The son of a drunkard cop, with no mother to speak of, Flash felt he had to prove himself. This mentality proved positive when he became captain of the football team, but negative in that he picked on those weaker than himself, including Peter Parker. Oddly enough, though he was Peter's mortal enemy during the course of high school, Flash was Spider-Man's biggest fan!

Flash and Peter both graduated from Midtown High with scholarships to Empire State University (guess who got the athletics scholarship?). After both found out they were going to the same college, they matured and became friends relatively quickly, forming a close-knit group with Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, and, later, Mary-Jane Watson. Flash was later drafted to Vietnam. He brought some trouble back with him, but nothing that affected him in the long-run, except a failed relationship.

After his tour in 'Nam, he became a PE teacher, which was a considerable step down from the football star he once was. When Betty Brant was having marital problems with her husband, Ned Leeds, Flash and she had an affair.

When the Hobgoblin was gallivanting across New York, Flash told the media that Hobgoblin was a "creep and a coward." This angered the Hobgoblin, who extracted his revenge by framing Flash as the Hobgoblin. This forced Flash to go on the run, but he later was cleared of all charges (with help from Spidey, of course).

After Ned Leed's death (killed by Foreigner; Leeds was one of the many Hobgoblins), Betty went kinda nuts, so Flash was left with no one. Enter Felicia Hardy (the Black Cat). Felicia wanted to get with Flash only to make Pete jealous. Of course, he was happily married, so it backfired. Plus, she soon developed a real thing for Flash, going as far as to propose to him. He denied the proposal, though, since he could never be part of Felicia's lifestyle.

It all went downhill after that. Flash lost his job, and became an alcoholic (like his father). Flash tried to get back on track, and felt that Betty Brant could be his rock. But Betty just wasn't ready for a relationship like that. Norman Osborn soon stepped into the picture, offering Flash a job at Oscorp as a truck driver. This, of course, was only to taunt Spider-Man. Soon tiring of Flash, Osborn arranged him to be involved in a drunk-driving accident. Long story short: Flash forced at gunpoint to get drunk, put behind the wheel on a collision course with Midtown High.

Flash entered a deep coma, and later came out, but he was a vegetable. His physical features were fine, but he was trapped inside his mind. With no motor functions to speak of, Flash is now confined to a wheelchair and lives in the same apartment building as Peter, who usually checks in on him. Only time will tell if Flash completely heals or not. Yet another innocent caught in the web of Spider-Man.