Martin Stein

Martin Stein
Martin Stein as depicted in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978). Art by Al Milgrom.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978)
Created by	Gerry Conway Al Milgrom
In-story information
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Justice League
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Expertise in physics

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

Stein has made several appearances in DC-related media, such as the Arrowverse television series The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, in which he is portrayed by Victor Garber, making his final appeared in the multiple-series crossover event "Crisis on Earth-X" (along with Supergirl and Arrow).

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

Martin Stein is an esteemed physicist who created the Hudson Nuclear Power Plant. Following an attack on the plant, Stein and civilian Ronnie Raymond are fused into Firestorm. Due to Stein being unconscious during the accident, Raymond controls Firestorm's body, with Stein advising him.^[1] Stein is initially unaware of their dual identity and unable to remember his actions while transformed before Ronnie informs him of the truth.

After the accident, Firestorm takes to defending New York City from villains. During this time, several supporting characters are introduced: Firestorm's love interest Firehawk and Ronnie Raymond's stepmother Felicity Smoak.^[3][4][5] After graduating high school, Raymond enters college in Pittsburgh, where Stein is a professor.

When Conway left the series in 1986, John Ostrander began writing the Firestorm stories. His first major story arc sees Firestorm attempting to convince the United States and the Soviet Union to destroy their nuclear weapons.^[6] He later battles Pozhar in Nevada, where an atomic bomb is dropped on them. This forms a new Firestorm, composed of Ronnie and Pozhar and controlled by Stein's disembodied amnesiac mind.^[7][8][9]

After Firestorm becomes a Fire Elemental, Martin Stein is separated from the Matrix, but continues to support him.^[1] He later becomes the sole Fire Elemental and leaves Earth before returning during Infinite Crisis.^[1][10]

In One Year Later, Martin Stein is kidnapped and tortured by Adrian Burroughs / Pupil, his former assistant, before Jason Rusch and Firehawk free him. Later, Shilo Norman informs Stein and Rusch that the Firestorm matrix contains part of the Life Equation.^[11] Darkseid separates Stein from the matrix and disappears.

Stein returns in Brightest Day, where he theorizes that the Firestorm matrix contains the power of the Big Bang. However, Deathstorm absorbs Stein's mind to use his knowledge of Ronnie against him and kills him by turning him into salt.^[12]

Following the events of the Flashpoint storyline, The New 52 reality reboots Firestorm's history. 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.^[13][14]

In Doomsday Clock, Doctor Manhattan informs Ronnie that Stein deliberately transformed the two into Firestorm in an attempt to learn more about metahumans.^[15][16] Despite this, the two continue to work together until the Firestorm matrix is corrupted by exposure to Lazarus Pit resin and causes Stein to age rapidly.^[17]

An alternate universe variant of Martin Stein appears in the "Trinity War" event.^[18] This version experimented on humans to unlock the secret of life through death, transforming into Deathstorm and becoming a member of the Crime Syndicate of America.^[19] He is killed by Mazahs, who steals his powers.^[20]

• Martin Stein / Firestorm appears in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, voiced by Olan Soule. This version gained his powers from a molecular fusion experiment that went awry.
• Martin Stein / Firestorm appears in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, voiced by Ken Sansom.
• Martin Stein / Firestorm was intended to appear in Justice League Unlimited, with writer/producer Dwayne McDuffie stating that the series' creators had permission from DC Comics to use the character, but were unable to create a story that they liked.^{[citation needed]} Later on, it was stated that the character was intended to be the focus of "The Greatest Story Never Told", but was replaced with Booster Gold.^[21]
• Martin Stein / Firestorm appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Stephen Tobolowsky.^[22][23] This version is a college friend of Mister Terrific who became Firestorm during an attack on the Hudson plant by bandits seeking plutonium.^[24][25]

Martin Stein / Firestorm appears in media set in The CW's Arrowverse, portrayed by Victor Garber.^[26][27][28]

• First appearing in the live-action TV series The Flash, this version developed the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. matrix before he was exposed to dark matter energy amidst the explosion of Harrison Wells' particle accelerator and presumed dead. As a result, Stein became fused with his matrix and Ronnie Raymond. Stein initially holds primary control over their fused form until Team Flash develops a way to safely separate them. Following this, Stein and Raymond master their powers and assist the Flash in fighting the Reverse-Flash until Raymond sacrifices himself to close a singularity that had opened over Central City. Afterward, Stein continues to assist Team Flash until the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. matrix begins to destabilize without a partner of the same blood type, endangering his life. Eventually, Team Flash find Stein's new partner in Jefferson "Jax" Jackson and the pair leave Central City to master their powers.
• Stein appears in the animated web series Vixen.^[29][23]
• Stein appears in the live-action TV series Legends of Tomorrow, with Graeme McComb additionally portraying a younger version.^[30] In the first season, he and Jax are recruited by Rip Hunter to join his Legends and defeat Vandal Savage. Amidst the team's mission, Stein is captured by and forcibly fused with Valentina Vostok, who intends to use his powers to create a Soviet Firestorm, but he escapes with Jax's help. By the season finale, Stein and Jax develop the ability to transmute matter and use it to foil Savage's plot to undo history. In the second season, Stein helps his teammates combat the Legion of Doom, encounters his past self, and inadvertently causes timeline changes that grant him a daughter named Lily Stein. Despite initially viewing Lily as a time paradox, he eventually comes to accept her. By the third season, Stein has become a grandfather after Lily has a son named Ronnie, prompting Ray Palmer and Team Flash to develop a formula to depower him so he can spend time with his family. During the "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover, Stein is fatally injured while helping the Legends and Earth-1's heroes defeat Nazis from Earth-X and drinks the formula to prevent Jax from dying alongside him.^[31]

• Martin Stein / Firestorm appears as a playable character in Injustice 2, voiced by Fred Tatasciore.^[32] This version is an ally of Batman who works to help him restore order following the fall of Superman's Regime.
• Martin Stein / Deathstorm appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced by Lex Lang.^[33][34]

• Firestorm at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016.
• Firestorm (Martin Stein/Ronnie Raymond) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• Firestorm (Martin Stein) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• Brady, Matt (July 8, 2006). "From The Files of Professor Martin Stein". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008.