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''Firestorm'' is a [[DC Comics]] character created by [[Gerry Conway]] in the late [[The Seventies|1970s]], as part of the "DC Explosion", a large push of new characters and comics series in the dawn of the [[The Bronze Age of Comic Books]]. He first appearance was in ''Firestorm'' vol. 1 #1 (March, 1978). Unfortunately, this was also one of the titles canceled in the "DC Implosion"
Firestorm is usually a composite character, with two or more individual characters making up the Firestorm identity, fused together in what is called the "Firestorm matrix". The resulting being has the abilities to rearrange the atomic and molecular structure of objects, fire nuclear "fusion blasts", [[Flight|fly]], and [[Intangible Man|phase through solid matter]].
The exact "membership" of the Firestorm matrix has changed from time to time in the comics:
* The original makeup was high school student Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond and Professor Martin Stein. Caught in the blast when a nuclear reactor Stein was working on was sabotaged and exploded, the two were fused together into a single being, whom Ronnie dubbed Firestorm. Because Stein was unconscious when the explosion occurred, he takes a passive role in the composite, acting as an advisor to Ronnie, who controls Firestorm. In the early part of the series, Stein would have no memory of his activities when he separated from Firestorm.
* After Firestorm and the Russian hero Pozhar (Mikhail Arkadin) were hit by a nuclear bomb, the new Firestorm was composed of Ronnie, Mikhail, and a third personality based on the now-amnesiac Martin Stein. This third personality was in charge, with Ronnie and Mikhail both acting as advisors. An African man named Jama was also part of this combination for a few issues.
* When a Russian experiment created the fire being Svarozhich, it was revealed that Firestorm had been intended to be [[Doing in the Scientist|Earth's fire elemental]], and that it was necessary to resume this role to prevent the creature from running rampant. As a result, Ronnie and Mikhail fused with Svarozhich permanently, and were unable to separate. Stein was not a part of this incarnation of Firestorm. The fusion had its own personality as Earth's fire elemental, and was more concerned with the environment than with heroics.
* With the Earth threatened by a minion of [[Darkseid]] inhabiting the sun, Firestorm needed a way to get off-planet (as the elemental was bound to the Earth). Releasing Martin and Mikhail from the matrix, Svarozhich took Stein -- revealed as the original intended recipient of the elemental powers -- into orbit and detonated, re-creating Stein as the new Firestorm elemental. Stein dealt with the problem, and then departed Earth.
* When Ronnie was in the hospital dying of leukemia, Stein returned and cured him. This also had the effect of sparking Ronnie's [[Meta Origin|meta-gene]] and granting him the powers of the original Firestorm without the need to fuse with anybody. Ronnie resumed being a superhero until he was killed during ''[[Identity Crisis]]''.
* Upon Ronnie's death, the Firestorm matrix was released and came to rest within Jason Rusch, a young man struggling to get into college. Initially Jason merged with anybody who was convenient ([[Disposable Vagrant|often homeless people]]), which could be dangerous for them, as his powers were unstable and could "burn them out", killing both of them. A visit with Martin Stein in outer space led to a regular partnership with Stein, stabilizing the Matrix; he also frequently merged with Firehawk, or his girlfriend Gehenna. This iteration appeared in the movie ''[[Justice League Crisis On Two Earths]]'', where Jason was voiced by ''Reno 911'' alum Cedric Yarbrough.
* ''[[Blackest Night]]'' ended with Ronnie's resurrection, and a Firestorm comprised of both Ronnie and Jason, who took turns in the driver's seat. It's not without its problems, as the two don't entirely get along. This iteration is used on ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'', where Jason is voiced by Tyler James Williams, and Ronnie is voiced by Bill Fagerbakke.
* ''The Fury of Firestorm'': In the [[New 52]], the series was rebooted so that Ronnie and Jason are just now getting caught up in an international arms race regarding "the Firestorm Protocols", which Dr. Stein was involved in. Each one can become an individual Firestorm on their own, and they are just two of several Firestorms worldwide including [[Meta Origin|Pozhar and Firehawk]].
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* [[Book Dumb]]: Ronnie, by his own admission. Stein thinks he's too hard on himself.
