10 Things Only Spider-Man Comic Fans Know About Peter Parker’s Friendly Rivalry With Flash Thompson

Flash Thompson and Peter Parker were bitter high-school rivals, as made famous by Marvel’s Spider-Man comic books. However, the two former enemies grew closer as years and decades passed, eventually becoming something resembling friends.

While Flash and Peter’s relationship is something that every cinematic iteration of the Spider-Man story has included, there are many aspects of their friendly rivalry that the various films haven’t depicted, parts of their history only dedicated Marvel Comics readers know about.

Flash Has A Special Nickname For Peter

Peter and Flash’s relationship was certainly at its most antagonistic in high school, where the latter tormented the former daily, coming up with new ways to make his teenage years as miserable as possible. This included a name that stuck with Peter throughout the entirety of high school: “Puny Parker.”

Flash continued to refer to Peter as “Puny Parker” during high school and even into college, before dropping the nickname as the two become friendlier with one another. The nickname has transformed over the years, however, with the MCU’s take on Flash sticking Peter with the immature nickname “Penis Parker.”

Peter And Flash Fought In A Boxing Match

The match between Peter and Flash amounted to exactly what readers expected: a short and fairly one-sided fight. Flash quickly found that he couldn’t land a blow on Peter, only to be knocked out of the ring with a single punch from his opponent, leading to plenty of embarrassment and ridicule at Flash’s expense.

Flash Is Spider-Man’s Biggest Fan

Though Flash’s primary role in the early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man was to act as Peter’s foil at school, he was also shown to have a pure love for Peter’s secret alter-ego of Spider-Man. This is one aspect of Thompson that has carried over to most versions of the character, as he unknowingly idolizes the very man he torments on a regular basis.

Flash’s love for Spider-Man is manifested in several ways, including running his high school’s fan club devoted to the superhero. At one point, Flash even masqueraded as Spider-Man himself, only to be captured by the villainous Doctor Doom, who believed that he was the real deal.

Peter And Flash Shared Love Interests

Peter Parker has dated plenty of women throughout his decades-long history at Marvel Comics. It would seem that he and Flash have similar taste in women, given that Thompson has shared several of Peter Parker’s love interests over the years, making for plenty of awkward moments between the two.

Perhaps the most famous instance of their similarly placed affections is their rivalry over classmate Liz Allan. Both Peter and Flash entertained crushes on Liz throughout high school, often coming to blows over the matter. While neither would end up with Liz, both also briefly dated Betty Brant and Felicia Hardy at separate times throughout their comics histories.

Peter And Flash Worked Together

Peter Parker underwent a career change in the early 2000s, during J. Michael Straczynski’s historic run on The Amazing Spider-Man. After working as a freelance photographer at the Daily Bugle for a long time, Peter temporarily hung up his camera in order to begin teaching science at his old high school. He was surprised to find that Flash Thompson was later hired as the school’s primary gym teacher.

This series of events took place during one of the more antagonistic arcs between the two characters, as Flash had had many of his memories erased after an accident orchestrated by Norman Osborn left him with a chunk of his memory missing. The two worked together for a while before Peter was forced to leave his job after revealing his identity as Spider-Man to the world.

Peter And Flash Lived Together

Despite hints otherwise due to Flash’s various cinematic portrayals in Spider-Man films, he and Peter Parker actually wind up becoming rather good friends over the course of the comics. This friendship even included a brief stretch of time wherein the two former rivals shared an apartment.

While Peter and Flash were not roommates for as long as Peter and Harry, they did share a number of adventures together during that time, including facing off against the telepathic Mindworm, who nearly caused an entire block of New York City to lose their lives.

Peter And Flash Teamed Up As Superheroes

As with many supporting comic book characters, Flash Thompson eventually attains superpowers of his own, after several encounters with variants of the Venom symbiote. This causes Flash to take on several mantles as a result, including Agent Venom and Venom, Antivenom.

Flash’s superhero career is not as well-known or prominent as Spider-Man’s, but the two do end up fighting side-by-side on occasion. For Flash, it is a surreal and wish-fulfilling dream come true to ally himself with the Webslinger, but for Spider-Man, it is just another case of that “Parker Luck” causing him to fight side-by-side with his former high school bully.

Peter Believed In Flash When Hobgoblin Framed Him

As a result of running 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 rendition of the Hobgoblin, causing him to be thrown in jail for the lunatic’s heinous crimes.

While Flash’s name was eventually cleared, many of the people in his life turned on him when he was found in the signature mask and costume of the Hobgoblin. Peter, however, remained one of the few that never believed in Flash’s villainy, helping to prove him innocent.

Flash Started Bullying Peter Again When They Were Adults

Though Peter and Flash’s friendship was something that was built up and nurtured over the course of multiple decades and several hundred comic book issues, there was a moment in time where it was virtually erased from existence. When Flash is in a drunk driving accident brought about by Norman Osborn, much of his memory is erased, including his friendship with Peter.

Flash’s amnesia essentially reverts the former bully to his high school days, causing him to once again despise Peter Parker, who was his coworker at the time. While this storyline regarding Flash’s missing memories was eventually dropped, it was difficult for many readers to watch Peter’s former friend revert to his less-than-amicable nature.

Spider-Man Inspired Flash’s Military Exploits

One of the most intriguing aspects of Flash Thompson’s character is his stint serving overseas in the United States marines. Initially shipping out to fight in the Vietnam War, Flash’s service was eventually retconned to several undisclosed conflicts and eventually the Iraq War as a result of Marvel’s floating timeline.

While fighting in Iraq, Flash is grievously injured while saving a fellow soldier from an enemy ambush, causing him to lose his legs. In an interview with a superior intending to give him the Medal of Honor, Flash revealed that his heroic efforts 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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