History Main / BettyAndVeronicaSwitch

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': For Callum, Claudia starts out as the Betty ([[Cloudcuckoolander quirky]] sorceress [[GirlNextDoor childhood friend]]) and Rayla the Veronica ([[DarkActionGirl exotic elven assassin]] with [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sarcasm issues]]). Gradually, Claudia [[DaddysLittleVillain starts taking after her father]], while Rayla's nobler and nicer traits come to the surface and she and Callum warm up to each other.

** The show apparently has Rachel as Betty and Quinn as Veronica to Finn's Archie. This is subverted in the episode "Original Songs," when Quinn explains to Rachel that, however things might appear, she, Quinn, is actually the girl-next-door whom Finn will end up settling for, and Rachel is really the unattainable fantasy dream-girl.

* In TheReveal of [=ClockUp=]'s ''Euphoria'', [[spoiler:Kanae is the ''real'' EvilGenius mastermind behind the plot, who had been giving Keisuke FakeMemories [[MadScientist as part of a huge lab experiment]]; and [[CloningBlues Nemu]], made out to be the cold AlphaBitch HateSink in the simulations, is Keisuke's ''real'' and sweet ChildhoodFriend.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': For Callum, Claudia starts out as the Betty ([[Cloudcuckoolander quirky]] sorceress [[GirlNextDoor childhood friend]]) and Rayla the Veronica ([[DarkChick exotic elven assassin]] with [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sarcasm issues]]). Gradually, Claudia [[DaddysLittleVillain starts taking after her father]], while Rayla's nobler and nicer traits come to the surface and she and Callum warm up to each other.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': For Callum, Claudia starts out as the Betty (quirky sorceress [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend]]) and Rayla the Veronica (exotic elven assassin with [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sarcasm issues]]). Gradually, Claudia [[DaddysLittleVillain starts taking after her father]], while Rayla's nobler and nicer traits come to the surface and she and Callum warm up to each other.

* ''Literature/MansfieldPark'' has an interesting unmentioned objective variation [[spoiler:for the heroine and antiheroine]], respectively a [[HurtingHero quietly depressed]], [[ExtremeDoormat meek]] and [[TurnTheOtherCheek forgiving]] LoveMartyr {{Woobie}} and a [[TheSocialExpert manipulative]], [[FemmeFatale charming-but-dangerous]] GoldDigger. Turns out the first becomes an IronWoobie [[BewareTheNiceOnes who won't let]] the others' mean preoccupations [[TheFettered go against her morals]] and knows perfectly well that [[YouGoGirl the treatment borne by her gender is unfair]], while the other falls in love, {{wangst}}s, and considers abandoning her ambitions and also losing integrity. [[spoiler:The hero chooses the new Veronica, who throws a proto-feminist speech in his face, making the work FairForItsDay. ]]

* The anime adaptation of ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' has [[{{Tsundere}} Louise]] and [[{{Meido}} Siesta]] switch roles for the third season. As Saito grows more used to Louise's habits, his relationship with her normalizes somewhat culminating with their marriage at the end of the second season. Shortly thereafter [[{{Flanderization}} the writers force Siesta]] to [[HotterAndSexier crank up the sex appeal]] to compensate because StatusQuoIsGod.

* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' there's a huge debate about who's Betty and who's Veronica since Rei and Asuka present traits of both sides. [[ShyBlueHairedGirl Rei]] has a [[NiceGirl gentle disposition]] and [[ShrinkingViolet reserved nature]], but she's also [[CreepyChild bizarre]], [[EmotionlessGirl cold]], and strangely unsettling. {{Fiery Redhead}}ed [[GorgeousGaijin foreigner]] Asuka has a forceful and aggressive personality, but is also seen as the more outgoing and [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman human]] one.
* In the ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' anime, Fakir appears at first as a male {{Tsundere}}, and Mytho the Prince has a case of ChronicHeroSyndrome. They were respectively the Veronica and Betty to Ahiru's Archie, then [[spoiler:Mytho's heart shard is tainted with the Crow's blood and he becomes evil and potentially violent, and Fakir is seen as the friend and confidant who does everything he can to protect Ahiru. And this is settled when Rue performs an HeroicSacrifice to bring Mytho back to the side of good... and then Mytho stays with ''her'' instead.]]
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': Akane and Shampoo have traits of ''both'' sides. Akane is an extremely violent {{Tsundere}}, rather popular at school and despite her efforts has very few traditionally feminine traits; Shampoo is a SupremeChef, works full-time in her grandma's restaurant, can be almost kittenish when she's happy (pun intended), she comes from a lower-class setting than Akane, is a lot [[SmarterThanYouLook smarter than she looks]], and is also multi-talented. However, Akane is very [[NiceGirl kind-hearted and nice]] when she's ''not'' being upset, and often [[BullyHunter stands up for others]] and even for Ranma despite the risks, and while Shampoo can cook and can be very demure around Ranma, most of the time she's {{Tsundere}} bordering on {{Yandere}} and can be very manipulative and cruel either to Mousse or to Ranma himself. Shampoo also has an exotic quality, and her sexiness is sometimes played up too, especially compared to Akane who is a {{tomboy}} who [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak desperately attempts to be more feminine]].

* ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' has a genderswapped version of this, following the trope down to the BlondeBrunetteRedhead colour-scheme. With Princess Yona in the position of Archie, the manga introduces two [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend love-interests]] early on, though it's the Betty who originally attracts her affection. The designated Betty, [[KissingCousins Suwon]]--a fair-haired {{bishonen}}, complete with a near-constant stare--is originally presented as sweet, kind and gentle. The designated Veronica, [[BodyguardCrush Hak]]--a dark-haired {{Hunk}} and chronic SmugSmiler--is originally presented as [[TallDarkAndSnarky snarky]], roguish, and {{Tsundere}}. This seemingly vanilla BettyAndVeronica dynamic comes to a screeching halt by the end of the first chapter when Suwon [[spoiler:murders Yona's father, chases her and Hak out of the palace, and proceeds to take the throne.]] In comparison to Hak, who discards his home, his name, and his position as a General in order to travel with Yona, while frequently laying his life on the line and becoming a LivingEmotionalCrutch for her. Later, it is [[spoiler:Hak who earns himself a place as Yona's SecondLove.]]

