WEHT: Betty Brant

I've been reading the ASM Essentials Volume 1 and was reminded of the Betty Brant character. The last I saw she was involved with Ned Leeds and he became the Hobgoblin. I cannot remember if they were still involved or if that happened later. Anyway I was just curious to know what became of that character.

They got married and remained so until Ned was killed. (Ned wasn't really the Hobgoblin, but I'll let someone with a better memory of exactly what happened explain that whole mess.)

Betty herself is now a reporter at the Daily Bugle and was a supporting character in the Deadline limited series from last year.

Eric Northcutt

Betty wanted Peter to marry her, but she kept seeing him with Liz Allen and so became jealous and started dating Ned, eventually marrying him for the stability, but they had marital difficulties with him being a foreign correspondant and her being a tart. She had an affair with flash, tried to shag Peter at one point. Got back together with Ned, he was 'revealed' to have been the Hobgolin (another fake, like Lefty Donovan, Flash and others. The real hobby was Roderick Kingsley, a fashion designer who hired MJ at one point, but this wasn't known till years later). Anyway Ned died in Spider-Man vs Wolverine one shot and Betty ended up having a bit more of an affair with Flash Thompson, then briefly joined the cult of love in Web Of Spider-man (issue 30 something I think), which caused the break-up of her and Flash. She changed from secretary to journalist (although since the appearence of Glory Grant in the 1970s she didn't really do much secretary stuff).

I believe she tracked down Kingsley and proved her dead husband's innocence in 'Spider-Man: Hobgoblin lives' a mini-series circa 1997. She's mainly a peripheral character these days since nobody really knows how to write her, mainly serving to intermittantly want to sleep with Flash or Peter.

Oh and she still blames Spidey for the death of her brother in Amazing Spider-man issue 8 or something. In actual fact it was Dr. Octopus' fault though.

The real question these days is of course where is Sha-Shan and how the hell can she possibly fit into continuity given her and Flash's backstory

<< > I've been reading the ASM Essentials Volume 1 and was reminded of the

As a bit of tangentially off-topic trivia, Elizabeth Banks, the actress who portrays Betty Brant in the Spider-Man film, is also in the cast of Tobey (Spider- Man) Maguire's follow-up film, 'Seabiscuit.' She plays the role of Marcella Howard.

Even more trivial: I myself am an extra in Seabiscuit, and can be seen at the railing in the race track scenes yelling, 'Go Seabiscuit,' etc., along with several hundred others.

Did they retcon issue 8? I read it the other day and in it she realises that Spidey was trying to help and that it was Ock's fault that her brother died and not Spider-Man's.

When i was reading spidey in the mid-late 90's, she was actually featured quite often as a respected bugle reporter. Not on the level of ben urich, but she was still trying to get the real story behind things and often took peter along to photograph. I spose that;s a bit peripheral, but she did serve a purpose, and i found her likeable. Then again, maybe i just liked the way luke ross was drawing her .

So did you meet her?

I really liked what they were going for with her, in the two scenes she appeared in. The nerdy/hot, 60's retro, cum hither look giving, classy flirt we all love.