Flash Thompson
Attributes
| Eyes: | Blue |
| Features: | Usually wearing a sports jersey or a baseball cap. |
| Hair: | Reddish Blond |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Weight: | 185 lbs |
Powers
| Limitations: | Being a jerk. |
| Strength Level: | Strong human, but normal. |
Summary
| Citizenship: | U.S. Citizen |
| Created By: | |
| Current Occupation: | high school gym teacher |
| Education: | College (science major, incomplete) |
| Former Occupation: | Former High School and College Football Star, Soldier, High School Gym Coach, Oscorp Employee |
| Known Allies: | Spider-Man |
| Known Confidants: | Spider-Man, Sha Shan |
| Known Relatives: | Harrison Thompson (Father, former policeman, alcoholic), Rosie Thompson (Mother), Jessie Thompson (Older Sister). |
| Legal Status: | Hunted as Hobgoblin suspect, later cleared |
| Major Enemies: | Hobgoblin |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Place of Birth: | Queens, New York |
| Real Name: | Eugene Thompson |
| Usual Bases: | New York City |
Background
Flash was the Big Man On Campus at Midtown High, and he delighted in leading the torment of bookworm Peter Parker with the likes of Seymour O'Reilly, Sally Avril, Jason Ionello, Tiny McKeever, Carl King and Arnie Gunderson. Flash was a football jock with confidence to spare, and plenty of friends with which to share his life. Chief among them was his number one girl, Liz Allan. Eventually, Liz began to see that there was more to Parker than met the eye, and she began to develop an interest in Peter. This irritated Flash, and fueled his hatred of Puny Parker, the Science Geek. Ironically, he idolized Spider-Man. He formed the Spider-Man Fan Club and ran afoul of villains from Doctor Doom (by impersonating Spider-Man) to the Living Brain to car thieves (by impersonating Spider-Man, after Spidey ran from the Green Goblin and the Sandman).
But that was High School. When Flash and Peter found themselves at the same college, they did some rapid growing up, and soon became good friends. Flash, Harry Osborn, Peter and Gwen Stacy formed a tight-knit group, although they soon made room for Mary Jane Watson. Sadly, these Halycon days were to be short-lived for Flash, and he was drafted into the army. Flash cut a dashing figure in his uniform, but eventually his training was completed, and he was shipped off to the army.
Flash did return to the U.S. in the middle of his tour of duty, bringing back some serious trouble, in the shape of an enmity he had developed with a band of mystic monks from a secret Eastern temple. The monks mistakenly believed Flash was responsible for their temple being shelled and their priest being killed, and they hunted Flash back to New York to exact their vengeance. Fortunately Spidey was there to sort things out. The priest hadn't died, he had survived the shelling by using some kind of mystical energy that saved him, but also put him to sleep. Doctor Strange helped the priest out of his magic coma.
Flash eventually returned to the U.S. for good. A brief misunderstanding between he and Peter led to a chilling in Peter's romance with Gwen Stacy. He was a single man for a while, until he eventually hooked up with Sha Shan, who was actually the daughter of "The Holy One" (the leader of the temple which Flash had previously encountered). Sha Shan had her own problems, having been forced by her father to marry Achmed Korba (Brother Power) in order to moderate his evil ambitions. Eventually, Spider-Man helped defeat Korba, and Sha Shan was free to hook up with Flash, as she always wanted to. Later on, Flash became a victim of Mindworm.
Sha Shan left Flash after she found out about his affair with Betty Brant (who was married to Ned Leeds) and also because he slapped her and he was accused of being the Hobgoblin. Flash was arrested and put in prison, only to be broken out by the original Jack O'Lantern. Flash had one last encounter with the Hobgoblin, one that would keep him on the sidelines and never realize his dream of being a pro football star. Immediately after Jason Macendale became the Hobgoblin, he was involved in a battle with Spider-Man, in which Spidey seemed to be on the losing side. Catching a pumpkin bomb meant for the dazed webslinger, Flash threw it back at Macendale. Hobgoblin had his body armor and Peter was protected by his spider strength but Flash had nothing. He suffered a near fatal injury from the explosion. Spider-Man performed CPR and saved his life, but Flash's injury destroyed his sports career.
Around that time, Ned was killed, Betty went kind of nuts and Flash's life was going nowhere. Then Flash met Felicia Hardy (The Black Cat) some time after Peter and MJ got married. Felicia reckoned that going out with Flash would serve to make Peter jealous but she never planned on actually falling in love with him. Instead, Felicia fell so hard that she actually proposed to him. Flash turned her down, unable to actually believe that he could ever be part of her high-flying lifestyle.
