Jon Hancock
Feb 22, 2004, 12:13 am
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/headshots/dc/firestorm1.jpg" align=left alt="Firestorm I">Real Name: Ronald 'Ronnie' Raymond and Professor Martin Stein; Ronald 'Ronnie' Raymond and Mikhail Denisovich Arkadin; Ronald 'Ronnie' Raymond, Mikhail Denisovich Arkadin, and Svarozhich (presumed deceased); Professor Martin Stein.
First Appearance: Firestorm, The Nuclear Man, (1st series), #1
Known Relatives: (Raymond) Edward Raymond (originally Rockwell, father), Elaine Rockwell (mother, deceased), Felicity Smoak Raymond (stepmother), Richard "Captain X" Dare (grandfather, deceased); (Stein) Clarissa Clemens (ex-wife); (Arkadin) Nina (wife), Irena, Sofia (daughters), Alexander, Dmitri (brothers), Sylvia (sister-in-law), Serafina (niece); (Svarozhich) Firestorm (clone)
Group Affiliation: formerly Justice League of America I
Known Allies: Superman, Firehawk, Firestorm II
Major Enemies: Killer Frost, Multiplex, Hyena, Svarozhich, Brimstone
Height: (Firestorm) 6'2"; (Raymond) 6'1"; (Stein) 5'10" (Arkadin) 6'; (Svarozhich) 6'6"
Weight: (Firestorm) 202 lbs.; (Raymond) 179 lbs.; (Stein) 161 lbs (Arkadin) 180 lbs.; (Svarozhich) 202 lbs
Eyes: (Firestorm) White (no pupils); (Raymond) Blue; (Stein) Brown (Arkadin) Grey; (Svarozhich) White (no pupils)
Hair: (Firestorm) Inapplicable; (Raymond) Brown; (Stein) Grey (Arkadin) Brown; (Svarozhich) Inapplicable
Just outside New York City a new nuclear power plant was holding its opening ceremony. An ambitious physics professor named Martin Stein designed it. Protestors gathered outside the plant and amongst them was Ronnie Raymond, a student from a nearby high school. During the protest, a terrorist set off a bomb and during the blast, Raymond and Stein were fused body and mind into one being (or "matrix"), called Firestorm. Though Ronnie controlled the hero's movements and dominated its personality, Stein supplied a strong conscience due to his being unconscious at the time of the explosion.
When separated, Stein had no conscious memory of his activities as Firestorm. Subsequently he was bewildered about the periods of unconsciousness and wondered how he was appearing in random places. This led to feelings of guilt and eventual alcoholism. Ronnie retired Firestorm out of consideration for Stein, but was persuaded by Superman to return to action. The young hero was so successful in his early cases that Superman sponsored him for membership in the Justice League of America. Determined to be more honest and fair on his partner, Ron told everything to Professor Stein. Free from the burden caused by his mysterious blackouts Stein was able to help Ronny become one of New York City's most well regarded super-heroes as Firestorm. His insights helped to temper Ronny's youthful enthusiasm and formed a highly effective team. Firestorm continued being active as Ronny enrolled in college in Pittsburgh and soon became a local hero in that city.
Firestorm remained a member of the Justice League until their dissolution. He returned briefly aiding the League during a crisis caused by Darkseid and Glorious Godfrey, just before its ultimate demise at the hand of Professor Ivo.
Shortly after he rejoined the JLA, Stein was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. He convinced Ron that Firestorm should go out with a bang by demanding the world's total nuclear disarmament. A commitment this big placed Firestorm in direct opposition with the JLA, the Suicide Squad and the Russian hero, Pozhar aka Mikhail Denisovich Arkadin, all of whom supported their respective government's defence project. The mission was a failure and at the climax of this battle, Pozhar and Firestorm were caught in another nuclear explosion and merged to form a new Firestorm with the matrix consisting on Ronny and Pozhar. Stein was discovered in a Nevada mental institute suffering from amnesia and with the tumour gone.
A Russian attempt at cloning Firestorm resulted in a soulless creature named Svarozhich being produced. Firestorm was informed by a man, named only as Rasputin, that he was really the Earth's fire elemental and that only by bonding permanently with Svarozhich could he defeat the clone. This third grouping of the Firestorm matrix, between Ronnie, Arkadin and Svarozhich meant that Ronnie and Arkardin's personalities were lost. This version of Firestorm was also incapable of reverting back to his human form.
