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Martin Stein
Martin Stein, PhD. as he appeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978)
Art by Al Milgrom
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceFirestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978)
Created by
In-story information
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliationsJustice League
Legends
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Ancestral memory
  • Fairgrounds

Martin Stein is a fictional character associated with and sometimes is the superhero Firestorm appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Publication history

He first appeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978) were created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom.[1][2]

Fictional character biography

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Martin Stein was caught in an accident that allowed them to fuse into Firestorm the "Nuclear Man" with student Ronnie Raymond. Due to Stein's being unconscious during the accident, Raymond was prominently in command of the Firestorm form with Stein a voice of reason inside his mind, able to offer Raymond advice on how to use their powers without actually having any control over their dual form. Banter between the two was a hallmark of their adventures.[1] Stein was initially completely unaware of their dual identity, leaving him concerned about his unusual disappearances and blackouts, but Ronnie was eventually able to convince him of the truth, allowing them to bond as separate individuals rather than as parts of a whole.

After the accident, Firestorm took to defending New York City from such threats as Multiplex and Killer Frost. The 1982 series began with the teenaged Raymond adjusting to his newfound role and later delved into the issue of the nuclear arms race. The Fury of Firestorm slowly developed the lives of Raymond and Stein, as the teenager struggled with high school and moved towards graduation and the scientist found a life outside the lab after learning about his bond with Raymond. A second nuclear hero, Firehawk, was added as a love interest for Firestorm in 1984. In the same year, the character of Felicity Smoak was introduced, initially having a combative relationship with Raymond, but eventually becoming his step-mother following her marriage to his father Eddie.[3][4] The series also tried to create a sense of fun, something that Gerry Conway felt was missing during his years writing Spider-Man;[5] the banter between Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein contributed to this. Upon graduation from high school, Raymond entered college in Pittsburgh, where Stein had been hired as a professor. Afterward, together they searched for a cure for their bond.

When Conway left the series in 1986, John Ostrander (with artist Joe Brozowski) began writing the Firestorm stories. His first major story arc pitted Firestorm against the world, as the hero, acting on a suggestion from a terminally ill Professor Stein, demanded that the United States and the Soviet Union destroy all of their nuclear weapons.[6] After confrontations with the Justice League and most of his enemies, Firestorm faced the Russian nuclear superhero Pozhar in the Nevada desert, where an atomic bomb was dropped on them. A new Firestorm resulted, a fusion of the two heroes: this new Firestorm was composed of Ronnie Raymond and the Russian Mikhail Arkadin but controlled by the disembodied amnesiac mind of Martin Stein.[7][8][9]

The Firestorm with Arkadin proved to be a transitional phase, as in 1989 Ostrander fundamentally changed the character of Firestorm by revealing that Firestorm was a "Fire Elemental". Firestorm now became something of an environmental crusader, formed from Ronnie Raymond, Mikhail Arkadin and Svarozhich, a Soviet clone of the previous Firestorm, but with a new mind. Professor Stein, no longer part of the composite at all, continued to play a role, but the focus was on this radically different character.[1] New artist Tom Mandrake would create a new look to match. It was during this phase that Firestorm met and befriended Sango and the Orishas, the elemental gods of Nigeria. He also met their chief deity and Sango's older brother Obatala, Lord of the White Cloth.

By the series' 100th issue, Stein learned that he was destined to be the true Fire Elemental and would have been were it not for Raymond also being there by circumstance. Raymond and Arkadin were returned to their old lives, and Stein as Firestorm was accidentally exiled to deep space in the process of saving the Earth. He thereafter spent many years traveling through space as a wanderer, returning to Earth only rarely.

In the 2006 miniseries Infinite Crisis it was revealed that Martin Stein, alive in space as the "Elemental Firestorm", had sensed the presence of Jason Rusch within the Firestorm Matrix, but was unaware of Ronnie Raymond's final demise. When Jason, as Firestorm, was gravely wounded in the line of duty, Stein linked with him in a variation of the merge, promising Jason a new Firestorm body to let him return into battle (although Martin had been unable to save Mick) and asking him about Ronnie's fate.

