Ronnie Raymond

Firestorm
Ronnie Raymond as depicted in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #3 (May 1978). Art by Al Milgrom.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Firestorm #1 (March 1978)
Created by	Gerry Conway (writer) Al Milgrom (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Ronald Roy "Ronnie" Raymond
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Justice League Power Company Extreme Justice
Abilities	Ability to rearrange the atomic and molecular structure of matter Can alter the density of objects, including his own body, and render them intangible Can project bolts of nuclear energy Flight Absorb explosive force and radiation into his body harmlessly Enhanced strength, endurance, and resilience "Quark vision"

Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond is a character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is one of several characters called Firestorm and is normally fused together with Martin Stein or Jason Rusch. He first appeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978), and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Al Milgrom.^[1][2]

Ronnie Raymond has made several appearances in DC-related media, such as The Flash, in which he is portrayed by Robbie Amell.

The first Firestorm series was short-lived, canceled abruptly in a company-wide cutback (the "DC Implosion" )^[3] with #5 (the first part of a multiple-issue story) the last to be distributed, and #6 included in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade. Writer Conway added Firestorm to the roster of Justice League of America. This led to a series of eight-page stories in the back of The Flash (with art by George Pérez), and a revival of a monthly Firestorm comic in 1982. The Fury of Firestorm (later called Firestorm the Nuclear Man) lasted from 1982 until 1990. A new Firestorm title starring both Ronnie and his successor, Jason Rusch, was launched in 2011. The series, The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men was written by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver and drawn by Yildiray Cinar.

In Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1 (March 1978) Ronnie Raymond is named for the very first time when Martin Stein calls him "Ronald"; later, Raymond introduces himself to Doreen Day and Clifford Carmichael as Ronnie; afterwards, while Martin Stein refers to him only as Ronald, everyone else calls him Ronnie. In Who's Who in the DC Universe #8, his name is listed as Ronald (Ronnie) Raymond, originally Ronald Rockwell.^[4] The same pattern continues in Firestorm (vol. 2) until John Ostrander takes over with Fury of Firestorm #58 and continuing through to the series finale in issue #100, he has everyone refer to him as Ronald or Ron, except for family and friends.^[5] In Who's Who Update '88 #1, he is also listed as Ronald (Ronnie) Raymond.^[6] In Who's Who in the DC Universe #10, Martin Stein is listed as Firestorm and the entry refers to Ronald as "Ron Raymond".^[7] In Extreme Justice #4 and for several issues after that, he is the supermodel known as "Ron Ray".^[8] In Firestorm (vol. 3) #6 and in later issues, he is referred to as Ronnie Raymond.^[9] Most recently in the DC Comics Encyclopedia (ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, 2004), he was listed only as Ronnie Raymond.

The original Firestorm was distinguished by his integrated dual identity. High school student Ronnie Raymond and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Martin Stein were caught in an accident that allowed them to fuse into Firestorm the Nuclear Man. 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.^[1] Stein was initially completely unaware of their dual identity, leaving him concerned about his unusual disappearances and blackouts, but Ronnie was eventually able to convince Stein of the truth, allowing them to bond as separate individuals rather than as parts of a whole.

After the accident, Firestorm took to defending New York City from such threats as Multiplex and Killer Frost. The 1982 series began with the teenaged Raymond adjusting to his newfound role and later delved into the issue of the nuclear arms race. The Fury of Firestorm slowly developed the lives of Raymond and Stein, as the teenager struggled with high school and moved towards graduation and the scientist found a life outside the lab after learning about his bond with Raymond. A second nuclear hero, Firehawk, was added as a love interest for Firestorm in 1984. In the same year, the character of Felicity Smoak was introduced, initially having a combative relationship with Raymond, but eventually becoming his stepmother following her marriage to his father Ed.^[10][11] The series also tried to create a sense of fun, something that Gerry Conway felt was missing during his years writing Spider-Man;^[3] 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 he attempts to make the United States and the Soviet Union destroy their nuclear weapons.^[12] Firestorm and Pozhar are fused after being hit by a nuclear bomb and transformed into a new Firestorm controlled by Stein's amnesiac mind.^[13][14][15]

The Firestorm form 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 Raymond, Arkadin and Svarozhich, a Soviet clone of the previous Firestorm, but with a new mind.^[1] New artist Tom Mandrake would create a new look to match. It was during this phase that Firestorm meets Sango and the Orishas, the elemental gods of Nigeria.

