Ditko always drew the best smarmy smirks. Both Thompson & Jameson had these massive, egotistical grins all the time.
EUGENE "FLASH" THOMPSON
Created By: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962)
Role: The Bully, Jerk Jock, Jock-Turned Nice-Guy, Forgotten Supporting Cast Member
Supporting Cast Ranking: C-Level (once A-Level)
Group Affiliations: The U.S. Army
PL 5 (53)
STRENGTH 3
STAMINA 3
AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5
DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 0
AWARENESS 0
PRESENCE 2
Skills:
Athletics 3 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+7)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Soldier) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 2 (+2)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Rifle) 2 (+5)
Advantages:
Fast Grab, Ranged Attack 2
Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +3
Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +3
Complications:
Addiction (Alcoholic)- Flash became an alcoholic after his negative experiences in Vietn... I mean a "Foreign War", and struggles with this constantly.
Rivalry (Peter Parker)- Flash hated and bullied the "Puny Parker" until Pete beat him badly in a boxing match. Flash later shifted just to verbal taunts, but the two made a peace of sorts in their College days, Flash eventually becoming a good friend.
Obsession (Spider-Man)- Flash has been an open supporter of Spidey from day one, and is one of the very few people who do not automatically assume he is guilty of the various crimes The Chameleon & Mysterio frame him for. He will not allow a negative word to be uttered about Spider-Man in his presence.
Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (53)
-Flash is very much the iconic "Jerk Jock" character in all High School-based situations- he's so iconic that he STILL shows up in Spidey movies & TV shows, when poor Liz Allan and Betty Brant almost always take a colossal back seat. He's just THAT important to the early story, representing how much of an outcast young Peter was, and how "cool" Flash seemed by contrast. Near-exact variants of this character type appear in almost every Teen Series targetted towards young males (in girl-focused ones, the Head Quarterback is often the love interest, and much nicer), and Flash is arguably the prototype for the modern incarnation of the Bullying Jock that appeared in so many '80s Movies. The character archetype didn't originate with
Spider-Man (at least I think it's unlikely that it did- I can't recall many characters like him from stuff before that), but he really stands out amongst the crowd. Personally, I found Jocks less prick-ish in High School (they were too busy being popular, going to parties, and getting laid), and had more to worry about with the burn-outs & Trailer Trash, who were frequently much more vicious and cruel.
-The writers had good fun with the idea that Flash mercilessly picked on "Puny Parker" (viewing him as stand-offish and snobbish, like a lot of bullies & extrovertsdo with introverted people, and deciding to make him a routine target), yet hero-worshipped the awesome Spider-Man. Some of the best bits of the Silver Age Lee/Ditko years is Peter smirking as FLASH THOMPSON is the only person in New York willing to come to Spider-Man's defense against the nasty Daily Bugle, and the public's persona of the Wall-Crawler. The two finally came to blows in an issue that involved them in a boxing match, and Peter humiliated him and made mincemeat out of Flash using his super-powers- the harrassment mostly stuck to verbal jabs after that, with Pete willing to go along and snapping right back on occasion.
-It was to the creators' credit that Flash became an "All-American Boy" and less of a jerk in the late 1960s, and he was finally quite likeable. This was partially due to John Romita taking over as an artist, taking Flash from a buffoon who was used for comic relief, and making him a more well-rounded character, who was even able to GET ALONG with Peter on occasion (he even hung out with Harry, MJ & Gwen). A lot of his bullying was explained by his terrible home life- Flash lived with an alcoholic father, who frequently physically-abused his son. Flash soon matured a bit, and was shipped off to the then-current Vietnam War, which led to his next arc: Flash the Brave Hero. He was targetted by some Vietnamese cultist assassins, hooked up with Sha Shan, and became an alcoholic himself, completing a vicious cycle so common in addictive families. At one point, he was jailed, and Peter even kind of stuck it to him, pointing out that "The one time we fought... I cleaned your clock", while admitting that yeah, he WAS a bit self-righteous and unwilling to hang out with others, and maybe he'd earned a bit of the razzing he took from Thompson.
-This modern Flash kind of did the "Supporting Spider-Man Character Tailspin", going nuts once or twice, being rendered comatose by Norman Osborn (hoping to stick it to Peter), and becoming the PE Teacher at Midtown High. Eventually, he loses his legs heroically in the Iraq War, becoming a bit of an inspirational figure, but still desperately attempting to regain his legs.
-Flash is in better shape than the rest of the supporting cast, making him a solid PL 5, able to beat up unarmed thugs with ease. During
Maximum Carnage, he actually saves Richard, Mary & May Parker from some thugs (though The Molten Man helped as well).
