How Spider-Man's Flash Thompson Turned From Bully To Hero

WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #800

Flash Thompson was there at the beginning.

Introduced in the legendary Amazing Fantasy #15 as a representation of the popular teenagers that belittled the studious Peter Parker, Flash slowly grew into an important part of Peter's supporting cast. Initially functioning primarily as an antagonist, as the characters progressed beyond High School Flash's role in the books changed and evolved. Whether as school bully, Spider super-fan, soldier, screwup or superhero, Flash played an important role in the books, but one that it's sometimes easy to overlook in favor of more well-known characters such as Harry Osborn or Mary Jane. With Flash's heroic sacrifice in Amazing Spider-Man #800 appearing to be the end of his hero's journey - at least for the moment - it seems an appropriate time to look over Flash's history and examine how a stereotypical Jock evolved into someone who selflessly made the ultimate sacrifice.

In the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era of Amazing Spider-Man, it's fair to say that Flash wasn't the most sympathetic of characters. The big man on campus, his role was as the High School antagonist to Peter, causing problems in his personal life to match those in his costumed one. But Lee and Ditko came up with an ingenious twist: Flash Thompson may have thought that Peter Parker was a useless bookworm, but he idolized Spider-Man. So much so that he was president of the Spider-Man fan club! This hero worship often saw Flash unwittingly aid Peter, while also helping show readers that his character did have some redeeming features.

When Peter went to Empire State University and his social circle expanded, the introduction of characters such as Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson saw some of the focus shift away from Flash. While he was part of Peter's wider friendship group this was primarily through their shared connection with other characters. The relationship between the two was still primarily defined by putdowns, bad feeling and resentment. And when the book took a more soap-opera turn under the team of Stan Lee and John Romita, more often than not the cause of the bad blood was conflict over women.

Where Flash's character first began to see real growth is when he dropped out of University to join the US Army, fighting in the Vietnam War. This showcased a more selfless side behind the bluster, leading to a grudging respect between him and Peter. For the next few years he would make occasional appearances in Amazing Spider-Man between tours of duty, before finally leaving the Army and trying to find a role for himself in civilian life.

The improved relationship between Peter and Flash from this point on can be seen in a development that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. After Harry Osborn became the Green Goblin and his and Peter's apartment was destroyed, Peter and Flash became roommates.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='The%20First%20Time%20the%20Green%20Goblin%20Nearly%20Destroyed%20Flash%20Thompson']

This setup was short-lived, mirroring both Flash's role in the books and his personality. In both High School and in the Army he had been feted for his bravery and physical accomplishments. Flash found it difficult to carve out a role for himself outside of these structures, and the theme of regret and nostalgia for mythical glory days would come to play a significant part in Flash's life.

Because like all Peter's supporting cast with the possible exception of Gwen (at least until the infamous retcon in 'Sins Past'), Flash was a flawed individual constantly battling inner demons. His first long-term relationship with Sha Shan was ended by his infidelity, while his drinking became increasingly heavy. A low point was when Flash was framed as the true identity of the Hobgoblin, with his past behavior being just erratic enough to give some of his friends pause for thought.

But what remained constant throughout this time was Flash's admiration of Spider-Man, and his interaction with Peter continued to occur in both his civilian and costumed guises. One of the most intriguing was in the short-lived relationship between Flash and Felicia Hardy: The Black Cat. Felicia had originally begun dating Flash in an attempt to hurt Peter, but in the end grew to care for him. Felicia actually proposed to Flash, who turned down her down after admitting that the main reason he had been attracted to her was through her connection with Spider-Man.

After a long period of only being an intermittent presence in the Spidey titles, the post Clone Saga stories of the mid '90s saw Flash receive more of the spotlight, allowing him to further develop as a character. Central to this was J.M DeMatteis exploring Flash's childhood as part of Marvel's 'Flashback' month. This revealed that Flash's father had been an alcoholic who had constantly abused and belittled him, playing a large part in the arrogant persona that he adopted at High School. The notion of family demons and an addictive personality was to play an important part in Flash's story going forwards.

For the majority of Spidey's supporting cast, the return of Norman Osborn in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 was a living nightmare. For Flash, though? It offered a new start and the tantalizing possibility of someone that believed in him and valued him as a person. Norman Osborn employed Flash as his personal assistant, delighting in the irony of employing Spider-Man's number one fan to do his bidding. And then, what did he do when he grew tired of the charade? He ambushed Flash after an AA meeting, forced him full of drink, and involved him in a terrible vehicle accident that left him in a vegetative state. As always, Flash just couldn't catch a break.

Flash's recovery from the accident was a lengthy process and for a sustained period he had physical and mental scars, being cared for by medical professionals and friends that included Liz Osborn and Peter Parker. When he thankfully managed to return to health he was spotlighted in Peter David's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man title, but there was an interesting catch. Physically, ol' Flash was back to his best, securing employment as a gym teacher at Midtown High. But the accident had affected his memories of the last few years, leaving him closer to the arrogant High School Flash than the more humble older version. Which meant that when Peter Parker started at the school as a science teacher, sparks flew.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='How%20Flash%20Thompson%20Eventually%20Became%20a%20Hero%2C%20Several%20Times%20Over']

When Spider-Man unmasked as part of the Civil War event, Flash was at first in denial, the idea that puny Parker and Spidey could be the same person being absurd. But Flash's gradual realization of the truth, and the resulting effect on his relationship with Peter, was supremely enjoyable and another casualty of the decision to stuff Peter's secret ID back into the box as part of the 'One More Day' storyline.

When the 'Brand New Day' era of Amazing Spider-Man debuted, Flash was conspicuous by his absence. It wasn't until almost a full year later, in Amazing Spider-Man #574, that readers found out his whereabouts. Having rejoined the army, he lost his legs while saving comrades from enemy fire, losing both of his legs in the process. The part that Peter found particularly hard to bear? That Flash believed that by doing so he was living up to the example of his idol, Spidey.

Such an event could easily have been done for shock value, but where Flash's injury differed is that the comics didn't shy away from the ramifications. If anything, the loss of his legs only further highlighted Flash's ability to triumph over adversity, no matter the cost to himself. When he eventually joined up with the Venom symbiote it at first seemed a strange mix - a random mashup of two long-running Spider-Man elements. But what emerged was a Venom infinitely more compelling than the huge teeth and long tongue of the Eddie Brock era. Readers were able to follow a damaged man who didn't consider himself a hero and struggled to minimize the impact that his choices had on his own life. But what made Flash's struggle compelling is that he kept on, conscious of the good that he could do with his new symbiote partner.

Flash gained a degree of respect from others in the superhero community - even serving as an Avenger for a time - and also enjoyed a sojourn in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy. But he still remained the same character that readers had followed for years. A goodhearted and heroic figure who still struggled to believe in his own worth, always aware of the impact that the shadow of addiction had on his choices. He even got to fight alongside his idol, Spider-Man, as an equal, and if there's any lingering regret from Flash's time as a hero it's that he and Peter didn't reveal their identities to each other sooner, finding yet more common ground that they shared.

That Flash lost his life through saving others was fitting for a character who despite his bravado, typically believed that others had more to offer than he. Yet anyone who knew the real Flash knew that this wasn't true, and that he was every bit the hero that he saw in Spidey. As Peter declared at Flash's funeral, "I'm your number one fan. You're the hero I look up to."

Rest in peace, soldier.