The Fortress of Solitude was originally from the pulp fiction hero, Doc Savage, and was later used in early comic renderings of Superman. The first Fortress of Solitude was located in the Arctic and had a number of different areas, including an alien zoo and dormitories for Superman. It was a haven for Superman, but also a battlefield. The location and creation of the fortress varies in different depictions of Superman.
The Fortress of Solitude is often considered the hometown of the comic book superhero, Superman. Yet the term originates from the pulp fiction hero, Doc Savage, who had a scientific research station in the Arctic that was so called. Initially in early comic renderings of Superman, Superman had a fortress called the Secret Citadel. The Fortress of Solitude doesn’t appear until the 1950s, perhaps 20 years after the original Superman comics appeared.
The first Fortress of Solitude was located in the Arctic and contained a statue of Jor-El and Lara, father and mother of Superman. Few knew of its existence and even fewer could access it. Only those of Kryptonite possessed the strength to lift the massive key that would unlock the fortress. The first comics featuring the fortress offer numerous “areas”, which are now almost forgotten, especially in the television and film stories about the superhero. It had a number of different areas, which included an alien zoo and dormitories for Superman. A few comics have added to the fortress, adding exercise equipment, computers, research facilities, and a collection of alien artifacts and technology.
Like the Bat Cave Batman built, the Fortress of Solitude was a haven for Superman, a way to solve problems, and sometimes a battlefield. Superman purists may argue that the Fortress is used as an area where Superman fights anyone, as this is his inner sanctum. Indeed, the movie Superman II cut a scene where Superman destroys the fortress after the location became known to Lex Luthor.
There are various accounts over the years as to where the fortress is and how it was created. Film and television accounts often hinge on the idea that Superman possessed a crystal that was cast into the ice, causing the fortress to appear. These representations take the position that the Fortress of Solitude was essentially a training ground for Superman and a way for him to learn about his true origins. A highly entertaining interpretation of the fortress can be found in the short-lived television series Lois and Clark. In one episode, it is revealed that Clark Kent has called his treehouse the Fortress of Solitude.
While commonly found in the Arctic, various depictions of Superman in cartoons, comics, television, and films can place the fortress anywhere. It can be in the Antarctic instead or hidden in the rainforest jungles. Sometimes he is camouflaged so that no one else can see him. The more common place, the Arctic, often creates the fortress as a world of glass and ice, certainly not making it extraordinarily comfortable or what we might consider an ergonomically inspired workspace.
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