Martin Stein

Becoming Part of Firestorm

Martin Stein was a Nobel-winning nuclear physicist working to solve the world's energy problems. He created an experimental, self-maintaining facility called the Hudson Nuclear Power Plant. The day before the plant was to begin operations, it was ordered shut down by the Nuclear Regulations Council based on false accusations from Stein's conniving assistant, Danton Black.

Stein, determined to show that the plant was safe, decided to defy the order and start operations at the facility early. He was the in process of turning the plant on when he saw a fight through the security cameras. A group of radicals had entered and were beating Ronnie Raymond. Ronnie had come along with them, thinking they were simply going to protest the plant. When he found out that they wanted to bomb the facility, he resisted and they knocked him unconscious. Martin confronted the group and was also knocked unconscious. The two of them were left next to the bomb. Ronnie woke up first and tried to drag Martin to safety, but the bomb detonated and caused the two be bathed in radiation.

The result was Firestorm, a merger of two people. Since Ronnie was conscious at the time, he controlled Firestorm but Stein's consciousness was able to guide and mentor him. When the two separated, however, Martin had no memory of his time as Firestorm. For a while, his seemingly unexplained disappearances caused him panic and anxiety. He turned to alcohol for comfort. He was very relieved when Ronnie, feeling guilty, filled Stein in on their secret double life. From that point forward, Stein could remember their time together as Firestorm.

Ronnie and Martin

While Ronnie was young, short-tempered and spontaneous, Martin was experienced and steady. His knowledge of science was invaluable in deciding how to transmute objects and deal with other challenges. The two developed a great friendship. At the same time, Stein was a father-figure to Ronnie. In social life, it was usually Ronnie who helped Martin overcome some of his awkwardness, especially with women. His bad luck there was evidenced by his ex-wife, Clarissa, who tried to sell Firestorm out to his enemies. Things were not always great between Ronnie and Martin but they managed to remain friends throughout.

Martin went through many jobs after the power plant episode. He worked as a research scientist for Concordance Research but had a rocky relationship with his supervisor there. He worked for one very stressful day as a cook at the Bun'n'Bun, where Ronnie also worked before they were both fired. Through the efforts of a former acquaintance, Martin gained a job in the physics department at Vandemeer University and later moved to a position at the Institute for Meta-Human Studies.

Making a New Firestorm

While at Vandemeer, Martin began experiencing headaches and occasional disorientation. They bothered him enough that he went to see a doctor. He was stunned to learn that he had an inoperable brain tumor and that he only had a few months to live. Over the next few weeks, his deteriorating condition confirmed the diagnosis. Knowing that he didn't have much time to live, Stein proposed that they use Firestorm to rid the world of the threat of nuclear annihilation from the world's stockpiles of ICBMs. He charged the super-powers to eliminate their missiles or Firestorm would detonate them.

Taking this threat seriously, the governments of the US and USSR sent various metahumans to stop Firestorm. The battles culminated in a showdown in the Nevada desert, in which a tactical nuclear weapon was dropped on Martin, Ronnie and their opponent-made-friend Mikhail Arkadin. Out of the explosion emerged a new Firestorm, being made of Ronnie and Mikhail but controlled by a third, unidentified personality. Martin was nowhere to be found and was presumed dead.

Months later, Ronnie's father Ed used his reporter connections to conduct a secret search for Martin. He took Ronnie to an asylum outside of Las Vegas where they found an amnesiac Martin Stein. The nuclear explosion had cured his cancer and left him with amnesia while his connection to Firestorm spared him from the blast. During his stay in the institution, there were many times when Martin had gone into a coma-like trance, as if his mind was leaving his body. During these times, his consciousness was linking up with Firestorm to become the controlling mind of the three-way merger.

Firestorm later underwent yet another change. The Russians, through experimentation, created a soulless Firestorm entity named Svarozhich. Svarozhich went on a rampage to cleanse the earth with fire and could only be stopped when when Ronnie and Mikhail surrendered themselves and merged with it. This was the first version of Firestorm that excluded Martin.

It was this Stein-less version of Firestorm that had a near-death vision or experience in which he talked to Maya, the mother spirit of the earth. Maya revealed that Martin Stein was originally intended to be the fire elemental of the earth, but Ronnie's presence had altered fate's plans.

