| “ | You made him a fugitive... to cover your failures and to protect your career. Don't ever speak to me as your daughter again. | „ |
| ~ Betty Ross to her father, Thaddeus. |
Elizabeth "Betty" Ross is the deuteragonist of The Incredible Hulk.
She is portrayed by Liv Tyler.
History
She was working at Culver University as a cellular biologist. She was Dr. Bruce Banner's girlfriend when both scientists were recruited by US Army to work on a top-secret bio-tech force enhancement research. After assisting Banner volunteering a gamma pulse experiment that he thought could lead to improving the combat effectiveness of soldiers, an accident in the lab caused Betty to be hurt in coma and taken to the hospital. When she awoke, she found that Bruce had gone, left in search of a cure to his unwilling transformations into a monstrous green humanoid. When Betty returned to work, she found that General Ross had confiscated all of her work and data on the gamma pulse experiment, but she had already made a back-up that she kept hidden in case Bruce ever returned.
Five years after the incident, Bruce returned to Culver University, but not with the intention to meet her. By chance Betty did see him, and and gave him the backed up data she had kept hidden. The next day the pair headed to the Culver University campus, but then Bruce noticed that they were being shadowed. A battle erupted when army soldiers attempted to subdue him, resulting in his transformation into the Hulk. During the fight, the Hulk turned away from his rampage against the soldiers in order to protect Betty, and after saving her from a helicopter crashing on top of her, he picked her up and escaped to the mountains. There, Betty regained consciousness and comforted the green giant, who despite his physical power was visibly distressed by the raging storm outside the cave they were sheltering in.
Later, the pair stayed at a motel for some time leading to an awkward sexual tension when Betty's advances caused Bruce's pulse to race close to his transformation point. They then headed for New York, with Betty financing the trip by selling a valuable necklace that had once been her grandmother's. Once in New York, they met with Dr. Samuel Sterns (Mr. Blue), a correspondent and ally of Bruce, but unbeknownst to them his communications had been traced by S.H.I.E.L.D., who forwarded his whereabouts to General Ross.
In New York, Dr. Sterns administered an experimental antidote for Bruce, which resulted in an erratic series of partial transformations. During his transformed state, the Hulk was on the verge of destroying the laboratory, only to be controlled once again by Betty. The calming effect she had on him caused him to revert fully to his normal human form.
The U.S. Army arrived and arrested Bruce, and brought Betty with them as they left the city on a military transport helicopter. While flying above the city, a report came in about a rampaging green beast loose in the city. Upon determining that the subject of this report was Emil Blonsky in his own transformed state, Bruce requested that he be allowed to try and stop him. General Ross reluctantly agreed, leaving Betty to watch helplessly as her love stepped out of the rear of the helicopter to plunge to the streets far below.
Worried about Bruce embroiled in the battle raging between two hulks New York City, Betty determined to follow him. This drew her into the danger zone where once again Bruce's alter ego was driven to rise above adversity to protect her. In his rage he made a move to kill Blonsky's similarly monstrous form, but Betty's influence restrained him. In the wake of the battle they shared a peaceful moment together, in which he called her name, and then the Hulk fled the scene.
According to Avengers: Infinity War directors the Russo brothers, she was one of many who were killed by Thanos from the snap. In Avengers: Endgame, Banner succeeds in undoing the decimation with the nano gauntlet, reviving Betty and the others who were victims of the snap. It's assumed that Thaddeus reunited with his daughter, and he later attended Tony Stark's funeral to honor his sacrifice in defeating the Mad Titan and his army.
Gallery
Add a photo to this galleryTrivia
- She is the only love-interest of the main superheroes to not appear or be mentioned in The Avengers, and hasn't appeared in any film afterward.
