Eugene Thompson (Earth 1)

**Eugene "Flash" Stanley Thompson** is a bully-turned selfless-soldier better known as **Agent Anti-Venom.** Initially the high school tormentor of Peter Parker, whose secret alter-ego of the superhero **Spider-Man** also happened to be Flash's biggest idol, Thompson grew out of his abusive behavior and befriended Peter in college. Flash joined the Army and was stationed in Southeast Asia but had trouble finding a place to fit when he returned to the States. Flash spiralled into depression and combated alcoholism, an addiction that was exploited by the villainous Norman Osborn to involve him in a car crash. This left Flash in a near-vegetative state after waking up from a coma. Flash eventually regained his full faculties, and became a gym teacher at his old school.

Thompson returned to service and earned a Medal of Honor, although for the same mission that cost him his legs. Becoming bonded to the Venom symbiote, Flash served as **Agent Venom** for Project Rebirth 2.0. He struck out on his own after it was shut down and also joined the Secret Avengers. After returning to Earth following a stint in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Flash lost the symbiote. He ultimately gained a new symbiotic companion and became **Agent Anti-Venom.** Dying at the hands of the Red Goblin, Flash's consciousness survived in the Symbiote Hive-Mind, and his body was later resurrected, returning him to fighting form as Agent Anti-Venom.

## History

### Early Life

Eugene “Flash” Thompson was a classmate of Peter Parker. Flash grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. He lived only a few blocks from Peter's house. He lived with his father Harrison Thompson, a police officer in the New York Police Department, his mother Rose Thompson and his little sister Jessie. Flash was physically abused by his alcoholic father, leading to Flash's own violent, bullying nature.

### Midtown High School

Like Peter Parker, Flash attended Midtown High School, where he bullied Peter daily. The bullying continued for a long time even after Peter gained his Spider powers who never used them against Flash, even when tempted to do so. The only exception was a boxing match between the two in the school gym, where Peter evaded Flash's punches with his reflexes and knocked him out with a single punch. However, this was passed off as an accident and any suspicion of Parker actually being Spider-Man was moved onto Flash himself due to events involving the Living Brain. After this, Flash stopped his physical abuse, although he continued to taunt Peter.

 File:Peter Parker, Eugene Thompson and Sally Avril (Earth 1) from Amazing Fantasy Vol 1 15 0001.jpg
Flash's wide circle of friends included Brian "Tiny" McKeever, Jason Ionello, Seymour O'Reilly, Charlie and numerous female admirers such as Sally Avril and Liz Allan; the latter was Flash's steady girlfriend for some time. Flash was Midtown High's star quarterback, where his speed on the football field earned him the lifelong nickname "Flash". This gained him popularity and respect, but he still remained jealous of Peter's book smarts. Ironically, Flash became an ardent supporter of Spider-Man, despite popular opinion against him. He even formed a Spider-Man Fan Club while still in high school and invited everyone except Peter Parker to join and scared away Daily Bugle staffers when they tried to interview people about their reasons for hating Spider-Man.

Flash once tried to play a trick on Peter by dressing in a Spider-Man costume and attempting to frighten him. Before Flash could surprise Peter, he was abducted by Doctor Doom, who mistakenly believed he was the real Spider-Man. Peter was forced to save his own worst rival.

Flash dressed up as Spider-Man again to redeem his hero who was seen as a coward after having run from a confrontation with the Green Goblin. Flash confronted three car thieves, hoping to draw out the real Spider-Man, but was beaten up by the three thugs.

When Flash's girlfriend Liz became attracted to Peter and started snubbing him, calling him a "muscle-bound goop", this only made Flash hate Peter all the more. He threatened Parker not to hang around Liz too much, but when Peter got into trouble with the school principal, Mr. Davis, over their fight, Flash took responsibility for the incident. He still continued to pursue Liz, even though she made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him.

### Empire State University

Flash graduated from high school and enrolled at Empire State University on an athletic scholarship, becoming once more a classmate to Peter. Even though at first he continued his rivalry with Peter, turning his new classmates Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy against him, eventually, they became close friends, also because Gwen befriended Peter and made the two bury the hatchet.

