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{{Short description|Marvel Comics fictional character}}
{{Infobox comics character<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| character_name = Betty Brant
| image          = Bettybrant.jpg
| image_size     = 200
| caption        = Art by [[Scot Eaton]].
| publisher      = [[Marvel Comics]]
| debut          = ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #4 (September 1963)
| creators       = [[Stan Lee]] (writer)<br>[[Steve Ditko]] (artist)
| full_name      = Elizabeth "Betty" Brant
| species        = [[Human]]
| homeworld      = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania
| alliances      = [[Daily Bugle]]
| aliases        = Betty Brant-Leeds
| supports       = [[Spider-Man]]<br>[[Agent Venom]]
}}
'''Elizabeth''' "'''Betty'''" '''Brant-Leeds''' is a [[fiction]]al [[Character (arts)|character]] appearing in [[American comic book]]s published by [[Marvel Comics]], usually in stories featuring the superhero [[Spider-Man]]. She is the personal secretary of [[J. Jonah Jameson]] at the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Manning |first2=Matthew K. |title=Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging |date=2012 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0756692360 |page=25}}</ref> and served as both a [[supporting character]] and love interest for Peter Parker, eventually marrying [[Ned Leeds]]/[[Hobgoblin (comics)|Hobgoblin]]. She later became a reporter for the ''Daily Bugle'' and the girlfriend of [[Flash Thompson|Flash Thompson/Agent Venom]].

Since her inception, the character has been featured in various media adaptations, such as [[feature films]], [[television series]] and [[video games]]. In film, she was portrayed by [[Elizabeth Banks]] in [[Sam Raimi]]'s [[Spider-Man (2002 film series)|''Spider-Man'' trilogy]], and by [[Angourie Rice]] as [[Betty Brant (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|a teenaged version]] in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] (MCU) films ''[[Spider-Man: Homecoming]]'' (2017), ''[[Spider-Man: Far From Home]]'' (2019), and ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' (2021) and the web series ''[[The Daily Bugle (web series)|The Daily Bugle]]'' (2021–2022), with Antonina Lentini voicing another version in ''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'' (2023); the [[What If (comics)|''What If...?'']] '''[[Spider-Girl]]''' incarnation of Betty Brant also cameos in ''[[Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions]]'', ''[[Spider-Man Unlimited (video game)|Spider-Man Unlimited]]'', and ''Across the Spider-Verse''.

==Publication history==
Created by writer [[Stan Lee]] and artist [[Steve Ditko]], she first appeared in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #4 (September 1963).<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=60}}</ref>

==Fictional character biography==
<!--Gwen Stacy was NOT Peter's first love, it was Betty Brant. Anyone who has actually read the comics knows this. Please keep fanon out of this article.-->
Betty Brant was born in [[Philadelphia]]. Her mother had originally been the "[[Girl Friday (idiom)|Girl Friday]]" of ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' editor [[J. Jonah Jameson]], and Betty dropped out of high school to become Jameson's secretary at the ''Daily Bugle'' after her mother suffered serious injury. As [[Peter Parker]]'s first love,<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #142</ref> she met him when he became a freelance photographer for the ''Bugle''.<ref name=ASP4>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #4</ref> After they had been attacked by [[Vulture (Marvel Comics)|the Vulture]], Peter had already noticed his attraction to Betty, and was impressed when she stood up to Jameson over publishing slandering articles against Spider-Man. They began dating shortly afterwards, when Betty was impressed by Parker's kindness when taking care of his ill [[Aunt May]].<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #9</ref>

Her secretarial job at the ''Bugle'' was taken to help her brother Bennett Brant pay back his gambling debts,<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #11</ref> which he had acquired trying to pay for their mother's medical bills. Bennett had become friendly with Betty's then boyfriend Gordon Savinski.<ref>''Untold Tales of Spider-Man'' #12</ref> Gordon was into many illegal activities and Bennett eventually took on a gambling debt that he could not pay back to a gangster named [[Blackie Gaxton]]. When Gaxton's thugs came looking for Bennett at the family home, Betty's mother was knocked into a coffee table, resulting in permanent brain damage.

