Flash and Betty part 5: Breakups, Bazookas, Black Cat and Ben

As you probably surmised from the title, we will be covering the 90’s! For a series about Betty and Flash as a couple, you won’t see much of them together in this installment. We will be dealing with their first breakup and instead of skipping ahead to their eventual reconciliation, I thought it was important to show what major changes happened to the two of them during their years apart. This isn’t meant to be a full biography of their lives, but while they were apart in the 90’s Betty came off of a major breakdown and changed careers. Flash also changed caeers (alot) but more importantly he had another relationship which was one of the most important ones he’s had. Ultimately it all winds up becoming important when these characters reunite. Part of this is an interlude, but there is some essential stuff here. As with Part 1, I will be including all scenes Flash and Betty share. Sometimes they might not even interact after they break up. I’m including all those scenes regardless for the sake of making this a complete chronicle of their relationship. As with Part 1, I may read into those scenes more than the writers originally intended. Again, it’s being done for the purpose of a complete look at Betty and Flash’s relationship. They may be apart for the majority of this article, but that time apart is important. Let’s dive into it…just how do they break up? What happens? Read on under the cut!

 

We start in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 155. The “Inferno” mess (see last post) is recent enough that Harry is still having trouble cleaning up the mess it made at his chemical plant. He and Flash have a frank talk.

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Single? What? Single? When did that happen? I must have missed an issue. That’s what I originally assumed when I first read this. A big status quo development like this for two major supporting characters must have been mentioned in the books.

As I filled in the gaps to my collection I discovered I was wrong.

One issue they are dating and then one issue they aren’t.

Perhaps it’s a case of different writers not knowing what’s going on? NOPE. Gerry Conway wrote the above scene and he was very aware of Betty and Flash’s relationship. He wrote “Spectacular Spider-Man” issues 148, 151 and Annual 9 which all featured Flash and Betty as a couple.

This isn’t like Glory Grant and Randy Robertson. They were dating and going strong in the Howard Mackie run. When we saw Randy YEARS LATER he was single and so was Glory. They never say they broke up and we are suppose to assume it happened off panel. That was years later and a different set of writers later. This was the same writer and barely more than a month later in the same title. It’s even more jarring because Betty and Flash’s relationship was front and center for some recent storylines like “Cult of Love” and “Inferno”.

According to fact-checking Oracle Jon Wilson, “Spectacular Spider-Man” Annual 9 was published May 16th, 1989. That was the last time we saw Betty and Flash together as a couple. “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 155 was published June 27th, 1989…less than two months later!

Whatever happened to their relationship happened in “off panel land”. I can accept Sha Shan learning about the affair in “off panel land”. I can accept Ned revealing his knowledge of the affair to Betty in “off panel land”. I can accept Flash learning of Ned’s death in “off panel land”. I can accept all that and more.

BUT FLASH AND BETTY BREAKING UP IN “OFF PANEL LAND”?

I know these two aren’t the main characters. It’s not like the Parker marriage ending off panel with no explanation. Even so, these characters were important enough and their relationship had been built up enough that we should have gotten more than Flash mentioning being single.

Did we ever get an explanation? Marvel.com’s biography of Flash states the following,

” Shortly thereafter, Betty and Flash decided they were better off as friends rather than lovers and parted amicably.”

That’s nice, but it doesn’t jive with what Betty says in “Peter Parker: Spider-Man” issue 75. Then again, that doesn’t jive with the issues we’ll be discussing below. I’ll go into more detail about that when we get to “Peter Parker: Spider-Man” issue 75. Either way, the whole thing is a mess.

With no reason for the breakup on panel, we can only speculate. So let’s speculate!

* HIBACHI

When we last saw them in “Spectacular Spider-Man” Annual 9, Flash and Betty had given Mary Jane a hibachi for her birthday. They clearly disagreed on it. Could that hibachi have torn them apart? The next time we see Flash he’s single!

