Firestorm Timeline
This timeline is designed to detail the exploits of Firestorm throughout different eras of comic book history. These summaries are here to help make reading about Firestorm easier. For more information regarding our timeline project, see our about page here.
This timeline is heavily based on our “Firestorm Reading Order“. Non-indented sections correspond with Firestorm’s “Essential” storyline while indented sections correspond with his “Extra” storyline. Make sure to check out our reading order here for more information.
New 52
With the beginning of the New 52, the DC Universe’s continuity was restarted. When the character of Firestorm was introduced to this new continuity, there were actually two versions of the character, one controlled by Ronnie Raymond and the other controlled by Jason Rusch. These two worked somewhat independently at first but, eventually, had to work together when the nature of the Firestorm Matrix changed. They then go on continue their solo adventures and, occasionally, team up with the Justice League (Timeline).
Also be sure to view the New 52 era of our “Firestorm Reading Order“.
God Particle
Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch are two ordinary high school students who don’t get along. Ronnie is captain of the high school football team and Jason works for the school newspaper. However, their lives change when a strike team attacks their high school to find one of the Firestorm Protocols. These Protocols are vials containing particles that allow the user to transform into a powerful being, referred to as Firestorm. Jason was given one of these Protocols by their creator, Dr. Martin Stein, who he had secretly been in touch with recently. When the strike team attacks, he activates the Protocol and changes himself and Ronnie into two separate Firestorms.
The teens are able to defeat the first strike team, a second strike team, and a monstrous being with powers similar to Firestorm. Sometimes, their fighting requires them to fuse into an even more powerful being, called Fury. All of these fights are secretly coordinated by the mysterious Zithertech Corporation, a company that has given every country a Firestorm and is now coordinating the effort to hunt down rogue Firestorms. The organization’s director, Candice Zither, eventually calls off the attack and offers the boys a job helping her contain rogue Firestorms, which they hesitantly agree too.
While on their first job, the boys have an impromptu team-up with Pozhar, Russia’s Firestorm. They attempt to stop a rogue Firestorm at a concert venue but are unable to and the terrorist explodes, killing thousands of people. Ronnie is mortified by the destruction and wants to go after whoever is responsible. Jason is mortified too but prefers to proceed with caution. A fight breaks out between the boys and they end up parting ways.
This storyline extends though issues #1-6 of Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1. These issues are collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1: God Particle (Review)
The Firestorm Protocols
After splitting up with Jason Rusch, Ronnie Raymond has gone off to find and defeat the rogue Firestorms on his own. Unfortunately, he is quickly captured by the terrorists who have been running the rogue Firestorm operation. Luckily, Pozhar shows up and saves him. Pozhar helps Ronnie for a while and fosters his desire to kill the rogue Firestorms; he also appears to have a secret agenda.
Meanwhile, Jason has been tasked by Director Zither to hunt down Firestorms in a more official capacity. He arrives in Paris, where he teams up with the Firestorms from France and England. The group stops one terrorist but is unable to stop an attack on the Eiffel Tower. In addition, a miscommunication with the Justice League United starts a fight between heroes.
As a result of all this, Jason is teleported to a seemingly random location in Russia. There, he learns that Pozhar is trying to take the power of Firestorm all for himself. At the same time, Pozhar forces Ronnie to merge with him, creating a super-powered new Firestorm. They all fight for a while but Jason is eventually able to tear Ronnie free, while Pozhar is torn apart by his own power.
While this is going on, Zithertech is being shut down by the government. In retaliation, the Director initiates the self-destruct process in each country’s Firestorm. This leaves Jason and Ronnie as the world’s only two Firestorms.
This storyline extends through issues #7-12 of Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1. These issues are collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 2: The Firestorm Protocols (Review).
Covalence
It seems that both Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond have lost their powers and have gone back to normal lives. However, suddenly, their powers return and they are attacked by Helix (who is back to life somehow). The two turn into Firestorm to fight but are merged in the process. They fight Helix in a single body, with actions coming from Jason and ideas coming from Ronnie. They defeat Helix and ponder their new situation.