* In ''the'' ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', ''the'' Betty becomes a Veronica when she tries to murder Archie out of spite. For Veronica, despite having mistaken herself for a romantic novel heroine after a knock on the head, she never did such a thing, and thus gets the title of Betty in the trope namer for this kind of triangles.

* Mai is the Betty and Katara is the Veronica with their traits switched around in ''FanFic/TheStalkingZukoSeries''. Mai is Zuko's childhood friend, the "safe" choice, and a lady of the court, but with Veronica traits like being different from what he's used to (after his banishment and traveling), is very wealthy, used to commanding servants, and is an IceQueen. Katara is the Veronica in that she's exotic, seemingly unattainable due to their past history and possible futures, is outside of his world (the Fire Nation), and seemingly unaware of Zuko's affections. However, Katara has Betty traits such as being emotionally reliable, Zuko's best friend, and part of Zuko's past lifestyle of banishment, chasing the Avatar, traveling, and re-banishment.
* In ''FanFic/{{Shatterheart}}'': Syaoran, the [[ShrinkingViolet sweet but timid]] {{Hikikomori}} is the Betty, and Fai, the IceQueen BrokenBird is the Veronica. But Syaoran is just as bitter as Fai and far more sexually forward as he seduces Kurogane early in their relationship as FriendsWithBenefits while Fai has known Kurogane from the beginning of their journey but never let Kurogane know about his feels. Ultimately its Syaoran's good heart and emotional honesty that wins Kurogane over.
* In ''Fanfic/LessThanZeroKenchi618'', Wonder Girl is rather unhappy to see her friend Supergirl growing closer with the blatantly selfish and villainous aspiring thief Null, trying to push her toward their teammate Power Boy instead. Then Power Boy revealed his true colours as a {{Yandere}} who would try and kill his much weaker love rival, while Null is nothing but nice and supportive for a depressed Kara.

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', it happens between Selina Kyle and Miranda Tate, Bruce Wayne's other {{Love Interest|s}}. Miranda is a sweet clean energy champion, Selina is a burglar. [[spoiler:The latter saves him despite having been TheMole, the other is TheManBehindTheMan.]]
* The twist in Jim Carrey's ''Film/TheMask.'' [[spoiler:The approachable awkward reporter actually sells him out to the villain while the seemingly unattainable bombshell is actually much more centered than she first appeared.]]

* ''Film/FreaksOfNature'': The shy and withdrawn Petra is the Betty while the sexually-active Lorelei is the Veronica for the hero Dag. However, Petra is actually a vampire while Lorelei is just a normal human, who ends up [[MurderTheHypotenuse getting killed by her rival in a fit of jealousy]].

* In ''Literature/BloodAndChocolate'' [[spoiler:the sweet human boyfriend, Aiden, has a case of FantasticRacism and does a FaceHeelTurn which leaves only the other {{Love Interest|s}} as a worthy pretendant for the heroine. Of course, it turns out that the remaining {{Love Interest|s}} (thanks to personal experience) can understand what the heroine is going through far more than she or the audience ever gave him credit for.]]

* OlderThanRadio: Creator/JaneAusten loved writing novels where this occurs:
** In ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'', this happens to Elizabeth's love interests, subjectively. TheCharmer PrincelyYoungMan member of the military is actually a ManipulativeBastard GoldDigger. The TallDarkAndSnarky {{Love Interest|s}} has NoSocialSkills, and has a GoodIsNotNice BigBrotherInstinct approach to life while being a member of TheProudElite.
** ''Literature/MansfieldPark'' has an interesting unmentioned objective variation [[spoiler:for the heroine and antiheroine]], respectively a [[HurtingHero quietly depressed]], [[ExtremeDoormat meek]] and [[TurnTheOtherCheek forgiving]] LoveMartyr {{Woobie}} and a [[TheSocialExpert manipulative]], [[FemmeFatale charming-but-dangerous]] GoldDigger. Turns out the first becomes an IronWoobie [[BewareTheNiceOnes who won't let]] the others' mean preoccupations [[TheFettered go against her morals]] and knows perfectly well that [[YouGoGirl the treatment borne by her gender is unfair]], while the other falls in love, {{wangst}}s, and considers abandoning her ambitions and also losing integrity. [[spoiler:The hero chooses the new Veronica, who throws a proto-feminist speech in his face, making the work FairForItsDay. ]]

