Betty Ross Banner

Few characters are as deeply woven into the emotional fabric of Marvel's gamma-irradiated corner of the universe as Betty Ross Banner — a Bronze Age stalwart who first stepped into the spotlight in The Incredible Hulk #158 in 1972, brought to life by the remarkable creative trio of Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, and Herb Trimpe. Over more than five decades of publication, she has remained a constant presence across The Incredible Hulk, Hulk, and the celebrated Incredible Hulk by Peter David Omnibus, sharing the page with titans like the Hulk himself, Bruce Banner, Rick Jones, Iron Man, and Samuel Sterns. Her S.H.I.E.L.D. affiliation speaks to a life lived at the intersection of superhuman chaos and human consequence, and her longevity from 1972 all the way through 2024 is a testament to how indispensable she is to Marvel's green-tinged mythology. For any collector tracing the human heart beating at the center of the Hulk's world, Betty Ross Banner is absolutely essential reading.