*FLASH SAID SOMETHING STUPID

That seems to be what is implied in “Peter Parker: Spider-Man” issue 75 and some JMD issues of “Spectacular”. We know from the Steve Ditko days that it doesn’t take much to set Betty off. All Flash would of had to do is make an odd comment about Ned or even Bennett. Recovering from a nervous breakdown probably made Betty a tad sensitive.

*ADULTERY

Come on, has Betty ever made it a habit to be monogamous? She did later blame the breakup on Flash, but Betty has cheated before and still made it her suitor’s fault. Still, without actual evidence for adultery, I can’t say there is a strong case for it.

*BAD TIMING

Betty just got out of a cult. It’s only been months (Marvel time) since Ned died. Her sanity is in a very delicate place. She is unemployed. They are both homeless. These types of things are all very big stresses which can easily kill relationships made of much stronger stuff. Betty and Flash’s relationship does not have that strong foundation. Really she is still recovering from her husband’s death, which is a bad time to be in a relationship. I’m no therapist but I can assume that it’s common knowledge that she needs time to take all this in and grieve before starting a new relationship. She didn’t. This probably led to the relationship falling apart. Did she cry about Ned in the middle of the night? Did that make Flash feel inferior that he wasn’t “enough” for Betty? Probably. That most likely put the nail in the coffin of their relationship.

In addition to Flash becoming single off panel, he’s also now unemployed. What happened to the PAL job?

By the way did you note the Felicia cameo? Pay attention that pays off..

We see Flash and Betty in the same room again in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 156. It’s another one of those “the supporting cast gathers to do something to Peter’s apartment” stories.
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Mary Jane is totally Tom Sawyer. She invited all her friends over to paint the house and she is leaving while they stay and continue to do the work. Even her model friends!

Whatever happened in their breakup, Flash is apparently comfortable enough to hit on another woman mere feet away from Betty. And Betty doesn’t react which is very out of character for her. This implies that their breakup was amicable and peaceful. However, seeing Flash talk about his love life while his last girlfriend from a few issues ago is a few feet away from him (without mentioning their relationship) feels very weird. It’s like the elephant in the room. One sentence saying “Ever since Betty and I broke up” would have gone a long way.

The fact that Flash is ALREADY looking for a new girlfriend is odd as well. It’s not like Flash and Betty had a few dates or rolls in the hay and he’s now looking for his next conquest. He was with Betty for months. He stayed at her apartment while he was on the run and she spent a period of time living in his apartment. He fought to free her from a cult and then spent a huge amount of time nursing her back from la-la land. This was a very involved relationship. You’d think he’d need some time after it ends before jumping into the next one. Apparently not. It’s almost as if Flash and Betty never dated. Let me remind you that this is the same writer who wrote them together…a mere few issues ago!

Felicia is spying on Flash again. Like I said, this pays off.

We then enter a running gag in the titles of Flash going through a series of women trying to find “Ms. Right”. It starts off in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 157 where Flash plays the role of fifth wheel.
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I’ve spoken before about double dating with exes in this series. How awkward is this one? For those keeping score…

* Flash used to date Liz.

* Flash used to date MJ.

* MJ used to date Harry.

* Liz used to pursue Peter.

* Peter had a thing for Liz.

Not the most awkward double dating we’ve had so far, but was still worth noting.

Flash’s quest for love brings him to a girl named Sam in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 326.

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Here we have the first acknowledgement of the fact that Flash and Betty once dated. Now Flash wants to be a professional fighter? What happened to him working with the Police League? Or even supervising construction at Osborn Chemicals? We never find out. Throughout the 90’s Flash had a series of jobs and would switch them from writer to writer with no explanation. After one or two more mentions, we never find out what happened to Flash’s boxing career. I suppose he did fail at it like he was afraid of.

The next girl in Flash’s string of bad dates is Blaze, whom we meet in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 327.

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Awww poor Flash. He’s dating a girl just like Betty. His next girlfriend is no prize either. We meet Amber in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 328.

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Is it just me or do all of Flash’s dates have different attributes of Betty? It’s like he split her into three different women who all had one of personality traits. “Love of my life”? While I doubt that is true it does show that Flash is REALLY trying to force something.He’s not searching for a date or a girlfriend, he’s looking for a soulmate. Could have to do with his place in life or just the way his dysfunctional relationship with Betty left a toll on him.

Felicia’s cameos pay off as Flash’s search concludes in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 329.

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According to the critic I mentioned last article, this is Flash’s first appearance since Peter and Mary Jane’s wedding. I suppose those images I posted are lies, but what do I know…they insisted that they are the most well read Spider-Man fan (exact wording).

That is one of my favorite cliffhangers! I love the “cat that ate the canary” look on Felicia’s face! If you read these books, Michelinie uses the cat puns where Felicia is concerned many many many times. It’s not always funny.

This would be a good time to explain what is going on with Felicia at this point. This is actually the first encounter she’s had with Peter since before he was married and their last breakup. In “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 129, her dalliances with Spider-Man and Foreigner (the guy who killed Ned Leeds…see this all ties together) end badly so she flees the country. She returns later to find Spider-Man is no longer living at “their” (as she calls it) Chelsea apartment. She attempts to track him down only to be told by Venom that he got married while Felicia was out of the country. Felicia spies on the Parker’s and their supporting cast (as seen in the scans above) for a while and takes note of Flash.

We later find out her plan is to break Flash’s heart to get back at Peter. Flash is now a victim of revenge sex. It’s kind of like karma because that’s initially how his relationship with Betty began!

Speaking of Betty, we catch up with her in “Web of Spider-Man” issue 63. She’s visiting the graves of Ned and Bennett.

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First she’s talking to Bennett and Ned (as seen on the first page on the book which I didn’t post) but then refers to them in the third person. So is she talking to them or herself? Either way, this talk of a therapist means she’s getting help and seeing a professional. This is what she should have been doing all along instead of throwing herself into her relationship with Flash.

She’s single and on her own rebuilding the pieces of her life which is what she should have done in the first place. The new Mr. Fear comes along and injects Betty with a fear toxin. He has her call Peter to tell him to contact Spider-Man and meet her. Spider-Man goes to the address given and reflects on Betty’s living situation. She still hasn’t come back to work at the paper and Peter and Mary Jane act like they hadn’t heard from her in a while. 

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One of the few acknowledgements from that era of her relationship with Flash. Although “rooming with” kind of downplays it. Does Spidey still think she’s rooming with him? Even after Flash bunked at the “Y” and is now with Felicia? Does Peter honestly think Flash is dating Felicia but coming home to roomie Betty? That would be a situation worth seeing! For the record, Betty isn’t living at that house.

It turns out to be a trap. Mr. Fear and Spidey duke it out while Betty sits fettle position in the corner fighting her fears. The classic “gun in the hands of the damsel with both fighters hoping she’ll shoot the other” scenario occurs. Betty shoots Mr. Fear and “overcomes” her fear of Spider-Man and reliance on men.

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Oddly enough, this story shares some similarities with “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 148. In both stories Betty must fight her fears and in the end overcomes her reliance on men. Both were written by Gerry Conway and were published a little more than a year apart. Betty basically learns the same lesson twice.

With her sanity much more intact than it was before, Betty finally returns to work in “Web of Spider-Man” issue 66.

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At this point Betty is working at Jameson Publications. The Daily Bugle is owned by Thomas Fireheart. Jonah and some other employees went ahead and started a new paper. Glory Grant stayed on with Fireheart leaving Jonah in need of a secretary again.

Any of this sound familiar? The Bugle buidling also gets destroyed and Fireheart doesn’t see a need to rebuild. Jonah winds up with ownership again.

That sound familiar either?

But that is getting ahead of ourselves. Right now it’s Jameson Publications and the Publisher’s secretary is having lunch the with the photographer’s wife (or long term domestic partner).

