# Jason Rusch

Jason Thomas Rusch is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe, and the second character known as Firestorm. He first appeared in Firestorm (vol. 3) #1 (July 2004), and was created by Dan Jolley and ChrisCross.

## Publication history

The Jason Rusch incarnation of Firestorm was introduced in 2004 following the death of the original Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond, in Identity Crisis.
Ronnie and Jason star in The New 52 title The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, initially written by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver and drawn by Yıldıray Çınar. Joe Harris replaced Simone starting in issue #7, while Van Sciver provided art for issues #7 and 8. Dan Jurgens took over the series as both writer and artist from issue #13 in 2012 until the final issue, #20, in 2013.

## Fictional character biography

Jason Rusch is a 17-year-old living in Detroit who lives with his abusive father Alvin Rusch after his mother leaves the family. He becomes a courier to gain money and bonds with the Firestorm matrix, which seeks a new host following Ronnie Raymond's death. Unlike Ronnie, Jason initially does not have a set matrix partner, instead bonding with various civilians.
In 52, Firestorm is fused with Cyborg due to malfunctioning Zeta Beam technology. After being freed, he forms a new Justice League with Firehawk, Ambush Bug, Super-Chief, and Bulleteer. After failing to handle a crisis staged by Booster Gold's robot Skeets, the new League disbands.
In One Year Later, Jason and Gehenna search for Martin Stein after his former pupil Adrian Burroughs kidnaps him. Later, Jason and Stein meet Shilo Norman, who informs them that the Firestorm matrix contains part of the Life Equation. After Darkseid kidnaps Stein, Jason and Gehenna work to find him.
In Infinite Crisis, Jason's friend Mick Wong is killed. Following this, he meets with Stein in space and agrees to have him be the Firestorm matrix's permanent secondary host.

### Blackest Night

In Blackest Night, Ronnie attacks Jason after being resurrected as a Black Lantern. In the final battle against Nekron, Ronnie is fully resurrected with no memory of his time as a Lantern.

### Brightest Day

In Brightest Day, Deathstorm attempts to manipulate Ronnie and Jason into fighting, destabilizing the Firestorm matrix, and destroying the universe. He seemingly succeeds, but instead transports Firestorm to the antimatter universe. After Deathstorm kills Martin Stein, Jason and Ronnie work together to avenge him.

### The New 52

In The New 52 continuity reboot, Jason and Ronnie are classmates who obtain Martin Stein's "God Particle", giving them both the ability to transform into Firestorm.
In the 2016 miniseries Legends of Tomorrow, Jason is separated from the Firestorm matrix after Stein mistakenly believes that it is harming him. Despite this, he continues to appear in association with Firestorm and eventually rejoins the matrix.

## Other versions

An alternate timeline variant of Jason Rusch appears in Flashpoint.

## In other media
### Television

* Jason Rusch / Firestorm appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Tyler James Williams. This version is a high school student who became Firestorm alongside his teacher Ronnie Raymond after they are exposed to supercharged nuclear energy during an explosion created by Doctor Double X. Additionally, his suit is a containment suit that limits his energy and prevents it from harming others.
* Jason Rusch appears in The Flash episode "Revenge of the Rogues", portrayed by Luc Roderique. This version is one of several scientists who worked on Martin Stein's F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. matrix. After the U.S. army takes over the project following Stein's disappearance and S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator explosion, Rusch begins working at Mercury Labs.

### Film

* Jason Rusch / Firestorm appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, voiced by Cedric Yarbrough.
* Jason Rusch / Firestorm appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, voiced by Phil LaMarr.

### Video games

* Jason Rusch / Firestorm appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
* Jason Rusch / Firestorm appears in Injustice 2, voiced by Ogie Banks. This version is an ally of Batman who works to restore order to Earth after the fall of Superman's Regime.
* Jason Rusch / Firestorm appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains.