Facts About Agent Venom:
Agent Venom is a pretty well-known name in the comic book world but not many know about him outside that realm. Flash Thompson is shown as a bully and a maniac in the movies. But he is much more than that. He is Agent Venom, a selfless superhero who is on a warpath to redemption.
1. Debuted along with Peter Parker
Spider-Man aka Peter Parker first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics in Amazing Fantasy #15. It was the first appearance of Spider-Man in recorded history within the Marvel Comic Book Universe. It was also in the same issue that Flash Thompson was introduced to the world. Back then Flash was a true bully. He would always torment Peter and make him look like a fool in front of others. In the picture were Flash first debuted, Peter Parker could be seen at a distance, hugging the wall like a Wall-Crawler.
Flash has come a long way since then but back then he was created to be a detestable bully of a character that nobody liked. Given the fact that Peter had sacrificed so much, it was all the more painful to see Flash annoy him at school.
2. Introduced Peter to Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy
Flash Thompson graduated from Midtown High School. He soon found his way to the prestigious Empire State University. But it was not his brains that got him admission. It was a Sports Scholarship that did the trick. Flash developed a friendship with the University rich boy cum brat Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn and heir to a billion-dollar empire, and Gwen Stacy, the heartthrob of Empire State University. When Peter got into Empire State, it was Flash who would introduce Harry and Gwen to Peter.
The trio would eventually develop a life-long friendship and nobody would have thought that it was Flash Thompson who struck the first nail. Peter at that time as fully concentrated in trying to find out a way to save his Aunt May, whose health was failing at the time. His plight drew Harry and Gwen towards her even more.
3. Huge fan of Spider-Man
Flash may hate Peter Parker. But he loved Spider-Man. So much so that he actually respected the wall-crawling superhero. Flash Thompson idolized the friendly neighborhood superhero and headed the Spider-Man Fan Club at school and college. Flash joined the military because he wanted to make a difference and help people like his hero did every day. Even when he died, his funeral declared him as a brother, son, friend, and most important of all, the head of the Spider-Man fan club. Flash’s love for Spider-Man knows no bounds and he was more than willing to give up his own life to prove that point.
4. Is an Iraq War Veteran
The bully known as Flash Thompson would one day get so inspired by Spider-Man that he would sign up to become a part of the United States Armed Forces. When Peter Parker asks Flash Thompson why he is ready to go such an extra mile to prove his point, Flash gives a very symbolic reply. Flash claims that if Spider-Man could do it every day, the least Flash could do is try to make his sacrifices worthwhile and not in vain since Spider-Man had him-self gone out on a limb to save Flash numerous times in the past. Flash would serve in the Vietnam War and then the Iraq War.
He would lose both his legs, which were amputated after they were shot multiple times when Flash was trying to save his fellow soldier from a gunfight. Even that did not stop Flash from becoming the good guy and he continued to help people even without his legs.
5. Project: Rebirth
After the events of Siege, the US Government was in a state of turmoil. They had to have a weapon of their own against superhumans. Mac Gargan, formerly known as Scorpion and the new Venom, had the symbiote removed from his body after the events of Siege. The symbiote then came under the possession of the US Government. Flash Thompson, who was now an amputee, was at his lowest point in life. He always wanted to be a hero and life had taken that away from him.
So he volunteered to be a part of a secret government program called Project Rebirth aimed at recreating another Super Soldier like Captain America. The program injected Flash Thompson with the Venom symbiote and he became Agent Venom.
6. Part of Guardians of the Galaxy
The Avengers wanted someone in outer space and keep an eye on the Guardians of the Galaxy. So they chose Agent Venom aka Flash Thompson to do the honors. Agent Venom dived deep into the darkest corners of outer space and went on various adventures together with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The team would fight monsters and supervillains of the highest order. Agent Venom even led the team once. As their leader, Flash would take the team to the point of origin of all symbiotes, where he would finally find a cure that was corrupting the Venom symbiote and turning it into an evil entity.
7. Venom actually liked Flash Thompson
Throughout its life, the Venom symbiote has mostly hated its hosts. That was before Eddie Brock came into the picture. But even then, Venom did not actually like being with Eddie. The reason Venom hated Spider-Man was because Venom genuinely wanted to be a hero and Peter had robbed him of that right when he rejected Venom and threw it out of its body. With Flash Thompson, Venom could actually be a hero again and help people.
The scientists at Project Rebirth thought that they would be able to control Venom but that was never the case. Venom never actually left Flash’s body every 48 hours like they thought the extraction procedure would. A part of the symbiote would always leave behind within Thompson’s body. The two would eventually develop a liking towards and respect each other.
8. Gave his life to be a hero
Flash Thompson never liked Peter Parker. He was a bully and a tormentor that everybody hated. But his story took a lot of twists and turns and Flash Thompson would eventually redeem himself in the eyes of the reads. He would become a hero when he served in the Iraq War and lost both his legs trying to save a friend caught in a crossfire. After that, he would become Agent Venom and save even more lives. But his story does not end there.
After Venom left his body, another symbiote took control of Flash Thompson called the Anti-Venom. Anti-Venom helped Spider-Man fight the Red Goblin. When Mary Jane and Aunt May’s life was in peril, he saved their lives. He later sacrificed his life to save Spider-Man from the evil machinations of Red Goblin. So he became a hero to the one he him-self idolized as one.
9. His rivalry with Hob Goblin
If you are a civilian, the last thing you need is a bulls’ eye painted on your back by a supervillain. Flash Thompson can get really cocky and arrogant sometimes. He once took to national television to claim that he believes that Hob Goblin is a fraud and Spider-Man will easily defeat him. This angered Roderick Kingsley, the Hob Goblin. He decided to take his revenge on Flash Thompson for the public humiliation by framing him as the Hob Goblin. It almost worked before Spider-Man finally figured out what was going on and saved Flash’s life.
10. Has trouble separating his personal and superhero life
The Flash’s alcoholic and abusive father was the reason Flash took to being a bully at school. He hated his father’s actions but loved him nonetheless. During the events of Spider-Island, when the Spider Infections were spreading throughout the city, Flash was asked by his father to stay by his bed when he was bedridden. Flash declined, claiming that the people of the city also needed his assistance as a superhero. The Flash never realized that his family also needed to be prioritized sometimes, something he got from his father itself. It is all a vicious cycle. There have been several instances where Agent Venom has had to let go of his personal relationships to answer what he claims was a “higher calling” as a superhero.