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“I had to work through that grief before I could get on with my life”

Which is why she shouldn’t have been in a relationship with Flash!!! But I digress…

“Maybe I had to go a little crazy”

That is one odd way of justifying it.

Once again she talks about her breakdown as if it happened after Ned died. More on that in a future article because indisputable evidence on page places it alot sooner. There is a pretty big clue in “Flash and Betty: Part 3” if you could find it.

Betty and Mary Jane talk here as if Betty got through her emotional problems all by herself without the help of her friends. I seem to remember Peter and Flash playing a heavy role in her deprogramming and Flash helping out a ton afterward.

Speaking of Flash, we catch up with him and Felicia in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 337.

Felicia’s internal thoughts reveal her greater scheme for Flash Thompson.

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Is it just me or do all of Felicia’s revenge plans seem to involve sex? She had sex with Foreigner to get back at Spider-Man…now she’s having sex with Flash Thompson to get back at Spider-Man. As I stated before, it’s very fitting that Flash is a pawn in revenge sex since that is what he did to Betty to get back at Sha Shan.

I love Larsen’s rendition of Felicia in panel 2! Her evil face and the script are so melodramatic!

A gang of thugs try to terrorize them but to Felicia’s surprise Flash defends her.

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BACK THE TRUCK UP!

When Spider-Man “stood up for you” and defended you from Sabertooth you swore revenge and framed him for murder. Seriously, go read Peter David’s run. That exactly what Felicia did and exactly why she did it. Go check. I’m not exaggerating.

Either way this begins to change her plans for Flash.

Over in “Web of Spider-Man” issue 69 the BRAND NEW BETTY BRANT gets a brand new job.

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We are still at Jameson Publications at this point. Interesting to note that Betty didn’t get her reporting start at the Daily Bugle. Perhaps this is better for her. She is trying to move on with her life as best she can leaving the baggage behind. Working the same job, at the same building at the same desk as she did when her marriage fell apart may be counter productive to that. New career…new location…then again she is working Ned’s old job. Lots of ways to interpret that one.

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Previous image I scanned: Betty says that it was Jonah’s idea and insistence that led her to becoming a reporter.

This image: Betty says she became a reporter because she was tired of men making decisions for her.

These are both the same issue and within pages of eachother. Sigh.

Betty talks very excitedly about this new career and how important it is to her. It’s her entire focus and self worth right now. That’s why she chews Peter out the next issue when he leaves her to do Spider-Man stuff. She feels he isn’t taking her new career seriously which plays heavily on her doubts.

Betty’s switch from secretary to reporter is one of the few changes in the books that stuck. Funnily enough it almost didn’t. The story was written by Gerry Conway (who wrote lots of Betty centric stories…I suppose he was a fan) towards the end of his run on the Spider-titles. The next few times we saw Betty, she was doing secretary work again. It’s like this was one of those developments either forgotten about or people figured it was a one time thing. I’ve even seen some fans give Howard Mackie credit for making Betty a reporter.

While Betty develops her new career, Felicia develops deeper feelings for Flash over in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 341.

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1) The way Flash is dressed.

2) Air Jordans reference.

It could only be the word of those dastardly 90’s!

Felicia’s plan begins to change at this point. Instead of dating Flash to toy with Peter she decides to just date Flash. By the end of the “Powerless” storyline Felicia loses her powers. She tells Spider-Man she is going to try to live a normal life with Flash and that he must never know she was the Black Cat.

There are MANY failures in logic with Felicia thinking Flash won’t know she’s the the Black Cat (especially since she hints it all the time during this era). Luckily those are addressed later.

Cut to “Web of Spider-Man” issue 77. Jonah is in charge of the Daily Bugle again and is throwing a party at a homeless shelter.

Betty shows up. Flash shows up. Flash has brought Felicia. A recipe for a soap opera confrontation. How does this play out?