Soon afterwards, when the earth was threatened by Brimstone's manipulations of the sun, Martin devised a plan to become the sole individual within Firestorm and stop Brimstone. It involved dissolving the current Firestorm by releasing Ronnie and Mikhail, exerting mental control over Svarozhich, and killing himself in an explosion in space, which would graft his soul into the now soulless Firestorm entity and take on Brimstone. Amazingly, it all worked, and Stein became the only being to carry the Firestorm mantle. After defeating Brimstone, however, he was forced to enter a wormhole and seal it off, stranding him in a distant part of the galaxy.

For Martin, this was not a big loss. He had come to accept his role as an elemental and no longer felt attached to his life. He enjoyed the marvels of the universe. Somehow, however, there was still something of a mental connection between himself and Ronnie.

Martin Stein, Explorer

Little is known about Martin's travels through space, except for a few interactions with people from Earth.

During the War of the Gods, Martin temporarily switched places with Ronnie to deal with a rogue African god.

Eventually, Ronnie went through some changes himself and eventually became Firestorm again, only this time by himself. Sensing these changes, Martin returned to earth. He asked that Ronnie merge with him because Martin had lost his human sense of wonder after seeing so many amazing sights in the universe and being isolated. As evidence of the fact that he was now out of touch, Martin was completely oblivious to the consequences of his return - he was accidentally setting fire to many buildings in the area and had to be brought to his senses by Ronnie. Still, Ronnie refused the offer to join him. Stein, while dissappointed, cured Ronnie of his cancer and returned to space.

Later, Ronnie and a robotic Green Lantern were travelling through space when they came across a planet that was being tormented by a "god of fire". This fire god turned out to be Stein, who had again lost his humanity to the more elemental side of his being. He nearly destroyed the planet, only to be stopped by Ronnie. Ashamed of his actions, he offered to become the planet's protector.

Martin and Jason

The connection that Martin and Ronnie had seems to have been passed to Jason Rusch along with the Firestorm mantle. Martin seemingly knows that there has been a change in Firestorm, but did not leave his post as his planet's protector until he saw a vision of Jason's death.

During Infinite Crisis, Jason and his companions on Donna Troy's space team struggled to save fleeing aliens from an anomoly caused by Alex Luthor's manipulation of the universe. The effort cost Firestorm his life, but Martin managed to save Jason. He taught Jason about the nature of Firestorm. Jason asked that Martin join him as a permanent part of Firestorm. Martin declined at first, but Jason convinced him that he was needed. The two of them rebuilt Firestorm just in time to rejoin the space time. At a critical juncture in the battle, Martin's quick thinking prevented Alex Luthor from combining two earths, saving both planets and preventing the deaths of Superman and Wonder Woman in the process.

After the crisis, Martin settled into a more human life in New York City where he served as Jason's mentor and friend. After nearly a year, Martin was kidnapped by The Pupil who studied him and tortured him for Firestorm's secrets on behalf of an unknown partner. Jason found Martin, but not before The Pupil had finished his work and seemingly killed Martin. Jason, lacking an alternative, merged with the apparently dead Martin and managed to revive him. Together, they rebuilt Martin's damaged body.

Martin is once again an integral part of Firestorm, providing wise guidance to Jason in their work as a superhero. He is in the process of resuming his personal life, as well, which he had abandoned years ago in pursuit of the wonders of space.

Character Milestones
First appearance: FS1 #1
Merged with Ronnie Raymond to become Firestorm: FS1 #1
Discovered that he was part of Firestorm Flash vol. 1 #290
Saved the JLA by defeating Hector Hammond on the mental plane: Justice League of America #205
Discovered that he has an inoperable brain tumor: FS2 #53
Consciousness became the controlling mind of the Ronnie/Mikhail Firestorm: FS2: Annual #5
Was rediscovered by Ronnie in an asylum: FS2 #75
Was excluded from Firestorm for the first time: FS2 #85
Declared by Maya to be the one intended to be fire elemental: FS2 #92
Became elemental Firestorm by himself and saved the earth from Brimstone: FS2 #100
Returned to earth: War of the Gods #2
Cured Ronnie of his cancer: Extreme Justice #5
Adopted a planet after nearly destroying it: GL/Firestorm #1
Meets Jason to help prevent a disaster: Infinite Crisis #3
Agrees to become a permanent part of Firestorm with Jason: FS3 #21
Saves two earths and Superman and Wonder Woman by stopping Alex Luthor: Infinite Crisis #6
Brought back to life by Jason: FS3 #27