By the series' 100th issue, Stein learned that he was destined to be the true Fire Elemental and would have been were it not for Raymond also being there by circumstance. Raymond and Arkadin were returned to their old lives, and Stein as Firestorm was accidentally exiled to deep space in the process of saving Earth. He thereafter spent many years traveling through space as a wanderer, returning to Earth only rarely.

After the transition to the elemental Firestorm, all of the main characters from the series vanished from the comics for some time after the cancellation of the Firestorm comic in 1990. Raymond eventually returned in the pages of Extreme Justice.^[16] Raymond, at the time undergoing treatment for leukemia, regained his original powers after a chemotherapy session. It took the combined might of the Justice League led by Captain Atom and the returned elemental Firestorm to restore Ronnie's health. Firestorm began to appear regularly in a number of DC titles, though lacking the guidance and knowledge necessary to use his skills wisely. Firestorm joins a backup Justice League team as well as Power Company.

In Identity Crisis, Ronnie is killed by Shadow Thief, with Jason Rusch succeeding him as Firestorm.^[1] In Blackest Night, Ronnie is revived as a Black Lantern and kills Gehenna. In Brightest Day, Ronnie is fully resurrected by the Life Entity and works with Jason to stop Deathstorm from destroying the universe. Deathstorm kills Stein during the battle, and the Life Entity refuses to resurrect him.^[17]

In The New 52 continuity reboot, Ronnie Raymond is a high school football player and is uninvolved with Martin Stein.^[18] During a terrorist attack on their school, Ronnie and his classmate Jason Rusch obtain Stein's "God Particle" and gain the ability to transform into separate Firestorms.^[19]

In Doomsday Clock, Doctor Manhattan informs Ronnie that Stein deliberately transformed the two into Firestorm to study metahumans.^[20] Despite this, the two continue to work together until Lazarus Pit resin corrupts the Firestorm matrix and causes Stein to age rapidly.^[21]

• An alternate universe variant of Ronnie Raymond makes a cameo appearance in JLA: The Nail as a captive of Cadmus Labs.^[22]
• Quantum-Storm, an alternate universe variant of Ronnie Raymond from Earth-37 amalgamated with Captain Atom, appears in Countdown: Arena.^[23]
• Firestork, a funny animal incarnation of Firestorm, appears in the "Just'a Lotta Animals" series.^[24]
• An alternate universe variant of Ronnie Raymond appears in the Flashpoint event.^[25]

• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears in Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, voiced by Mark L. Taylor. This version is a member of the Justice League who gained his powers from a molecular fusion experiment conducted by Martin Stein that went awry.
• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, voiced again by Mark L. Taylor. This version is a member of the Justice League.
• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm was planned 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 come up with 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.^[26]
• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Bill Fagerbakke.^[27] This version is a high school science teacher who became Firestorm alongside his student, Jason Rusch, after they were accidentally exposed to supercharged nuclear energy during an explosion created by Doctor Double X.^[28]
• Two incarnations of Ronnie Raymond appear in The Flash, portrayed by Robbie Amell.^[29][30]
  • The Earth-1 version is Caitlin Snow's fiancé and an engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs who was exposed to dark matter energy amidst the explosion of Harrison Wells' particle accelerator, fused with Martin Stein and the F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. matrix, and presumed dead. After Team Flash separate the two, Raymond and Stein master their powers and assist the Flash in fighting crime. Raymond later marries Snow, but sacrifices himself to close a singularity created by the Reverse-Flash. Following this, Raymond appears as hallucinations and in flashbacks depicted in the third and eighth seasons.^[31][32]
  • An Earth-2 doppelgänger of Raymond as Deathstorm appears in the second season episode "Welcome to Earth-2" as Killer Frost's significant other and an enforcer for Zoom.^[33][34]
  • Deathstorm from Earth-Prime appears in the eighth season, additionally portrayed by Milton Barnes, Alexa Barajas, Rick Cosnett, and Michelle Harrison.^[35] This version is a cold fusion entity who obtained sentience following Earth-1 Raymond's sacrifice. Deathstorm attacks and kills indiscriminately throughout Central City to feed on grief until it is defeated by Hell Frost.
• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears in Justice League Action, voiced by P. J. Byrne.^[36][37] This version is a member of the Justice League who became Firestorm during an attack on the Hudson plant by bandits seeking plutonium.^[38]

• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[39]
• Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Nolan North.^[40]

Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm appears in the Justice League Unlimited tie-in comic.^[41]

• 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)
• Brady, Matt (July 8, 2006). "From The Files of Professor Martin Stein". Newsarama. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008.