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Did Peter just insult Betty?

So what happens when Betty and Flash are in a room together for the first time since he hooked up with Felicia? Absolutely nothing. Just like in part 1, the supporting cast is just there to support. Flash and Betty aren’t driving the storyline and at this point their coupling is “ancient history”. It won’t even be referenced again (someone correct me if I’m wrong) until the end of the “Clone Saga”. Once again, nothing wrong the Betty/Flash/Felicia situation not being explored here. This wasn’t their story. 

Flash continues to protest over the next few panels that he could have sworn it was a costume party. This implies that he directly invited the rest of the gang, including Betty. This and the fact that she is standing so close to Felicia (shoulder to shoulder) and Flash seem to indicate their breakup and current relationship is an amicable one. Once again, this doesn’t jive with later events.

Regarding Felicia’s “secret identity”….she doesn’t have one. Her identity was publicly known in the 80’s. For whatever reason some writers got the idea that her identity was secret. To this day that error still comes out. “Web of Spider-Man” volume 2 issue 12 from last year had Felicia act surprised that Mary Jane knew her real name. And didn’t Felicia make a point of telling Spider-Man that Flash was never to know she was the Black Cat? Well good job throwing him off Felicia!

The supporting cast is all gathered for a party. This could only mean one thing! SUPER VILLAIN ATTACK! The fight leaves the homeless shelter in shambles and the cast is forced to work together to save the building and save eachother.

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 Flash and Betty don’t directly interact, but they all work together during the crisis. Flash and Felicia take a pretty big leadership role.

The above panel has Joy Mercado and Amanda Robertson. Both of them would be replaced by Norah Winters. Norah replaced Joy as the blonde Bugle reporter. Norah replaced Amanda as the woman in Randy’s life. I suppose Randy really likes blondes.

The next time we Flash and Betty in the same room is Peter’s surprise party from “Spider-Man” issue 23.

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You could chose to read into Betty being on the opposite ride of the room that Flash and Felicia are on. Or you could accept it as the coincidence it is. I like to think that perhaps there was something going on in-universe though. Still, it’s not quite as awkward as the Parker wedding.

Look at Amanda Roberston! Next to Randy above the letter “Y”. Her face is creepy! This is the last we see of Betty’s “old look” before we get her next makeover.

The cover to “Web of Spider-Man” issue 91 features Betty holding a gun with the caption reading “THAT’S BETTY BRANT?!”. Inside the book, Peter is walking down the street and is surprised by Betty’s makeover. How does Ms. Brant respond?

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Betty has been on an undercover assignment for months? So now those are okay?

“Betty, I…the kiss…”

“Never mind that. Just listen…”

NO! NOT “NEVER MIND THAT”! You can’t just kiss a married man (a man married to your maid of honor) and then say “never mind”. These things need to be addressed.

I wonder if the “Betty as a reporter” concept would have stuck if Howard Mackie had not revived it here? Turns out that Betty is investigating the Foreigner’s organization and knows too much. People want her dead (aside from me), and Betty wants Foreigner dead since she discovered that it was he who ordered the hit on Ned.

Instead of doing the honorable thing and letting Betty be killed, Spider-Man intervenes.
The story continues in “Web of Spider-Man” issue 92 where Betty becomes Rambo.

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Gosh darn Peter! When have you ever known Betty to handle ANYTHING in a reasonable manner! And now she’s armed!

This is actually one of the most iconic images of Betty. It’s also another bad case of the 90’s. At least they never gave Aunt May and Aunt Anna guns. Nathan Lubensky would’ve been awesome though.

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FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE BETTY HE’S MARRIED TO YOUR MAID OF HONOR! STOP! I wish I could say that this is the last of her flirting with married Peter, but it isn’t.

So she was a secretary but they gave her training in guns and grenades? Okay Howard Mackie, I’ll buy it. She’s decided she won’t be a victim anymore? The same thing she decided at the end of “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 148 or “Web of Spider-Man” issue 63? How many times will she decide this?