VENOM III (Eugene "Flash" Thompson)
Created By: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962)
Role: The Bully, Jerk Jock, Jock-Turned Nice-Guy, Sometimes-Forgotten Supporting Cast Member
Supporting Cast Ranking: B-Level (once A-Level)
Group Affiliations: The U.S. Army, The Secret Avengers, The Guardians of the Galaxy
PL 10 (183)
STRENGTH 3/8
STAMINA 3/8
AGILITY 3/7
FIGHTING 8
DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0
AWARENESS 1
PRESENCE 2
Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+7)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Soldier) 8 (+8)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 2 (+2)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Rifle) 2 (+10)
Advantages:
Fast Grab, Equipment 4 (Guns +6- Multiattack, Grenades, etc.), Improved Critical (Guns), Ranged Attack 5
Powers:
"Symbiotic Costume"
"Immune to Spider-Sense" Concealment (Spider-Sense) 1 (Extras: Continuous) [3]
"More Than Proportionate to A Spider"
Enhanced Strength 5 [10]
Enhanced Stamina 5 [10]
Enhanced Agility 4 [8]
Enhanced Fighting 2 [4]
"Spider-Movement"
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]
"Spider-Sense- Warns of Danger & Boosts Agility"
Senses 1 (Danger Sense) [1]
Enhanced Skills 16: Acrobatics 5 (+12), Athletics 4 (+12), Perception 5 (+12), Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10) [8]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Defense, Uncanny Dodge [2]
Enhanced Dodge 3 [3]
Enhanced Parry 2 [2]
"Cellular-Morphing Qualities"
Features 1: Carries Pocket [1]
Senses 1 (Radius Sight) [1]
Regeneration 4 [4]
Morph 2 (10) -- [11]
- AE: Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Flaws: Blending) (2)
"Self-Created Webbing"
"Web-Shooters"
"Web-Line" Movement 1 (Swinging) [2]
"Spider-Web" Snare 10 (Feats: Split, Tether) (32) -- [33]
- AE: "Web Burst" Snare 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Touch Range) (30)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Symbiote Strength +12 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Guns +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Webbing +10 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Web Burst +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +3 (+8 Costume)
Defenses:
Dodge +3 (+2 Costume, DC 13-22), Parry +8 (+12 Symbiote, DC 18-22), Toughness +3 (+8 Costume), Fortitude +5 (+10 Costume), Will +5
Complications:
Addiction (Alcoholic)- Flash became an alcoholic after his negative experiences in Vietn... I mean a "Foreign War", and struggles with this constantly.
Rivalry (Peter Parker)- Flash hated and bullied the "Puny Parker" until Pete beat him badly in a boxing match. Flash later shifted just to verbal taunts, but the two made a peace of sorts in their College days, Flash eventually becoming a good friend.
Obsession (Spider-Man)- Flash has been an open supporter of Spidey from day one, and is one of the very few people who do not automatically assume he is guilty of the various crimes The Chameleon & Mysterio frame him for.
Addiction (The Symbiote)- Flash cannot be bonded to the Symbiote for more than 48 hours at a time, lest it gain complete control of him. It can cause him to become a murderous savage in combat.
Relationship (Betty Brant)- The two have been off-and-on over the years, and she's one of the few to know he's Agent Venom.
Relationship (Valkyrie)- That's right- VALKYRIE.
Disabled (Crippled)- Flash lost his legs in the Iraq War, and cannot walk without using the Symbiote.
Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 111 / Defenses: 6 (183)
-In one of the more bizarre plot turns in recent history, FLASH THOMPSON of all people is given the Venom Symbiote, because the American government wants another super-operative. Thankfully, this ridiculous plot is given a pretty decent creative team, and so
Agent Venom didn't turn out nearly as bad as it could have. It wasn't really GREAT (I have one pretty good trade, and read the next few, which were weaker), but considering how embarrassing it coulda been, it wasn't so bad. He largely fought the new Crime-Master, but also had to deal with Eddie Brock as the Symbiote-killer and as Toxin, plus a few Jobber Villains (mostly the new Jack O'Lantern) as henchmen. He ended up sticking with the Guardians of the Galaxy for a while, but he was EASILY the least-used character in that story- I have all 20-ish Bendis issues of the most-recent run (hey, the art's good), and I swear to God I consistently forget he's on the team. They pretty much spend the
entire series being split into smaller groups, and he's never around.
-Over the years, Flash has amassed a pretty good selection of hot comic book ladies as love interests- Betty Brant, Felicia Hardy, VALKYRIE, Sha Shan, and he's even gone on dates with Mary Jane & Gwen Stacy.
-Flash, a pretty good Soldier at first, is treated as FAR superior in modern comics, and as Agent Venom, he's a full-blown awesome fighter with super-powers. However, he's not at the level of Eddie Brock or Mac Gargan with the suit- it's addictive properties means they hold it back a fair bit. Nonetheless, he still hits PL 10 as a Super-Soldier with great strength and speed.