Description
Eugene " Flash " Thompson is a fictional 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 (August 1962).
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 war, Flash Thompson turns into the superhero Agent Venom after being bound to the Venom symbiote, which he controls via drugs. Eventually during an argument between him and Eddie Brock regarding the Venom symbiote, he became the new host of the Anti-Venom symbiote.
The character has appeared in several other media adaptations, usually in his earlier bullying incarnation. In film, 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. The Flash Thompson incarnation of Captain Spider made his cinematic debut in the 2023 feature film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , depicted as a member of Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Society.
