Ronnie Raymond/Martin Stein

The original Firestorm was only powerful by his integrated dual identity. High school  student Ronnie Raymond and Nobel Prize -winning physicist Martin Stein were caught in a nuclear accident that allowed them to fuse into "The Nuclear Man" Firestorm. Due to Stein's 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. The arguing between the two was a hallmark of their adventures. Initially Stein was completely ignorant of their dual identity, leaving him concerned about his unusual disappearances and blackouts, but Ronnie was eventually able to convince him of the truth, allowing them to bond as separate individuals rather than as parts of a whole.

 After the accident that created him, Firestorm took to defending New York  from such threats as Multiplex  and Killer Frost <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">. The 1982 series began with the teenaged Raymond adjusting to his newfound role and later delved into the issue of the <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">nuclear arms race <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> and Firestorm’s role as an " <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">elemental <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">." <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The Fury of Firestorm <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> 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, <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Firehawk <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, was added as a love interest for Firestorm in 1984. The series also tried to create a sense of fun, something that Conway felt was missing during his years writing <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Spider-Man <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">; the banter between Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein contributed to this. Upon graduation from high school, Raymond entered college in <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Pittsburgh <span style="font-size:16px;font-family:'TimesNewRoman';color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, where Stein had been hired as a professor. Afterward, together they searched for a cure for their bond.