## Personality

> I've taken **beatings** in my life. Had body and mind put to the test. Football. Dad. Boot camp. Mosul. Both legs amputated above the knee. An entire **lifetime** of getting my **ass kicked** to the ground can't **begin** to measure up to these past twelve hours.
>
> **Venom (Flash Thompson)**, Venom Vol 2 9

As a result of chronic abuse by his violent, alcoholic father, Flash Thompson became a bully during his high-school years, picking on students weaker than himself — namely Peter Parker — in order to vent his anger and frustration. Nevertheless, desiring his father's approval above all else, Flash pushed himself to excel in sports, embodying the stereotype of a dumb jock.

Inspired by Spider-Man's selfless heroism, Flash eventually straightened himself out and joined the military in order to prove himself a hero but was ashamed and haunted by his past as a bully. Remaining hot-tempered and lapsing into alcoholism, Flash despaired at the parallels he saw between himself and his father. Upon becoming Agent Venom, Flash's aspirations to be a superhero clashed with both his military superiors' orders — eventually leading to him going AWOL to protect his family; and with the predatory urges of the symbiote, which was kept suppressed by a suppressant chemical but would resurface if Flash became too angry.

After joining the Secret Avengers and the Thunderbolts, Flash came to realize just how heavy the burden of being a hero was when his new rogue's gallery and the feral symbiote attacked his family; eventually leaving for Philadelphia to protect them and try to leave his past behind. Upon the Venom symbiote being cleansed, Flash's relationship with it began anew and he came to consider it his comrade and partner, to the point that even when it was re-corrupted, he endeavored to save it from itself.

Flash blamed himself for the death of Andrea Benton's father, and despite having never wanted children out of fear he'd turn out like his own dad he became a surrogate father and mentor to her.

Thompson sank into a deep depression when he was separated from Venom. Not only was he worried sick about his friend and partner, he also missed being a superhero. He was eventually brought out of his depression by his determination to reunite with his former symbiote. Flash initially rejected the notion of the symbiote having returned to Eddie Brock, but learned to respect Brock and accept him as the symbiote's host after he showed his heroic side while fighting Maniac.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

**White Symbiotic Costume:** The Anti-Venom symbiote grants Flash the following powers;

* **Superhuman Strength:**
* **Superhuman Speed:**
* **Superhuman Stamina:**
* **Superhuman Durability:**
* **Superhuman Agility:**
* **Superhuman Reflexes:**
* **Organic Webbing:**
* **Regeneration:**
* **Wallcrawling:**
* **Spider-Sense:**
* **Spider-Sense Immunity:**
* **Camouflage:**
* **Constituent-Matter Generation:**
* **Constituent-Matter Manipulation:**
* **Shape Alteration:**
* **Genetic Memory:**
* **Night Vision:**
* **External Symbiote Rejection:** As with the original, the artificial Anti-Venom symbiote is caustic to the Venom symbiote, to the extent that prolonged physical contact will kill it. His touch also kills Poisons, as they are a predator species who thrive on assimilated symbiote biomass.
* **Healing Touch:** The suit allows Flash to purge a person's body of impurities such as drugs, toxins, and diseases. However, unlike with the original Anti-Venom symbiote, Flash can also heal physical injuries and doesn't have the random power negation effect.
* **Fire Breath:** In his draconic form, Flash is able to breathe torrents of flames from his maw.

**White Symbiotic Armor:** His Symbiotic Armor is capable of flight through the use of boot-mounted propulsion jets. Using the symbiote-derived shapeshifting capabilities, the Symbiotic Armor is capable of manifesting weapons such as claws, blades, and plasma cannons. The Symbiotic Armor can also fire nets formed from the Carnage symbiote's constituent matter.

* **Flight:**
* **Shapeshift:**

**White Necrosword/Exolon Polymorphic Weapon:** His White Necrosword was created when his symbiotic prosthetic arm absorb shard of the All-Black Necrosword and the Exolon Polymorphic Weapon.

* **Symbiote Corrosion:** The White Necrosword is able to produce antibodies capable of injuring and even killing symbiotes.
* **Shapeshifting Weapon:** The White Necrosword can transform into any object the user desires - ranging from energy guns, binoculars, a whip, and a sword capable of cutting through the Phalanx.