Accepting Martin's proposal, Jason asked Stein to become the permanent second member of the Firestorm matrix. Sensing his "errors" (including Mick's death) were the result of his youth and lack of experience, he sought the experience and maturity of Stein. Stein refused at first, but later accepted Jason's request, thus ensuring both a new Firestorm body and the reconstruction of human bodies for both Rusch and Stein.[1]

It was revealed in Infinite Crisis that if the Multiverse had survived up to the present, Jason would have been a native of Earth-Eight.[10]

As the storyline jumped ahead a year (and the series itself was now re-titled as Firestorm the Nuclear Man from issue #23 on), Professor Stein has mysteriously vanished, and Jason Rusch has been merging with Firehawk to become Firestorm, allowing him to use her powers as well. The two decided to look for Stein together. Stein had been kidnapped and tortured by the Pupil, a former teaching assistant of Martin's. Flanked by the D.O.L.L.I.s, a group of cyborg soldiers of limited cognitive ability, the Pupil (formerly known as Adrian Burroughs) questioned the nearly dead Stein about the secrets of the universe. Jason and Lorraine, along with the mysterious teleport-er Gehenna, freed the captured Stein and restored him to full health.

The Firestorm team of Jason and Firehawk made several appearances across the DC universe before the search for Martin Stein ended.

Jason Rusch and Martin Stein meet Shilo Norman, and are attacked in succession by members of the New Gods such as Orion of New Genesis, Granny Goodness's Female Furies, and a greatly augmented Kalibak of Apokolips. Shilo informs Stein and Rusch that one-quarter of the Life Equation is hidden within the Firestorm Matrix. The others are held by Earth's other three Elementals (possibly the Red Tornado, Naiad, and the Swamp Thing). Darkseid fears that the Life Equation might challenge him and his Anti-Life Equation. Orion wished to keep Professor Stein safe, and Darksied's elite wished to secure the Matrix for Darkseid.[11] The Lord of Evil descended upon them, ripped the professor from Rusch within the Matrix, then vanished without a trace. Jason, with Gehenna as a "hidden partner" in their fusion, began his search for the missing Dr. Stein.

He returns in 2010–2011 Brightest Day miniseries, reuniting with an resurrecting Ronnie Raymond without them being fused. [12] While recovering in the hospital, Stein explains to Ronnie that it seems to be very dangerous to fuse into Firestorm again. Also, it is revealed that Ronnie, after quickly leaving the hospital and being threatened by Jason's father to stay away from Jason, lied to everyone, as he seems to perfectly remember murdering Gehenna as a Black Lantern.[13]

As Firestorm, both Ronnie and Jason visit Stein in an attempt to find out what is happening to them. Stein reveals to them that the Black Lantern Firestorm still exists in the Firestorm Matrix. Firestorm is then told by the Entity that they must learn from each other and defeat the Black Lantern Firestorm before he destroys the Entity. Somehow, Jason and Ronnie trade places.[14]

After running a test, Professor Stein reveals the origin of the Firestorm Matrix. Stein believes that during the initial experiment he was able to capture the spark that preceded the Big Bang that created our universe, thereby making the matrix a trigger for a new big bang. If the boys continue to experience emotional imbalance, they increase the likelihood of triggering a new big bang. After explaining this to the boys, the voice inside them speaks again. Declaring that it is not the matrix, a pair of black hands reaches out from inside Firestorm. Forcibly separating Jason and Ronnie, Black Lantern Firestorm stands between them, separate from both Ronnie and Jason and apparently calling itself "Deathstorm".[15]

Deathstorm reveals its plan to Stein, stating that it intends to create enough emotional instability between Ronnie and Jason that the Matrix will trigger another Big Bang thereby destroying of all life in the universe. In order to help accomplish this goal, Deathstorm absorbs Stein's mind in order to use his knowledge of Ronnie against him.[16]

