Fortress of Solitude

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Gallery

### Aliases

Secret Sanctuary; Secret Citadel; The Fortress; Fort Superman; Fortress of Tranquility

## Location Details

### Universe

Earth-Two; Earth-One; Earth-Thirty-Two; Earth-Fifty-One; Earth-332; New Earth; Prime Earth; Donnerverse; Arrowverse; DC Extended Universe

### Planet

Earth

 *Perry, he has a crystal castle bachelor pad in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle...*
—**Lois Lane**src

The **Fortress of Solitude** is a home base for Superman and by extension, other heroes in the Superman Family. It is usually located in one of the poles and serves as a place to store weapons and machinery from Krypton.

## History

### Earth-Two

On Earth-Two in the early 1940s, Superman built his original Fortress of Solitude, originally referred to as his "Secret Sanctuary" or "Secret Citadel", at the top of a mountain just outside of Metropolis. He later constructed a second Fortress in the "polar wastes".

### Earth-One

On Earth-One, the Fortress of Solitude was an immense compound housed within the interior of a mountain range in an isolated region of the Arctic, 130 miles south of the North Pole. This was the private sanctuary of Superman. When constructing the Fortress, Superman took special precautions to ensure that only he could ever enter the sprawling edifice. Access to the Fortress was granted by way of a giant, metal arrow-shaped key which was designed to look like a luminous marker from above to guide passing aircraft over the Arctic.

The key itself was located on the peak of a hillock several miles away. Only a person possessing superhuman strength would be strong enough to lift the key. They would then require a means of transporting it across the windy tundra, and hefting it up into the giant-sized keyhole at the front door of the Fortress.

### New Earth

In the history created after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the New Earth Superman maintained three different locations as his Fortress of Solitude. Years ago, Superman placed himself into a self-imposed exile from the planet Earth. During this journey, he met an aging alien known only as the Cleric. The Cleric recognized Superman as the Last Son of Krypton and gave him an ancient Kryptonian artifact known as the Eradicator. The Eradicator represented the sum total of all Kryptonian knowledge, lore and culture. Superman brought the device back to Earth, but when it began behaving strangely, he buried it deep down in a fissure in Antarctica. The Eradicator was still active, however, and it opened up a dimensional portal and extracted various resources that it used in an effort to recreate Krypton on Earth. This also included the creation of robotic servants, patterned after the maintenance droids that once serviced the House of El on Krypton. Despite the Eradicator's attempts to convert him and the rest of Earth into a new Krypton, Superman kept the Fortress as it was the only thing he had to his home. However, it would be destroyed when the Eradicator, under the guise of the "Last Son of Krypton", absorbed the energies of the Fortress to heal himself after nearly being killed by the Cyborg Superman. Superman would later rebuild the Fortress, only to have it destroyed by Dominus during the Man of Steel's time as "King of Earth".

A second Fortress would be built by John Henry Irons, using tesseract technology to create a mobile, compact Fortress, though this would be destroyed as well. A third Fortress would be set up before the events of Infinite Crisis in the Amazon. However, this would be abandoned quickly and turned into a tourist attraction. The current Fortress was set up after Superman launched a Kryptonian Sunstone into the Antarctic, the Sunstone's power creating his new base of operations until the events of "Flashpoint".

### Prime Earth

In the Post-Flashpoint Prime Earth reality, Superman's first Fortress of Solitude was the ship which Brainiac traveled in which had been reprogrammed by Superman as his new base of operations. After his confrontation with Brainiac, Superman's ship is shown connected to Brainiac's ship and also prevents him from returning.

Five years later, it was revealed that the ship was destroyed during an unspecified battle and his current Fortress was located in the Arctic. How he constructed this Fortress is currently unknown.

When H'el took control of the Fortress, he expelled Superman and Superboy and modified the Fortress's defenses to prevent re-entry. Superman was able to re-enter the Fortress with help from the Justice League and regain control from H'el following his defeat.

After Superman depleted his solar reserves and lost his powers, he traveled to the Fortress using a stolen motorcycle. While trying to gain entry the Fortress A.I was unable to recognize Kal-El's DNA and forcibly removed his Kryptonian armor. Much later, Vandal Savage stole the Fortress, tearing it from the ground. Superman was able to retake control of the Fortress, regained his Kryptonian armor and defeat Vandal, but the experience left him deathly ill. As he put his affairs in order, he hand-picked Supergirl as his successor and gave her a key to the Fortress.

After Superman's death, the New Earth Superman returned to active duty and occasionally visited the Fortress to support his superhero activities. Eventually, Superman came into conflict with Mister Mxyzptlk, who revealed that the two Supermen that occupied the Fortress were actually the same person, and the creation of the Prime Earth universe had caused him to split into two different versions. Fortunately, the two Supermen merged into a single, complete Superman and saved reality.