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: Lorraine Reilly was kidnapped and subjected to extensive programming to kill Firestorm (and transformed into Firehawk to have the ability to do so). She threw it off, but not before a fight.
* [[Breakout Character]]: Firestorm's [[Arch Enemy]] Killer Frost has proven popular enough with fans and writers that she has been used in ''[[Justice League]]'', ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', ''[[Batman: The
* [[The Cape]]: Ronnie, Martin, Mikhail, and Firehawk. Jason's learning.
* [[Cruel and Unusual Death]]: Poor, poor Gehenna.
* [[Damsel in Distress]]: Lorraine Reilly, during the kidnapping that turns her into Firehawk
* [[Death Is Cheap]]: Even while dead, Ronnie briefly comes back during the Jason era due to the matrix storing his personality. Later he comes back for real.
* [[Defeat by Modesty]]: Ronnie defeats Plastique by vaporizing her clothes (in front of TV cameras!), both because it amuses him and because it
* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: In ''[[Identity Crisis]]'', Ronnie is stabbed by a sword and blows up because "everybody knows what happens when you puncture a reactor". Except Ronnie's not a nuclear reactor, he just has nuclear-based powers, and nuclear reactors don't explode when punctured.
* [[Disposable Vagrant]]: Jason initially merges with homeless people when he needs to become Firestorm; this can put their lives at risk of being "burned out" by the matrix's power.
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* [[Enemy Without]]: Shadowstorm for the elemental Firestorm, Deathstorm for the Ronnie/Jason fusion.
* [[Energy Absorption]]
* [[Executive Meddling]]: According to the
* [[Expy]]: Late 80s villain the Zuggernaut basically ''is'' [[Guyver|the Guyver]], from how it looks to how it merges with its host.
* [[Flaming Hair]]: All versions of Firestorm, and Firehawk as well.
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* [[Hands-Off Parenting]]: Ronnie's father, initially, due to his job. He gets better about it.
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Ronnie and Martin gradually become this, despite the gaps in age and personality
* [[Hilarity Sues]]: Felicity Smoak sues Firestorm after he inadvertently wipes out her company's computers ''twice'' with magnets. She drops the case when Firestorm's speech during the trial both convinces her that his noble intentions outweighed the harm done, and causes her to realize he
* [[Hotblooded Sideburns]]: Cliff Carmichael, who apparently has had them ''since grade school''
* [[An Ice Person]]: Killer Frost, a recurring villain. Unlike some comic book characters, she doesn't "project cold"; she freezes things by absorbing heat.
* [[I Love Nuclear Power]]: Creates Firestorm, Firehawk, Multiplex, Tokamak, Typhoon, Pozhar, and the Pionic Man.
** The New 52 reboot has turned the series into a metaphor for a nuclear arms race.
* [[Inconvenient Summons]]: Sometimes happens
* [[Intangible Man]]: One of Firestorm's basic powers is to phase through matter
* [[Invocation]]: Though she doesn't need to, Lorraine Reilly tends to say "Firehawk!" upon transforming.
* [[It Has Been an Honor]]: Professor Stein,
* [[Jerkass]]: Both Ronnie and Jason can have their moments, but the king of this trope in the series is Cliff Carmichael, who progresses from bullying Ronnie to trying to get him crippled or killed, simply out of schoolyard rivalry.
* [[Jumped At the Call]]: Ronnie's first inclination when discovering he had powers was to be a superhero.
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* [[The Nudifier]]: Firestorm did this to Plastique during her first appearnce. He vaporised her costume, leaving her naked and humilated in puplic, while he took the bombs that had been attached to her costume away to explode in a safer area.
* [[The Obi-Wan]]: Martin Stein
* [[Odd Couple]]: Jason, the somewhat uptight nerd, and Ronnie, the hard-partying jock. Made even more explicit in ''[[Batman: The
* [[Parental Substitute]]: Martin Stein, for Ronnie Raymond, at least until Ronnie's relationship with his father is patched up.
* [[Parent with New Paramour]]: Ronnie initially dislikes Felicity Smoak (largely because she's suing Firestorm) and after she marries his father he initially refuses to even call her his step-mother. Later, they bond and he starts calling her "Mom".
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