With the help of [[Doctor Octopus]], Gaxton kidnapped both Bennett and Betty as insurance against anyone preventing him leaving the country. Bennett was double crossed when Glaxton refused to free him of his debts and was fatally shot during a melee between Glaxton's gang, Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man. At first, Betty blamed Spider-Man for the death of her brother and told Spider-Man that she never wanted to see him again, although afterwards she realized she had been wrong and that he had only been trying to help. The blossoming romance between Betty and Peter was cut short, when Betty feared that Peter cared more for his classmate [[Liz Allan]].<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13</ref> This misunderstanding led to their relationship finally coming to an end.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #17</ref>

===Ned Leeds===
Soon after Peter and Betty's break up, she started dating fellow ''Daily Bugle'' employee reporter [[Ned Leeds]].<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #18</ref> Even though he soon left for [[Europe]], they remained in contact, writing each other letters regularly.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #23-24</ref> Upon his return, they began dating again,<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #29</ref> and Leeds eventually proposed to Betty. There were signs that Betty still loved Peter, and Peter did his best to alienate her for her own good.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #30</ref> She eventually accepted Leeds' marriage proposal.

After their engagement, J. Jonah Jameson threw an engagement party at his penthouse apartment and their wedding soon followed. Their wedding day was not all smooth sailing as a costumed criminal named [[Mirage (Marvel Comics)|Mirage]] decided to rob all the guests at the top weddings on that day. Spider-Man intervened and Mirage was easily captured. Betty and Ned were married with [[Mary Jane Watson]] serving as Betty's maid of honor.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #156</ref>

Soon after their wedding, Jameson sent both Betty and Ned off to [[Paris]] on an all expenses paid working honeymoon. Betty began to notice a change in Ned as he became consumed by work. While Ned covered an insurrection in [[Cyprus]] she flew back to New York to the consoling arms of Peter.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #184</ref> After discovering Betty's disappearance Ned returned to New York and confronted both Peter and Betty. Ned punched Peter in the jaw and tried to force him to never see Betty again. Peter said he never wanted to see either of them again and that he was only interested in Betty to make Mary Jane jealous, in the hope that this would bring Ned and Betty back together. Advice that Peter had received from a ghostly Noah King dressed as a priest.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #195</ref>

After that, the villain [[Sin-Eater (character)|Sin-Eater]] marks Betty for death, but she escapes his murder attempt.<ref>''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #107 (December 1985)</ref>

Ned's investigative reporting brought an incredible strain on the Leeds' marriage. Following leads on the mysterious new villain named [[Hobgoblin (comics)|Hobgoblin]], Leeds was captured and hypnotized to think that he was the Hobgoblin. During this period Betty turned to her friend [[Flash Thompson]], but he too was framed by the real Hobgoblin and in the process Betty saw Ned dressed as the Hobgoblin threatening Flash. Her mind, already fragile, was pushed over the edge. Meanwhile, a mercenary named [[Jason Macendale]] asked the [[Foreigner (character)|Foreigner]] for information on who the Hobgoblin was and was given Leeds' name. When Ned followed an espionage story to [[Berlin]], under hypnosis he dressed himself as the Hobgoblin and was assassinated by the Foreigner's men. Macendale after thinking the original Hobgoblin was dead, would later adopt the identity of the Hobgoblin for himself.

Betty suffered a complete mental breakdown after the news of Ned's death by the Foreigner,<ref>''Spider-Man Vs. Wolverine'' (Feb. 1987)</ref> and believed him to still be alive. In her state a young recruiter from the Cult of Love was able to persuade her to join their faction under a leader called the Teacher where she was programmed in their ways.<ref>''Web of Spider-Man'' #40 (July 1988)</ref> The Teacher turned out to be a con artist. Flash and Spider-Man figured this out and saved Betty, though she lost everything she owned and had to take up residence with Flash Thompson. During this, the demonic events of ''[[Inferno (Marvel Comics)|Inferno]]'' happened, overwhelming much of New York City. Betty and Flash were attacked by demonic duplicates of Spider-Man and Ned. Betty overcame physical and psychological barriers and succeeded in destroying the monsters.<ref>''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #148 (March 1989)</ref>

After these difficult times, she returned to work at the ''Daily Bugle'' as a secretary under the city editor Kate Cushing. A change in Betty occurred when she became an investigative reporter who successfully tracked down the Foreigner and his assassins and found out the real identity of the Hobgoblin which finally put her mind at rest. She has now become one of the top investigative reporters at the ''Bugle''.

