Nobel Prize-winning
physicist Martin Stein was caught in an accident that allowed him to fuse into Firestorm the "Nuclear Man" with student
Ronnie Raymond. Due to Stein 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. The series also tried to create a sense of fun, something that Gerry Conway felt was missing during his years writing
Spider-Man; the banter between Raymond and 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 Martin Stein, demanded that the United States and the
Soviet Union destroy all of their
nuclear weapons. After confrontations with the
Justice League and most of his enemies, Firestorm faces the Russian nuclear superhero
Pozhar in the
Nevada desert, where an
atomic bomb was dropped on them. A new Firestorm is created, composed of Raymond and Pozhar and controlled by the disembodied
amnesiac mind of Stein. 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". Rusch and Stein meet
Shilo Norman, and are attacked in succession by the
New Gods Orion, the
Female Furies, and
Kalibak. Shilo informs Stein and Rusch that the Firestorm matrix contains one-quarter of the Life Equation.
Darkseid fears that the Life Equation might challenge him and the
Anti-Life Equation. Stein is separated from the matrix, then vanishes. Jason, with
Gehenna as a "hidden partner" in their fusion, begins searching for the missing Stein. As the storyline
jumps ahead one year (and the series was retitled as
Firestorm the Nuclear Man from issue #23 on), it is revealed that Stein had been kidnapped and tortured by Adrian Burroughs, his former teaching assistant. Flanked by the D.O.L.L.I.s, a group of cyborg soldiers with limited cognitive ability, Burroughs questions Stein about the secrets of the universe. Jason,
Firehawk, and Gehenna free the captured Stein and restore him to full health.
Brightest Day Stein returns in the 2010 series
Brightest Day, where he reunites with a resurrected Ronnie Raymond. While recovering in the hospital, Stein explains to Ronnie that it seems to be dangerous to fuse into Firestorm again. As Firestorm, Ronnie and Jason visit Stein in an attempt to find out what is happening to them. Stein reveals to them that Ronnie's
Black Lantern self
Deathstorm, who was thought to be destroyed following his resurrection, still exists in the Firestorm matrix. Firestorm is then told by the
Life Entity that they must learn from each other and defeat Deathstorm before he destroys the Life Entity. After running a test, 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, thereby making the Firestorm matrix a trigger for a similar one. If the boys continue to experience emotional imbalance, they increase the likelihood of triggering a new Big Bang. Deathstorm emerges from the Firestorm matrix and 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, destroying all life in the universe. To help accomplish this goal, Deathstorm absorbs Stein's mind to use his knowledge of Ronnie against him. While confronting Firestorm, Deathstorm brings Stein out of the matrix to taunt him. Deathstorm attempts to turn Ronnie into salt, but Stein takes the brunt of the attack and dies.
The New 52 After the events of the 2011
Flashpoint storyline,
The New 52 relaunch rebooted the continuity of the DC universe. Martin Stein is depicted as a scientist who created the "
God Particle" and is uninvolved with Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch, who obtain the Particle and become Firestorm together.
DC Rebirth The
DC Rebirth relaunch restored a version of Firestorm's original backstory to continuity.
Doomsday Clock reveals that Stein is the head of the
Department of Metahuman Affairs and deliberately engineered the incident that transformed himself and Ronnie Raymond into Firestorm to research
metahumans. After learning of this information from
Doctor Manhattan, Ronnie no longer trusts Stein, but they continue to work together. In the
Lazarus Planet storyline, Lazarus Pit resin corrupts the Firestorm matrix and causes Stein to age rapidly, leaving him near death. ==Other versions==