| “ | Heads up, New York! Make way for Firestorm! | „ |
| ~ Ronnie Raymond. |
| “ | Yeah, you better run. | „ |
| ~ Jason Rusch. |
Firestorm, also known as The Nuclear Man, is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe.
In most incarnations, Firestorm is a fusion of two people via the Firestorm Matrix: Ronnie Raymond, a high school student and Dr. Martin Stein, a Noble prize winning professor in which a nuclear accident gave them superpowers, eventually becoming Firestorm. Later on, Dr. Mikhail Arkadin and Lorraine Reilly merged with Firestorm, but university student Jason Rusch has become the new Firestorm after Raymond's death during the Identity Crisis storyline. However, Raymond has returned from the Blackest Night storyline and has merged with Jason.
Firestorm made his debut in 1978 titular comic, and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom.
Origin[]
Ronnie Raymond / Martin Stein[]
The first Firestorm was high schooler Ronald Roy "Ronnie" Raymond, who, due to being in the witness protection program with his father, constantly had to move around, until they finally settled down in New York. It was on his first day at his new school that Ronnie found a love interest in Doreen Day...and the hostility of nerd bully/future megavillain Cliff Carmichael. Believing he needed to get more involved to win over Doreen, Ronnie joined what he thought was a protest group, which in reality was a terrorist group that was planning to destroy an experimental reactor.
However, Prof. Stein, the reactor's creator, was still at the plant, having defied an injunction filed by his greedy ex-assistant, Danton Black, and was knocked out by the terrorists. As the reactor reached critical mass, Ronnie attemtped to save the professor, but was too little, too late to do so. But, in true megahero origin fashion, Ronnie didn't die; instead he and Stein were merged into a single, flameheaded being, with Ronnie acting as the body, and Stein as a conscience. As Firestorm, Ronnie had many adventures, and became a member of the Justice League.
But when Stein was given the Firestorm powers to be the new Fire Elemental of Nature, Ronnie went on to live a normal life...then learned his time as the Flameheaded Fury had given him leukimia. Stein returned to Earth, cured Ronnie, and relinquished the Firestorm powers to his friend. Once more a megahero, Ronnie became a member of the Justice League spin-off group, Extreme Justice, and the Heroes For Hire-style Power Company before returning to the Justice League...and dying when he was stabbed by the Shadow Thief. Ronnie was among the twelve heroes to be returned to life after the Blackest Night.
Powers and abilities[]
As Firestorm, both Ronnie and Jason have the following powers
- Molecular Transmutation (Inorganic objects only)
- Superhuman Strength, Endurance, Durability, and Vision
- Flight
- Engery Projection and Absorption
- Self Molecular Control
- Intangible Touch (the ability to reduce not only their own molecular density, but those of other people, areas, and objects)
- Electromagnetic Vision
Jason also had a power called Quark Vision, which enabled him to see molecular structures.
Portrayals[]
Films[]
- In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the Rusch incarnation was voiced by Cedric Yarbrough.
- In Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, the Rusch incarnation was voiced by Phil LaMarr, who also voiced Green Lantern and Static in the DC Animated Universe, Samurai Jack in the titular series, Bail Organa and Kit Fisto in the Star Wars franchise, Heimdall in Thor: God of Thunder and Kotal Kahn in the Mortal Kombat series.
Television[]
- In Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, the Raymond incarnation was voiced by Mark L. Taylor as Stein was voiced by the late Olan Soule.
- Taylor reprised his voice for the character Raymond in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.
- In The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, the Stein incarnation was voiced by the late Ken Samson.
- Firestorm appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with the Raymond incarnation being voiced by Bill Fagerbakke while the Rush incarnation was voiced by Tyler James Williams, who also portrayed Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris and Noah in The Walking Dead.
- In Robot Chicken DC Comics Special, the Raymond incarnation was voiced by Alfred Molina, who also portrayed Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home and voiced Viggo Grimborn in Dragons: Race to the Edge.
- Firestorm appeared in CW's Arrowverse franchise, with numerous actors playing incarnations of characters from the comics:
- Martin Stein was portrayed by Victor Garber and Graeme McComb young.
- Ronnie Raymond was portrayed by Robbie Amell, who also played Fred Jones in Brian Levant's live-action Scooby-Doo films.
- Jefferson "Jax" Jackson was portrayed by Franz Drameh.
- Jason Rusch was portrayed by Luc Roderique.
Video Games[]
- In Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, the Stein and Raymond incarnation was voiced by Nolan North, who also voiced Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creed series, Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series, Primis Edward Richtofen and T.E.D.D. in Call of Duty Zombies and Iron Man in Marvel's Avengers.
- Firestorm appears in Injustice 2, with Rusch being voiced by by Ogie Banks (who also voiced Zak Saturday in Ben 10: Omniverse), and Stein being voiced by Fred Tatasciore, who also voiced Damon Baird and Tai Kaliso in the Gears of War series, Nikolai Belinski in Call of Duty Zombies and Mario Auditore in the Assassin's Creed series.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Comics[]
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Other Media[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The character was originally planned to appear in Justice League Unlimited and be the main character of the episode "The Greatest Story Never Told", but Booster Gold was chosen instead.
