The Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced many characters since 2008. That said, Betty Ross may be one of the most important of all.

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward in its storyline, the moment is ripe for new characters to make their debut on the big screen. People like the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom are members of Marvel’s retinue that fans have been begging to see for years now. However, while this new phase of the MCU’s existence is the perfect foundation for new heroes and villains, it is also an excellent opportunity to dip into the past and bring back characters that haven’t been seen in years. Characters could bring back a bit of nostalgia for the earliest days of Marvel’s cinematic debut as a film universe.

Betty Ross, a character and pivotal part of the Hulk’s origin story, hasn’t been seen in the MCU since the 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk. While she may not appear alongside Bruce Banner any time soon, her return in Captain America: Brave New World could make crucial use of her background. This could be significant as Betty played a major role in how the Hulk came into existence, and considering the villain taking center stage in the movie, as well as the reasons why the project that made the Hulk was founded, she may be the key to Sam Wilson’s next big problem as Captain America.

Who is Betty Ross?

Betty Ross was Bruce Banner’s first love interest.
She is the daughter of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, an enemy of the Hulk and Secretary of Defense.
Betty was there when Bruce Banner became the Hulk.

Betty Ross first debuted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby) in the 60s. When she made her first appearance, Betty was an intelligent, compassionate, and strong-willed woman who matched the attitude of her father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, a man who would go on to become a principal enemy of the Hulk. She was initially intended to be the romantic partner of Bruce Banner as he grappled with his dual identity as the Hulk and was there during the accident that created the Hulk, having just met and been enamored by the head scientist not even an hour earlier. Unfortunately, loving the Hulk has caused Betty grief more times than not over the course of her life, but the MCU brought a more nuanced approach to her character.

In the MCU, Betty has far more significance to Bruce and the universe as a whole. Here, she is a brilliant scientist in her own right, and it is through her education and work that she met a young Bruce Banner, with the two becoming partners in more than one sense of the word. Right off the bat, they already have more of a rapport than the single hour they knew each other in the comics before Bruce Banner’s life was turned upside down. They had just started their careers when the September 11th attacks occurred, prompting her father to initiate a secret project to recreate the super soldier serum that gave Captain America his powers.

Betty and Bruce were hired under this project, though at the time, they believed their work was to help treat radiation sickness, neither being aware of the full scope of the project. Betty was pivotal in their experimentation, having designed a primer that allowed one to safely absorb gamma radiation without it being fatal. With this new innovation, both scientists realized that they could accomplish far more than just treating radiation sickness. Betty’s primer, if properly tested, could have had the potential to eliminate malignant brain tumors, reverse neurodegenerative diseases, and even bolster the human immune system. It could have been the medical innovation of the century, but they still needed a human test subject to prove that their theories worked.

Betty Ross Helped Create the Hulk

The MCU Betty Ross is a brilliant scientist.
She created the primer that allowed Banner to absorb the gamma radiation that turned him into the Hulk.
Betty’s involvement proved the Hulk could be more than a monster.

Now armed with this new information, Bruce volunteered to be the first human test subject, eager for Betty and him to prove themselves to the general and potentially change the world. During the procedure, Bruce upped the dosage of gamma radiation in an attempt to speed up the results, much to Betty’s objections. The result was his transformation into the Hulk, destroying the lab in a frenzy and injuring Betty. This forced him to go on the run to avoid being captured by the authorities, not least of which was Betty’s father, who wanted any potential asset to the project back under his control. This left Betty to pick up the pieces of her life. She managed to secretly extract all the data she and Bruce had discovered in the course of their work but kept it hidden in the event her former lover needed it again.

Four years would pass before that would ever be the case. During this time, Betty tried to move on, forming a new relationship with a man named Leonard Samson, though deep down, she still carried a torch for Bruce. To her shock, he did return one night, and she convinced him to stay long enough to give him the data she recovered, an act of love that was instrumental in helping Bruce gain something resembling control over the Hulk.

What ensued next was a series of near-death encounters as Betty tried to help the Hulk evade the military’s efforts to capture him. In the process, she proved that the Hulk was capable of more than destruction and rage, as he recognized and cared for Betty, going out of his way to defend her in dangerous situations. Eventually though, the Hulk did have to leave, not only for his safety, but for Betty’s. She was left heartbroken by Bruce’s second disappearance, but the bond between them is still strong even now. She has been referenced a few times within the MCU since then and was even a victim of The Blip back in 2018, but was revived alongside countless others by the man she still loved after so many years.

Betty Ross Could Have an Important Role in the MCU Now

Betty Ross is set to return in Captain America: Brave New World.
She may be the key to defeating its main villain: the Leader.

A few elements about Betty within the MCU make her a distinctly important character compared to her role in the comics. Her involvement in the Hulk’s origins makes her largely responsible for his creation in the first place. That alone makes her one of the most influential people within the MCU due to her knowledge about such a potentially dangerous form of scientific enhancement. Considering that she is appearing in the latest Captain America film, this may factor into Sam Wilson’s encounter with The Leader.

Following Steve Rogers’ departure, the world has been looking for a new Captain America, and while that role has now been filled by Sam Wilson, the various factions that wished to recreate the perfect soldier have renewed efforts to make the super soldier serum again. As Betty came the closest to accomplishing this, it is possible her father has brought her on in an attempt to supervise or even lead new attempts to develop a super soldier in a safer way.

Of course, her upcoming reintroduction to the MCU could also be connected to the main villain of the movie: The Leader. In a way, the villains is also a byproduct of Betty’s work, having been cross-contaminated with Bruce Banner’s blood during the events of The Incredible Hulk. By this point, Betty is probably one of the world’s leading experts on the effects of gamma radiation on the human body. Having her at Sam Wilson’s side might be the key to defeating the Leader, who is a more cerebral enemy than a physical one. Defeating him will require much more than mere physical might; it will take sound strategy and an unexpected factor in the equation to bring him down. Having the woman partially responsible for his creation working against him would certainly be an edge Sam could use right now.

Whatever the case of Betty’s involvement, the fact that she’s coming back at all should be thrilling for long-time fans. It could mean Marvel is attempting to recapture the magic of the first few films for today’s audience, or at the very least, tying past and present together to make it feel like an organic, breathing world. Betty could finally get the recognition she deserves as a character on her own two feet. She is more than just the woman the Hulk loves; she is a brilliant scientist who has contributed to some of the greatest advancements her world has ever seen, and hopefully, Captain America: Brave New World will recognize this.