Dr. Bruce Banner and the Hulk made their smashing debut in 2008's The Incredible Hulk . It was Marvel Studios' second film to be released.
In this solo movie, the role of Banner was played by Fight Club 's Edward Norton. Before the character's next appearance in 2012's The Avengers , Norton was removed from the role due to off-screen controversy and the character was recast. Mark Ruffalo took over the role of the MCU's Bruce and the Hulk (the latter through motion-capture performance) and has continued played the character in all subsequent Marvel Studios appearances.
Also starring in The Incredible Hulk was Liv Tyler as Dr. Betty Ross. Betty served as Bruce's love interest and main collaborator on the original experiment which caused the accident that created the Hulk.
Betty has not appeared in the MCU since The Incredible Hulk, and many fans have expressed a strong desire for the charcter to return and reunite with Bruce.
NEWS
A new MCU tie-in book, The Wakanda Files, has offered an artist's rendering of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner and Liv Tyler's Betty Ross working side by side in a laboratory. The art is apparently intended to represent a more peaceful time for the two characters before Bruce first transformed into the Hulk. You can check it out below:
WHAT THIS MEANS
Even though Betty Ross hasn't appeared in an MCU project in over a decade, her presence can still be felt somewhat in later installments, particularly in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
In that film, an Iron Man suit is used that's specifically designed to fight the Hulk should he ever lose control. This suit is known as the Hulkbuster but is also given the nickname "Veronica" by Tony Stark. Writer-director Joss Whedon chose this nickname as a bit of a long-shot reference to Archie Comics' Veronica Lodge. In these comics, Veronica is rivals with Betty Cooper for the affection of Archie; Whedon found humor in the idea of Tony Stark calling an anti-Bruce Banner machine this name.
With no MCU film or series centering on Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner on the horizon, chances for Betty's return would seem a bit slim. However, a Disney+ series from Marvel Studios focusing on Banner's cousin Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk is in active development.
Perhaps with the show in pre-production, Betty Ross' potential comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be more within reach than fans think.