===Deadline===
In ''[[Deadline (Marvel Comics)|Deadline]]'', during her time at the ''Bugle'', she became friends with [[Kat Farrell]] and pushed her to take on the Judge Hart case in order to get a better job at the ''Bugle''.<ref>''Deadline'' #1</ref> She kept a spare key to Kat's apartment in her desk, which fellow reporter Paul Swanson used to break into Kat's apartment in an attempt to scare her off the case.<ref>''Deadline'' #4</ref>

===Brand New Day===
In the "[[Brand New Day (comics)|Brand New Day]]" storyline, Betty became a reporter under [[Dexter Bennett]] after Jameson's heart attack forced his wife to sell the ''Daily Bugle'' to him, and she became the only one of the old circle to remain working at the ''Bugle''. As Dexter was trying to sidestep Betty and make her his "Girl Friday" again, Peter drops hints of a fake family relationship between Betty and the deceased actor [[Marlon Brando]], bolstering her position in Bennett's eye as a gossip reporter.

Betty celebrated her birthday and asked Peter to organize for her friends to come over for a dinner, but due to her work at the new ''DB'', nobody feels like befriending her. In fact, only Peter showed up at her birthday, because he was the only one of her friends that was not angry with her. Initially, Betty was furious at Peter, angrily accusing him of ruining her night until he tells her the truth. She is sad, but he reassures her that everyone will forgive her soon. Betty realizes that Peter really is her best friend.<ref name="amazingspider1">{{Cite comic | Writer = [[Mark Waid]] | Penciller = [[Barry Kitson]] | Inker = Mark Farmer| Story = Platonic | Title = [[The Amazing Spider-Man]]|Issue = #583 | Date =  January 2009| Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]] | }}</ref>

Following the ''DB'''s destruction, she went on to create a successful journalism blog; she is last seen with having gotten back together with Flash.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #648</ref>

==Other versions==
===Ultimate Marvel===
In the [[Ultimate Marvel]] universe, Betty Brant is again the loyal secretary of J. Jonah Jameson at the ''Daily Bugle''.<ref>''Ultimate Spider-Man'' #8</ref> She is a headstrong woman, trying to get by in life and having as much fun on dates as she can get. This version has a considerably different personality as she goes as far as making bets about the deaths of missing co-workers. She also lacks her mainstream counterpart's brown bob hairstyle and instead sporting long black hair (but her design was not concrete at the beginning of the series). She worked herself up into a rage while trying to build the ''Bugle'' website to which Peter Parker took over from her and got his job at the ''Bugle'' as a webdesigner.

Jameson rejects her request to find out more about the disappearance of [[Nick Fury]], alleging that a brief affair with [[Kraven the Hunter]] before his arrest proves that she is incapable of any reporting assignment beyond covering college fashion shows.<ref>''Ultimate Spider-Man'' #121</ref> Sometime after the original [[Spider-Man (Ultimate Marvel character)|Spider-Man]]'s death, Betty later gets the footage of the new Spider-Man ([[Miles Morales]]) stopping some muggers and presents this to Jameson. The story of a new Spider-Man makes the headlines.<ref>''Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man'' vol. 2 #6</ref> Betty is subsequently killed by [[Venom (character)|Venom]] after trying to expose the new Spider-Man's identity.<ref>Bendis, Brian Michael (w), [[David Marquez (comics)|Marquez, David]] (a). ''Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man'' #16.1. December 2012. Marvel Comics.</ref>

===What If?===
{{main|Spider-Girl#Betty Brant}}
In "[[What If (comics)|What If the Radioactive Spider Had Bitten Someone Else?]]", Betty is one of three candidates – along with [[Flash Thompson]] and [[John Jameson (character)|John Jameson]] – who is bitten by the radioactive spider which gave [[Spider-Man]] his powers. After confiding in Peter, and with his assistance, she begins to fight crime under the name "'''[[The Amazing Spider-Girl]]'''", with a mask similar to Spider-Man's but a very different costume. One time, she fails to stop a certain [[Burglar (comics)|crook]], who subsequently murders Peter's [[Uncle Ben]]. The shock over the consequences of her failure makes Betty quit her Spider-Girl identity, although Peter takes up the identity of Spider-Man later on by synthetically recreating and ingesting the irradiated spider's venom.<ref>''What If?'' #7</ref> This incarnation also appears in the ''[[Spider-Verse]]''.

