
Frederick "Flash" Thompson is a minor, but recurring character and an antagonist in the 2000s comic books series Ultimate Spider-Man along with its 2009 follow-up titled Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. While in-keeping traits with his 616 counterpart such as being an athletic jock who bullies Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, this version of Flash is by far more sadistic, cruel, mean, taunting, and dim-witted compared to his mainstream counterpart. While lacking the redeeming qualities of his mainstream counterpart, and takes far more pleasure in seeing Peter humiliated, and picks on him for no reason. Throughout the series, he is seen and have tormented some others including his new classmate Kitty Pryde, a member of the X-Men for being a mutant and a freak.
Why He Flashes No More
- While he still retain the traits of his mainstream counterpart, Flash in this version is far more sadistic, mean-spirited, taunting, and dim-witted who lacks any redeeming qualities than his mainstream counterpart who takes the pleasure to see his classmate Peter Parker (Spider-Man) humiliated and picked on for no reason (which he was never a fan of Spider-Man).
- He plays the victim so much throughout the series and he never stops.
- He uses Kenny "Kong" Mcfarlane and his teammates to bully Peter and aren't even punished for some point.
- He is much more of a real jerk, unlike his mainstream counterpart, to Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.
- Despite being unlikeable, he gets a lot of panel time and showed no purpose to the greater narrative of the story and is the same in 2009's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, a relaunch of Ultimate Spider-Man.
- He uses outdated pop-culture references such as Stephen King's novel Carrie to insult students including Peter.
- His actions are very unjustifiable throughout the series:
- He throws food towards Peter and Kitty just to have a "score" targeting them.
- He has Kenny kick Peter in the back.
- He treats Kenny, Kitty Pryde from the X-Men, Peter, and Mary Jane (whenever he provokes and mocks her which result her to fight him back) very poorly and doesn't care.
- He tried to grab Mary Jane's hands, if she's interested in him which caused Peter to hit him. After the incident, He threatened Peter to fight and he never gets punished.
- He throws a football on Peter, while he was trying to suit up as Spider-Man, and provoked him into having Peter throw the football on the school building which angered them.
- He provokes Mary Jane into forcing her to hit him by mocking him about Gwen Stacy's death (at the hands of Carnage), this would led the two along with Peter, Liz Allan, and Kenny to detention.
- He mocks Kitty Pryde for being a mutant in their school and jokes about her "baby" in class being half-mutant. His actions would led him to get in detention and he never stops like when he uses his friends to throw food at Kitty which led her to break the "do not use mutant powers" law in school and get her in detention.
- He doesn't get along with the greater narrative of the series.
- He is kinda bland just like his 616 counterpart depending on your view.
- His lines when targeting his victims and his bullying antics get old very quickly as they aren’t even funny ones just only picking on losers like Peter Parker.
- He doesn’t even try to be friends to Peter just like in the mainstream timeline.
Redeeming Qualities
- The Flash is a much better character in the comics, and that's saying a lot and in Ultimate Fallout: The Death of Spider-Man, he seems to reform his actions, when Flash did not know that Peter was Spider-Man when he died after being accidentally shot by the Punisher and while trying to kill the Green Goblin using a truck and then died by jumping down the down during the explosion while his wound is bleeding.
- He sometimes doesn't bother Peter, along with other students and his classmates such as in the Irresponsible story arc.
- Does get a lot of comeuppance like when Peter holding Flash's punch on him, causing his hand to hurt.
Trivia
- Flash's first name was Eugene, but it's changed to Frederick.
- It is uncertain whether this Ultimate Universe version of Flash even has a sister from the mainstream universe.
- Originally, his mainstream counterpart's main friends were Brian "Tiny" Mckeever, Jason Ionello, Seymour O'Reilly, Charlie. However, the Ultimate Universe instead is friends with Kenny "Kong" MacFarlane and his football team.