This new, complete Superman continued using the Fortress until it was destroyed by Rogol Zaar. After trapping Rogol in the Phantom Zone, Superman recovered the Fortress' main crystal and constructed a new Fortress in the Bermuda Triangle. This new Fortress would serve as Superman's newest base of operations for the foreseeable future.

## Points of Interest

### Earth-Two

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### Earth-One

#### Rooms in the Earth-One Fortress of Solitude

* **Vestibule:** The foyer chamber of the Fortress contained a giant statue memorializing Superman's birth parents, Jor-El and Lara. The two renowned Kryptonians were poised holding onto an effigy of Superman's destroyed home world of Krypton.

* **Armory:** Superman maintains a hidden armory vault inside of the Fortress. In the vault are various weapons and firearms confiscated from alien cultures on past missions.

* **Batman room:** This was a privately locked chamber containing various souvenirs acquired during his many adventures with his good friend, the Batman. Many of the souvenirs contained within the Batman room were similar to that found in Batman's own sanctuary, the Batcave. The room also contained a life-size statue of Batman.

* **Clark Kent room:** This was a privately locked chamber in honor of Clark Kent. The room bore no true functionality and existed merely as a means of posterity. Should an intruder ever gain access to the Fortress, this room served as a red herring to convince others that Superman and Clark Kent were indeed two separate people.

* **Crime-lab:** Superman maintained his own highly advanced forensics laboratory equipped with various computerized devices including a lightning fingerprint classifier, an electronic clue analysis machine, and a crime probability detector. A monitoring station was likewise in place, enabling Superman to keep abreast of events taking place across the globe. The crime-lab also featured several lead-lined vaults, where Superman would experiment on samples of Kryptonite in the hopes of finding a way to reverse the minerals lethal effects.

* **Hangar:** A special hangar bay exists containing a vertical shaft, which leads directly through the upper levels of the Fortress to the top of the mountain. Inside the hangar, Superman maintains a mid-sized space ship and the Supermobile.

* **Hobby-room:** When Superman needed to relax, he retired to his hobby room, where he enjoyed creating paintings and sculptures using his heat vision in place of a brush or cutting knife. He also enjoyed playing chess with robot servants on a giant man-sized chess board. The individual game pieces could only be moved with someone of super-strength.

* **Jimmy Olsen room:** This was a privately locked chamber containing various souvenirs pertaining to Jimmy Olsen. Superman used this room as a miniature workshop to personally construct a hand-made racing car specifically for Jimmy Olsen. The room also contained a life-size statue of Jimmy Olsen.

* **Krypto's chamber:** Although Krypto preferred the seclusion of his own private Doghouse of Solitude, Superman maintained a secondary resting place for the pooch-of-steel inside the Fortress.

* **Lois Lane room:** This was a privately locked chamber containing various souvenirs pertaining to Lois Lane. Superman included several legacy gifts that were to be given to Lois in the event that Superman should ever die. The room also contained a life-size statue of Lois Lane.

* **Supergirl quarters:** It was a whole extra wing built by Superman for Supergirl's use after his cousin's first successful mission. It included a living room and Supergirl's own trophy room.

* **Trophy room:** One of the larger sections of the Fortress, this room contained various trophies and souvenirs from Superman's terrestrial and off world adventures. Each item in the trophy room boasted a placard indicating the name or case file germane to the adventure in question. A private hall within the trophy room contains lead lined-statues of members of Superman's Kryptonian family.

* **Zoo:** Superman maintained an elaborate game preserve filled with various interplanetary animals. Many of the animals found in the zoo were either representative of an endangered species or the last surviving specimens of destroyed worlds. As Superman's own home world was destroyed, he shared a special bond with these creatures. Occasionally, some of the animals would escape from the zoo, but Superman always labored to keep them healthy and secure.

#### Items found within the Fortress of Solitude

* **Duplicator Ray:** Superman maintains a Duplicator Ray in a secure vault inside the Fortress. On occasion, this device is used for the reproduction of Bizarros.

* **Kandor:** Superman maintained the shrunken, bottled city of Kandor in a special chamber at the Fortress.

* **Phantom Zone Projector:** Superman owned a Phantom Zone Projector similar to that invented by his later father, Jor-El. He routinely used the device to banish renegade Kryptonians back into the Phantom Zone.

* **Superman Robots:** Superman maintained a storehouse filled with robotic automatons in his likeness. He would frequently employ these artificial duplicates to respond to emergencies on Earth were he ever off the planet or otherwise incapacitated.

* **Super-Computer:** The most advanced computer system on the planet. When Superman is unable to be on hand to use the computer he can gain access to it through the telephone.

* **Supermobile:** On the rare occasion when Superman is unable to use his flight capabilities, he will rely upon the use of the Supermobile.

### New Earth

#### First Fortress

##### Chambers

* **Regeneration Chamber**: This was an oval-shaped crystal structure that stored solar radiation. When the Eradicator first took human form, he tapped into the energy of the matrix to revitalize his power stores.