* In ''Literature/TheAgeOfInnocence'', May is Newland's conventional blonde "good girl" fiancee, while Ellen is the exotic and individualistic dark-haired family reprobate. May, however, is revealed to have a highly manipulative side, while Ellen honestly loves him, and is more suited to him in terms of tastes and personality. Possibly a deconstruction of the BettyAndVeronica trope.
* The versions of the legend of the knight Pelleas (from the Arthurian legend) sometimes feature this. Pelleas falls in love with the lady Ettarde. She then pretends to reciprocate in order to have him win something for her in a tournament. She pushes him away when she has it, but he thinks it is all a test and comes to visit her every day. Growing annoyed, she puts him in her gaol and frees him every day. Pelleas then meets Gawain, who decides to help him by visiting Ettarde and later opening the gates, but Gawain falls in love with her, she reciprocates, and he does not follow his vow and Pelleas discovers it. Then, the different versions of the myth diverge:
## Either Pelleas goes in his tent, becomes depressed, and is saved by a sweet, ethereal-looking Lady of the Lake, Elaine, who reveals that she has very powerful magical powers (and a lot of HiddenDepths when she curses who she believes to be her rival, while Pelleas has fallen in love with her himself and forgotten Ettarde), Ettarde finds out Gawain's original plan and, furious with him, regrets Pelleas.
##... or Pelleas grows mad with rage, and becomes [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Red Knight]], devoted to proving the hypocrisy of Arthur's court.
* Literature/HerculePoirot:
** ''Literature/TheMurderOnTheLinks'' features one of these. [[spoiler:Jack Renaud is engaged to Marthe Daubreuil (Betty), but had a brief fling with the vaudeville performer Bella Duveen (Veronica), who has been acting like a StalkerWithACrush ever since. However, it turns out that Bella really [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy just wants Jack to be happy]] and is willing to confess to murder to protect him, even after she learns about Marthe. Marthe, on the other hand, is a GoldDigger and murderer who would have been willing to let Jack be executed for the crimes she committed]].
** In ''Literature/TheMysteryOfTheBlueTrain'', bad-tempered, selfish and disreputable Derek Kettering and nice, dependable Major Knighton both fall in love with Katherine Grey. However, [[spoiler:Kettering was a Gold Digger but turns out to have been honest in his intentions, innocent of murder, and a better man than even he believed himself to be, while Knighton is a thief, con artist, and murderer]].
* One could say this happened early in ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. Gale is introduced as Katniss's closest friend and like her brother, while Peeta is the mysterious boy with the bread that she's never actually spoken to. They reverse roles very quickly after the audience finds out how rebellious Gale is and how sweet and smitten Peeta is.
* In ''Literature/ARoomWithAView'', progressive and unconventional George Emerson is initially the Veronica; he kisses Lucy passionately without any of the "proper" courtship that Cecil Vyse (the initial Betty) goes through. However, George turns out to be the suitor who is far more suited to Lucy and more considerate of what ''she'' wants.
* In ''Literature/TheSorcerersDaughter'', Siegfried views Odette as the PrincessClassic in need of saving and Odile as a HotWitch who is sent to seduce him. Later Odette is revealed to be a stern and proud AloofDarkHairedGirl who is in fact [[AMatchMadeInStockholm much more attracted to Rothbart]] while Odile is a sweet, gentle-hearted, and easy-going ingenue who, Siegfried realizes, suits him a lot more.
* In ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'' Tamlin is the hard-trying and romantic main love interest for Feyre while Rhysand is a dark love rival who might just be using her to his own ends (or to get a rise out of Tamlin). In book two trauma Tamlin faced causes him to lose the ability to understand Feyre while Rhysand, freed from his master in the first book, is revealed to be a genuinely good-hearted person who puts on a cold front to make people fear attacking his court. For bonus points, the high society way Tamlin is romanticized in the first book is later contrasted negatively against Rhysand's more humble and personable lifestyle.
* In the Literature/CutlerSeries, Dawn starts out dating the handsome, popular, and blond Philip Cutler who she views as her Prince Charming. Her other potential love interest is Jimmy who's dark-haired, a troublemaker at school, and also her ''[[BrotherSisterIncest brother]]'', which makes the latent attraction between them feel very, very wrong to her. Things change completely when Dawn is revealed to be the long-thought-dead daughter of the Cutler family, making her and Jimmy NotBloodSiblings and her relationship with Philip [[SurpriseIncest suddenly taboo]]. In addition, Jimmy proves over the course of the series to be a kind and devoted boyfriend/husband to Dawn while Philip, in stark contrast, [[LoveMakesYouEvil goes off the deep end]] when Dawn ends their relationship after the incest reveal and becomes a {{Yandere}} who repeatedly tries to rape Dawn and later on, her daughter Christie too.
* In ''Literature/TheIlluminaeFiles'' this happens with Jackson and Nik, Hanna's two love interests. As the book starts, Hanna is dating Jackson who is the traditionally handsome officer on the station they inhabit, while Nik is a bad boy drug dealer that flits with her. After the station is attacked by a commando team, with Nik and Hanna as the [[DieHardOnAnX only two not accounted for]], things start to change. [[spoiler: By the end of the book, Jackson is revealed as TheMole who let the team onboard, while Nik is revealed to have only done jail time to protect his younger brother from their abusive father.]]

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' has a onesided example. [[TroubledButCute Jess]] was originally the Veronica to Dean's Betty. (The intellectual bad boy versus dependable boyfriend). But when he returned having [[SelfMadeMan turned his life around]] he was Betty to [[SmugSnake Logan's]] Veronica. (Old loyal boyfriend versus new, sophisticated boyfriend).
* ''Series/{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'' & ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Gender-flipped- [[ByronicHero Angel]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Spike]] in their love triangle with [[ActionGirl Buffy]]. Angel seems to have the personality of a Betty while Spike has the personality of a Veronica, but as it turns out Spike is Betty since he's a self-proclaimed ("attainable") fool for love while Angel is the mysterious and "unattainable" Veronica.

