Ronald 'Ronny' Reese was born in Detroit...and immediately left on the front steps of a police precinct, abandoned. He lived in an orphanage for the first four years of his life, finally getting foster parents just in time to go to school. Thanks to the violent atmosphere of the inner city orphanage that Ronny was in, he became quite a scrapper. In order to get what he wanted, he had to fight others to get it. That attitude did not go over well with his new foster parents, and was returned to the orphanage in less than 3 months time. After that, since Ronny's violent tendencies were a part of his adoption records, no one wanted to adopt him. Ronny grew angrier and hateful each passing year as a result.

 

By age 10, Ronny was getting himself into trouble with the law almost on a weekly basis. He'd done several stints as Juvenile Hall and the Youth Detention Facility, as well as attend a 'Tough Love' Camp. Instead, Ronny used all the 'positive' love and attention he was given as a weapon against his 'jailers' as he called them, retorting in hateful, mean rhetoric and language, all to make others feel as bad and unloved as he did. As such, Ronny turned to street crime, initially using bats, then knives and eventually graduating to guns by age 13. Four days after his 'supposed birthday' (birthday was guessed at by the cops who found him on their doorstep), life took another undesirable turn for Ronny.

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While acting as a backup enforcer for a protection racket street gang calling themselves "Royal Dawgs", Ronny got hit from behind, causing him to lose his gun and get chased alone into a dead-end alley where he was to be beaten to death by a rival gang called the "Guns & Blow Crew". As they started beating him, Ronny began to catch fire; his clothes ignited, the wood pallets behind him caught fire...and his assailants also caught fire.  His attackers ran from the alley way, some in flames, but none received anything worse than 2nd degree burns.  Ronny, however, couldn't stop the fire that was emanating from his body. He was the fuel source...but he wasn't hurt by the fire or flames. That's when the family superhero team called the Firebirds showed up.

 

Each time the police tried to get at Ronny, his powers spiked causing several officers and firefighters to get treated for heat-related wounds. The Firebirds told the police and emergency services personnel to fall back.  The team 'mom', Conflagration, struck up a conversation with Ronny, trying to calm him down and hopefully drop his powers. It took Conflagration over 20 minutes, but she finally calmed Ronny down enough to get him to douse his own new fire powers. When the police saw this the rushed Ronny, only to be stopped by Conflagration with a wall of fire and heat. She told the police that she was going to take him into Firebird custody, as per their legal rights, and that she (and/or the Firebirds) would contact them later for resolution and any follow-on actions.  Ronny, still scared (and angry) was escorted to Conflagration's plane's backseat and was flown to their Detroit Firebirds base.  The flight to the base was 100% magical to Ronny.  He'd never experienced anything like that, or the the kindness or compassion that Conflagration showed to him, especially against the police.  For the first time in his life, he experienced a compassion he'd never known before in his life.

 

For the next few days, Ronny got to see and meet the Firebirds family. He tried to show off and be cool, but everyone there said he didn't have to work so hard to be a tough guy around them. When Ronny attempted to pull some 'street moves' on Frenel, the oldest boy (AKA Fireblaze), Ronny was promptly taken down, but nicely. Ronny immediately went into his old hate and retaliation attacks, only to discover that it didn't phase a one of them. At dinner that night, Ronny had the best meal he'd ever eaten...and then had to help do the dishes with the team's leader and father, Firebird.  Ronny and Firebird surprisingly hit it off well enough that Ronny asked if he could please stay one more day to prove that he wasn't in some type of dream.  After spending the next day with the Firebirds, who took Ronny with them on three rescue missions, Ronny was hooked; he wanted to become a Firebird and be a better man.

 

After a lot of legal wrangling, Ronny was placed under a guardianship by the Firebird team's parents, Firebird and Conflagration. Ronny had to learn the hard way to work hard, study and earn what he wanted. In a year's time, he'd excelled enough in his youthful demeanor and development, thanks to the Firebird's/Adam's family, to warrant him adoption by the Adams family. The Adams underwent weekly and eventually quarterly Child Service interviews and spot inspections prior to being authorized full adoption. Ronny during that first year with the Firebirds learned how to control his powers, and as such, provided the critical answer Child Services wanted in regards to ensuring Ronny was capable of being properly trained, supported and even loved. Even after the government tried to weasel their way into taking custody of Ronny over the Adams, Child Services instead sided with the Adams and actually reprimanded the US Government for their ingenuous actions. After the adoption was finalized, Ronald Reese was allowed to change his name to Ronald Adams (which he was more than happy to do). Ronny is still required to undergo psychological interviews every year, but as of today, there is nothing negative about Ronny's development into being the fine, dedicated and turned-around teenager he is today.

 

Today, Ronny is a well adjusted teen and a certified superhero and member of the Firebirds. He met all the criteria under of Superhero Registration Act (SRA) allowing him an age waiver, just like his adopted siblings earned (except Fyrette; she's still too young and is still training). Ronny's demeanor is a bit of an 'in-your-face', aggressive type of guy, but when it comes to being a hero and a lifesaver, 'Ron', as he now likes to be called, has exhibited an amazing turnaround. He is an example for any street kid who thinks there's no way they could ever have what Ron has. Ron, in his spare time, works with child services and the orphanages, doing his best to be an example and a beacon of how one person can be a far better man...and a hero, if they chose to be.

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