10 things only Spider-Man comic fans know about Peter Parker’s friendly rivalry with Flash Thompson
Flash Thompson and Peter Parker were cutthroat high school rivals, made famous by Marvel’s Spider Man comics. However, the two former enemies have grown closer over the years and decades, eventually becoming something akin to friends.
While The Flash and Peter’s relationship is something that every cinematic iteration of Spider-Man’s story has included, there are many aspects of their friendly rivalry that the various films haven’t described, parts of their story that only dedicated Marvel Comics readers know.
Flash has a special nickname for Peter
Peter and The Flash’s relationship was certainly at its peak in high school, where the latter tormented the old everyday, finding new ways to make his teenage years as miserable as possible. This included a name that stuck with Peter throughout high school: “Puny Parker”.
The Flash continued to call Peter “Puny Parker” in high school and even college, before dropping the nickname as the two grow more friendly with each other. The moniker has morphed over the years, however, with the MCU’s take on The Flash sticking Peter the immature nickname “Penis Parker”.
Peter and Flash fought in a boxing match
The match between Peter and The Flash was exactly what readers had come to expect: a short, fairly one-sided fight. Flash quickly discovered that he couldn’t land a punch at Peter, only to be knocked out of the ring with a single punch from his opponent, which resulted in a lot of embarrassment and ridicule at Flash’s expense.
Flash is Spider-Man’s biggest fan
Although Flash’s leading role in early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man was supposed to act like Peter’s foil in school, he’s also been shown to have a pure love for Spider-Man’s secret Peter alter-ego. It’s an aspect of Thompson that has spread to most versions of the character, as he unknowingly idolizes the man he regularly torments.
The Flash’s love for Spider-Man manifests itself in a number of ways, including running his high school fan club devoted to the superhero. At one point, The Flash even posed as Spider-Man himself, only to be captured by the villainous Doctor Doom, who believed him to be the real deal.
Peter and Flash Shared Love Interests
Peter Parker dated many women during his decades of history at Marvel Comics. It would appear that he and The Flash have similar tastes in women, given that Thompson has shared many of Peter Parker’s love interests over the years, creating many difficult moments between the two.
Perhaps the most famous example of their similar ailments is their rivalry with their classmate Liz Allan. Peter and Flash both had a crush on Liz throughout high school, often running into the question. While neither end up with Liz, the two also briefly dated Betty Brant and Felicia Hardy at different times throughout their comic book stories.
Peter and Flash worked together
Peter Parker experienced a career change in the early 2000s, during J. Michael Straczynski’s historic run on The Amazing Spider-Man. After working for a long time as a freelance photographer at the Daily Bugle, Peter temporarily hung up his camera in order to start teaching science at his old high school. He was surprised to find that Flash Thompson was subsequently hired as the school’s elementary gym teacher.
This series of events took place during one of the more antagonistic arcs between the two characters, as The Flash had many of its memories erased after an accident orchestrated by Norman Osborn left part of its memory on it. missing. The two worked together for a while before Peter was forced to quit his job after revealing his identity as Spider-Man to the world.
Peter and Flash lived together
Despite allusions to the contrary due to the various cinematic representations of Flash in Spider Man movies, he and Peter Parker end up becoming good friends over the course of the comics. This friendship even included a brief period in which the two former rivals shared an apartment.
Although Peter and The Flash weren’t roommates as long as Peter and Harry, they shared a number of adventures together during this time, including facing off against the telepath Mindworm, who nearly took a block of his life. entire New York.
Peter and The Flash have teamed up as superheroes
As with many supporting comic book characters, Flash Thompson eventually attains his own superpowers, after several encounters with variants of the Venom symbiote. This forces Flash to take on multiple roles, including Agent Venom and Venom, Antivenom.
The Flash’s superhero career isn’t as well-known or significant as Spider-Man’s, but the two end up fighting side-to-side on occasion. For Flash, it’s a surreal and fulfilled dream to ally with the Webslinger, but for Spider-Man, it’s just another case of that “Parker Luck” that gets him to fight alongside his old man. high school bully.
Peter believed in the flash when Hobgoblin tricked him
After running around in the same circles as a superhero with countless enemies, Flash Thompson has his fair share of supervillain encounters. At one point, he even finds himself framed by an early interpretation of the Hobgoblin, which has him thrown in jail for the heinous crimes of the madman.
As Flash’s name was eventually cleared, many people in his life turned on him when he was found in the Hobgoblin’s signature mask and costume. Peter, however, remained one of the few who never believed in the wickedness of The Flash, helping to prove his innocence.
Flash started bullying Peter again when they were adults
While the friendship of Peter and The Flash has been built and nurtured over decades and hundreds of comic book issues, there was a point in time when it was all but erased from existence. When Flash is involved in a drunk driving accident caused by Norman Osborn, much of his memory is erased, including his friendship with Peter.
Flash’s amnesia essentially takes the former bully back to his high school days, causing him to once again despise Peter Parker, who was his colleague at the time. Although this storyline regarding the Flash’s missing memories was eventually dropped, it was difficult for many readers to see Peter’s former friend revert to his less than friendly nature.
Flash-inspired Spider-Man military exploits
One of the most intriguing aspects of Flash Thompson’s character is his time overseas in the US Marines. Originally dispatched to fight in the Vietnam War, Flash’s service was eventually reconnected to several undisclosed conflicts and ultimately the Iraq War due to Marvel’s floating timeline.
While fighting in Iraq, Flash is seriously injured saving another soldier from an enemy ambush, causing him to lose his legs. In an interview with a superior intending to present him with the Medal of Honor, The Flash revealed that his heroic endeavors were inspired by his childhood idol, Spider-Man. Unbeknownst to Flash, that inspiration really came from his old friendly rival, Peter Parker.
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