- This article is about one of the two characters whose fusion make up Deathstorm. For the conjoint meta-human, see Deathstorm.
Ronnie Raymond (died February 9, 2016) was a criminal who, along with Martin Stein, was affected by Harrison Wells' particle accelerator and both men were was transmuted and conjoined into the meta-human Deathstorm. Ronnie and his wife, Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost, served Zoom as his enforcers in Central City under the direct leadership of his right-hand man, Reverb.
Biography
Early life
Around 2013, Ronnie Raymond was one of the many affected by Harrison Wells' particle accelerator, with the dark matter released merging him and Martin Stein together into a conjoined meta-human named "Deathstorm". However, Ronnie decided to use these powers for evil and became a criminal seemingly against the desires of his other half; Ronnie began shutting out Stein and refused to separate from him, to the point that Stein stopped talking to him.
At some point, Ronnie met and married fellow meta-human criminal Caitlin Snow, later known simply as Killer Frost. They became employed by the speedster Zoom under direct command of his right-hand man, Francisco Ramon/Reverb. Ronnie and Caitlin were Zoom's enforcers in Central City, keeping other criminals in line and killing any who disobeyed his rules.[1]
Hunting Barry Allen
Deathstorm and Killer Frost kiss.
Ronnie was informed by Reverb that some breachers from Earth-1 had crossed over onto Earth-2 and went to inform Caitlin as she tracked down some back robbers. Ronnie arrived in time to dispatch the last surviving robber before he could shoot Caitlin and the two shared a passionate kiss. Ronnie informed Caitlin of the situation and they retrieved the stolen money.
Killer Frost and Deathstorm search for The Flash.
The two tracked the breacher to Jitterbugs, where Caitlin interrogated the customers. No one spoke, but they were quickly confronted by Detective Iris West-Allen. Ronnie and Caitlin attacked her, but as Ronnie fired a nuclear blast at Iris, her father Joseph intervened and took the hit. Eventually the breacher, Barry Allen, revealed himself and sped the two outside away from Jitterbugs, engaging Caitlin. When she couldn't defeat him, Ronnie chased Barry around the city. Barry used the helmet on a nearby statue of "Jay Garrick" to redirect one of Ronnie's nuclear blast onto Caitlin. Ronnie immediately attended to his wife, vowing their fight wasn't over before flying away with Caitlin.
Deathstorm is killed by Zoom.
Later, Ronnie and Caitlin lured Iris, Floyd Lawton, and Cisco Ramon/Vibe into an abandoned warehouse on orders from Reverb, who was seeking to meet his Earth-1 counterpart. They watched Reverb try to convince Vibe to join his side and help him overthrow Zoom. Caitlin was skeptical of Reverb's motives, but she and Ronnie quickly fell in line when he threatened them. Suddenly, the Flash arrived and fought the three meta-humans. When Iris wounded Caitlin, Ronnie became enraged and tried to attack her and the Flash. The Flash was outnumbered and outmatched, easily subdued by Ronnie and Reverb, who continued to impulsively attack the speedster. Caitlin pointed out that it was against Zoom's orders, but Ronnie ignored her. When Zoom arrived, he phased his hand through Deathstorm's back as punishment, instantly killing Ronnie and Stein.[1]
Personality
Ronnie was an immoral individual, perfectly willing to kill anyone, including innocent civilians, to benefit Zoom or his own agenda. He embodied a very self-serving nature, as he refused to separate from Martin Stein and even began shutting out his other half's voice.
Ronnie dearly cared for his wife, Caitlin Snow, always protecting her in battle and following her orders without question.
However, Ronnie was also reckless, impulsive, temperamental, disobedient and arrogant; whenever Caitlin was injured, he would angrily try to kill her attacker out of spite, regardless of the consequences. Ronnie even tried to murder the Flash despite knowing it was against Zoom's orders, which led to his death.
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Deathstorm connection/Meta-human physiology: After Ronnie was struck by the energy of the particle accelerator explosion, this altered his DNA and supercharged his cells, augmenting his physiology into well-beyond peak human condition. When Ronnie and Martin Stein attained physical contact, they merged into a singular being, which chose the stronger body of the two (namely Ronnie).
- Flight: Ronnie can propel himself in the air via the flames that he creates and fly at great speeds.
- Pyrokinesis: Due to the nuclear nature of the transmutation of the two bodies, Ronnie was able to produce nuclear energy in the form of fire from parts of his body. One blast was capable of being fatal to a human. However, fellow meta-humans such as the Flash and Killer Frost were noticeably more resilient to these fiery blasts.
- Psychic link: Ronnie has implied that like Earth-1's Firestorm, the two halves of Deathstorm also share a psychic connection. However, Ronnie has also stated that he hasn't let Stein out in years, and that he no longer hears him.[1]
Appearances
The Flash
Season 2
- "Welcome to Earth-2"
- "Escape from Earth-2" (mentioned)
The Chronicles of Cisco
Trivia
- Caitlin and Ronnie's song is "My Funny Valentine."[1]
Behind the scenes
- In the DC comics, Deathstorm was initially the Black Lantern-infused corpse of Ronnie Raymond; following Flashpoint, Deathstorm was instead Firestorm's Earth-3 counterpart, created when Martin Stein merged with a corpse to harness the power.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Welcome to Earth-2"
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