Eugene “Flash” Thompson has been a part of Spider-Man’s stories since his very first appearance, and since then, his iconic nickname has had many different explanations. However, one of the reasons behind his “Flash” name origin was extremely inappropriate. It once was revealed Flash earned the name because his romantic encounters often ended in a flash. So yes, Marvel Comics once explained Thompson’s nickname came from his struggles to perform romantically.

Flash Thomspon is one of Peter Parker’s bullies and Spider-Man super-fan, who debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. While his prowess as a football star originally earned him the name Flash, Marvel has given a couple of other explanations for his name origin. In the animated series Spectacular Spider-Man, Flash Thompson’s nickname came from his childhood habit of running around naked. However, in a story that explored an adult Flash fighting in a war with the U.S. Army and earning him a recommendation of the Medal of Honor, Marvel Comics revealed a much more inappropriate reason Thompson earned the nickname Flash.

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In The Amazing Spider-Man #574 by Marc Guggenheim, Barry Kitson, Mark Farmer, and Studio F’s Antonio Fabela, the story of Flash Thompson returning to active military duty is told. The comic tells the harrowing tale of Flash rejoining the army and making an incredible sacrifice to save a fellow soldier – as he lost both his legs saving him. However, one of the sillier elements of the story is when a general asks to speak to him, where he asks Thompson how he earned the “Flash” nickname. The comic flashes back to Thompson in a car with a woman, who tells him, “it’s okay, Eugene. It was nice. Really,” explaining his romantic encounter ended in a flash.

Thompson lies and tells the general he earned the nickname from playing high school football. While the moment tried to humanize Flash by showing he had his own romantic struggles, it doesn’t make much sense why he would keep the Flash nickname given the sad story behind it. You think he’d want to distance himself from the embarrassing moment – but, maybe he embraced the Flash nickname to take away the power from those who used it against him.

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The Spider-Man adversary’s nickname origin doesn’t really work and kind of takes away from an emotional issue showcasing Flash’s greatest sacrifice. But, ultimately, the inappropriate name origin has mostly been ignored since the real reason behind Flash’s Thompson’s nickname has continued to be linked to his sports career or childhood – even if the explanation in the issue is somewhat hilarious. Don’t expect to see it in the MCU any time soon.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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