What from your characters past is influencing how they act now?
Betty was often left at home with her caring mother which is one of the reasons Betty has the ability to see the person underneath. Her mother always taught her that the surface was always rough and scratched, but it was the underneath that holds the true jewel. It was how she explained her love of General Ross. After her mother died when she was a teenager her father shipped her away to a boarding school, efficiently locking her out. This caused her to become the dedicated worker that she is today, which lead to her intelligence. After the accident when General Ross took away all of her research, well at least he thought he did, she began to mistrust the military and her father. Their final bond was broken when he told her to stay away from Bruce, hence why she tries to avoid all conversations that have him in it. She wants to see what her dear mother saw, but she cannot get past her own rage and hate to do so. Protecting Bruce through the years and the final time she saw him before he vanished lead to her courage, her determination, and her ability to see underneath just like her mother had been able to do.
Her joining at SHIELD allowed her to grow more comfortable with showing her research for others and has slowly allowed her to put her trust back into government agencies. She does not feel like she has to be constantly looking over her shoulder anymore and it allows a certain peace of mind because she knows Fury would not let her father grab a hold of Bruce. Unfortunately, it just reinforces her thoughts that she should not have kids because she is entirely too dedicated to her work and she rather not abandoned them like her father did to her.
What relationships would you like for them to build more on?
So many to choose from….main ones I guess
I would like to build the relationship between her and Steve, simply so she can devoid herself of that poison. I don’t think she will ever be truly able to like him until she learns to see behind the Captain America face. Once she is able to see Steve as Steve she should be able to let go of her hate for him.
Definitely want to build the relationship between her and Bruce, whichever way it may go. She needs to build their relationship between the two to be able to gain that part of her life back. She wants to know about his life after they split and probably be interested in his adventures. Also, she would want to see who Bruce has grown into, replacing the image she had of him when they were younger.
I would love to see her relationship with her coworkers and Tony grow. I could see her and Jane could become close friends, making Science Ladies. They could also just be companions, understanding each other’s pain over losing the one they love, but knowing they are still out there, though their situations may be different. I would like to see if Dr. Eric Selvig could develop a father/daughter type relationship which could help restore her trust in older males. Plus knowing coworkers is always nice.
Is there a specific path you want your character to take? How do you want your character to get there?
There is not really a specific path because I like the flexibility that life offers, though I can say there will be tears and pain, but there will also be laughs and happiness. I want her to become less paranoid about her research and I want her to stop looking over her shoulder every five minutes, worried that her father is going to drag her back and force her to submit to his will again. I want her to lose the poison and hatred from her past so she can truly move forward out of her past. She would also need to start a new relationship with Bruce, one that is not based completely off the old. Also, many, many, years later I want her to grow out of her fear of becoming a parent; but for now she is completely happy with her cat and her research.