**White Symbiotic Prosthetics:** His symbiotic prosthetics.

* **Symbiote Biomass Absorption:**
	+ **Power Absorption:**

### Former Powers

**Black Symbiotic Costume:** The Venom symbiote granted Flash the following powers:

* **Superhuman Strength**
* **Superhuman Speed**
* **Superhuman Stamina**
* **Superhuman Durability**
* **Superhuman Agility**
* **Superhuman Reflexes**
* **Webbing Generation**
* **Accelerated Healing Factor**
* **Wall-Crawling**
* **ESP (Spider-Sense)**
* **Spider-Sense Immunity**
* **Invisibility**
* **Constituent-Matter Generation**
* **Constituent-Matter Manipulation**
* **Shapeshifting**
* **Genetic Memory**
* **Night Vision**

**Hell-Mark:** The Hell Mark bestowed upon the Venom symbiote by Mephisto marked Flash as a potential candidate to become a Hell-Lord during the Descent and granted him the ability to subjugate and control lesser demons, though powerful demons are able to resist this. When the symbiote realized the demon implanted into them by Daimon Hellstrom was slowly taking over, it passed the Hell Mark on to its clone and bonded it to Andrea Benton.

**Demon:** Flash was possessed by a demon through Daimon Hellstrom's attempt to turn the symbiote into one of his Monsters of Evil. The demon initially wanted to be released from Flash's body since possessing a person who bore the Hell Mark had been forbidden but couldn't be exorcised due to the Hell Mark's presence. Flash theorized that the symbiote and demon were cooperating to overcome their respective handicaps (drugs and the Hell Mark), but the symbiote realized that the demon was slowly overcoming the Hell Mark's suppression and expelled it along with the Hell Mark into its clone.

### Abilities

* **Skilled Marksman:** Flash has been trained in sharpshooting and marksmanship from the U.S. Army.
* **Skilled Combatant:** Due to formal training as a boxer and a soldier, Flash is an exceptional combatant and easily combines his abilities with the use of symbiote powers.

### Weaknesses

* **Alcoholism:** Flash had been known to have a drinking problem.

### Former Weaknesses

* **Incomplete bonding:** While under the oversight of Project Rebirth 2.0, Flash could not remain bonded to the Venom symbiote for more than 48 hours without fully bonding with the symbiote and risking it taking over him. The US Government had installed a fail-safe protocol through the use of a kill switch should Flash lose control. Flash later removed the failsafe protocol and fully bonded with the symbiote.
* **Missing limbs:** He lost his legs from the knees down in the Iraq war and was confined to a wheelchair afterwards. While wearing the Venom symbiote, Flash was able to regenerate his legs. Was not a problem after Flash obtained robotic prosthesis, but he did get rid of them. 803 later constructed a pair of prosthetics for Flash to use while not wearing the symbiote.
* **Sonic and Heat:** The Venom symbiote, like all others of its kind, is extremely vulnerable to heat and sonic based attacks. They can cause the symbiote physical pain and discomfort, where as "more powerful" attacks might be completely ineffective.
* **Symbiote dependency:** Because of sustained bonding with the symbiote and the effects of the drugs he uses to keep it in control, Flash's biology was modified to the point he depends on the symbiote to live. If Flash doesn't possess the symbiote for a prolonged period of time, he could die. This issue was apparently removed by the symbiotes hive-mind, as he has spent prolonged periods separated from the Venom symbiote without any adverse effects.

## Equipment

* **Prosthetic legs:** A pair of prosthesis gifted to him by 803 to walk on his own while not bonded to the Venom symbiote.

### Former Equipment

* **Robotic prosthesis:** Flash had acquired robotic implants replacing his missing legs. However, he later disposed of them.

### Former Weapons

* Multi-Gun developed for Agent Venom by Aaron MacKenzie.

## Notes

* When Flash loses control of the suit, his appearance frequently changes to that of the "classic" Venom, Eddie Brock, occasionally retaining the spikes on his shoulders, arms, and legs and white-rimmed black eyes. Other times the white spider emblems have remained the same, or reverted to their appearance of Mac Gargan's Venom form. He can generate two mouths from the side of his neck, although he has only done so once.
* As a member of the Red Hulk's Thunderbolts, Flash recolored the white areas of the symbiote red, making it resemble Randy Schueller's original concept art for the black suit.

### Trivia

* Flash is the nephew of actress Lea Thompson.
* Flash had an F.B.I file when he was still in high school, after starting one of only three Spider-Man fan clubs.