Flash Thompson
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Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962).
Flash was a star high school football player and classmate of Peter Parker, (secretly the superhero Spider-Man) who mercilessly bullied "Puny Parker." Ironically, Flash greatly admired Spider-Man.
After graduation, Flash joined the United States Army and has been haunted by his combat experiences, leading to alcoholism. Flash has matured and developed a friendship with Peter.
Flash Thompson has appeared in several other media adaptations of Spider-Man, usually in his earlier bullying incarnation.
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[edit] History
In his early appearances, Flash Thompson is a high school classmate of Peter Parker. In high school, Thompson is a stereotypical stock jock who continually bullied Peter. It is Thompson who dubs Peter with the derogatory nickname "Puny Parker". Ironically, Flash admires Spider-Man, Parker's other identity, forming a "Spider-Man Fan Club" and vocally supporting his idol wherever he goes, even criticizing J. Jonah Jameson and his editorials to his face.
Over time, it is revealed that the true reason behind Flash's poor attitude is because he is physically abused by his alcoholic father, Harrison Thompson. Flash idolizes Spider-Man for being everything his father, a police officer, should have been.
After the two of them enter Empire State University, Flash Thompson becomes less hostile to Peter, perhaps because he no longer lives under his father's negative influence. They share many friends, particularly Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, and Mary Jane Watson, and over time Flash mellows toward Peter.
While in university, Flash enlists with the United States Army and serves in the Vietnam War (although, due to Marvel's sliding time scale, this was later retconned to some unspecified overseas conflict). While in Vietnam, Flash's unit bombs an ancient temple whose acolytes had earlier sheltered Flash when he was wounded. Flash tried and failed to stop them.
When he returns to America, he drops his antagonism toward Peter. Peter, in turn, begins to respect Flash's newfound maturity and the two become close. However, Flash soon finds himself tailed by mysterious assassins, former acolytes of the temple who think that Flash had betrayed them. Spider-Man holds off the assassins long enough for Flash to explain his side of the story. Sha Shan, the leader of the assassins, forgives Flash and even dates him for a while, but leaves him when she finds out he is cheating on her. 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.
When Sha Shan is attacked by the Hobgoblin, Flash makes the mistake of insulting the villain on television. The Hobgoblin takes his revenge by abducting Flash and framing him as the Hobgoblin's true identity. Spider-Man is aghast that his old friend is a villain, but Flash is legally exonerated when the Hobgoblin's true identity is revealed.
Thompson has relationships over the years with several of the same women as Peter. In high school, he dates Liz Allan. One of the reasons Flash bullies Peter is because he secretly fears that Liz prefers Peter to him. Flash is briefly romantically involved with Mary Jane Watson in college. He has a long, on-and-off relationship with Betty Brant. Felicia Hardy (the Black Cat) dates him in order to make Peter jealous, but is surprised when she actually falls in love with him. Finally Flash breaks up with her, as he feels he can't keep up with her high-speed lifestyle. After he and Peter put their antagonism behind them and become friends, Flash serves as best man at Peter and Mary Jane's wedding.
After a bout severe depression over the course of his life and his inability to reconnect with Betty, Flash went drunk-driving and was badly injured in a crash. Soon afterwards, his life began a dramatic upswing when Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, offered him a job at Oscorp as his personal aide in order to annoy Peter Parker; not knowing the reasons behind this, Flash became loyal to Norman for giving him a second chance and turning his life around. Later, as part of a plan of driving Spider-Man to murderous violence by attacking his family and friends, Osborn kidnaps Flash (under the pretense of picking him up from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting), force-feeds him whiskey and has him crash a truck into Midtown High School, where Peter works. Flash survives, thanks to his excellent physical condition, but he suffers severe brain damage that leaves him in a coma. Liz Allan Osborn, although widowed and raising her son Normie all on her own, becomes Flash's caretaker, and hires a full-time nurse to care for him. Peter, blaming himself for what happened to Flash, makes a point of visiting his friend as often as he can.
Peter learns that Flash had awakened from his coma during the "Spider-Man: The Other" story arc. Flash takes a job as the basketball coach at Midtown High School, where Peter teaches science. However, Flash suffers from severe memory gaps. When meeting Peter again, he treats him like a nerd and picks on him, as he did in their high school days. In The Amazing Spider-Man #533 Flash watches the news reports of Spider-Man unmasking, but dismisses it as a trick, as "Puny Parker" couldn't be Spider-Man. When Peter returns to work as a teacher, Flash still refuses to believe it, even after Peter uses his abilities in an impromptu dodgeball game that blackens both of Flash's eyes. Afterward, Flash seems to flirt with the school nurse, miss Arrow. Finally believing Peter after witnessing his battle with Daniel Berkhart and Francis Klum, both battling for the Mysterio namesake, he reappacificates with Peter. After sharing a kiss with Miss Arrow (who earlier has, unbeknowst to him, displayed the poisonous stingers similar to that of the Other), he's convinced from her to talk Peter Parker into keep his teacher role. Flash accepted the "plan", promising her help.
[edit] Other continuities
[edit] Film
In the 2002 film Spider-Man Thompson was played by Joe Manganiello. He was Mary Jane Watson's boyfriend until they broke up at graduation.
[edit] Television
In the 1994 Spider-Man animated series, Flash tried to have a relationship with Felicia Hardy (Black Cat), which didn't work out and he later found a new, more comfortable, relationship with the brainy Debra Whitman. He was voiced by Patrick Labyorteaux.
[edit] Ultimate Spider-Man
In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Flash Thompson is a jock who attends the same high school as Peter and bullies him, although not to the rougher and almost abusive extent of the regular 616 continuity. Flash and Peter are sometime friends in the Ultimate universe. When he suddenly wanted to talk to Peter alone for a moment on at least two occasions, which Peter turned down rather furiously believing he just wanted to bully him in private. It was revealed after Gwen Stacy's death that he apparently had a crush on her and was trying to ask Peter for help.
As revealed in Ultimate Spider-Man #87 his real first name in Ultimate Marvel continuity is Fred.
[edit] MC2
In the MC2 continuity (the alternate future of Spider-Girl), Flash Thompson is now on the faculty of his old high school. He is the coach of the girls' basketball team. He married Felicia Hardy but later divorced her, and they had two children, Felicity and Gene (Once a red herring for The New Spider-Man). He still is unaware of the fact that Peter Parker was Spider-Man, and is similarly unaware that Peter's daughter, May, is Spider-Girl. Felicity, on the other hand, is aware of all of this, and briefly assumed the identity of the Scarlet Spider in attempt to partner with Spider-Girl.