#### Second Fortress

##### Chambers

* **Bottled City of Kandor:** Kandor is a miniaturized city populated with people from various alien cultures. It is named after the original Kandor City, a lunar colony from Superman's home planet, Krypton. Superman keeps the shrunken city inside the Fortress for safe-keeping.
* **Central Computer Nexus**
* **Control Hub**
* **Holographic Archive**
* **Krypto's Kennel**
* **Slag Pool**

##### Items

* **Krypton Memorial**
* **Kryptonian Birthing Matrix**
* **Kryptonian Power Crystals**
* **Kryptonian Warsuit**
* **Motherbox**
* **Phantom Zone Control**
* **Phantom Zone Portal**
* **Spectral Nexus Apparatus**
* **Superman Robots**
* **Tesseract Sphere**

#### Third Fortress

##### Chambers

* **Arsenal:** One of the most highly guarded rooms in the Fortress, this is where Superman stockpiles various hi-tech weapons that he confiscates during his many adventures. Although he never resorts to using weaponry himself, he often studies their technology in the hopes of finding something of societal value.
* **Atomic Cauldron:** Located deep in the Earth, the atomic cauldron is the most powerful furnace in the world. The cauldron operates off of liquefied Sunstone crystals and is used to provide power to the entire fortress. The cauldron is maintained by several Superman robots.
* **Bottled City of Kandor:** Kandor is a miniaturized city populated with people from various alien cultures. It is named after the original Kandor City, a lunar colony from Superman's home planet, Krypton. Superman keeps the shrunken city inside the Fortress for safe-keeping.
* **Interplanetary Habitat:** This is a highly controlled environment filled with exotic and often endangered creatures from around the galaxy. Some of the animals found in the habitat include the Metal Boar, the Black Mercy, the Duplorian Hawk and the Thought-Beast.
* **Museum/Trophy Room:** Superman maintains a gallery of artifacts and souvenirs that he has acquired over the span of his career. Inside are several scale models and dioramas of Krypton and its cities. The trophy room also contains a gallery of statues commemorating other heroes he has worked with, including the JLA and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
* **Science Laboratory:** Superman's laboratory is one of the most highly advanced science labs in the world. Here he studies the substance known as Kryptonite in the hope of finding a way to reverse its effects on Kryptonian physiology. He also uses the lab in an attempt to cure Daxamite lead poisoning, so that he might one day free his friend Mon-El and from the Phantom Zone. Superman also uses the lab in the hopes of finding a way to restore the people of Kandor to their normal size.

##### Items

* **Key:** This was originally a giant golden key mounted on a peak some miles away from the Fortress. Due to its immense size and weight, only someone as strong as Superman could hope to lift it and unlock the massive doors guarding the Fortress. Superman has since removed it from its original position and relocated to the Museum inside the Fortress.
* **Kryptonian Warsuit:** A relic of Kryptonian culture, this over-sized battle-suit was worn by his ancestors during Krypton's last war. It also served as a mobile hospice, slowly healing Superman of his injuries after a fatal run-in with Doomsday.
* **Phantom Zone Portal:** A portal in name only, this is actually a large circular window into the Phantom Zone. By operating a controller, Superman can analyze various depths and regions of the Zone.
* **Phantom Zone Projector:** Developed by his later father Jor-El, this device is used to transport living matter directly into the Phantom Zone. It was first used to sentence the mad Kryptonian scientist, Jax-Ur, into exile after his experiments with interstellar travel caused the destruction of a Kryptonian lunar colony.
* **Statue of Jor-El and Lara:** High above the center of the Fortress rests a floating statue commemorating Superman's parents, Jor-El, and Lara. The statue is mounted on a Sunstone base and displays his parents holding up a miniature model of Krypton.
* **Superman Robots:** Throughout his career, Superman has often used a variety of robots molded in Superman's image to perform various tasks. He restricted the use of these robots after one of them went rogue killing two members of the Titans, Lilith Clay, and Donna Troy (although Donna has since returned to life). One of the surviving robots was named Ned and was programmed to feed and take care of Krypto when Superman was absent. Currently, a small supply of robots are used to maintain the Atomic Cauldron.
* **Sunstone Simulator:** The Sunstone simulator is a highly advanced computer network that operates off the self-replicating pneumatic Sunstone Crystals. This simulator is the virtual embodiment of all Kryptonian knowledge and culture. By sliding specific crystals into their corresponding receptacles, Superman can activate a holographic simulation of his father, Jor-El. The Jor-El simulation is programmed to speak and react as if he were still a living, conscious being. Because the knowledge from the Sunstone Crystals was intended exclusively for Superman, the Jor-El hologram addresses everyone who activates the simulator as "Kal-El".

## See Also

* Appearances of Fortress of Solitude
* Location Gallery: Fortress of Solitude

## Links and References

* Fortress of Solitude

1. ↑ *Superman* #392
2. ↑ *Action Comics* #285
3. ↑ *Action Comics* #687

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