Among the most prolific of those populating the sidelines of heroic adventures are the fair maiden, the love interest that can never aspire to more because the hero's cause is greater than his feelings for her. Two such lassess are the focus today, Tracey and Allison Corelli.
Allison was the daughter of retired Judge Corelli, a personal mentor of attorney Thomas Troy (aka the Fly or Fly-Man, as he was known at this point in his career). Over the course of time, his visits included passing moments with love lorn Allison, always seeking an audience with him.
So as is often the case, she felt maybe a different hair colour might attract her potential suitor. And it seems on this particular occasion, when Troy learns that the world hates his insect identity (through the secret machinations of an imprisoned enemy), he almost gives pause to consider taking Allison's hand in marriage. Ah but how would she view the Fly? Would she also feel the same as the rest of the world or would she accept him as either man?
Alas, she too fell prey to the attitude directed at our hero, and she didn't just stop hurling hurtful words but a flying stone to break his bones (not a chance of happening).
In her last appearence, a mysterious villain known only as the Blockbuster became affair of the Fly's attachment to the judge and his daughter, and attempted attacking them both. By this time she had dyed her roots back and had long since made ammends with the Fly. After a timely save, he flew off and never more graced the presences of his erst-while romance. He would leap into the arms of Kimberly Brand, aka Fly-Girl .
When we're introduced to Ted Kords future love interest, Tracet is already employed as his long-suffering faithful lab assistant. After a thug breaks into the lab and knocks out the Beetle, Tracey takes matters in her own hands. While she's ineffective and used as a projectile for the Masked Marauder you remember him, don't you, she still shows her compassion for her saviour. However she also begins suspecting in that there is more than it seems where this bug and her boss are concerned.
During this period of time, a pesky officer named Fisher is sniffing around some the disappearence of archeologist Dan Garrett (the previous Blue Beetle) and this caused Tracey's to express concern in her affection for Ted. This causes him torment...does he reveal his secret life and his connection to the man he's suspected of having killed? Or handle this alone?
Ted makes the right call, revealed to Tracey both his love for her and his means of carrying on the legacy left behind by the Blue Beetle. This causes her to draw closer to him and become his most valuable ally (even more so than Bug, whom we last week considered in further detail)!
Years later, a Blue Beetle returned. Turned out to be one of Kord's wacky Uncle Jarvis' crazed bots. Before realizing this, Ted was about to retire as the Beetle until talked down off the ledge by Tracey. Unlike most non-superheroic girlfriends of a costumed crusader, Tracey actually hated his though of quitting as seen in this sequence. Would Allison have likewise come to a similar conclusion without the mental haze inflicted on her by an arch-foe of the Fly's? Would she have supported her love's dual nature? Since she was never given the chance we'll never know as she's in comic book limbo now. However, Tracey endured an won out this contest of femme favourites in our heart.
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