===Marvel Noir===
In the [[Marvel Noir]] universe, Betty Brant is once again depicted as the personal secretary of J. Jonah Jameson at the ''Daily Bugle''.<ref>''Spider-Man Noir'' #1</ref>

===''Spider-Gwen''===
{{main|Spider-Gwen}}
In the alternate reality where [[Gwen Stacy]] is [[Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy)|Spider-Gwen, a.k.a. Spider-Woman]], Brant is the bass player for the high school rock band the Mary Janes. Out of the four musicians (Mary Jane, [[Glory Grant]], and Gwen Stacy), she is shown to have a larger interest in [[death metal]] and darker subjects such as horror. She has a cat named Murderface.<ref>''Spider-Gwen'' vol. 2 #13</ref>

==In other media==
===Television===
* Betty Brant appears in ''[[Spider-Man (1967 TV series)|Spider-Man]]'' (1967), voiced by [[Peg Dixon]].<ref name="TVoBB">{{cite web|title=Betty Brant Voices (Spider-Man)|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Spider-Man/Betty-Brant/|publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}}</ref> This version plays a larger role than other incarnations, similarly to [[Lois Lane]] of the ''[[Superman (franchise)|Superman]]'' franchise, such as being captured by the villain Parafino and supporting Peter Parker and Spider-Man when [[J. Jonah Jameson]] criticizes them.
* Betty Brant appears in ''[[Spider-Man (1981 TV series)|Spider-Man]]'' (1981), voiced by [[Mona Marshall]].<ref name="TVoBB"/>
* Betty Brant appears in ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series)|The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', voiced by [[Grey DeLisle]].<ref name="TVoBB"/> This version is J. Jonah Jameson's secretary at the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' and largely makes minor appearances throughout the series, with her most notable appearances including being repeatedly asked by Peter Parker to his Fall Formal and being interviewed by [[Ned Leeds|Ned Lee]] on whether or not she believes Parker is Spider-Man.
* Betty Brant appears in ''[[The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes]]'' episode "Along Came a Spider", voiced again by Grey DeLisle.<ref name="TVoBB"/> This version is a reporter for the ''Daily Bugle''.
* Betty Brant makes non-speaking appearances in ''[[Spider-Man (2017 TV series)|Spider-Man]]'' (2017) as J. Jonah Jameson's secretary at the ''Daily Bugle''.<ref name="TVoBB"/>