* In ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', Gwen's love interests are Lancelot and Arthur. Early on, Lancelot (commoner, honorable and loyal to the point of being impractical, falls for Gwen at [[LoveAtFirstSight first sight]]) is the Betty to Arthur's Veronica (RoyalBrat prince). Then while Lancelot takes himself out of the Love Triangle, Arthur undergoes levels of CharacterDevelopment, and the two fall in love. When Lancelot [[spoiler:dies and is [[CameBackWrong brought back to life]]]] he becomes the Veronica, with Arthur as Betty.
* [[SoapOpera Soaps]] like to do this, but more along the lines of fleshing out both characters so that neither is truly the "good" or "bad" girl.
** ''Series/GeneralHospital''. Karen, the supposed "Betty", spent months flitting between two guys (who were themselves this trope to her), while the flirtatious Brenda (the "Veronica") slept with only one. Ten years later, Sage (the Veronica) was shown to have genuine feelings for Dillon (the Archie), despite her manipulative and conniving ways, while Georgie (the Betty) grew increasingly nasty and shrill (in all fairness, this was due to her frustration with Sage's relentless attempts at interfering in hers and Dillon's relationship).
** ''Series/AsTheWorldTurns'': The Julia/Jack/Carly triangle started out with Julia as the Betty and Carly as the Veronica. Until Julia was turned into a psycho to make Jack leaving her for Carly more plausible.
* ''{{Series/Riverdale}}'' does this with ''the'' Betty and Veronica. Over the course of the first season, Betty becomes an AmateurSleuth who frequently puts herself in danger all to solve the mystery of Jason Blossom's murder - also showing that the sweetheart persona is partly due to her doing some serious repression. Veronica meanwhile is the FallenPrincess who becomes a LovableAlphaBitch and proves to be the more level-headed of the two girls.
* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' parodies this in an episode where sun spots cause Sabrina to swap personalities with the AlphaBitch Libby. Their qualities become exaggerated to the point where Sabrina now plots to take over the world, and Libby becomes a sickeningly sweet FriendToAllLivingThings.
* In the ''Series/ColdCase'' episode "Soul", the VictimOfTheWeek was torn between these two archetypes. [[spoiler:The Betty turned out to be his killer, devastated when he decided to be with the Veronica]].
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'' starts with Iris West stuck between her childhood friend Barry Allen and the comparatively more suave Detective Eddie Thawne. Eddie's quickly established to be a mellow, easygoing sort behind his public image, while Barry becomes the titular mysterious superhero.

* VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries has Vikki Vale and Selina Kyle. Vikki Vale is a hard nose but very well-meaning reporter while Selina Kyle is a mysterious thrill-loving criminal. Then it turns out [[spoiler:Vikki Vale is really the story's true BigBad Lady Arkham]], while Selina Kyle has plenty of HiddenDepths and actually does care about those around her for the most part.

* In the backstory of ''Videogame/DigitalDevilSaga'', Sheffield appears to care for [[spoiler:Sera]], but in reality, he's a ManipulativeBastard and regards her as little more than a tool for his own gain, while O'Brien genuinely cares for her but struggles to express his feelings and always ends up displaying a hostile exterior whenever they're together. [[spoiler:Sheffield's murder of O'Brien causes Sera to realise the truth.]]
* Luca and Cloche from ''[[VideoGame/ArTonelicoIIMelodyOfMetafalica Ar Tonelico 2]]'' are this. Luca starts off as a cheerful and easygoing local girlfriend while Cloche is a spoiled princess. As the game goes on, Cloche mellows down her attitudes while Luca shows more and more of her bad and selfish sides. Luca does get better, but by the end of the game, Cloche turns out more of a Betty than Luca is.

* ''VideoGame/DarkMessiahOfMightAndMagic'' gives Sareth two love interests. Xana is a sultry and flirtatious succubus who is clearly the girlfriend literally straight out of hell. Lena is a sweet and affectionate mage and the niece of the main questline's questgiver. However, in practice, Xana is always honest with Sareth, offers invaluable aid, and even saves his life. While Lena makes Sareth do all the difficult and dangerous work, and upon learning of the existence of Xana she immediately demands that Sareth make a detour to a church and murder Xana. If Sareth doesn't, [[spoiler:Lena accuses Sareth of betraying her and attacks him. That's right, the seeming Betty also wants to MurderTheHypotenuse. That said, siding with Lena is treated as the good path while siding with Xana is treated as the evil path, largely due to Xana's attachment to Sareth's father who is evil.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'': ''[[UpdatedRerelease Full Body]]'' actually reverses the dynamic between Katherine and Catherine [[spoiler:in the new endings. Katherine yearns for a new life and becomes a successful model with a lot of wealthy admirers (and shows she can pull off the [[LadyInRed sultry little red number]]). Catherine gives up her life as a succubus and uses TimeTravel to become Vincent's human girlfriend in high school, and they become HappilyMarried.]]

* In TheReveal of [=ClockUp=]'s ''Euphoria'', [[spoiler:Kanae is the ''real'' EvilGenius mastermind behind the plot, who had been giving Keisuke FakeMemories [[MadScientist as part of a huge lab experiment]]; and [[CloningBlues Nemu]], made out to be the cold AlphaBitch HateSink in the simulations, is Keisuke's ''real'' and sweet ChildhoodFriend.]]