During the climax, Betty overhears Foreigner and Spider-Man talk about Ned being the Hobgoblin (a fact Spidey was hoping Betty wouldn’t learn). She had previously repressed her memory of Ned unmasking so this comes as a shock to her. The building explodes and Betty asks Spidey the big question.

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We have some great art by Alex Saviuk there. He is able to convey Spider-Man’s mood behind the mask through body language so well. Those first two panels are great.

As Betty has evolved some secretary to Rambo, Flash has evolved from wannabe boxer (which was forgotten) to ambulance driver (which also gets forgotten later). I wonder what would have happened if Betty’s reporter career was dropped after the first story, but Flash being a boxer had remained.

Flash tried to defend his ambulance from an attack by Tombstone. Remember that Flash’s career as a boxer failed? Well that should give you an idea of how he fared against Tombstone. Flash winds up in the hospital for a few issues and Felicia is an emotional wreck. Mary Jane and Peter realize (for like the third time because the writers keep forgetting) that Felicia is actually in love with Flash and not just using him.

Peter visits Flash in the hospital in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 207 where a medicated Flash reveals his true feelings on the matter.

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The conversation is really interesting and continues for pages where Flash grills Peter on what their friendship means to him, especially now with Harry gone. A very interesting conversation, but I cut it for space. The interesting things to take from this page are..

A) Part of the appeal for Flash in having Felicia for a partner was one upping his friends in the girlfriend department. I don’t think that’s the only reason he was with her (as you’ll soon see), but it was certainly a draw. This makes sense when you see how often Flash tried to double date with the Parker’s when he and Felicia first got together. He wanted to show her off.

B) Notice how quickly Flash dismisses the notion that Felicia is in love with him.

It is worth noting that at this point Felicia has resumed her identity as the Black Cat again with the help of the Tinkerer. She is adamant to Peter and Mary Jane that Flash Thompson be kept in the dark.

Is Flash having his doubts about the relationship or Felicia’s intentions with him? Felicia is also evaluating the relationship. Flash being in the hospital helped her realize some things about what kind of future she wants from him.

Felicia shares her thoughts of that future in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 209.

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And to think that two issues ago he wasn’t sure if she was in love with him. The answer occurs off panel between the two issues. Flash turns her down and breaks up with her. Felicia presses him to change his mind in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 210.

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Flash better have a REALLY good reason for not marrying her! Look at her sitting there BEGGING for him! How often do moments like this come up? Felicia presses Flash for his reasons on why he won’t let her become Felicia Thompson and he finally breaks and tells her..

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WOW! A few reactions to this scene…

1) I’m so glad they decided to reveal Flash knew all along. He responds on the next page “I read the newspaper you know”. Felicia’s identity is public knowledge and unless she has an OMIT of her own, you can’t put that genie back in the bottle. It does make me wonder what Flash was thinking when all those cat puns were going on.

2) On the one hand it does show some growth for Flash that he won’t marry Felicia because he recognizes that he may not be with her for the right reasons.

3) On the other hand, the fact that he admits he was with her because he “thought it would be cool to be THIS close to someone who was THAT close to Spider-Man”….EWWW!

Felicia presses him further and Flash says he knows in the end that he doesn’t fit into her lifestyle as the Black Cat and she’d ultimately wind up resenting him. Seeing that Flash won’t budge, Felicia respects his wishes and leaves.

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What a sad end to their relationship. It must be a cut that effects Felicia to this day.

Oh never mind.

For what it’s worth they did wind up reuniting and getting married in the MC2/Spider-Girl Universe. But as Flash predicted, Felicia did wind up leaving him, only not for the reasons he thought she would. Let’s just say Felicia being a lesbian wasn’t something that originated with Kevin Smith.

