A Flash In The Pan: A First Look At Flash Thompson In 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

In case you forgot that #SpiderManHomecoming is coming home, the internet is awash with news, spoilers, and new footage from #Marvel's web-slinging #superhero film. Director #JohnWatts is bringing Peter Parker's solo film to the #MCU, but as we all know, a young Mr. Parker won't be alone.

Taking the teens into a high school setting, we will see much younger versions of Peter Parker, Aunt May, and possibly Mary Jane Watson. However, among the likes of Peter's other classmates Ned Leeds and Liz Allen, we finally get a look at Tony Revolori as de facto bully Flash Thompson.

Bully for you!

New footage recently aired in Japan during an international press run, and it is here that we got a flash of Flash. In the screengrabs, you can clearly spot Revolori in a bright polo shirt, scowling at #TomHolland's Parker. Peter's friend Ned Leeds can be seen at the side, unsurprisingly looking worried by the tense situation.

Introduced in Amazing Fantasy #15 from 1962, Flash Thompson is Peter Parker's most famous bully, so it is no surprise that a trip to the schoolyard would result in a run in with Flash. Note that Revolori's casting has moved away from the stereotypical football player version of Flash that we are used to. Elsewhere, Liz and Ned have also departed from their caucasian roots, but with Homecoming being a reinvention of the source material, what else would you expect?

'Flash' Back

Fans of the superhero genre will know that this won't be Flash's first appearance in live-action Spider-Man films. Some may remember that Thompson was played by Joe Manganiello, a.k.a. Deathstroke, in Sam Raimi's 2002 film, returning for a silent cameo for Spider-Man 3.

In the rebooted universe, model Chris Zylka starred in Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man and a cutscene in the sequel. It is unknown how much of a role Flash will play in the MCU's expanding Spideyverse, but with an already packed cast, don't expect Revolori to be more than a cameo.

Depending how long the Holland era of #SpiderMan goes on, it could mean big news for Flash, and you can only imagine that this is why Raimi hired Manganiello back in the '00s. In the comics, after fighting in the Iraq War and losing his legs, Flash eventually bonded with the symbiote to become Agent Venom. While it is unlikely that Revolori will go down this route, especially with Sony's #Venom film, it is still an exciting character to introduce.

Back at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2016, the Grand Budapest Hotel actor was confirmed to be playing Peter's childhood menace, so unlike some of the cast, Revolori's role was no secret. Joining Holland, #RobertDowneyJr, #MichaelKeaton, Zendaya, and Marissa Tomei, Revolori will come in with his fists flying when Homecoming swings onto screens on July 17.