===Film===
[[File:Elizabeth Banks-betty brant.jpg|thumb|right|Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant in ''[[Spider-Man 3]]''.]]
* Betty Brant appears in [[Sam Raimi]]'s [[Spider-Man (2002 film series)|''Spider-Man'' trilogy]], portrayed by [[Elizabeth Banks]]. First appearing in ''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'' (2002) before making subsequent appearances in its sequels, ''[[Spider-Man 2]]'' and ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'', this version is a staff member of the ''Daily Bugle'' and [[J. Jonah Jameson (film character)|J. Jonah Jameson]]'s secretary who is usually seen either passing on messages to Jameson or receiving curt orders from him. While she never dates [[Peter Parker (2002 film series character)|Peter Parker]], she displays a subtle attraction to him in the first two films. Banks stated that she first auditioned for the role of [[Mary Jane Watson (2002 film series character)|Mary Jane Watson]] before taking the role of Brant.<ref>{{cite web|title=ELIZABETH BANKS PONDERS BETTY BRANT'S FUTURE|url=http://www.chud.com/16712/elizabeth-banks-ponders-betty-brants-future/|access-date=22 February 2011}}</ref> She also admitted that the groundwork of the relationship between Brant and Parker is much closer to an office romance than what the two shared in the comics.<ref>{{cite web|title='Spider-Man' Secretary Dishes On Hero's Hookups, Black Suit|website=[[MTV]]|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1527089/spiderman-secretary-reveals-film-details.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629190047/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1527089/spiderman-secretary-reveals-film-details.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2011|access-date=22 February 2011}}</ref>
* The ''Spider-Gwen'' incarnation of Betty Brant appears in ''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'' (2023), voiced by Antonia Lentini. Additionally, [[Spider-Girl#Betty Brant|Betty Brant / Spider-Girl]] makes a non-speaking cameo appearance as a member of the Spider-Society.<ref name="Spider-Verse">{{Cite web |last=Jasper |first=Gavin |date=2022-12-13 |title=Guide to the Weirdest Spider-Men in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Trailer |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/guide-to-weirdest-spider-men-in-spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-trailer |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=[[Den of Geek]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Marvel Cinematic Universe===
{{See also|Betty Brant (Marvel Cinematic Universe)}}
A teenage incarnation of Betty Brant appears in media set in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] (MCU), portrayed by [[Angourie Rice]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-homecoming-adds-nice-908831 |title='Spider-Man: Homecoming' Adds 'Nice Guys' Breakout Angourie Rice (Exclusive) |last=Ford |first=Rebecca |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 6, 2016 |access-date=July 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707143034/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-homecoming-adds-nice-908831 |archive-date=July 7, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> This version's appearance bears a similarity to [[Gwen Stacy]], having long blonde hair and often wearing a black headband.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
* Introduced in the film ''[[Spider-Man: Homecoming]]'' (2017),<ref>{{cite web|title=Angourie Rice Has Roles In Two Of Summer's Most Anticipated Films|date=22 June 2017 |url=https://www.nylon.com/articles/nylon-angourie-rice-june-july-2017|publisher=NYLON|access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> Brant is a student of [[Midtown High School (comics)|Midtown Science High School]], [[Liz Allan (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Liz Allan]]'s best friend, and co-host of the school's news report alongside [[Jason Ionello]].
* In the film ''[[Spider-Man: Far From Home]]'' (2019), it is revealed that Brant was a victim of [[the Blip]] and had to repeat the school year. She later enters a relationship with [[Peter Parker (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Peter Parker]]'s best friend [[Ned Leeds (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Ned Leeds]] on their summer trip to [[Europe]] before they mutually break up while remaining friends.<ref name="AngourieRice">{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/09/30/new-spider-man-far-from-home-set-pictures/|title=Tom Holland Battles A Pigeon in New 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Set Photos|last=Barnhardt|first=Adam|publisher=Comicbook.com|date=September 29, 2018|access-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019121835/https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/09/30/new-spider-man-far-from-home-set-pictures/|archive-date=October 19, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Brant appears in the film ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' (2021) and the web series ''[[The Daily Bugle (web series)|The Daily Bugle]]'' (2021–2022) as an intern for the titular website.

===Video games===
* Betty Brant appears in the ''[[Spider-Man 2 (2004 video game)|Spider-Man 2]]'' film tie-in game, voiced by Bethany Rhoades.<ref name="TVoBB"/>
* Betty Brant appears in the ''[[Spider-Man 3 (video game)|Spider-Man 3]]'' film tie-in game, voiced by [[Rachel Kimsey]].<ref name="TVoBB"/>
* [[Spider-Girl#Betty Brant|Betty Brant / Spider-Girl]] makes a non-speaking [[cameo appearance]] in ''[[Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions]]''.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
* Betty Brant / Spider-Girl appears as a playable character in ''[[Spider-Man Unlimited (video game)|Spider-Man Unlimited]]''.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://marvel.com/universe/Brant%2C_Betty Betty Brant] at Marvel.com
* [http://www.spiderfan.org/characters/betty_brant.html Betty Brant's Profile at Spiderfan.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307093627/http://www.spiderfan.org/characters/betty_brant.html |date=2022-03-07 }}
* {{Marveldatabase|Elizabeth Brant (Earth-616)|Betty Brant}}

{{Spider-Man characters}}
{{Spider-Man}}
{{Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series)}}
{{Stan Lee}}
{{Steve Ditko}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brant, Betty}}
[[Category:Characters created by Stan Lee]]
[[Category:Characters created by Steve Ditko]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1963]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Fictional reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:Fictional secretaries]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics female characters]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics female superheroes]]
[[Category:Spider-Man characters]]