Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15.
Flash Thompson is a star high school football player, who mercilessly bullies his high school classmate Peter Parker, but greatly admires Spider-Man, an irony in which the superhero takes some gratification. In time, they become close friends in college after Flash matures and he later discovers Peter is Spider-Man. After graduation, he joins the United States Army, but becomes haunted by his combat experiences, leading to alcoholism. After losing both of his legs in the Iraq War, Flash Thompson turns into the superhero Agent Venom after being bound to the Venom symbiote, which he controls via drugs, as the protagonist of Venom and Venom: Space Knight and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. After nearly being killed by Red Goblin, Flash recovers using the Anti-Venom symbiote, assuming his current alias of Agent Anti-Venom.
Thompson has appeared in several other media adaptations. Notably, he was portrayed by Joe Manganiello in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, Chris Zylka in The Amazing Spider-Man, and Tony Revolori in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Publication history
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Flash Thompson first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, the same issue Spider-Man first appeared in. He was a regular character in The Amazing Spider-Man series for its first four years, leaving the cast in The Amazing Spider-Man #47 to serve in the Vietnam War. Though he reappeared in the comic a few times while on leave, he did not return to the regular cast until issue #105.Though the relationship between Flash Thompson and Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker gradually became more cordial over the years, the major turning point towards their becoming friends was in The Amazing Spider-Man #138, in which Thompson lets Parker room with him after all his other friends and acquaintances turned him away.
Thompson's childhood is explored in The Spectacular Spider-Man #-1, titled "That Thompson Boy". Writer J. M. DeMatteis commented, "Despite our human tendency to want to fit people into convenient pigeonholes, no one is any one thing all the time. The main point of 'That Thompson Boy' was to show that there were other sides to Flash, to look behind the curtain and see the vulnerability, and depth, that was there. 'Flash' is a mask. Eugene is a complex, wounded human being. I think the character's history, even going back to Stan 's stories, is a constant battle between the two, a seeking to find balance."
The character made his first appearance as the new incarnation of Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man #654. A second volume of Venom started in May 2011 with Flash Thompson as the titular character. As Venom, he appeared as a regular character in the 2010–2013 Secret Avengers series, from issue #23 through its final issue, #37. As Venom, he appears in the 2012 Thunderbolts series by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. After the Superior Spider-Man event, Agent Venom is seen in space in The Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, #14. He was eventually spun off into his own solo series, Venom: Space Knight, written by Robbie Thompson and drawn by Ariel Olivetti. It was canceled after 13 issues. In the premier issue of Venom volume 3, Flash Thompson is seen without the symbiote.
Fictional character biography
High school
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is the nephew of actress Lea Thompson and a bully of high school classmate Peter Parker. Flash was physically abused by his alcoholic father Harrison Thompson, leading to Flash's own violent, bullying nature. Thompson dubs Peter with the derogatory nickname "Puny Parker" and humiliates Parker daily at school. Not knowing that Parker is Spider-Man, he forms the first "Spider-Man Fan Club" and vocally supports his idol, even criticizing and insulting J. Jonah Jameson in person for the Daily Bugles anti-Spider-Man editorials. When Spider-Man is seen committing robberies, Flash is one of the few to stand up for him claiming that he could still be innocent. When it is revealed that Spider-Man was framed by Mysterio, Flash boasts about how he is always right. Peter, who openly states that he would not "trust any further than I can throw him", takes some secret pleasure in that Flash supported his alter-ego.In a very early issue, Flash and Peter squared off for a boxing match in the school gym. Initially expecting an easy victory, Flash was astonished to discover that he simply could not lay a hand on Peter, and a single tap from Parker's fist knocked him clear out of the ring. After this episode, Flash's bullying was restricted mostly to verbal harassment. Over the next few years, as the two became rivals for Liz Allan's affections, Flash was willing to confront Peter only when backed up by his friends. Peter began to laugh off his threats with good-natured comebacks. This subtle reversal of their positions was typical of Lee-Ditko character developments in the title.
