Martin Stein

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 TV series The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, in which he is portrayed by Victor Garber.

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

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 Ronnie Raymond and Martin 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 Professor 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 faced the Russian nuclear superhero Pozhar in the Nevada desert, where an atomic bomb was dropped on them. A new Firestorm resulted, a fusion of the two heroes: this new Firestorm was composed of Ronnie Raymond and the Russian Mikhail Arkadin but controlled by the disembodied amnesiac mind of Martin 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". Firestorm now became something of an environmental crusader, formed from Ronnie Raymond, Mikhail Arkadin and Svarozhich, a Soviet clone of the previous Firestorm, but with a new mind. Professor Stein, no longer part of the composite at all, continued to play a role, but the focus was on this radically different character. As the storyline jumped ahead one year (and the series itself was now retitled as Firestorm the Nuclear Man from issue #23 on), Professor Stein has mysteriously vanished, and Jason Rusch has been merging with Firehawk to become Firestorm, allowing him to use her powers as well. The two decided to look for Stein together. Stein had been kidnapped and tortured by the Pupil, a former teaching assistant of Stein's. Flanked by the D. O. L. L. I. s, a group of cyborg soldiers of limited cognitive ability, the Pupil (formerly known as Adrian Burroughs) questioned the nearly dead Stein about the secrets of the universe. Jason and Lorraine, along with the mysterious teleport er Gehenna, freed the captured Stein and restored him to full health. The Firestorm team of Jason and Firehawk made several appearances across the DC Universe before the search for Martin Stein ended. Jason Rusch and Martin Stein meet Shilo Norman, and are attacked in succession by members of the New Gods, such as Orion of New Genesis, Granny Goodness's Female Furies and a greatly augmented Kalibak of Apokolips. Shilo informs Stein and Rusch that one quarter of the Life Equation is hidden within the Firestorm Matrix. The others are held by Earth's other three Elementals (possibly the Red Tornado, the Naiad, and the Swamp Thing). Darkseid fears that the Life Equation might challenge him and the Anti Life Equation. Orion wished to keep Professor Stein safe, and Darksied's elite wished to secure the Matrix for Darkseid. The Lord of Evil descended upon them, ripped the professor from Rusch within the Firestorm Matrix, then vanished without a trace. Jason, with Gehenna as a "hidden partner" in their fusion, began his search for the missing Dr. Stein. He returns in 2010–2011 Brightest Day miniseries, reuniting with resurrecting Ronnie Raymond without them being fused. While recovering in the hospital, Stein explains to Ronnie that it seems to be very dangerous to fuse into Firestorm again. Also, it is revealed that Ronnie, after quickly leaving the hospital and being threatened by Alvin Rusch to stay away from Jason, lied to everyone, as he seems to perfectly remember murdering Gehenna as a Black Lantern. As Firestorm, both Ronnie and Jason visit Stein in an attempt to find out what is happening to them. Stein reveals to them that the Black Lantern Firestorm still exists in the Firestorm Matrix. Firestorm is then told by the Entity that they must learn from each other and defeat the Black Lantern Firestorm before he destroys the Entity. Somehow, Jason and Ronnie trade places. After running a test, Professor 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 that created our universe, thereby making the Matrix a trigger for a new Big Bang. If the boys continue to experience emotional imbalance, they increase the likelihood of triggering a new Big Bang. After explaining this to the boys, the voice inside them speaks again. Declaring that it is not the Firestorm Matrix, a pair of black hands reaches out from inside Firestorm. Forcibly separating Jason and Ronnie, the Black Lantern Firestorm stands between them, separate from both Ronnie and Jason and apparently calling itself Deathstorm. Deathstorm 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, thereby destroying all life in the universe. To help accomplish this goal, Deathstorm absorbs Stein's mind to use his knowledge of Ronnie against him. Deathstorm and the Black Lanterns teleport to an unknown location, while Firestorm (Jason and Ronnie) ultimately seek the help from the Justice League. Firestorm arrives at the Hall of Justice asking for help. Firestorm is placed in a containment chamber while the League search for a way to stabilize the energy. However, an internal argument between Ronnie and Jason ignites the spark, apparently resulting in the destruction of the universe. Ronnie and Jason quickly notice, after defeating a hive of Shadow Demons, that the universe was not destroyed as they thought, but they were actually transported to the Anti Matter Universe. There, they are contacted by the Entity, who reveals to them that, since Boston Brand has not yet found the one who will take the Entity's place, it is Firestorm's mission to protect the Entity. Meanwhile, Deathstorm and the Black Lanterns are shown on Qward delivering the White Lantern Battery to someone. That someone is revealed to be the Anti Monitor, seeking to harvest the life energy within the Lantern to grow stronger. Firestorm takes the White Lantern and attempts to fight the Anti Monitor, but is defeated. Deathstorm then brings Professor Stein out of his Matrix to taunt the two with. Deathstorm then attempts to turn Ronnie into table salt, but the Professor takes the brunt of the attack. Angered, Ronnie decides to truly work together with Jason to avenge the Professor. The Entity then declares that Ronnie has accomplished his mission, returning him to life in a burst of white energy that obliterates the Black Lanterns, returns Alvin to his home, and deposits Firestorm in the Star City forest. Ronnie angrily attempts to make the Entity resurrect the Professor, but is refused. Deadman then arrives, demanding that he be given the White Lantern Battery.

After the events of the 2011 Flashpoint storyline, The New 52 reality altered Firestorm's personal history to the point of being completely restarted. Ronnie Raymond is now introduced as a high school senior and the captain of the football team. During a terrorist attack on their school, classmate Jason Rusch produces a vial given to him by Professor Stein, which contains the "God Particle", one of Stein's creations. The God Particle transforms both Jason and Ronnie into Firestorm, and the two teens briefly battle each other before accidentally merging into a hulking creature known as the Fury. Sharing the identity of Firestorm, with Ronnie being the brawn and Jason being the brains, Firestorm is considered for recruitment into the Justice League along with several other heroes.

The Earth Three counterpart of Martin Stein is introduced in the "Trinity War" event as a part of Deathstorm, a member of the Crime Syndicate. This version experimented on humans to unlock the secret of life through death and was recruited by one of the Syndicate's enemies to determine each members' individual weaknesses. However, he experimented on himself by fusing with a corpse, which turned him into Deathstorm. He is killed by Mazahs, who then steals his powers.

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. Later on, it was stated that the character was intended to be the focus of "The Greatest Story Never Told", but was ultimately replaced with Booster Gold. Martin Stein / Firestorm appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Stephen Tobolowsky. This version is a college friend of Mister Terrific who became Firestorm during an attack on the Hudson plant by bandits seeking plutonium.

Martin Stein / Firestorm appears in media set in The CW's Arrowverse, portrayed by Victor Garber. 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. Stein appears in the live action TV series Legends of Tomorrow, with Graeme McComb additionally portraying a younger version. 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 is able to break free 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 capable of separating the F. I. R. E. S. T. O. R. M. matrix so Stein can be 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, but drinks the formula to spare Jackson from suffering his fate, sacrificing himself in the process.

Martin Stein / Firestorm appears as a playable character in Injustice 2, voiced by Fred Tatasciore. This version fuses with Jason Rusch, with both serving as allies of Batman who help to 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.