When it was revealed that Firestorm was intended to be Earth's fire elemental it was also discovered that Stein was intended to take the role but the matrix had been corrupted by Ronnie's presence. At this time the monster Brimstone threatened the Earth's Sun. A deranged Stein convinced Firestorm to dissolve his matrix and allow Stein to recreate the experiment that birthed Firestorm originally. Stein piloted an experimental rocket into space with Svarozhich in tow and blew himself up. The experiment was a success. Stein was totally in control of the Firestorm matrix and Ronnie and Arkadin returned to their everyday lives.
Stein managed to defeat Brimstone but was sucked into an alien universe which he explored as Firestorm. During a planet wide crisis, Firestorm managed to return to Earth, using Ronnie as a conduit in order to aid in the ongoing struggle.
Firestorm returned to Earth again at a time when Ronnie was suffering from terminal leukaemia caused by his prolonged exposure to radiation. This caused him to uncontrollably combust and manifest his original Firestorm persona. Stein returned and asked Ronnie to once again join with him. The clinical mind of Stein was struggling to maintain a sense of awe at the Universe and needed Ronnie's youthful naivety to maintain his sanity. Ronnie however, declined the offer and persuaded Stein to return to outer space. As an act of sympathy, Stein cured Ronnie of his leukemia and allowed him to keep his Firestorm powers and the ability to control them.
Stein's Firestorm was recently seen meeting Ronnie's Firestorm in outer space. It was clear from their meeting that Stein was still struggling to retain his hold on his humanity.
Although there have been numerous combinations of people using the Firestorm codename, they do not warrant individual entries as they were all created within the same Firestorm matrix. Each incarnation was based on the original matrix with the only deviation being the current Firestorm (see Firestorm II)
Firestorm has the ability to transmute objects of his choosing by seeing the atomic structure of the object and rearranging its molecular structure. This ability is limited to his knowledge of the chemical structure of the object he wishes to create. Firestorm has some sort of mental block that means his transmutation powers only work on non-organic substances. If he attempts to change an organic object, he experiences an energy feedback that temporarily incapacitates him. Firestorm can also alter the density of objects, including himself. In addition, he can project intense heat and flame, project nuclear energy bolts, fly at great speed, and absorb radiation and explosive force harmlessly into himself. Whilst each pairing within the matrix had these abilities, Stein's fire elemental has far greater control and power over his abilities.
APPEARANCES:
Action Comics #546, 596, 600, 650, 666
All-Star Squadron #14-15, 54
Armageddon: Inferno #1, 4
Batman and the Outsiders #1
Blasters Special #1
Blue Devil #23
Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #1
Captain Atom #2, 5, 11, 38, 42, 49, 55
Checkmate #18
Cosmic Boy #1
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-5, 7-10, 12
DC Challenge #11-12
DC Comics Presents #17, 45, 90
Detective Comics #482, 549
Doom Patrol (2nd series) #17
Extreme Justice #3-5
Firestorm, The Nuclear Man (1st series) #1-5
Flash (1st series) #289-299, 301-304, 323, 327-329
Flash (2nd series) #8, 150, 205
Green Lantern (2nd series) #139
Harvey Kurtzman's Strange Adventures
Invasion! #2-3
Justice League of America #179-180, 183-185, 189-190, 192-193, 195-197, 200, 202-205, 207-209, 217, 219-224, 228-230, 232, 257
Justice League of America Annual #1-3
Justice League International #9-10, 24, 72-75
Legends #1-2
Legends of the DC Universe #12-13
Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
Millennium #1, 4-8
Secret Origins (3rd series) #4
Starman (1st series) #5
Suicide Squad (1st series) #9, 29-30
Super Powers (2nd series) #1, 3-6
Super Powers (3rd series) #1-4
Super Powers Collection #14, 16, 19, 22
Supergirl (2nd series) #20
Superman (2nd series) #14
Swap Thing Annual (2nd series) #5
The Adventures of Superman #449
The Brave and The Bold #172
The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man (2nd series) #1-100