Deathstorm and the Black Lanterns teleport to an unknown location, Firestorm (Jason and Ronnie) ultimately seek the help from the Justice League.[17] Firestorm arrive at the Hall of Justice asking for help.[18] Firestorm is placed in a containment chamber while the League search for a way to stabilize the energy. However, an internal argument between Ronnie and Jason ignites the spark, apparently resulting in the destruction of the universe.[19] Ronnie and Jason quickly notice, after defeating a hive of Shadow Demons, that the universe was not destroyed as they thought but they were actually transported to the Anti-Matter Universe. There they are contacted by the Entity who reveals to them that since Boston Brand has not yet found the one who will take the Entity's place, it is Firestorm mission to protect the Entity.[20] Meanwhile, Deathstorm and the Black Lanterns are shown on Qward delivering the White Battery to someone.[21] That someone is revealed to be the Anti-Monitor seeking to harvest the life energy within the Lantern to grow stronger. Firestorm takes the White Lantern and attempts to fight the Anti-Monitor, but is defeated. Deathstorm then brings Professor Stein out of his Matrix to taunt the two with. Deathstorm then attempts to turn Ronnie to salt, but the Professor takes the brunt of the attack. Angered, Ronnie decides to truly work together with Jason to avenge the Professor. The Entity then declares that Ronnie has accomplished his mission, returning life to him in a burst of white energy that obliterates the Black Lanterns, returns Jason's father to his home, and deposits Firestorm in the Star City forest. Ronnie angrily attempts to make the Entity resurrect the Professor, but is refused. Deadman then arrives, demanding that he be given the White Lantern.[22]

The New 52

After the events of the 2011 Flashpoint storyline, The New 52 reality altered Firestorm's personal history to be completely restarted. Ronnie Raymond is now introduced as a high school senior and the captain of the football team.[23] During a terrorist attack on their school, classmate Jason Rusch produces a vial given to him by Professor Stein, which contains the "God Particle", one of Stein's creations. The God Particle transforms both Jason and Ronnie into Firestorm, and the two teens briefly battle each other before accidentally merging into a hulking creature known as the Fury.[24]

Sharing the identity of Firestorm, with Ronnie being the brawn and Jason being the brains, Firestorm is considered for recruitment into the Justice League along with several other heroes.

Other versions

Earth-3

Firestorm's Crime Syndicate counterpart during the "Trinity War" event is introduced as Deathstorm from Earth-3.[25] It is revealed that, on Earth-3, Professor Martin Stein would experiment on humans to unlock the secret of life through death. He was recruited by one of the Crime Syndicate's enemies to determine what the Syndicate's individual weaknesses were. However, he used the new lab he supplied to continue his human experimentation, eventually experimenting on himself, fusing with a corpse, becoming Deathstorm.[26] He is killed by Mazahs, stealing his powers.[27]

In other media

Television

Animation

  • Martin Stein appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Stephen Tobolowsky. The origin story is very similar to the classic origin. When Stein had just turned on a nuclear reactor, some criminals went in to steal plutonium. The criminals had kidnapped Ronnie from a field trip as a hostage. The criminals decided to throw some grenades to blow the reactor up. In the blast, Ronnie and Stein were fused together, creating Firestorm. Firestorm first appears in "Nuclear Family Values" where Firestorm had to prevent the Nuclear Family from blowing up a nuclear plant. With Martin's guidance, Firestorm was able to shrink them down. Afterward, Firestorm is recruited into the Justice League. In the episode "Freezer Burn", Firestorm works with Batman where they fight Mr. Freeze who is freezing Gotham City with a special freeze gun on an airship that is powered by Killer Frost (Caitlin Snow). In the episode "Field Trip", Firestorm, Blue Beetle and Stargirl are given a tour of the Fortress of Solitude by Superman when General Zod, Ursa and Quex-Ul are accidentally freed. With Superman incapacitated, Firestorm with guidance from Martin works at making Kryptonite while Blue Beetle and Stargirl fight Zod's group. Firestorm transmutes some of the ice into Kryptonite which weakens the Kryptonian villains. In the episode "Double Cross", Firestorm assists Batman and Plastic Man in their plot to apprehend Deadshot. The episode "The Cube Root" revealed that Martin was a former college roommate of former child prodigy Michael Holt.

Live-action

Firestorm is featured in the CW's Arrowverse, with Professor Martin Stein portrayed by Victor Garber. [30][30][31][32][33] His partners are Ronnie Raymond, as played by Robbie Amell[31], and Jax Jackson, as played by Franz Drameh[29].

