Fury of Firestorm #55-56 (January-February, 1987)

In Legends #1, the Apokolipsian entity Brimstone first erupted, and failing to contain it, former team member Firestorm enlisted the Justice League of America for a second, equally ineffective pass. Not only was much of downtown Pittsburgh left in flames, but a presidential order next banned super-heroes. Professor Martin Stein, one-half of the Firestorm Matrix, intended to respect the law and at least temporarily dissolve his partnership with former student Ronnie Raymond. However, fascistic followers of G. Gordon Godfrey launched a book burning on the campus of Vandermeer University, and against Stein's wishes, Raymond forced him into fusing to form the Nuclear Man. Ultimately, the right wing former Teen Titan Hawk took up the cause of costumed heroism on campus, while Stein finally forced the fission of Firestorm. In fact, Stein threatened to buy a gun and kill Raymond if he ever did that again, and in discussing the matter with his stepmother, Felicity Smoak equated Ronnie's act to "rape." During another escalation of violence, Ronnie visited his former teacher, who admitted to contemplating suicide with his new pistol, but eventually agreed to reform Firestorm on a case-by-case basis.