This story is told in issue #0 of Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1. This issue is collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 2: The Firestorm Protocols (Review).
Takeover
Firestorm faces off against a number of different enemies while secretly being watched by Doctor Megala. Megala gathers information about Firestorm’s weaknesses and uses these to subdue him. Eventually, Megala is able to place himself in control of Firestorm, pushing aside Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond’s consciousness. Megala uses his newfound power to cause destruction, enough that he gets Captain Atom’s attention.
Captain Atom arrives and fights Megala, who is still in Firestorm’s body. This distraction allows Jason and Ronnie a chance to take back control of Firestorm. However, the boys do so right when Captain Atom is about to launch a devastating attack. They quickly explain the situation and Captain Atom turns his attack on himself, shattering his body through space and time.
Back in charge of Firestorm, the boys take down Megala’s lab and wipe out the information he has collected on them.
This storyline extends through issues #13-16 of Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1. These issues are collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Vol. 3: Takeover (Review).
Titan
Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond decide to fix the damage Megala caused. While doing so, they are attacked by the Teen Titans. Firestorm is able to hold his own in the fight and explain that they are all on the same side. Red Robin is impressed and offers Firestorm a spot on the Teen Titans. However, Firestorm turns him down.
Upon returning home, Ronnie is dismayed to find that his mother has been kidnapped by an unknown enemy.
This story is told in issue #17 of Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1. This issue is collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Vol. 3: Takeover (Review).
Problems Multiplied
Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond track Ronnie’s mother to an abandoned warehouse along the Monongahela River. There, they discover that his mother was kidnapped by Dalton Black, otherwise known as Multiplex. Multiplex was Professor Stein’s assistant until he was fired for stealing Stein’s work. Before leaving, Multiplex tried to take more of Stein’s work but was accidentally torn apart by the power. As a result, he now has the power to split himself into several copies. He plans on stealing Firestorm’s energy to make these copies stronger.
Firestorm faces off against Multiplex and his co-conspirators, including Killer Frost, Black Bison, Hyena, Plastique, and Typhoon. With help from a government agent, Major Force, Firestorm is able to defeat them all. However, Multiplex manages to get away.
After dealing with this threat, Firestorm is approached by Superman himself. The Man of Steel mentions that the Justice League (Timeline) is interested in meeting Firestorm.
This storyline extends through issues #18-20 of Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1. These issues are collected in The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Vol. 3: Takeover (Review).
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
When aggression from Atlantis threatens the entire surface world, the Justice League (Timeline) asks for help from promising heroes. Jason and Ronnie, as Firestorm, step up to provide assistance. Though their role in the crisis is small, it marks their first interaction with the Justice League.
Firestorm’s involvement in this storyline extends through issues #16-17 of Justice League Vol. 2 and issue #16 of Aquaman Vol. 7. These issues are collected in either Aquaman Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (Review) or Justice League Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (Review). See our “Throne of Atlantis Reading Order” for more information.
Justice League: The Grid
Shortly after the events of Throne of Atlantis, the Justice League (Timeline) hosts interviews for potential new members. Jason and Ronnie, as Firestorm, participate in these interviews. While the interviews take place, one candidate, a robot named Platinum, goes berserk and needs to be taken down. Though other heroes try to help, Firestorm is the one who is finally able to stop her.
At the end of the interviews, Firestorm is chosen as one of the Justice League’s newest initiates.
This story is told in issue #18 of Justice League Vol. 2. This issue is collected in Justice League Vol. 4: The Grid (Review).
Justice League: Secrets
The new members of the Justice League (Timeline), Firestorm, the Atom, and Element Woman, are in the Watchtower waiting for the rest of the League to show up. While waiting, the Watchtower is attacked by Despero, who is on a mad hunt to find Superman. The new League members hold him off for a while but are clearly outmatched. Luckily, Martian Manhunter shows up and takes down Despero. He then disappears, telling them not to tell anyone he was there.