Flash went way downhill after that, becoming an alcoholic - just like his drunken tyrant father, Harrison Thompson. Flash tried to get back together with Betty Brant, but she wasn't prepared to prop him up. Norman Osborn then stepped in, and made Flash his personal assistant at the Daily Bugle, which he had forced out of the hands of J. Jonah Jameson. Of course, Norman just wanted to taunt Spider-Man. While working late the Bugle, Flash stumbled up a fight between the Looter and Hornet (Spidey in a new identity) over Osborn's reward money for the capture of Spider-Man. Flash helped Hornet defeat the meteor obsessed villain and S.H.E.I.L.D. took him away. Eventually tiring of Flash, Norman arranged for him to be framed in a drunk-driving accident, which left Thompson in a coma.
Flash eventually regained consciousness - of a sort. While his face was untouched, his mind and body were a wreck. Liz Osborn, who was now the widow of Harry Osborn, arranged for a full-time nurse, and for Flash to live in an apartment very close to Peter and many of Flash's friends. Flash was in a wheelchair, and never spoke.
Flash somehow came out of his coma and has gone back to teaching gym at Midtown High. He was back to his original obnoxious self and had forgotten that he and Peter were ever friends. He doubted that Peter was really Spider-Man after Pete revealed to the world his double identity, as part of the Superhuman Registration Act. Trying to prove it, Flash threw a medicine ball at Parker, expecting the clumsy guy to get knocked on his butt. Instead, Peter kicked the ball right back at him, hitting him in the head. Flash woke up in the nurses office and met Miss Arrow, the school nurse.
Flash flirted with her, but she didn't show a real interest in him until he was kissed by Betty Brant. That proved to be very bad for him, as Arrow was Spider- Man's Other, his polar opposite. She realized that Flash had a great deal of tantric energy (unused life force) after being in the coma and she decided to make him the host of her children: potentially thousands of spiders that she would force down his throat until they hatched, eating him alive. Naturally, he wasn't crazy about this idea.
Flash had always idolized Spider-Man for his heroism and self sacrificing nature. He tried to live up to Spidey's example by re-enlisting with the Army and joining his brothers in uniform in Iraq. He served honorably, earning the Medal of Honor. This came at a heavy price, as he went back to get help for a wounded soldier during a fight. Flash was badly wounded in the legs by gunfire, but returned to his fallen comrade's side instead of going for medical help. He saved his friend's life, but the lack of quick medical care cost him his legs.
Flash has recovered well since returning to New York. He has Sha Shan as a physical therapy specialist and has renewed his relationship with Betty. At least for a while. After Mac Gargan was separated from the Venom symbiote, it was bonded to Flash and he became a special agent for the U.S. government. Betty dumped him after he arrived six hours late to a Veterans Affairs benefit and she assumed he had been drinking again. She had learned to know a lie when she heard it, and she didnt buy his excuse that he was late because he was filling thank you letters at the V.A. office.
Flash could only be safely bonded to Venom for 48 consecutive hours before the bond would become permanent. The government also installed a "kill switch" should Flash lose control of the symbiote. Good plan, except the alien found a way to deactivate the kill switch. Flash has managed to control the alien without the kill switch, even when in the presence of it old host, Eddie Brock, currently Anti-Venom. After the Jackal and the Queen began changing New Yorkers into human spiders, Agent Venom was tasked with impersonating one of their guards (Captain America, also changed into a human spider) and infiltrating their hideout. After hearing word that Anti-Venom was curing citizens of their mutations, the Queen ordered the disguised Thompson to go kill him.
Brock was performing his "miracles" at a church, and quickly sniffed out the "demon" in their midst. While Thompson wanted to bring Brock in to the authorities to see how his curative powers might be used to end the infestation, Eddie was less than willing to join forces with the symbiote. A battle raged and Thompson was eventually able to bring Anti-Venom to Reed Richards for study, but only after the symbiote attempted to rejoin with Eddie. Thompson later teamed with Steve Rogers to take down the Queen.
Captain America later called on Agent Venom while in Doverton, Colorado, to help the Avengers take on Carnage. Around the same time, Flash was in Las Vegas with Jack O'Lantern VI, being blackmailed by the Crime Master to capture the Toxin symbiote. The Venom symbiote still wanted to kill Toxin, and only Jack O'Lantern saved the creature. Thompson later was taking part in a prisoner transfer for the Fly. The Fly had stolen money from the Kingpin for his son and he feared that Fisk would try and kill him and his boy. He proved correct, as the Hobgoblin (Phil Urich) attacked the transport train and a three way battle began. Agent Venom stopped to save a guard that was in danger and the Fly and Hobgoblin escaped. The Fly told Venom that he left a note for his son on the train. The letter mocked Thompson, saying he didnt have a son.