** [[Characters/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilMarcoDiaz Marco Diaz]]’s two biggest love interests on the show share both Betty and Veronica traits. Jackie Lynn Thomas is the Betty in that she’s the GirlNextDoor FirstLove who he’s known since childhood, while [[Characters/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilStarButterfly Star Butterfly]] is the Veronica in that she’s the magical princess from another world who’s not what he’s used to and seemingly unattainable due to her RoyalBlood. On the other hand, Jackie is the Veronica in that she is Marco’s dream girl and the one he (originally) favors over Star, while Star herself is the Betty in that she is the best friend who harbors an unrequited (at first) crush on him.
** In later seasons, Marco becomes the opposing love interest himself for Star, with Tom Lucitor being the third person in their LoveTriangle. Marco is her down-to-earth best friend who is now [[UnRequitedLoveSwitcheroo pining for her while she is in a relationship with someone else]], which should make him the Betty, with Tom’s high status and wealth and fiery temper and personality cementing him as the Veronica. However, Tom is actually a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who was Star’s FirstLove and desperate for her to love him in season 1, and is a part of her world of princes and princesses, which would also make him the Betty. On the other end of the triangle, Marco being outside of Star’s social circles and initial refusal of her feelings in season 2, doubled with the few times he let his ego get the best of him, would make him the Veronica.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince.'' For Callum, Claudia starts out as the Betty (quirky sorceress [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend]]) and Rayla the Veronica (exotic elven assassin with [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sarcasm issues]]). Gradually, Claudia [[DaddysLittleVillain starts taking after her father]], while Rayla's nobler and nicer traits come to the surface and she and Callum warm up to each other.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/34973494 These Foolish Things]]'' sets this up with Oliver Queen, between Felicity Smoak (the Betty), his current girlfriend and quirky GirlFriday, who seemingly loves him as he is, and Laurel Lance (the Veronica), his on-and-off ex-girlfriend who he's had belligerent relations with in the past due to his bad treatment of her and her family. Oliver and Laurel are trying to be better friends to each other at the start of the story, but Oliver's campaign manager Alex is advising him to stay away from Laurel due to the optics of him still being so closely related to his ex. All of this changes when Felicity, [[InsecureLoveInterest insecure about her relationship with Oliver after learning Laurel still has some of the things he gave her while they were dating]], hacks Oliver's personal banking account and tracks down all the potential gifts he gave Laurel during their relationship and demands them back from Laurel. When everyone finds this out, they're openly appalled since it's a massive invasion of privacy on her end that proves how much of a massive ControlFreak she is, something that is compounded by her trying to force Oliver to cut both Laurel and ''Thea'', his sister, out of his life in favor of her. Oliver naturally decides to break up with Felicity instead, and in the aftermath both Alex and John Diggle ([[ShipperOnDeck the biggest supporter of Oliver and Felicity's relationship]]) openly acknowledge they told Oliver to "stay away from the wrong woman". Unsurprisingly, Oliver and Laurel get back together not long after.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/34973494 These Foolish Things]]'' sets this up with Oliver Queen, between Felicity Smoak (the Betty), his current girlfriend and quirky GirlFriday, who seemingly loves him as he is, and Laurel Lance (the Veronica), his on-and-off ex-girlfriend who he's had belligerent relations with in the past due to his bad treatment of her and her family. Oliver and Laurel are trying to be better friends to each other at the start of the story, but Oliver's campaign manager Alex is advising him to stay away from Laurel due to the optics of him still being so closely related to his ex. All of this changes when Felicity, [[InsecureLoveInterest insecure about her relationship with Oliver after learning Laurel still has some of the things he gave her while they were dating]], hacks Oliver's personal banking account and tracks down all the potential gifts he gave Laurel during their relationship and demands them back from Laurel. When everyone finds this out, they're openly appalled since it's a massive invasion of privacy on her end that proves how much of a massive ControlFreak she is, something is compounded by her trying to force Oliver to cut both Laurel and ''Thea'', his sister, out of his life in favor of her. Oliver naturally decides to break up with Felicity instead, and in the aftermath both Alex and John Diggle ([[ShipperOnDeck the biggest supporter of Oliver and Felicity's relationship]]) openly acknowledge they told Oliver to "stay away from the wrong woman".

* The infamous love triangle between [[Music/TheNotoriousBIG Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace]], Faith Evans, and [[Music/LilKim Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones]], at least from the perspective of the public. In the beginning, it seemed Kim was the Betty, a sweet, spunky up-and-coming rapper and Biggie's protege vs. the glamorous Faith Evans, whom Wallace married rather spur-of-the-moment. To make a long story short, Biggie was not faithful, and the personal drama began to unfold ''very'' publicly, causing most fans to see a different picture: Evans was now the devoted, put-upon, soul-singing wife, while Kim was now the edgy, sexually promiscuous (at least according to her lyrics) hardcore-rapping mistress. The reality, anyone will tell you, was much less black-and-white.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' has Jacob and Edward, reaching ItWasHisSled status. In book 1, they are respectively the [[TheCutie kind]] younger [[LikeBrotherAndSister friend]] and someone who was MaddenedIntoMisanthropy by his DarkAndTroubledPast and may and may not be a case of "IAmAHumanitarian". But in book 2, Jacob becomes a violent and confident muscular hunk who has HairTriggerTemper tendencies, and Edward is the reliable boyfriend who ends up leaving her for what he summarizes in the end as IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.

Most examples are TheUntwist, but not in a bad way, and it is always a pleasure for the audience to see the heroine / hero fall in love with the person they wanted to win. However, if done well, it can create astonishment and character development and a sense of shared guilt with the center of the Triangle for misjudging the {{Love Interest|s}}.

* In ''Anime/AnoHanaTheFlowerWeSawThatDay'', Meiko/Menma and Naruko/Anaru seem to play the trope straight for Jintan -- Menma is dressed in white and looks like a very sweet and cute kid, while Anaru's looks are heavily based on the ''gyaru'' subculture (painted nails, miniskirts, bleached hair). Personality wise, though, they're the opposite: Menma is free-spirited and kinda thoughtless, while Anaru is very adorkable.

* ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'' has a genderswapped version of this, following the trope down to the BlondeBrunetteRedhead colour-scheme. With Princess Yona in the position of Archie, the manga introduces two [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend love-interests]] early on, though it's the Betty who originally attracts her affection. The designated Betty, [[KissingCousins Suwon]]--a fair-haired {{bishonen}}, complete with a near-constant stare--is originally presented as sweet, kind and gentle. The designated Veronica, [[BodyguardCrush Hak]]--a dark-haired {{Hunk}} and chronic SmugSmiler--is originally presented as [[TallDarkAndSnarky snarky]], roguish, and {{Tsundere}}. This seemingly vanilla BettyAndVeronica dynamic comes to a screeching halt by the end of the first chapter, when Suwon [[spoiler:murders Yona's father, chases her and Hak out of the palace, and proceeds to take the throne.]] In comparison to Hak; who discards his home, his name, and his position as a General in order to travel with Yona, while frequently laying his life on the line and becoming a LivingEmotionalCrutch for her. Later, it is [[spoiler:Hak who earns himself a place as Yona's SecondLove.]]

