with their student assistants. As a result, Betty was hospitalized.

Following her recovery, her father ordered that any data regarding the project was to be deleted, forcing Betty to covertly extract the data and keep it hidden, in the event that Banner would require it someday. While being separated from Banner after he became a fugitive, Betty moved on after over four years and began dating Dr. Leonard Samson, one of her colleagues at Culver University.^[2]

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After working all night and missing dinner, Betty and Leonard Samson went to Stanley's Pizza Parlor to eat. Stanley Lieber decided to stay open for them, and as Betty listened to Samson talk, she briefly spotted Bruce Banner by the door. However, when she checked again he was gone. Betty rushed outside the back entrance to find Banner, but found nothing.

Betty went back inside to ask Lieber if Banner was really back, but he did not know what to say. Betty demanded the truth, so Lieber confirmed that she did see Banner. Leaving Samson, Betty drove down the street until she found Banner walking in the rain. Betty got out of her car and she watched as Banner turned around, confirming her hopes that he had returned. The two former partners ran towards each other and hugged tightly. Betty told Banner not to go but instead to come with her back to her home.^[2]

Betty drove back to her house with Banner hiding in the car. Once inside, Betty introduced Banner to Samson. Later Betty listened to Banner talk about what he had been doing the last few years. Banner told Betty about his interactions with Samuel Sterns, who Betty was aware of, stating that his work was unbelievably brilliant. Banner expressed his need to visit Sterns, but wished he had their original data. Betty revealed that she stole the data before the military deleted it and that her father was not aware of her actions.

Banner made sure that Thaddeus did not know anything about the data, so Betty noted that she had not spoken to her father for years. Confused by how extremely cautious Banner was being, Betty asked him why they couldn't just go to her father and talk to him. Banner revealed Thaddeus' intentions to turn what was inside of him into a weapon, which would involve dissecting Banner so that it could be replicated, which was why Thaddeus had been hunting him. Betty asked Banner why he didn't wait for her, but before he could answer, Samson interrupted them for dinner.^[9]

As they prepared to go to sleep, Banner told Betty that he would need to leave early in the morning. Betty questioned if he could stay longer, but Banner insisted that it wasn't safe for him to be around them. Banner asked to borrow some money so he could take a bus, which Betty was fine with, although she asked to walk him to the station, which he agreed to.^[2] Betty went to her room where Samson was and began to cry. Betty laid in her bed alone, as Samson decided to sleep on the couch, and she continued to cry over Banner.^[9]

Battle at Culver University[]

The next morning, Betty discovered that he car's battery had run out so Leonard Samson suggested calling Bruce Banner a cab, but Betty argued against it. Banner joined the conversation, and they decided to walk, although they had to leave separately. Betty decided to meet up with Banner at their bench near the library at Culver University. When they regrouped, Banner asked what they were trying to achieve in their experiment. Betty felt that they were trying to advance humanity, although Banner voiced his regrets.^[9]

Banner spotted the military approaching, so he told Betty to run away. As Banner attempted to escape from the soldiers, Betty followed after them until she found the vehicle that her father was inside. Betty called out to her father, who exited the vehicle, and she tried to tell him to stop, but he ignored her. When Banner was cornered, Betty ran to help him, but she was chased by two soldiers. Betty hit one in the face, but was tackled by the other and was unable to reach Banner.

Betty witnessed Banner transformed into Hulk and fight the military, so she was escorted back to her father's position for safety. When Hulk became subdued by sound waves which were hurting him, Betty begged her father to stop. As Betty cried out, she saw Hulk get back up and destroy the cannons. The soldiers were ordered to fall back, allowing Betty to walk up to Hulk. They were suddenly fired upon by a helicopter, so Hulk shielded Betty, but when the helicopter crashed, Betty was knocked unconscious from the explosion. Hulk picked Betty up and took her away with him.^[2]

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Ross woke up inside of a cave where she was faced with Hulk, which frightened her, causing her to slap Hulk away. Ross watched as Hulk became angry at the storm, which he tried to protect her against. Ross calmed Hulk down, and the two sat down in the cave and watched the rain. They fell asleep in the cave, and when Ross woke up in the morning, she saw that Hulk had transformed back into Banner.

As Banner recovered from his transformation, Ross got them a motel room, where she learned that Banner still had their data. Ross showed Banner what she picked out, including a new heart rate monitor and stretchy, purple pants. Ross then cut Banner's hair, which led to them passionately kissing. Before they could have sex, Banner stopped them, explaining that he couldn't get too excited, which disappointed Ross.^[2] They then discussed their scars, and Ross revealed that not knowing if he was alive was hard for her, and that she never stopped looking for him.^[9]

Banner explained to Ross that they had to ditch anything that could be tracked. Not having much money on them, Ross suggested selling her mother's necklace, which Banner was against, but Ross claimed that they'll have to get it back. After pawning the necklace, Ross paid to use a computer so Banner could send the data to Samuel Sterns, who they organized to meet up with at Grayburn College. After acquiring a car, Ross took a photo of Banner with a camera.