The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man Annual #1-5
The Outsiders (1st series) #6
The Saga of the Swamp Thing (2nd series) #24
War of the Gods #1-4
Wonder Woman (1st series) #300
Wonder Woman (2nd series) #13
World's Finest Comics #281, 300, 302
First Appearance: Firestorm, The Nuclear Man, (1st series), #1
Known Relatives: (Raymond) Edward Raymond (originally Rockwell, father), Elaine Rockwell (mother, deceased), Felicity Smoak Raymond (stepmother), Richard "Captain X" Dare (grandfather, deceased); (Stein) Clarissa Clemens (ex-wife); (Arkadin) Nina (wife), Irena, Sofia (daughters), Alexander, Dmitri (brothers), Sylvia (sister-in-law), Serafina (niece); (Svarozhich) Firestorm (clone)
Group Affiliation: formerly Justice League of America I
Known Allies: Superman, Firehawk, Firestorm II
Major Enemies: Killer Frost, Multiplex, Hyena, Svarozhich, Brimstone
Height: (Firestorm) 6'2"; (Raymond) 6'1"; (Stein) 5'10" (Arkadin) 6'; (Svarozhich) 6'6"
Weight: (Firestorm) 202 lbs.; (Raymond) 179 lbs.; (Stein) 161 lbs (Arkadin) 180 lbs.; (Svarozhich) 202 lbs
Eyes: (Firestorm) White (no pupils); (Raymond) Blue; (Stein) Brown (Arkadin) Grey; (Svarozhich) White (no pupils)
Hair: (Firestorm) Inapplicable; (Raymond) Brown; (Stein) Grey (Arkadin) Brown; (Svarozhich) Inapplicable
Just outside New York City a new nuclear power plant was holding its opening ceremony. An ambitious physics professor named Martin Stein designed it. Protestors gathered outside the plant and amongst them was Ronnie Raymond, a student from a nearby high school. During the protest, a terrorist set off a bomb and during the blast, Raymond and Stein were fused body and mind into one being (or "matrix"), called Firestorm. Though Ronnie controlled the hero's movements and dominated its personality, Stein supplied a strong conscience due to his being unconscious at the time of the explosion.
When separated, Stein had no conscious memory of his activities as Firestorm. Subsequently he was bewildered about the periods of unconsciousness and wondered how he was appearing in random places. This led to feelings of guilt and eventual alcoholism. Ronnie retired Firestorm out of consideration for Stein, but was persuaded by Superman to return to action. The young hero was so successful in his early cases that Superman sponsored him for membership in the Justice League of America. Determined to be more honest and fair on his partner, Ron told everything to Professor Stein. Free from the burden caused by his mysterious blackouts Stein was able to help Ronny become one of New York City's most well regarded super-heroes as Firestorm. His insights helped to temper Ronny's youthful enthusiasm and formed a highly effective team. Firestorm continued being active as Ronny enrolled in college in Pittsburgh and soon became a local hero in that city.
Firestorm remained a member of the Justice League until their dissolution. He returned briefly aiding the League during a crisis caused by Darkseid and Glorious Godfrey, just before its ultimate demise at the hand of Professor Ivo.
Shortly after he rejoined the JLA, Stein was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. He convinced Ron that Firestorm should go out with a bang by demanding the world's total nuclear disarmament. A commitment this big placed Firestorm in direct opposition with the JLA, the Suicide Squad and the Russian hero, Pozhar aka Mikhail Denisovich Arkadin, all of whom supported their respective government's defence project. The mission was a failure and at the climax of this battle, Pozhar and Firestorm were caught in another nuclear explosion and merged to form a new Firestorm with the matrix consisting on Ronny and Pozhar. Stein was discovered in a Nevada mental institute suffering from amnesia and with the tumour gone.
A Russian attempt at cloning Firestorm resulted in a soulless creature named Svarozhich being produced. Firestorm was informed by a man, named only as Rasputin, that he was really the Earth's fire elemental and that only by bonding permanently with Svarozhich could he defeat the clone. This third grouping of the Firestorm matrix, between Ronnie, Arkadin and Svarozhich meant that Ronnie and Arkardin's personalities were lost. This version of Firestorm was also incapable of reverting back to his human form.
