Flash Thompson

A star athlete and bully at Midtown High School, Eugene 'Flash' Thompson idolized Spider-Man while tormenting Peter Parker. Years later, after distinguished—and costly—U.S. Army service, he was recruited into Project Rebirth 2.0 and bonded with the Venom symbiote, becoming the government agent known as Agent Venom.

Flash Thompson has been a fixture of Marvel's Spider-Man universe since the very beginning — debuting alongside Peter Parker in the legendary Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the Silver Age issue that launched one of comics' greatest franchises. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Flash started as a supporting player but proved too compelling to stay on the sidelines, racking up over 550 catalog appearances across an extraordinary 64-year span in titles like The Amazing Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Ultimate Spider-Man. He keeps remarkable company — sharing pages with Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, and even Venom — and his journey from that iconic debut through 37 collector-recognized key issues is a testament to how a character introduced as a secondary figure can grow into something genuinely essential. If you want to understand the world Spider-Man inhabits, Flash Thompson is indispensable reading.