Fortress of solitude - what are your thoughts?

[Kuwagaton]

I'm inclined to agree. I find the idea of the FoS a bit odd. And definitely don't prefer Superman having a trophy room.

Some significant stories would have to change because of that, but the only one that comes to mind that really matters to me peronally Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen. And even that one is dependent on surprise in way that a retelling couldn't really be. But I am probably forgetting some.

I actually can't say I get tired of stories where he's either attacked and retreats to his fortress, or the fortress is used against him. I don't think that well has been tapped to the point of drying up at all, after all these years.

[Flash Gordon]

I liked the Fortress being the Collector's ship, mixed with the AI from the rocketship that brought Kal to Earth.

[Koriand'r]

I'm obviously in the minority here, but I don't like the concept of a Fortress of Solitude. I found it a little childish, as if Superman has to have a "super" everything. A superdog, a supercousin, a superhouse with a superkey, etc. In the case of Batman, the concept of a Batcave works perfectly, but if Superman needs some solitude he has his own apartment in Metropolis.
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John Byrne's solution in Man Of Steel seemed perfect to me. His identity as Clark Kent is his fortress of solitude. Byrne counteracted the tendency to deunique the character of Superman. He really was the last son of Krypton again, and he was not a "superalien", but a "superMAN". Consistently, he didn't need a Kryptonian fortress.

I'm inclined to agree. I find the idea of the FoS a bit odd. And definitely don't prefer Superman having a trophy room.

I TOTALLY disagree, to me the Fortress of Solitude is great any way I can get it. The zoo, the robots, the trophies, the Kryptonian artifacts are all part of the reasons why I like Superman.

[Adekis]

I remember reading a story once where Superman like, casually drops that he's going back "to his Fortress of Solitude" to recover from a fight, sending Luthor on a wild goose chase trying to find it, while Superman meanwhile drops back to his apartment and puts on his glasses, and Lois knows where to find him, because she knows that there is no real Fortress of Solitude, it's just a metaphor for Clark! So I thought that was fun. No idea where I read it. Might've been a real comic, or a fan fiction.

But overall, in general, I really like the "real" Fortress. I like Superman having a giant penny with the Joker's face on it, I like the launchpad for his spaceship, I like the room filled with statues devoted to Krypton's memory, the digital library "Alexandria II," the screen where he can talk to people in the Zone (mostly Lar Gand, let's be real)... I don't love the "Superman Robots," especially when they look like Superman and can imitate him to perfection, but I like Kelex.

In general I think the Fortress is really fun and cool, and I think the Superman Mythos is better for including it.

[Vordan]

I think the Fortress is cool and an important part of who Superman is. It’s the place where he gets to tap into his Kryptonian heritage, and it’s a place where he can do all kinds of cool superhero stuff. I like that he collects trophies, I like the Zoo although I think the Zoo works best if it’s him collecting the last members of extinct species, as a sort of kinship. I like the robots although I think they should come in all shapes and sizes and be able to do different tasks. I like him having access to the PZ Projector although I personally think he needs to address the morality of using the PZ at all. I like that he does weird experiments there and keeps samples of Kryptonite to study or learns about Kryptonian culture and heritage.

Ultimately the Fortress is simply cool. I think it could use a redesign, something more solarpunk would be my preference, but I’m glad it’s back and being used.

[Tzigone]

I think the Fortress is cool and an important part of who Superman is. It’s the place where he gets to tap into his Kryptonian heritage, and it’s a place where he can do all kinds of cool superhero stuff.

I like the older school (golden age) where his Kryptonian heritage just really isn't a thing with him. I like the idea he's curious until he learns the details (he wants to know he came from) but only learns in teens or adulthood. He's sad once he learns the what happened to his homeworld, but it's not something that really matters to him in a visceral sense. Just an abstract idea.

[Vordan]

I like the older school (golden age) where his Kryptonian heritage just really isn't a thing with him. I like the idea he's curious until he learns the details (he wants to know he came from) but only learns in teens or adulthood. He's sad once he learns the what happened to his homeworld, but it's not something that really matters to him in a visceral sense. Just an abstract idea.

Yeah we’ll have to disagree. I personally believe Superman needs a tragedy in his life, because I think his “you’re stronger than you think you are” moments are much more effective if Clark has hit that same point of despair that a lot of people reach and come out all the stronger for it, choosing to not let it destroy his faith in others like say Batman let his parents deaths affect him. If Superman doesn’t care about Krypton and the Kents are alive and well you’re left with a nice guy who is good looking, an ace reporter, has a super hot wife, is well liked in his civilian ID and beloved in his superhero ID (except for utterly evil villains) and doesn’t have any real emotional range. He would not really have any reason to feel sad since he basically has had the perfect life since he landed here and nothing bothers him. What’s the long term storytelling potential with this guy once he basically ends the last bit of internal conflict he has by outing himself to Lois? Not much which is why Byrne Superman really struggled after he and Lois got married because his story was basically done. If you want to do the “Clark mostly identifies as human and doesn’t really care about Krypton” then I think you need to kill the Kents before he makes the Superman debut. That lets him keep his focus on Earth and gives him a tragedy to overcome that keeps him sympathetic as a character.

But personally I think him feeling very sad about Krypton just works better for the character. Why wouldn’t he care about it or take an interest in it? It’s where he was born. It’s pretty damn cool with all its advanced technology, history, geography, culture, and alien animals/plants to learn about.