  • Firestorm first appears on the 2014 series The Flash, with Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein as the two halves. Ronnie is an engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs and Caitlin's fiancé while Professor Stein is the creator of the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. matrix. Ronnie is presumed deceased from the particle accelerator explosion while saving his co-workers' lives. However, he survived and merged with Stein, having the matrix on his persons, to become the entity later named Firestorm. The two spend months trapped together, with Stein in primary control of Firestorm, until Caitlin discovers information from Jason Rusch (Luc Roderique),[34] Stein's old assistant. Harrison Wells manages to separate the two, and they eventually learn to control their shared powers. A scene introducing Firestorm's ability to manipulate matter was filmed but was ultimately cut due to time constraints.[35] When a singularity threatens Central City, Firestorm flies into to disrupt the singularity, triggering the halves' separation but Barry Allen is only able to recover Stein while Ronnie is presumed dead. After the deaths of Eddie and Ronnie, Professor Stein becomes a member of Team Flash as the group's scientific advisor. Eventually, Stein begins exhibiting symptoms that the Firestorm matrix has become unstable without a partner, endangering his life. When Team Flash searches for a likely candidate among people who have been affected by the dark matter explosion in a similar manner who also possess the same blood type, Jax Jackson ultimately becomes the new partner. A former high school football star (like Ronnie in the comics), Jax gets injured by the particle accelerator explosion, ending his collegiate career before starting. Jax is hesitant at first to become Firestorm's new half but agrees when the only other candidate uses the powers for revenge. Jax and Stein later leave Central City to train in using their Firestorm powers. When Barry, Cisco and Harry Wells travel to Earth-2, Deathstorm (Ronnie Raymond's Earth-2 counterpart) is encountered. In addition to being Killer Frost's significant other, Deathstorm is Ronnie in control as he has not let his partner out in years and can no longer hear him. When Deathstorm and his boss Reverb nearly kills Barry, Zoom kills Reverb and Deathstorm both, leaving Killer Frost to mourn Ronnie's death.
  • Firestorm also appears in the spin-off Legends of Tomorrow, with Martin Stein and Jax Jackson as the two halves while Graeme McComb portrays the former's younger incarnation. In season one, Jax initially does not want to participate in Rip Hunter's mission, to the extent that Stein has to knock him out to get on board the timeship. Eventually, Jax starts to appreciate being part of the team. During a trip to 1986, Stein is forcibly merged with Valentina Vostok to create a Soviet Firestorm, but he is able to break free of the sociopathic villain with Jax's encouragement; the separation and improper merge trigger an explosion that apparently kills Vostok. The season one finale introduces Firestorm's ability to transmute matter, subsequently turning a meteor into water before Vandal Savage could use it as part of a complex plan to undo history. In season two, Stein briefly takes on the role of team leader, before handing the reins to Sara Lance. During a trip to 1987, Stein has an encounter with his younger self, during which he berates his younger self for his attitude towards his wife. When Stein returns to the present in the "Invasion" crossover, he discovers that the exchange has led to him now having a daughter named Lily. Initially, Stein views Lily as a temporal paradox, but eventually becomes close and protective to Lily and thus accepting his new life as a parent. By season three, Stein has become a grandfather after Lily has Ronnie (named after his original Firestorm partner), prompting Jax to ask Ray Palmer for help in working out how they might separate the Firestorm matrix so that Jax can channel the power on his own. During the "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover, Stein is badly injured trying to help the heroes escape Earth-X and Jax gets injured as well due to the connection of the Firestorm matrix. Stein sacrifices himself by drinking the formula created to separate the Firestorm matrix, saving Jax's life. Afterwards, Jax, still distraught over Stein's death, attempts to change history when he comes in contact with a version of Stein from 1992 that has been displaced into the eleventh century, but the younger Stein rejects the offer to avoid the risk of negatively changing history, prompting Jax to depart the Legends to heal from his grief. Jax returns in season three's finale to help the Legends in the final battle against the demon Mallus. This version of Jax is presented as having been away from the team for five years, now happily married with a daughter named Martina after his deceased partner.

