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 make