As they drove, Ross asked Banner what it felt like when he transformed and whether or not he remembered anything as Hulk. Banner explained it as a painful experience and that he only could recall fragments. This led Ross to believe that Banner was still aware deep down as Hulk but his mind was just overcharged. However, Banner cut the conversation off by making it clear that he did not want to control Hulk, but instead get rid of him. Nearing New York City, they had leave their car due to police presence.

Ross and Banner quickly made their way off of the bridge where they took a boat to the city. Ross and Banner discussed how they would get to Harlem, with them choosing to avoid the subway as that would be too stressful for Banner. Instead, they took a cab, but that proved to be just as stressful. When they got out, Ross yelled at the driver, leading Banner to note that he had some techniques to help manage her anger, but she did not want to hear it.^[2]

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Ross introduced herself and Bruce Banner to Samuel Sterns at Grayburn College and they went to his office to talk. Sterns talk about the potential cure for Banner, explaining that he was unsure if it would work, as well as whether it would kill Banner. Despite the risks, they still decided to conduct the experiment.

Moving to Sterns' lab, Ross helped Banner prepare to receive the antidote. Before they began, Ross held Banner's hand, although Sterns advised against that. Sterns then shocked Banner to induce a transformation into Hulk, and once he had fully transformed, Ross told Sterns to administer the cure. Hulk began to break out of his restraints, so Ross climbed on top of him to calm him down. The antidote began working and Hulk reverted back to Banner, leading to the three to believe that they were successful.

Afterwards, Sterns voiced his excitement over what he had just witnessed, but Ross told him to focus, wanting to discuss what had happened. Sterns detailed how he suspected that it was Ross' primer that was responsible for keeping Banner from dying of radiation poisoning when he was exposed to gamma radiation. Sterns then revealed he had been experimenting on various subjects using Banner's blood, but Banner demanded that he destroy all of the samples. Ross witnessed as Banner was shot with a sedative, and when Emil Blonsky entered, he pushed Ross aside and knocked out Banner.^[2]

Duel of Harlem[]

Soldiers arrived to arrest Bruce Banner and they brought him outside to be taken away. Betty went along with Banner, where she was stopped by her father. Betty told her father that she would never forgive him, but he tried to justify that Banner was a fugitive. Betty clarified that Thaddeus made Banner a fugitive, and she sternly told him to never speak to her again as his daughter.

Betty and Banner were taken to a helicopter, but as they flew away, they overheard a soldier call Thaddeus, reporting that they were encountering Hulk in the streets. Betty and Banner went to investigate and discovered that Emil Blonsky, one of Thaddeus' soldiers, had transformed into Abomination and was on a rampage. Banner told Thaddeus to release him so that he could fight Abomination as Hulk. Thaddeus grudgingly approved, and as Banner went to jump out of the helicopter, Betty stopped him, begging him to not, as she didn't know whether he would even be able to transform. Banner stated that he had to try, and he kissed Betty before diving out of the helicopter.

Betty watched as Banner transformed into Hulk and fought against Abomination. When the helicopter opened fire at Abomination, he grabbed onto it, with Hulk attempting to pull Abomination off. The helicopter was dragged down and crashed onto the ground, with Betty and her father being the only survivors inside. Betty moved to her father and helped him get up so they could get out of the helicopter. As Hulk and Abomination resumed their fight, the helicopter's fuel line burst, causing flames to engulf them, but they were saved by Hulk, who put out the fire.

Betty and Hulk looked at each other, but their moment was interrupted when Betty saw Abomination attack Hulk from behind. Betty and her father exited the helicopter, but before they could get to safety, Abomination spotted them and went to kill them both. They were once again saved by Hulk, who defeated Abomination, but as Hulk was strangling him to death, Betty called out to Hulk to stop. Betty and Hulk shared a brief moment together, in which he spoke her name, before fleeing as more authorities arrived.^[2]

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Following the Duel of Harlem, Ross went to visit the Statue of Liberty. There, she was called by Leonard Samson, who wanted to know if she was safe. Ross asked if Samson reported Bruce Banner, leading to the military finding him, and he admitted that he did because he was scared. Ross forgave Samson, but told him that she was not returning.^[9] Ross looked at the picture of Banner she took on her camera. Sometime later, Ross was mailed her mother's necklace, which had been purchased by Banner under the pseudonym "David B".^[2]

Estranged from Her Father[]

Ignoring Her Father[]