* One ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS'' strip has [[GirlyGirlAndTomboy girly-girl Margaret and tomboy Gina]] do this to yank Dennis' chain, which included dressing up in each others' clothes: Margaret in a T-shirt, jeans and baseball cap, while Gina wore a frilly dress.

* In ''FanFic/{{Shatterheart}}'': Syaoran, the [[ShrinkingViolet sweet but timid]] {{Hikikomori}} is the Betty and Fai, the IceQueen BrokenBird is the Veronica. But Syaoran is just as bitter as Fai and far more sexually forward as he seduces Kurogane early in their relationship as FriendsWithBenefits while Fai has known Kurogane from the beginning of their journey but never let Kurogane know about his feels. Ultimately its Syaoran's good heart and emotional honesty that wins Kurogane over.
* In ''Fanfic/LessThanZeroKenchi618'', Wonder Girl is rather unhappy to see her friend Supergirl growing closer with the blatantly selfish and villainous aspiring thief Null, trying to push her towards their teammate Power Boy instead. Then Power Boy revealed his true colours as a {{Yandere}} who would try and kill his much weaker love rival, while Null is nothing but nice and supportive for a depressed Kara.

* ''Fanfic/JerkInSheepsClothing'': Marinette is the Archie in a new love triangle between Adrien and new character Henri [=LeRoi=]. Adrien is the Betty, her FirstLove, the boy-next-door type, and a true friend who truly cares for her, even if his actions are a little misguided. Henri, on the other hand, is the titular [[BitchInSheepsClothing "jerk in sheep's clothing"]], as he is teaming up with Marinette's worst enemy in secret, [[JerkassAtYourDiscretion bullying all her friends behind her back]], and only wants her as a trophy girlfriend, making him the Veronica. However, part of his manipulations is warping Marinette's point of view so that she believes that Adrien is the real jerk in sheep's clothing AKA her real Veronica, and that Henri himself is her kind-hearted, loyal boy-next-door Betty.

* ''Literature/DanielDeronda'': Mirah is Jewish, an outcast with an artistic and melancholy disposition, Gwendolene is charming, well-liked and Christian. [[spoiler:Gwendolene is also too self-involved, though in an understandable ''and'' harmful way, while Mirah is sweet and innocent]].

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', this happens with Severus Snape (initially Lily's unpopular best friend on the verge of becoming a [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Victorious Childhood Friend]]) and James Potter (initially a JerkJock whom she disapproves). She then not only discovers that James became a LovableJock because he TookALevelInKindness, but painfully realizes that Severus is affected with FantasticRacism. Made worse by ''how'' the second situation played out. Lily tried to help Severus after an almost DeadlyPrank (in which the still-not-developed James ''did'' have a part), and not only [[UngratefulBastard he snaps]] [[DontYouDarePityMe at her]], but he ''calls her racist epithets to her very face''. It's implied that Lily ''was'' aware of Severus's racism but attempted to make him change his mind, but once he crossed the line like '''that''', she decided to cut off the friendship for her own sake.
* OlderThanRadio: Creator/JaneAusten loved writing novels where this occurs :

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' has Jacob and Edward, reaching ItWasHisSled status. In book 1, they are respectively the [[TheCutie kind]] younger [[LikeBrotherAndSister friend]] and someone who was MaddenedIntoMisanthropy by his DarkAndTroubledPast and may and may not be a case of "IAmAHumanitarian". But in book 2, Jacob becomes a violent and confident muscular hunk who has HairTriggerTemper tendancies, and Edward is the reliable boyfriend who ends up leaving her for what he summarizes in the end as IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.

##... or Pelleas grows mad with rage, and becomes [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Red Knight]], devoted to prove the hypocrisy of Arthur's court.

** ''Literature/TheMurderOnTheLinks'' features one of these. [[spoiler:Jack Renaud is engaged to Marthe Daubreuil (Betty), but had a brief fling with the vaudeville performer Bella Duveen (Veronica), who has been acting like a StalkerWithACrush ever since. However, it turns out that Bella really [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy just wants Jack to be happy]] and is willing to confess to murder to protect him, even after she learns about Marthe. Marthe, on the on the other hand is a GoldDigger and murderer who would have been willing to let Jack be executed for the crimes she committed]].
** In ''Literature/TheMysteryOfTheBlueTrain'', bad-tempered, selfish and disreputable Derek Kettering and nice, dependable Major Knighton both fall in love with Katherine Grey. However, [[spoiler:Kettering was a Gold Digger but turns out to have been honest in his intentions, innocent of murder and a better man than even he believed himself to be, while Knighton is a thief, con-artist and murderer]].
* One could say this happened early in ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. Gale is introduced as Katniss's closest friend and like her brother, while Peeta is the mysterious boy with the bread that she's never actually spoken too. They reverse roles very quickly after the audience finds how rebellious Gale is and how sweet and smitten Peeta is.

