Spider-Man Star Reveals That He Pitched Flash’s Depressing Backstory

Spider-Man: No Way Home actor Tony Revolori pitched a major part of his Spider-Man character’s backstory. The character Flash Thompson is a staple of Spider-Man media, showing up often as Peter Parker’s classmate who bullies Peter but idolizes Spider-Man. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Revolori stepped into the role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, bringing an updated version of Flash to life with his rich, hilarious, and somewhat pathetic iteration of the character. Spider-Man: Far From Home sought to make Flash a more three-dimensional character by adding some backstory in the form of his strained relationship with his parents, which became a running joke in the franchise.

During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Revolori reveals that he pitched Flash’s sad backstory involving the character’s absent parents. The actor states that it was his idea to have Flash’s parents neglect to show up after his tumultuous European field trip, paying off the references to his wealthy but neglectful parents from the previous films. After the scene was shot with Flash’s driver picking him up instead of his parents, more scenes were added to hint further at Flash’s depressing home life, including the addition of his concerned texts to his parents. While Revolori points out the hilarious nature of those moments, they suggest a tragic character arc that he expresses a desire to explore further. Check out what the actor had to say below:

“What’s really funny is I’m the one who pitched it. I’m the one who kind of made it happen. In Far From Home, when they all get picked up by their parents, Flash’s driver, Gerald, who’s holding the Thompson sign, was actually supposed to play Flash’s father. But the day before, I was having a drink with one of the producers, Chris Buongiorno, and we were trying to figure out what else could be funny. And I think I said to him, ‘What if his parents, after all of this, still don’t show up?’ So it ended up being a funny gag, but we shot both versions with that actor as Flash’s father and Flash’s driver. So the driver version ended up being the funny one, and that’s the one they ended up using. And then in post, [when Peter puts on the E.D.I.T.H. glasses], they added Flash’s text to his mother that he hadn’t heard from her or his father. So it ended up being a fun gag, but if those movies do get to continue and they ask me back, I would love to explore it further. I always imagined that they were just rich parents who never really wanted to spend time with their son, but I’ll leave that backstory up to the writers. They know what they’re doing.”

Related: No Way Home Shows How Raimi’s Venom Could’ve Survived Spider-Man 3

Why Flash’s Absent Parents Were Great For His Character

While Flash was, at best, an irritating presence for Peter (Tom Holland) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) and, at worst, a bully, the moments Revolori discusses above point to a deeper reason behind his cruel ways. Of course, the character’s home life is no excuse for his targeting of his fellow students, especially when Peter and Ned are his peers in the Academic Decathlon, but the possibility that there is something going on underneath the surface of his antics makes his character more interesting. The MCU films’ handling of Flash as comedic relief rather than a true threat also makes it easier to invest in his character and feel sympathy for him since he comes off as more youthful and pathetic than other versions of Flash.

It could have been interesting to explore a more intense version of Flash, but the MCU’s Peter Parker already had plenty on his plate in terms of actual enemies due to his interactions with other Marvel heroes and villains. This made the addition of Flash in the MCU an opportunity to explore Spider-Man’s impact on Peter’s fellow students since the films made Revolori’s Flash a massive fan of the webslinger. Giving Flash neglectful parents and a sad home life offered a new dimension to the character’s Spider-Man fandom since his love for the hero could have come from his own emotional desire to feel that someone was there for him. Thus, it gives him a personal connection to Spider-Man that sets him apart from many other MCU characters.

Will Flash Return In The MCU?

Since Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with every character forgetting who Peter was, it’s likely that the MCU will take a new direction with subsequent Spider-Man movies, despite the chemistry between Holland, Batalon, and Zendaya. With Peter out of school and focusing on a new era in his life as a superhero, Flash may not have a big role in the subsequent films. However, Spider-Man seems to remain in New York, providing the possibility that Flash could show up in a cameo in future Spider-Man films or even in a larger role as Venom.

More: 2 Spider-Man Variants Could Be Crucial In Across The Spider-Verse

Source: THR