Betty continued to distance herself from her father, refusing to speak to him, having still not forgiven him for his actions against Bruce Banner.^[6] In 2018, Betty was a victim of the Snap.^[5] Five years later, Betty was restored to life in the Blip.^[10] When Thaddeus was elected President of the United States, he attempted to contact Betty several times, but she ignored all of his calls.^[6]

Father and Daughter Reunited[]

In 2027, Betty was called by her father and she finally decided to answer. Betty apologized for not calling after he had been attacked at the White House. Thaddeus told Betty that he had made a lot of mistakes, but was trying to be better. He then suggested they go for a walk together to see the cherry blossoms, which Betty agreed to. However, Thaddeus was imprisoned in the Raft after his incident as Red Hulk, so Betty went to visit him. Thaddeus told Betty they would need to reschedule their walk, but Betty replied that they could just sit and talk instead, which made both of them happy, now finally together again.^[6]

Personality[]

Betty Ross is a kind-hearted and gentle individual. She is impressively intelligent, hard-working and resourceful and is shown to be a skillful and charismatic scientist. However, despite her relative happiness, Betty possessed hard relationships with her father Thaddeus Ross. Betty also had a tragic past, as she lost her mother. This was also a tragedy to her father, as well, but they became temporary enemies nonetheless, as Betty had helped Bruce Banner, who was hunted by Thaddeus. It took time for her father to realize his mistakes and finally join and help Banner.

Abilities[]

• Genius-Level Intellect: Ross is highly intelligent, mainly in the areas of biology and radiation. She helped Bruce Banner develop a version of the Super Soldier Serum, but this version failed as it turned Banner into the Hulk. After graduating, she went on to become a professor at Culver University, the college that she went to.
• Master Scientist: Ross is exceptionally skilled in several fields of science, even majoring in it. She successfully teaches a class at Culver University and even helped in the Project Gamma Pulse. She also had part of the idea of how to help Bruce Banner when they met Samuel Sterns.

Facilities[]

• Culver University: Betty was a professor at Culver University, where Betty and Bruce Banner met and worked on experiments together, until an experiment turned Banner into the Hulk. Betty later began dating one of her colleagues, Leonard Samson. Betty reunited with Banner at Culver University and witnessed a confrontation between Hulk and her father at the university.
• Leonard Samson's House: While helping Bruce Banner run from her father, Betty took Banner to Leonard Samson's house, where Samson agreed to help them. They spent the night and discussed their predicament.

Relationships[]

Family[] Thaddeus Ross/Red Hulk - Father Karen Lee Ross † - Mother Allies[] Bruce Banner/Hulk - Ex-Boyfriend, Former Colleague, and Resurrector Culver University Leonard Samson - Ex-Boyfriend Stanley Lieber - Friend Samuel Sterns Berry Dennis Sam Wilson/Captain America

Enemies[] Harlem Cab Driver † Emil Blonsky/Abomination - Attempted Killer Thanos † - Killer

Appearances[]

In chronological order:

Trivia[]

• In the comics, Betty Ross was married to Glenn Talbot for a time. She suffered a mental breakdown after Talbot was believed dead and M.O.D.O.K used gamma radiation to transform her into a green-skinned, winged creature known as the Harpy. After being returned to normal and marrying Bruce Banner, she was poisoned to death by the Abomination after receiving a transfusion of his irradiated blood, but reappeared to aid Bruce using the codename Mr. Blue. She later appeared as the Red She-Hulk and gained a third gamma transformation called Red Harpy, after being shot in the head.

Behind the Scenes[]

• Betty Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second live-action incarnation of the character, following an incarnation portrayed by Jennifer Connelly.
• Joss Whedon said that the reason why the Hulkbuster is named Veronica is a reference to Archie Comics character Veronica Lodge, who is a rival to Betty Cooper: "I just decided to call [the armor] Veronica because [Banner] used to be in love with a girl named Betty and Veronica is the opposite of that."^[11]
• Captain America: Brave New World director Julius Onah said that it was a "no-brainer" to bring Liv Tyler back as Betty Ross for the film due to the character having some scenes with her father Thaddeus, as Betty "just has this real humanity to her. The relationship she ends up having with Thaddeus Ross in this film is a real big part of his journey of trying to cement his legacy and redefine who he has been as a human being and as a leader".^[12] There were versions where Tyler appeared much earlier in the film, but Onah felt very important she should appear at the end as she was what her father was being deprived of, thus making sense for him to give Ross a sense of longing by keeping Betty out of the story as a presence hovering around the film's edges. Despite her excitement and curiosity at reprising her role, Tyler was a little nervous due to wanting to honor her character, but her admiration to Harrison Ford led her and him to discuss what the Rosses may have done over the years and shot her part "wonderfully".^[13]
• Brittney Banks was a stunt double for Liv Tyler in the role of Betty Ross.
• Lenka Matuska was a stand-in for Liv Tyler in the role of Betty Ross.

References[]

External Links[]