* In ''Literature/TheSorcerersDaughter'', Siegfried views Odette as the PrincessClassic in need of saving and Odile as a HotWitch who is sent to seduce him. Later Odette is revealed to be a stern and proud AloofDarkHairedGirl who is in fact [[AMatchMadeInStockholm much more attracted to Rothbart]] while Odile is a sweet, gentle-hearted and easy-going ingenue who, Siegfried realizes, suits him a lot more.
* In ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'' Tamlin is the hard trying and romantic main love interest for Feyre while Rhysand is a dark love rival who might just be using her to his own ends (or to get a rise of of Tamlin). In book two trauma Tamlin faced causes him to lose the ability to understand Feyre while Rhysand, freed from his master in the first book, is revealed to be a genuinely good-hearted person who puts on a cold front to make people fear attacking his court. For bonus points, the high society way Tamlin is romanticized in the first book is later contrasted negatively against Rhysand's more humble and personable lifestyle.

** It can also be argued to happen between [[spoiler:Isabella and Kate]] for [[spoiler:Robin]]. The first may be the seductive [[AristocratsAreEvil artistocratic and morally ambiguous]] antagonist and [[MadScientistSBeautifulDaughter Angry Sheriff's Beautiful Sister]] and [[spoiler:Kate]] the [[FarmBoy Farm Girl]] who joined the outlaws, but [[spoiler:Isabella]] is a TragicVillain who tries to get rid of [[spoiler:her rival]] by diminishing [[spoiler:Robin]]'s trust in her... while [[spoiler:the [[FarmBoy Farm Girl]]]] simply tries to kill the noble-born rival. Unlike [[spoiler:Isabella]], [[spoiler:Kate]] didn't have the excuse of growing paranoid due to years of abuse by a sadistic husband, so the line is at least blurred.

* ''Series/{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'' & ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Gender-flipped- [[ByronicHero Angel]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Spike]] in their love triangle with [[ActionGirl Buffy]]. Angel seems to have personality of a Betty while Spike the personality of a Veronica, but as it turns out Spike is Betty since he's a self-proclaimed ("attainable") fool for love while Angel is the mysterious and "unattainable" Veronica.

* In ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', Gwen's love interests are Lancelot and Arthur. Early on, Lancelot (commoner, honorable and loyal to the point of being impractical, falls for Gwen at [[LoveAtFirstSight first sight]]) is the Betty to Arthur's Veronica (RoyalBrat prince). Then while Lancelot takes himself out of the Love Triangle, Arthur undergoes levels of CharacterDevelopment and the two fall in love. When Lancelot [[spoiler:dies and is [[CameBackWrong brought back to life]]]] he becomes the Veronica, with Arthur as Betty.

* The infamous love triangle between [[Music/TheNotoriousBIG Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace]], Faith Evans and [[Music/LilKim Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones]], at least from the perspective of the public. In the beginning, it seemed Kim was the Betty, a sweet, spunky up-and-coming rapper and Biggie's protege vs. the glamorous Faith Evans, whom Wallace married rather spur-of-the-moment. To make a long story short, Biggie was not faithful, and the personal drama began to unfold ''very'' publicly, causing most fans to see a different picture: Evans was now the devoted, put-upon, soul-singing wife, while Kim was now the edgy, sexually promiscuous (at least according to her lyrics) hardcore-rapping mistress. The reality, anyone will tell you, was much less black-and-white.

* VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries has Vikki Vale and Selina Kyle. Vikki Vale is a hard nose but very well meaning reporter while Selina Kyle is a mysterious thrill-loving criminal. Then it turns out [[spoiler:Vikki Vale is really the story's true BigBad Lady Arkham]], while Selina Kyle has plenty of HiddenDepths and actually does care about those around her for the most part.

*** The male love interests can pull this as well. While Anders has a dash of Veronica in act 1--he's an apostate revolutionary fighting alongside his fellow mages--he's mostly set up as a Betty, being a blond, soft-hearted healer and cat lover. Fenris is more clearly a Veronica: aloof, brooding, surly and short-tempered with a [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark and troubled past]]. By the end of Act 3, Fenris has gotten his life back together and warmed up to his friends (especially if he's romanced), while Anders [[spoiler:has blown up the Chantry and kickstarted the mage-Templar war, going on the run as a fugitive]]. It's even more clear with Sebastian, a Chantry brother kind, pious Betty, who will [[spoiler:raise an army to raze Kirkwall if Anders isn't brought to justice]].

* In the backstory of ''Videogame/DigitalDevilSaga'', Sheffield appears to care for [[spoiler:Sera]], but in reality he's a ManipulativeBastard and regards her as little more than a tool for his own gain, while O'Brien genuinely cares for her but struggles to express his feelings and always ends up displaying a hostile exterior whenever they're together. [[spoiler:Sheffield's murder of O'Brien causes Sera to realise the truth.]]

* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has your two younger party members Futaba and Ann. It can be easy to assume that Futaba is the Betty because she is afraid of social interaction at first and Ann is the Veronica due to her quarter Caucasian heritage and being a part time model. As the story comes along however, it turns out that Ann is really a nice person that wants to inspire her friends while Futaba once she breaks out of her shell is quite mischievous and brutally honest about her opinions.
* ''VideoGame/DarkMessiahOfMightAndMagic'' gives Sareth two love interests. Xana is a sultry and flirtatious succubus who is clearly the girlfriend literally straight out of hell. Lena is a sweet and affectionate mage and the niece of the main questline's questgiver. However in practice, Xana is always honest with Sareth, offers invaluable aid, and even saves his life. While Lena makes Sareth do all the difficult and dangerous work, and upon learning of the existence of Xana she immediately demands that Sareth make a detour to a church and murder off Xana. If Sareth doesn't, [[spoiler:Lena accuses Sareth of betraying her and attacks him. That's right, the seeming Betty also wants to MurderTheHypotenuse. That said, siding with Lena is treated as the good path while siding with Xana is treated as the evil path, largely due to Xana's attachment to Sareth's father who is evil.]]