[Restingvoice]

I didn't even know what it looks like before it becomes crystalline

Secret_Sanctuary_(Earth-Two)_001.jpg

Oh wow, that's weird. Feels more like a Luthor lair because of the color.

I definitely prefer the crystalline version but I don't know which one.
Not the half durian one from New 52 though. That one's ugly.

[bat39]

So the way I see it, when he first starts out as Superman, he should set up a simple Fortress in the Arctic...something like STAS. Its just a hidden cave that few humans would ever be able to find or get to on their own. Its just a place he goes to to get away from it all, but he gradually starts to use it to store stuff like advanced or alien tech and trophies. He also gradually starts using it for experiments, or providing refuge to alien creatures. A few years into his career, he gets a more classic version of the Fortress, which would be closer to either the Silver Age version or the Donner version. And him getting that Fortress would be a major part of him truly owning his Kryptonian heritage and, in a sense, starting to explore 'Kal-El' as much as 'Clark' or 'Superman'.

[Jon Clark]

But personally I think him feeling very sad about Krypton just works better for the character. Why wouldn’t he care about it or take an interest in it? It’s where he was born. It’s pretty damn cool with all its advanced technology, history, geography, culture, and alien animals/plants to learn about.

I don't know. If he grows up as a resident of Kansas, with all the people he knows and loves being fellow Kansans, why is Krypton any closer to his heart than Atlantis, Mayan culture, or any other dead civilization? He never lived there. He never met a living Kryptonian in his life. And as far as he can tell none of Krypton's inhabitants had powers (Jor-El on Krypton was no different on the power scale than Jonathan Kent on Earth). There is nothing in his life experience that a Kryptonian could relate to any better than a Terran. As the only living Kryptonian in existence the history and culture of that world have as much significance as the Elizabethan Era to someone born in modern England. It's interesting trivia, it might involve ancestors, but it doesn't impact your day-to-day life.

[Vordan]

I don't know. If he grows up as a resident of Kansas, with all the people he knows and loves being fellow Kansans, why is Krypton any closer to his heart than Atlantis, Mayan culture, or any other dead civilization? He never lived there. He never met a living Kryptonian in his life. And as far as he can tell none of Krypton's inhabitants had powers (Jor-El on Krypton was no different on the power scale than Jonathan Kent on Earth). There is nothing in his life experience that a Kryptonian could relate to any better than a Terran. As the only living Kryptonian in existence the history and culture of that world have as much significance as the Elizabethan Era to someone born in modern England. It's interesting trivia, it might involve ancestors, but it doesn't impact your day-to-day life.

Because it’s where he was born and it’s where he comes from. And Krypton is far more interesting than Kansas could ever be.

[SiegePerilous02]

Because it’s where he was born and it’s where he comes from. And Krypton is far more interesting than Kansas could ever be.

This. Also, Kara and Krypto are living reminders of his home world and they are his family.

Plus even though he didn't grow up with them and naturally shouldn't be as attached to them as the Kents, he knows the Els loved him and made sure he survived. He kind of owes it to them to view his home planet and heritage as more than just a minor curiosity.

[Superlad93]

I think there's a level of respect and duty mixed in when you talk about how and why Clark honor's Krypton. Often times for a pretty long stretch of time he's the last of his kind (before finding anyone else), and if he doesn't memorialize and pay respects to this dead and forgotten culture then no one will. A sense of duty and obligation eventually turning into something he's protective of and appreciative of.

I particularly love it when other Kryptonians remark on how stiff and self conscious Clark is when he speaks Kryptonian. That, to me, says it all. He puts in the work to honor them, but he can't ever really be them because he's ultimately Clark Kent the Superman of Earth first.

[achilles]

It's a man cave. Somewhere, he's got a room with a big mouth billy bass on the wall, a bar, pool table, two big screens, and some vr game booths. And some comfy recliners with cup holders and many snacks.

[Last Son]

I don't know. If he grows up as a resident of Kansas, with all the people he knows and loves being fellow Kansans, why is Krypton any closer to his heart than Atlantis, Mayan culture, or any other dead civilization? He never lived there. He never met a living Kryptonian in his life. And as far as he can tell none of Krypton's inhabitants had powers (Jor-El on Krypton was no different on the power scale than Jonathan Kent on Earth). There is nothing in his life experience that a Kryptonian could relate to any better than a Terran. As the only living Kryptonian in existence the history and culture of that world have as much significance as the Elizabethan Era to someone born in modern England. It's interesting trivia, it might involve ancestors, but it doesn't impact your day-to-day life.

I don't get trying to de-emphasize the importance of Krypton just because that's the way things were in the 40s. Jor-El and Lara saved his life, you'd think it would make sense for their son to feel something for them even if he only knew them as a baby. Plus I feel like it's the details the Superman mythos picked up over the years that allowed Superman to continue to stand out after the superhero genre became a crowded field. If he stayed exactly the same as he was in the golden age, I'm not sure that would have been the case.

Anyway, I think the fortress should be some combination of the various fortresses over the years but I'd prefer it stay in the arctic. I liked the New Earth version which resembled the Donner fortress but contained a lot of the silver age features and rooms. One possibility could be to make the fortress like the cities on the Donner Krypton, since they look more like mountains and have more space and even floors inside them while retaining the crystalline architecture. You could even have the big door and the key for the entrance.

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