Agent Venom soon tried to assassinate the Crime Master, to remove the threat he posed to Thompson's loved ones. He was stopped at the last moment by Eddie Brock, who wanted to kill the Venom symbiote. Flash quickly overpowered Brock but was forced to flee when Crime Master's cronies (the Fly, Jack O'Lantern, Megatak and Death Adder) came to his defense. Flash rushed to find Betty to keep her safe from the coming retaliation and eventually found her at a restaurant with his "war buddy" Jack O'Lantern. He saved her from Jack and Megatak but they were separated by Toxin/Eddie Brock. Flash beat Brock by using a sonic spray that Peter had given to Betty to keep safe from Venom. Flash hesitated, almost killing Brock for the danger he presented but webbed him up instead. After he found Betty, Flash showed her he was Agent Venom.Betty was shortly taken by Toxin and again rescued by Agent Venom at the Staten Island ship yards. After the Crime Master, who seemed to be Betty's long dead brother, Bennett, was killed by Betty, she said she never wanted to see Flash again.
Flash didn't have time to mourn, as Cletus Kasady again escaped from Thunderbolts mountain. Video footage of the escape showed that Carnage had help from a tiny creature. Contacting a journalist friend, Thompson found out about research in Houston, Texas, regarding the microverse. Agent Venom arrived at the research facility just as Carnage escaped to another dimension with his tiny allies but found a very angry Scarlet Spider III. The Venom symbiote reacted badly to Kaine's presence, making Flash lose control of the angry creature briefly. He regained control and barely managed to persuade Scarlet Spider to join him in finding Kasady in the Microverse.
When Thompson arrived in the Microverse, he was assaulted by fairy-like beings, whom had sonic powers and tried to kill him. He was rescued by Arcturus Rann, a rebel fighter against that dimensions overlord, Marquis Radu. As Rann explained the situation, the group was attacked by Radu's armada. Rann's forces had sonic based weapons, which caused Venom to go haywire. One of the fairies sang a song to calm him but they were all soon captured by the Marquis troops. At his headquarters, Radu explained that he planned to create a symbiote army to kill the Redeemer, the supreme being of the Microverse who stood in his way to total conquest.
Radu managed to create hybrid cloned Venom/Carnage symbiotes, which were bonded to Microverse beings. Thompson was wiped out by the experience but managed to hold his own against Carnage and the hybrids until Scarlet Spider arrived with the Redeemer. As with the time that symbiotes invaded earth during Planet of the Symbiotes, Venom was able to destroy many of the cloned creatures by thinking of the beatings his father gave him and use the agony to let out a deadly scream. Carnage somehow escaped to Earth, and Venom and Scarlet Spider were sent after him by Redeemer. Before they left, they were given a sonic grenade, which Venom used to defeat Carnage. His victory was short lived, as Scarlet Spider put Kasady into a coma by shoving a spike into his brain.
Flash later fought Toxin and a serial killer infected with alien technology. He soon returned to New York after he learned that the Crime Master had returned. He was surprised to learn that this was not Bennet Brant, but a whole new man under the mask. The new mob boss surrendered immediately after the firefight when Spider-Man (Octavius) arrived with his troops. Flash was happy to see his old hero, until Otto turned a flame thrower on him. He didn't suspect anything about Spider-Man, as this was the first time that the webhead had seen Flash as Venom and all of his exploits with the Avengers had been top secret. He did show his face after being defeated by sonic webbing, but Otto didn't know or care who Flash Thompson was. (Superior Spider-Man #22)
Flash escaped with the help of some gas bombs but went back into the frying pan when he went to "Peter's" apartment to hide out. There, Otto convinced him that he could build robotic legs for Flash to walk again and took him to Parker Industries to prove it. With the help of Dr. Elias Wirtham (Cardiac), Spider-Man did a diagnostic scan of Flash...with a sonic scanner. This sent the alien crazy and it separated from Flash, only to bond to Spider-Man. (Superior Spider-Man #23) Spider-Man left with the alien and Dr. Sajani tended to Elias and Flash. She gave him bad news: he had been bonded to the symbiote for so long that his body needed it to survive. (Superior Spider-Man #24)
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