This storyline extends through issues #19-20 of Justice League Vol. 2. These issues are collected in Justice League Vol. 4: The Grid (Review).
Trinity War
During an altercation between the Justice League (Timeline) and the Justice League of America (Timeline), something causes Superman to lose control of his powers and he accidentally kills another hero. To deal with Superman’s loss of control, the two teams declare a temporary truce and head to A.R.G.U.S. where Superman is voluntarily incarcerated. While there, Amanda Waller secretly approaches Firestorm and asks him to see if he can use his powers to create Kryptonite.
Nest, Batman and Wonder Woman lead separate investigations into Superman’s condition while Firestorm stays behind with another group of heroes. This group eventually discovers that Superman may have been affected by mind control, so they break Superman out of prison and go to investigate on their own. However, this lead turns out to be a red herring.
The mind control lead turns out to be a dead end and the heroes begin to wonder if Amanda Waller could be the true culprit. Firestorm tells them that Waller asked him to make Kryptonite, placing further suspicion on her character. When they approach her with all this information, she denies it and the heroes decide to trust her.
Eventually, this group of heroes reconnects with the rest of the heroes, who have obtained Pandora’s Box. This mystical relic is causing the everyone to go crazy and fight one another. In the resulting battle, it is revealed that the Atom was the one responsible for Superman’s lack of control, as she had been a double agent the entire time. Her actions allow a mysterious stranger to open Pandora’s Box, which then opens a portal to Earth 3. The Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League, then emerges from this portal and begins to attack the heroes.
This storyline extends through issues #22-23 of Justice League Vol. 2, issues #22-23 of Justice League Dark Vol. 1, and issues #6-7 of Justice League of America Vol. 3. These issues are collected in Trinity War (Review). See our “Trinity War Reading Order” or our “Trinity War Timeline” for more information.
Justice League of America: Survivors of Evil
After the Crime Syndicate’s attack, a number of heroes are trapped in a mysterious prison. In this prison, Stargirl and Martian Manhunter meet with Ronnie Raymond and begin to explore. They discover members of the various Justice Leagues fighting illusions designed to keep them pacified. Eventually, they discover that this entire prison is a mental prison within the Firestorm Matrix itself.
Stargirl and Martian Manhunter go on a quest to free everyone and appear to succeed. However, it turns out that this was all an illusion. Luckily, their efforts in battling the illusion allowed Martian Manhunter to make telepathic contact with the outside world. Because of this, the heroes are all freed and are able to return to their lives.
Note: Though never given an official explanation, this storyline marks the end of Firestorm’s involvement with the Justice League.
Firestorm’s role in this storyline extends through issues #8, #10, and #12-14 of Justice League of America Vol. 3. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 2: Survivors of Evil (Review).
Legends of Tomorrow: Firestorm- The Nuclear Man
Jason and Ronnie have somewhat returned to their ordinary lives. Jason is seeking a prestigious internship and Ronnie is one of the top prospects on his high school football team. Though they still occasionally stop crime as Firestorm, with help from Professor Stein, their lives are relatively normal.
This changes when Jason experiences a variety of illnesses that they believe are connected to the Firestorm Matrix. To save him, they separate Jason from the Firestorm Matrix and replace him with Professor Stein. Jason still helps the two but is now unable to fuse with Ronnie to form Firestorm.
Then, Ronnie and Professor Stein go out to stop an evil plot by Multiplex. They trace the villain to his lab and stop him from completing an experiment that had the potential to destroy the fabric of reality. As they leave, Multiplex’s lab is blown up by the government.
In the aftermath of their victory, the heroes continue on with their lives. In addition, Jason learns that his illness from earlier was caused by a competitor for his internship and not because of his unstable relationship to the Firestorm Matrix.
This storyline extends through the Firestorm stories from Legends of Tomorrow Vol. 1. These issues are collected in Firestorm: The Nuclear Man (Legends of Tomorrow) (Review).
Rebirth
Coming Soon