Towards the end of Ditko's run on the title, Flash was employed mainly as comic relief, more a local buffoon than a serious threat. Major changes in his personality took place subsequently to 'The Amazing Spider-Man #39, when John Romita, Sr. took over as artist for The Amazing Spider-Man. Following Romita's take in place, Flash was made into a more sympathetic character and his clean-cut image was similarly emphasized to give him an "All-American" persona.
College and adulthood
After Flash Thompson entered Empire State University, his relationship with Peter Parker became progressively less hostile. While the two still traded the occasional insult, Flash had grown to respect Peter's intelligence and was surprised by his popularity with women, particularly Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. Both Flash and Peter were friends with the wealthy Harry Osborn. Harry's presence served to defuse the tension between the former rivals.While in university, Flash joined the United States Army and serves in the Vietnam War. Unlike many students of the time, Flash was never conscripted—instead, he volunteers for service of his own free will. Although Flash was absent from the strip for months at a time, his frequent stateside visits kept him familiar with the readers. He returned from the war a decorated hero. Flash's tour of duty profoundly changed him from a reckless and immature youth to a tormented and conflicted man. Finding no comfort in his military decorations, Flash turned to alcohol for years.
While in Vietnam, Flash's unit bombed an ancient temple whose acolytes had earlier sheltered Flash when he was wounded. Flash tried and failed to stop them. When he returned to America, he dropped his antagonism toward Peter. Peter, in turn, began to respect Flash's newfound maturity and the two became close. However, Flash soon finds himself tailed by mysterious assassins, former acolytes of the temple who thought that Flash had betrayed them. Spider-Man held off the assassins long enough for Flash to explain his side of the story. Sha Shan, the leader of the assassins, forgave Flash and even dated him for a while, but left him when she found out he was cheating on her. When Sha Shan was attacked by the Hobgoblin, Flash made the mistake of insulting the villain on television. Hobgoblin took revenge by abducting Flash and framing him as Hobgoblin's true identity. Spider-Man was aghast that his old friend was a villain, but Flash was legally exonerated when Hobgoblin's true identity was revealed. It was around this period that Flash Thompson would serve as best man at the wedding of Parker and Mary Jane.
After a bout of severe depression, Flash went drunk-driving and was badly injured in a car crash. Soon afterward Norman Osborn offered him a job at Oscorp as his personal aide to annoy Peter. Not knowing the reasons behind this, Flash became loyal to Norman for giving him a second chance and turning his life around. During this time, Flash met the hero Prodigy, not realizing he was also Spider-Man in disguise. Later, as part of a plan of driving Spider-Man to murderous violence by attacking his family and friends, Osborn kidnapped Flash, force-feeds him whiskey and has him crash a truck into Midtown High School, where Peter works. Flash survived, thanks to his excellent physical condition, but he suffered severe brain damage that left him in a coma. Liz, although widowed and raising her son Normie all on her own, became Flash's caretaker, and hired a full-time nurse to care for him. May Parker had come up with the idea to have Flash moved into Peter's apartment building so he could be among friends in the hopes it would aid in his recovery. Peter, blaming himself for what happened to Flash, was eager to help and started spending his free time with him, lending emotional support and companionship. Although Flash remained in a largely unresponsive state after coming out of the coma, Peter's constant companionship led to his condition slowly improving over time.
Flash awakens from his coma during "The Other" story arc. Flash takes a job as the physical education teacher at Midtown High School, where Peter teaches science. However, Flash suffers from severe memory gaps and again treats Peter like a nerd and picks on him, as he did in their high school days. Flash also flirts with Miss Arrow, unaware that she is a villain there to attack Peter. When Peter unmasks himself as Spider-Man, Flash dismisses it as a trick. But after witnessing Peter fighting with Daniel Berkhart and Francis Klum, Flash's memories come back to him and he re-establishes his friendship with Peter. Flash briefly appeared at the beginning of the "Brand New Day" story arc, attending a welcome home party for Harry. Flash and the rest of the world's population no longer remembers that Peter is Spider-Man, due to the machinations of the demon Mephisto.