Flash and Felicia’s relationship is almost worthy of an article itself (albeit not as long). For the duration of their relationship they were rarely seen without the other one. When they were seen without the other, the other was usually mentioned. They were almost always drawn touching or holding eachother affectionately. The relationship had a lasting effect on Felicia’s character. While they maintained separate residences, Felicia had enough stuff at his apartment that she needed two suitcases when she left. It’s also a relationship that ended in a marriage proposal. Not that it’s important but I don’t think Flash cared for her as much as he did for Sha Shan. Throughout “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 210 he goes back and forth between saying he’ll always love her and not being sure if he loves her. It was a fling for him, but much more for Felicia.

But that’s the end of Flash/Felicia for now. It’ll be dealt with in another format another time with a collaborator.

The traditional supporting cast took a break for most of the Clone Saga with a few exceptions here and there. Flash Thompson changes jobs again and is now the coach at a youth center. Spider-Clone and hoodie wearer Ben Reilly runs into Flash Thompson at a bar in “Spider-Man Redemption” issue 1.

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I know Peter is the star of the book, but it drives me nuts how his supporting characters always coincidentally wind up talking about him when he’s not around. It’s as if they don’t have a life outside of him. Technically for the sake of the book they don’t…but you get the idea.

That scene was written by J. M. DeMatteis. I don’t know if he had planned it at the time, but he later expands upon Flash’s love for the bottle in his post-Clone Saga “Spectacular Spider-Man” run.

Peter winds up in the hospital in “Sensational Spider-Man” issue 7. Darn, during this retrospective we visited Sha Shan, Flash (a few times) and now Peter in the hospital.

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As you can see both Betty and Flash are there….as is Felicia. In the real world it’s a minor detail. In the 616 Marvel Universe, I can’t help but wonder what was going through all three of their heads being in the room together.

Betty bumps into Ben Reilly in “Spider-Man Unlimited” issue 14 and the two hit it off.

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Just look at her! She can’t wait to rub it in Peter’s face!

Interestingly enough Betty has a past with Ben but she doesn’t know it. When Ben first came into town as the Scarlet Spider he and Betty had a brief flirtation in his costumed identity.

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Let it go Betty! He’s married now! If you want to date Ben, then date him. Don’t use it as an opportunity to tease Peter.

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Betty is very happy about this byline. Guess what it’s about? A superhero getting murdered right in front of her as a child is kidnapped (who still hadn’t been recovered at this point). I know this a big step in her career, but can she not be so happy about the circumstances? The date goes well and leads to some kissing…

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Betty! The man is trying to kiss you! Will you shut up about Peter? If I was dating a girl the last thing I’d want to hear about is her ex on the first date…especially during kiss time. By the end of the story Peter gives his blessing and Betty finally finds something to get upset about. Is it the fact that Hobie Brown is critically injured as a result of the events of the story and may never walk again? Is it the fact that people died? Is it the fact that a kid got kidnapped?

Nope…it’s because she didn’t get the credit for it.

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Well that was weird Ben.

Poor Betty…Hobie Brown may never walk again and man will never breathe again…but Betty got scooped…that’s the real tragedy.

The next chronological story is “Revelations” which is the end of the Clone Saga. After years of not being mentioned, the Betty/Flash relationship is finally remembered in “Sensational Spider-Man” issue 11.

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For those keeping track now Flash is a gym teacher in Jersey. Since the start of this post he’s been…

1) Construction Supervisor for Osborn Chemicals

2) Boxer

3) Ambulance Driver

4) Youth Center Coach

5) Gym Teacher at a Jersey school

Redeem himself with Betty Brant? From everything we’ve seen thus far, their friendship appeared to be civil enough. Perhaps they were putting on a front when their friends were around?

We find out more about their breakup and current relationship in “Peter Parker: Spider-Man” issue 75. The supporting cast is trapped in the Daily Bugle.

