As much as Mary Jane Watson might be the be-all, end-all romance for love like Gwen Stacy or Felicia Hardy. But before any of those alternatives emerged, another woman was already the object of Spider-Man's affection.

Spider-Man has had a lot of love interests in his life, from average, everyday women to superheroes. But early in Peter’s career as the notorious web-slinger, he was attracted to his co-worker at The Daily Bugle, Betty Brant. While she more interesting than Mary Jane.

Betty Brant Was the First Real Spider-Man Love Interest

Betty Was There for Spider-Man Before the Rest

While Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy are two of the greatest loves Peter ever had, they were far from the first people romantically interested in Spider-Man. During the earliest stories, the wall-crawler carried a torch for characters like Liz Allan or Sally Avril. However, Peter ran in different social circles than Sally and Liz, and neither of them reciprocated his feelings. However, it wasn’t that long after Peter became Spider-Man that he found someone actually interested in him at his new job, The Daily Bugle.

Betty Brant debuted in the Marvel Universe in The Amazing Spider-Man #4!

Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Brant was introduced as a secretary working for The Daily Bugle’s leading figure, J. Jonah Jameson. Peter was almost instantly smitten by Betty, falling hard for her after she was one of the first voices to defend Spider-Man from Jameson’s libelous claims about the hero. Betty was equally attracted to Peter, appreciating the care he showed for his Aunt May. Within a handful of issues after her first appearance, Betty began dating Peter, making her Spider-Man’s first canonical love interest.

...Betty began dating Peter, making her Spider-Man’s first canonical love interest...

Unfortunately, as quickly as the two’s relationship began, it fell apart just as fast. Betty got caught up in the crossfire when her brother, Bennett, provoked a gangster named Blackie Gaxton over gambling debts, causing Gaxton to kidnap Betty and Bennett. During the event, Bennett was shot and killed, and Betty blamed Spider-Man for his death. Spider-Man’s alter ego didn’t fare much better as Betty erroneously believed Peter had fallen for Liz Allan, bringing Spider-Man and Betty's romance to a sudden and permanent end.

Spider-Man's Had a Lot of Relationship Troubles in His Life

He's Come Close But Happiness Still Eludes Him

Despite the ‘Parker luck’, Spider-Man has a better love life than one would think, and over the years he’s been romantically involved with more than a few women. Many, of course, the ionate romance Peter had with Gwen Stacy. But that love ended in tragedy when she was taken hostage by the Green Goblin and her neck was subsequently broken during a fall. It was a haunting experience for Spider-Man and, unfortunately, not the only time he'd face tragedy with someone he loved.

This infamous tragedy can be seen in "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" in The Amazing Spider-Man #121.

For a good couple of decades, Spider-Man was with Mary Jane Watson. They even got married, and it seemed like nothing could tear the two apart. But the fates intervened during the infamous “One More Day” storyline that saw Peter make a literal deal with the devil. In order to save his dying aunt, Spider-Man traded away his marriage to Mary Jane, erasing decades of love and happiness. While Spider-Man and Mary Jane have attempted to rekindle their romance, it’s unfortunately never stuck.

...it’s just been a string of temporary love interests for Spider-Man...

Since then, it’s just been a string of temporary love interests for Spider-Man, none of which have lasted very long. For a while he was with forensics expert Carlie Cooper, until she deduced his secret identity and broke things off. He was also briefly, but ionately, involved with Cindy Moon, though that was more due to an intense, primal connection due to their shared spider-powers. Off and on relationships have become incredibly common for Spider-Man, with stable, long-lasting relationships just out of reach for him.

There's Something Special About Betty Brant

Years After Their Romance, She's Still There for Spider-Man

So why, out of all the loves in Peter Parker’s long and complicated history, does Betty Brant stand out from the pack? After all, their relationship fizzled out about as fast as many of Spider-Man’s other old flames (and in the case of people like Gwen and Mary Jane, faster). But while many of Peter’s love interests take a break or leave Peter in the wind, Spider-Man and Betty didn’t hold ill will towards one another. They remained close and to this day are still friends who care about one another.

As a love interest, Betty was a wonderful addition to Spider-Man’s lore. She was uncomplicated, down-to-Earth, and kind and, most importantly, she was one of the first people who saw Peter for who he was. Even though they couldn’t make it work years ago, they have a solid relationship now, even if it is platonic. A healthy friendship that’s still going on years after their relationship is hard to come by for Spider-Man, and it makes his connection to Betty that much more valuable.

...Betty was a wonderful addition to Spider-Man’s lore.

It’s almost certainly going to be a while before Spider-Man is ever allowed to settle down permanently (at least on Earth-616). But at the very least, Peter has someone in his life who he has history with, someone who understands the highs and lows of his life and is still around to ground him. It’s hard to say if Peter and Betty Brant will ever become an item ever again, but for now, having her in his life is about as good as it gets for Spider-Man.