Betty Ross

From the very first page of The Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962, Betty Ross has been woven into the DNA of one of Marvel's most enduring sagas — a Silver Age original conjured by the legendary partnership of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over more than six decades of publication, she has remained a constant presence across The Incredible Hulk, Tales to Astonish, and beyond, racking up 233 catalog appearances and 13 collector-significant key issues that speak to just how central she is to the mythology. She keeps remarkable company — sharing pages with Rick Jones, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, Captain America, Tony Stark, and Iron Man — which tells you everything about the weight her stories carry in the broader Marvel universe. If you want to understand the heart of the Hulk's world from its Silver Age origins all the way into the present, Betty Ross is absolutely essential reading.