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Martin Stein

Martin Stein

96 appearances · Bronze Age · 1981–2025 · 11 key issues
Who is Martin Stein?

A brilliant but troubled nuclear physicist, Martin Stein designed an experimental reactor that was sabotaged and destroyed. Caught in the explosion alongside teenager Ronnie Raymond, Stein was fused with him to become Firestorm — the Nuclear Man — sharing a composite body while contributing the scientific genius behind their extraordinary powers.

Few characters in DC's Bronze Age can claim as rich and enduring a legacy as Martin Stein, who first stepped onto the page in 1981's DC Comics Presents #38, conjured by the talented duo of Len Wein and Alex Saviuk. Over more than four decades, Stein has woven himself into the very fabric of the DC Universe, rubbing shoulders with titans like Superman, Batman, and The Flash, and earning a permanent entry in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe — the ultimate mark of DC royalty. His deepest roots run through Firestorm the Nuclear Man and the pages of Justice League of America, where he shares adventures with Ronnie Raymond and the brightest stars in DC's constellation. With 11 key issues to his name and nearly a hundred catalog appearances spanning all the way to 2025, Martin Stein is a Bronze Age original whose importance to DC lore only grows with time — absolutely essential reading for any serious collector.

Identity

Real name. Martin Stein

Powers. Genius-level physicist; as one half of Firestorm, nuclear energy manipulation and transmutation of inorganic (later organic) matter; flight, energy projection. Later revealed as Earth's Fire Elemental.

Teams & affiliations
Justice LeagueJustice Society of AmericaSecret Society of Super Villains
★ First appearance
DC Comics Presents #38
Oct 1981

Top series

Covers through the years — 1981–2025

DC Comics Presents #38 1981
DC Comics Presents #38
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3 1985
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3
Action Comics #596 1988
Action Comics #596
Hawk and Dove Annual #2 1991
Hawk and Dove Annual #2
Infinite Crisis #4 2006
Infinite Crisis #4
52 #51 2007
52 #51
DCU: Legacies #5 2010
DCU: Legacies #5
Batman / Superman #3.1 2013
Batman / Superman #3.1
Absolute Infinite Crisis #[nn] 2017
Absolute Infinite Crisis #[nn]
Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition #[nn] 2020
Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition #[nn]
DC Finest: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract #[nn] 2025
DC Finest: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract #[nn]

Appearances

52 (2006)
DC Comics Presents (1978)
#38
Justice League of America (1960)
The Fury of Firestorm (1982)
All-Star Squadron (1981)
#15
The Best of DC (1979)
#35
World's Finest Comics (1941)
Supergirl (1983)
#20
Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985)
#1
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985)
Comics Buyer's Guide (1983)
Super Powers (1986)
Legends (1986)
Cosmic Boy (1986)
#1
Who's Who: Update '87 (1987)
Justice League International (1987)
Suicide Squad (1987)
#9
Captain Atom (1987)
#11
Firestorm the Nuclear Man (1987)
Action Comics (1938)
Wonder Woman (1987)
#13
Superman (1987)
#15
Doom Patrol (1987)
#17
Firestorm (1990)
Hawk and Dove Annual (1990)
#2
Hawkworld Annual (1990)
#2
Robin II (1991)
#1
The Comet (1991)
#8
Infinite Crisis (2005)
DCU: Legacies (2010)
DC Universe: Legacies (2011)
The Infinite Crisis Omnibus (2012)
Batman / Superman (2013)
Detective Comics (2011)
Forever Evil (2013)
Absolute Infinite Crisis (2017)
Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer: The Deluxe Edition (2020)
Who's Who Omnibus (2021)
#1
Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition (2022)
DC Finest: Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2025)