Who Flash Thompson is
In the comics, Flash is the big jock who shoves Peter into lockers. The MCU skips the muscle and keeps the ego. This Flash is a rich kid at Midtown School of Science and Technology who calls himself DJ Flash, mocks Peter with a crude nickname in front of everyone and cares a great deal about his follower count. He is clever enough to be on the academic decathlon team, which is part of what makes his teasing sting.
There is a running joke in all three films: Flash idolizes Spider-Man while having no idea he sits next to him in class. That irony gives a minor character a real job in the story.
Flash Thompson's movies in order
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (recommended)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (recommended)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (essential)
These are the Homecoming trilogy films, and Flash has a supporting part in each. Release order and story order match.
Highlights, without big spoilers
Homecoming sets up the rivalry. Flash is the kid who makes Peter's double life harder, especially during the decathlon trip to Washington. In Far From Home, the class heads to Europe and Flash livestreams almost every moment of it, which turns him into a walking joke about influencer culture. It also leads to a couple of the film's best gags.
No Way Home flips things around. Once Peter's life becomes public, Flash suddenly wants to be associated with him, and his reaction is one of the funnier signs of how much the world around Peter has changed. It is a small role, but a telling one.
Friends and rivals
Spider-Man is the target of his teasing and the hero he worships. Ned Leeds and MJ are usually on the receiving end of his comments too, and MJ in particular does not let him get away with much. Aunt May is part of Peter's home life rather than Flash's world, but No Way Home brings everyone close together.
About the actor: Tony Revolori
Tony Revolori was a deliberate break from the old version of Flash, and he plays the part with sharp timing, making Flash insecure as much as mean. You can see that the bragging covers a kid who wants to be liked. Outside the MCU, Revolori is best known as the young lobby boy Zero in Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and for the indie comedy Dope.
How to watch Flash's story
Since all three films are Peter's story first, watch them in order and let Flash be the comic relief he is meant to be. If you only want one, No Way Home is essential for the larger MCU and is the film where Flash's moment has the most meaning. Before No Way Home, it also helps to have seen the earlier Avengers films that shaped Peter. Find his classmates and other supporting players in our list of MCU characters.