When it was revealed that Firestorm was intended to be Earth's fire elemental it was also discovered that Stein was intended to take the role but the matrix had been corrupted by Ronnie's presence. At this time the monster Brimstone threatened the Earth's Sun. A deranged Stein convinced Firestorm to dissolve his matrix and allow Stein to recreate the experiment that birthed Firestorm originally. Stein piloted an experimental rocket into space with Svarozhich in tow and blew himself up. The experiment was a success. Stein was totally in control of the Firestorm matrix and Ronnie and Arkadin returned to their everyday lives.
Stein managed to defeat Brimstone but was sucked into an alien universe which he explored as Firestorm. During a planet wide crisis, Firestorm managed to return to Earth, using Ronnie as a conduit in order to aid in the ongoing struggle.
Firestorm returned to Earth again at a time when Ronnie was suffering from terminal leukaemia caused by his prolonged exposure to radiation. This caused him to uncontrollably combust and manifest his original Firestorm persona. Stein returned and asked Ronnie to once again join with him. The clinical mind of Stein was struggling to maintain a sense of awe at the Universe and needed Ronnie's youthful naivety to maintain his sanity. Ronnie however, declined the offer and persuaded Stein to return to outer space. As an act of sympathy, Stein cured Ronnie of his leukemia and allowed him to keep his Firestorm powers and the ability to control them.
Stein's Firestorm was recently seen meeting Ronnie's Firestorm in outer space. It was clear from their meeting that Stein was still struggling to retain his hold on his humanity.
Although there have been numerous combinations of people using the Firestorm codename, they do not warrant individual entries as they were all created within the same Firestorm matrix. Each incarnation was based on the original matrix with the only deviation being the current Firestorm (see Firestorm II)
Firestorm has the ability to transmute objects of his choosing by seeing the atomic structure of the object and rearranging its molecular structure. This ability is limited to his knowledge of the chemical structure of the object he wishes to create. Firestorm has some sort of mental block that means his transmutation powers only work on non-organic substances. If he attempts to change an organic object, he experiences an energy feedback that temporarily incapacitates him. Firestorm can also alter the density of objects, including himself. In addition, he can project intense heat and flame, project nuclear energy bolts, fly at great speed, and absorb radiation and explosive force harmlessly into himself. Whilst each pairing within the matrix had these abilities, Stein's fire elemental has far greater control and power over his abilities.
APPEARANCES:
Action Comics #546, 596, 600, 650, 666
All-Star Squadron #14-15, 54
Armageddon: Inferno #1, 4
Batman and the Outsiders #1
Blasters Special #1
Blue Devil #23
Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #1
Captain Atom #2, 5, 11, 38, 42, 49, 55
Checkmate #18
Cosmic Boy #1
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-5, 7-10, 12
DC Challenge #11-12
DC Comics Presents #17, 45, 90
Detective Comics #482, 549
Doom Patrol (2nd series) #17
Extreme Justice #3-5
Firestorm, The Nuclear Man (1st series) #1-5
Flash (1st series) #289-299, 301-304, 323, 327-329
Flash (2nd series) #8, 150, 205
Green Lantern (2nd series) #139
Harvey Kurtzman's Strange Adventures
Invasion! #2-3
Justice League of America #179-180, 183-185, 189-190, 192-193, 195-197, 200, 202-205, 207-209, 217, 219-224, 228-230, 232, 257
Justice League of America Annual #1-3
Justice League International #9-10, 24, 72-75
Legends #1-2
Legends of the DC Universe #12-13
Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
Millennium #1, 4-8
Secret Origins (3rd series) #4
Starman (1st series) #5
Suicide Squad (1st series) #9, 29-30
Super Powers (2nd series) #1, 3-6
Super Powers (3rd series) #1-4
Super Powers Collection #14, 16, 19, 22
Supergirl (2nd series) #20
Superman (2nd series) #14
Swap Thing Annual (2nd series) #5
The Adventures of Superman #449
The Brave and The Bold #172
The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man (2nd series) #1-100
The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man Annual #1-5
The Outsiders (1st series) #6
The Saga of the Swamp Thing (2nd series) #24
War of the Gods #1-4
Wonder Woman (1st series) #300
Wonder Woman (2nd series) #13
World's Finest Comics #281, 300, 302