12 Spider-Man Questions That Always Confused You

9. Why Does Flash Thompson Hate Peter Parker?

Spider-Man Questions
Marvel Comics

The reason why Eugene "Flash" Thompson picks on Peter Parker should be simple; because he's a jerk. Simple as that.

However, it was revealed in the 2016 series, Spidey, that Flash was friends with Parker when they were kids.

As the pair entered high school, Parker excelled in his studies while Flash struggled. However, Flash was an excellent footballer. Despite the fact Flash was considered one of the cool kids, no one knew he was being regularly beaten by his drunk father.

Flash hated how his dad made him feel insignificant and so, lashed out at his classmates, mainly Peter Parker. Every time he shoved Parker into a locker, tossed his books out of his hands, or chanted "Puny Parker", Flash was trying to regain a semblance of control over his life.

Many years later, Flash realised that he was a bully because he didn't know how to deal with his insecurities. When he met Parker as an adult, Flash admitted he mistreated him and the two became friends once more. Soon after, he suffer amnesia, which reset his personality and made him act like a jerk to Parker again (because this is comics and everything resets every few years).

Contributor
Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85