Video games

Martin Stein appears in Injustice 2, voiced by Fred Tatasciore.[36] In the game, he and Jason's form of Firestorm is an ally of Batman, helping restore order to the planet after High Councilor Superman's defeat. They and Blue Beetle are selected by Batman to guard Superman's cell at the Lex Luthor Memorial Prison from the remaining Regime members and Brainiac's forces. When they start to get overwhelmed, Firestorm threatens to destroy the facility with their nuclear power but refrain after Batman arrives and frees Superman. Afterward, Batman chastises the duo for their recklessness and has them create a golden shard of Kryptonite to use in case Superman goes rogue again. They are later brainwashed into serving Brainiac but are saved by Batman and Superman.[37] In their ending, Firestorm tries overheating the Skull Ship's engines to defeat Brainiac but the process causes the ship to explode and destroy the thousands of the collected worlds within. Though they know the heroes will never look at them the same way again after their mistake, they still pledge their loyalty to help Batman if needed.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wallace, Dan (2008), "Firestorm", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 123, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017
  2. ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. If inventiveness is the fusion of ideas, then Firestorm was one of the most original characters to emerge from a comic book in years. Penned by Gerry Conway and by Al Milgrom, the Nuclear Man was a genuine sign of the times—the explosive embodiment of a nuclear world. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Wilson, Matt D. (July 1, 2013). "Gerry Conway Starts Blog Aimed At Fair Compensation For DC Character Creators". ComicsAlliance. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Gerry Conway, the writer who co-created the character with artist Rafael Kayanan in a 1984 issue of Firestorm.
  4. ^ "Felicity Smoak" "Comicvine", Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  5. ^ Conway, Gerry. "Nuclear Reactions: Just Your Average Hot-Headed Hero," The Fury of Firestorm #1 #1 (June 1982). DC Comics.
  6. ^ Firestorm Vol. 2 #64. DC Comics.
  7. ^ Firestorm Vol. 2 #67. DC Comics.
  8. ^ Firestorm Vol. 2 #68. DC Comics.
  9. ^ Firestorm Vol. 2 #69. DC Comics.
  10. ^ Johns, Geoff. Infinite Crisis #5 (April 2006). DC Comics.
  11. ^ As seen in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #33. DC Comics.
  12. ^ Brightest Day #1 (May 2010). DC Comics.
  13. ^ Brightest Day #3 (June 2010). DC Comics.
  14. ^ Brightest Day #7 (August 2010). DC Comics.
  15. ^ Brightest Day #10 (September 2010). DC Comics.
  16. ^ Brightest Day #11 (October 2010). DC Comics.
  17. ^ Brightest Day #12 (October 2010). DC Comics.
  18. ^ Brightest Day #15 (December 2010). DC Comics.
  19. ^ Brightest Day #16 (December 2010). DC Comics.
  20. ^ Brightest Day #17 (January 2011). DC Comics.
  21. ^ Brightest Day #18 (January 2011). DC Comics.
  22. ^ Brightest Day #22 (March 2011). DC Comics.
  23. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  24. ^ The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Men #1 (September 2011). DC Comics.
  25. ^ Justice League Vol. 2 #23
  26. ^ Johns, Geoff (w), Reis, Ivan (p), Prado, Joe, Eber Ferreira, Rob Hunter, Andy Lanning (i), Reis, Rod, Tomeu Morey, Tony Avina (col), Napolitano, Nick J. (let). "Forever Numb" Justice League, vol. 2, no. 26 (February 2013). DC Comics.
  27. ^ Forever Evil #7
  28. ^ "The Justice League Watchtower: The Greatest Story Never Told". Jl.toonzone.net. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  29. ^ a b Damore, Meagan (July 20, 2016). "CASSIDY'S BLACK CANARY, ATOM & MORE WILL APPEAR IN "VIXEN" SEASON 2". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  30. ^ a b "'The Flash' Casting: Victor Garber To Recur As Dr. Martin Stein". Deadline Hollywood. October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  31. ^ a b "'The Flash': Robbie Amell Cast as Firestorm". Variety. 9 July 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  32. ^ "'The Flash': Robbie Amell returning — but there's a twist!". Ew.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  33. ^ Abrams, Natalie (January 12, 2017). "The Flash: Robbie Amell returning in season 3:!". Ew.comEntertainment Weekly.
  34. ^ Sunu, Steve (11 November 2014). "Roderique Cast As 'The Flash's' Jason Rusch". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  35. ^ Cairns, Bryan (May 19, 2015). "Amell Teases Wedding Bells, Tragedy & Matter Manipulation in "Flash's" Season Finale". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  36. ^ Romano, Sal (2017-03-13). "Injustice 2 adds Firestorm". Gematsu. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  37. ^ "Characters: Injustice 2". Injustice 2. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
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