* For ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'', Penny has Dr. Horrible, the sweet and troubled MadScientist with golden hair, and Captain Hammer, the {{Jerkass}} HandsomeLech DumbMuscle FlyingBrick HeteronormativeCrusader ''(goes into another room, cooks a sandwitch, and eats it as the insults are detailed further)'' KnightTemplar. Dr. Horrible becomes a straight-up villain and Hammer remains his extreme and offensive but well-meaning self.
* Not a surprise given the source material, but, for Lizzie in ''WebVideo/TheLizzieBennetDiaries'', [[spoiler:Wickham]] is TheWoobie, TheCharmer and a LovableJock with blond hair whose only bad side is being a SerialRomeo and a TemporaryLoveInterest who knew she never expected the romance to become serious anyway, and [[spoiler:Darcy]] is the TallDarkAndSnarky StalkerWithACrush with a terrible case of SmallNameBigEgo, IdleRich and CardCarryingVillain. [[spoiler:The audience knows Wickham is a {{Hypocrite}} ManipulativeBastard who took advantage of her need of companionship in difficult times, and Darcy is a well-meaning {{Workaholic}} with a case of NoSocialSkills, TheProudElite, BigBrotherInstinct and adorkable.]]

** In later season, Marco becomes the opposing love interest himself for Star, with Tom Lucitor being the third person in their LoveTriangle. Marco is her down-to-earth best friend who is now [[UnRequitedLoveSwitcheroo pining for her while she is in a relationship with someone else]], which should make him the Betty, with Tom’s high status and wealth and fiery temper and personality cementing him as the Veronica. However, Tom is actually a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who was Star’s FirstLove and desperate for her to love him in season 1, and is a part of her world of princes and princesses, which would also make him the Betty. On the other end of the triangle, Marco being outside of Star’s social circles and initial refusal of her feelings in season 2, doubled with the few times he let his ego get the best of him, would make him the Veronica.

* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' there's a huge debate about who's Betty and who's Veronica since Rei and Asuka present traits of both sides. [[ShyBlueHairedGirl Rei]] has a [[NiceGirl gentle disposition]] and [[ShrinkingViolet reserved nature]], but she's also [[CreepyChild bizarre]], [[EmotionlessGirl cold]], and [[UncannyValley strangely unsettling]]. {{Fiery Redhead}}ed [[GorgeousGaijin foreigner]] Asuka has a forceful and aggressive personality, but is also seen as the more outgoing and [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman human]] one.

* In ''Fanfic/LessThanZero'', Wonder Girl is rather unhappy to see her friend Supergirl growing closer with the blatantly selfish and villainous aspiring thief Null, trying to push her towards their teammate Power Boy instead. Then Power Boy revealed his true colours as a {{Yandere}} who would try and kill his much weaker love rival, while Null is nothing but nice and supportive for a depressed Kara.

* A ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS'' installment from a while back had [[GirlyGirlAndTomboy girly-girl Margaret and tomboy Gina]] yanking Dennis' chain by dressing up in each others' clothes--Margaret in a T-shirt, jeans and baseball cap; Gina in frilly dress.

* In ComicBook/SpiderMan ([[StepfordSmiler Seemingly]]) carefree party girl and FieryRedHead Mary Jane was the Veronica to sweet, GirlNextDoor Gwen Stacy. Gwen was actually victim of CharacterizationMarchesOn, and her earlier, less remembered appearances had her as something of a stuck-up, headstrong, popular girl type; she would have been a Veronica had this remained. After Gwen [[ILetGwenStacyDie became victim to a certain trope she named]], MJ became closer to Peter and went through some CharacterDevelopment, showing the audience there was more to her than she let on. A few years down the line when sultry cat burglar Black Cat enters the scene intent on playing the DatingCatwoman card with Spidey, MJ becomes the Betty as an old friend of Peter's. What's interesting is that the headstrong popular girl Gwen was when Creator/SteveDitko was drawing and plotting the comics. During his run Mary-Jane was pretty much TheGhost only being mentioned by Aunt May; she only appears twice during his run and both times her face is obscured and she leaves before Peter gets to meet her. However she's dressed very ladylike (certainly not the party girl she ended up being) and we do know Aunt May thought she was housewife material. It's very likely that if Steve Ditko had stayed on, Mary-Jane would have been the Betty and Gwen the Veronica.

* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', Chidori, the OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent seems to be the Betty, while Tessa, who is a captain in a covert paramilitary organization and has command of a submarine and several hundred troops, Sousuke included, appears to be the Veronica. However, Chidori is a hot-tempered {{Tsundere}}, which gives her more of a Veronica personality compared to Tessa, whose sweet and ditzy nature makes her the Betty personality-wise.

** Marco’s two biggest love interests on the show share both Betty and Veronica traits. Jackie Lynn Thomas is the Betty in that she’s the GirlNextDoor FirstLove who he’s known since childhood, while Star Butterfly is the Veronica in that she’s the magical princess from another world who’s not what he’s used to and seemingly unattainable due to her RoyalBlood. On the other hand, Jackie is the Veronica in that she is Marco’s dream girl and the one he (originally) favors over Star, while Star herself is the Betty in that she is the best friend who harbors an unrequited (at first) crush on him.

* Subverted on ''Series/FamilyTies'':, when Alex develops feelings for Marty, a music student he's tutoring, despite having a long time girlfriend, Lauren. However, despite being the "other woman", shy, awkward, [[HollywoodHomely plain]] Marty is as much as a "Betty" as Lauren is, if not more so--while by no means a bad person, Lauren is the more conventionally attractive of the two, a characteristic often given to "Veronicas".
* Also subverted in the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''Unanswered Prayers'' (based on the Music/GarthBrooks song), when a HappilyMarried man is tempted to stray with his high school sweetheart when she returns to town. Despite being noticeably more beautiful and sexy than the wife, she's just as good and decent a person as she is, again making them both "Bettys".