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Why is Betty mad at Flash all of a sudden? If the breakup was so bad that Betty is this upset, then why has she (as far as what we’ve seen on panel) been able to be so at ease around him during other supporting cast events? She didn’t seem phased when he asked out another girl in “Spectacular Spider-Man” issue 156 and it’s implied he was involved in inviting her to the non-costume party in “Web of Spider-Man” issue 77. The same party where she stood shoulder to shoulder with Flash’s then girlfriend.

Marvel.com’s biography (quoted earlier in this post) and the comics seem to think the breakup was amicable. So what’s going on here? I don’t want to make this a Howard Mackie hate parade, but I feel alot of the blame lies with him. These types of character and history mistakes were abundant during his time on the titles. For example, Liz and Flash are having a very expositiony talk here. Liz already knows most of this information…Flash knows it..why are they acting like they didn’t experience these developments together? Why are they talking as if they haven’t caught up since high school? Liz knows Flash and Peter became friends. Again, these types of things were typical of Howard Mackie written Spider-Man.

At the very least we get the closest thing to a canonical explanation of their first breakup. Flash didn’t know how to handle things with Betty after Ned died. That seems to make the most sense and go along with my theory stated earlier. The question still remains, Howard Mackie aside, what is the canonical reason that Betty is mad at Flash all of a sudden? Has she been holding it in this whole time? Is she mad about something else and taking it out on Flash? Honestly, that would be very in-character for Betty.

The Green Goblin attacks and Ben Reilly bursts in to free the Bugle hostages. Flash tries to stay behind to help little realizing that he’s helping Betty’s current boyfriend. Ben plays “human shield” and gets a glider hit to his back and falls a great height.

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Betty and Ben just started their relationship. He is now dying before her eyes. Foggy Nelson seems more upset about it then she does. Contrast this with her reactions to Bennett’s death or Ned’s death. Heck, contrast it with the image I posted of her watching her cult burn to the ground from my last installment. I suppose that is unfair since all those things were bigger parts of her life then Ben was, but I still feel she should of had some sort of reaction. I don’t know if Howard Mackie was unaware of the “Unlimited” issue preceding this, but for whatever reason no mention is made this issue of Ben and Betty’s relationship. I could see why it wasn’t included. There was alot to cover…

* Norman returned for the first time since the 70’s revealing the secrets of the “Clone Saga”.

* Peter Parker became Spider-Man again.

* Mary Jane and Peter deal with the fallout of losing Baby May.

* Ben Reilly died.

* The long running Clone Saga was concluded.

Taking time out to deal with Ben and Betty’s relationship in an already meaty book could have been sloppy. Still, if this is the issue where Ben Reilly dies, and his girlfriend is in the issue watching him die, I think we could of had some sort of reaction (even one thought balloon) dealing with that. I repeat…BEN DIES IN FRONT OF HIS GIRLFRIEND AND SHE HAS NO VISIBLE REACTION.

When Marvel published a trade paperback for “Revelations” they included some bonus original story pages which have never been reproduced. This has made the “Revelations” trade paperback a much sought after item which can go for a fortune on eBay and Amazon. Much confusion is raised from the fact that that Marvel later titled another Spider-Man trade “Revelations”, but this one was a collection of JMS stories.

One of the original story pages was the supporting cast gathering for a wake in honor of Ben Reilly and the miscarried Baby May. Betty and Flash are both in attendance.

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No Betty/Flash interaction here. They are at the same event though (and it happens to be a wake for Betty’s boyfriend), so it’s included as per my inclusion criteria.

The Clone Saga was an era all it’s own and the end of the era had hints and previews of what the next phase would bring. We were introduced to Arthur Stacy and his role was hinted at. Flash chasing after Betty was there for a reason too. The post-Clone Saga books heavily featured some development in Flash and Betty’s relationship. These two aren’t the same people they were whe they broke up (OFF PANEL!!!!!!!!)….so what happens when they try to come back together? Can Flash wear Betty down and get her back? Will his newfound love of the drink get in the way? Find out in “Flash and Betty part 6: Betty and the bottle”.

Until then leave comments!