The Fortress of Solitude: Every live-action incarnation of Superman’s iconic ice hideout

The Fortress of Solitude is unlikely to be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Superman. When most people think of the DC Comics superhero, they see the ‘S’ shield, the cape, or a specific actor who played him. But if they were to describe what the Fortress is and what it means to the Man of Steel, some may struggle beyond its common location.

First debuting in the mid-forties as ‘Superman’s Citadel’, it eventually evolved into the Fortress we know today, situated in the Arctic near a cliff edge, requiring a huge key to access it. Described as a fountain of knowledge of the universe and Superman’s home planet, Krypton, the Fortress serves as the Man of Steel’s base and as a memorial to his parents, Jor-El and Lara-El, in the form of a statue.

Superman’s frosty home-away-from-home plays a significant role in James Gunn’s Superman, which hits theaters worldwide today, so we’ve laid out every live-action appearance of the Fortress of Solitude, from the obvious to the innovative, right up until James Gunn’s Superman.

Superman: The Movie & Superman II – 1978, 1980

The first Superman film starring Christopher Reeve as the titular superhero is how many fans discovered what the Fortress of Solitude was. Based on the film’s depiction of Krypton, Superman’s homeworld, it shows how a teenage Clark discovers a green crystal and is drawn to the Arctic. After throwing it, the citadel rises from the ice. Inside, Jor-El, Clark’s biological father, appears, ready to teach Clark Krypton’s history, and more, to become the Man of Steel.

Although we’re on the cusp of reaching the film’s 50th anniversary since its debut in 1978, the film has barely dated, except for some special effects. Christopher Reeve plays both Superman and Clark Kent perfectly, and the Fortress is given a lot of time in the film for viewers to digest, to make it believable, as this was its first real-life appearance out of the comics.

The sequel features the icy structure even more, as a way to take Lois there once she discovers Clark’s true identity, and then when Clark talks to Jor-El to become human. The showdown of General Zod and his henchmen also takes place at the Fortress, with a great twist to defeat them. Thanks to the strong performances, especially Reeve and the actor Jeff East, who played Clark as a teenager, you can’t help but cheer when Superman returns in the sequel with his powers restored.

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – 1993

After the frankly bizarre ‘Superboy’ TV series in the late 80s, a new pitch focusing on ‘Lois and Clark’ in the 90s eventually made its way in 1993, starring Dean Cain as the superhero, and Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane. The show took on plenty of innovative twists on the mythos, with Superman being the disguise, and Clark being his real persona, as he explains in a Season 2 episode.

Another twist they made was the lack of a Fortress. Instead, Clark discovers a globe with all the knowledge of Krypton in the Season 1 episode, Foundling, as a way to save the cast from building an ice stage and a Jor-El floating head.

However, the reason Lois and Clark make this list is that the name appears in the same episode. With the globe now in the safe hands of Jonathan and Martha Kent, it’s revealed that it’s now kept safe in Clark’s treehouse he played in as a kid, called, you guessed it, The Fortress of Solitude. Smart.

Smallville – 2005

Smallville was an early-noughties take on a young Clark Kent, taking inspiration from the hit shows of the era like ‘Dawson’s Creek’ and ‘Buffy: The Vampire Slayer’. Starring Tom Welling this time, the first half of the show’s run was Clark coming to terms with the fact that he was from another planet, all the while managing to be a teenager in Smallville, Kansas. As we got to Season 5 in 2005, the Superman mythology started to seep through even more, culminating with the Fortress of Solitude in the Season 5 premiere, Arrival.

Taking inspiration from the Superman movies once again, as it did with Christopher Reeve’s cameo in earlier seasons, as well as some John Williams motifs, this Fortress is very similar to the movies, just smaller. In Talkville, a podcast hosted by Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex in the show, they spoke about their memories of filming in the Fortress of Solitude, and how it represented a new narrative for the show from Season 5.

Instead of Marlon Brando voicing Jor-El in the Fortress, we get Terence Stamp, another nod to the movies, as he played General Zod in the second movie. The set would be a mainstay for the rest of the series, right up until Clark becomes Superman in the series finale. Even for a TV show in the mid-2000s, it was vast, made its mark, and signified a change in narrative for the show. No more was it going to be about Clark accepting who he was, it was now preparing for who he’s about to become.

Superman Returns – 2006

‘Superman Returns’ is a strange movie. Directed by Brian Singer of the first two X-Men movies, this takes place as a sequel to Reeve’s ‘Superman II’. After the Man of Steel fights General Zod and his two henchmen, he decides to take his old ship and explore space, to discover if there are any other Kryptonians out there. Years later, he returns to find Lois has a son, the world may not need Superman anymore, and Lex has been paroled.

The Fortress isn’t in the movie much, but it still contains the same tropes from the movies, such as the crystals, Marlon Brando reappearing, and the icy look of what came before. Whilst ‘Superman Returns’ is a fun movie, it’s mostly a retread of the 1978 original, and that’s true of the Fortress’s appearance in it too, which is a shame. Plans for a sequel were scrapped due to its low box office returns.

Man of Steel – 2013

With the debut of Henry Cavill as Superman in 2013, much of the lore was redefined by director and writer Zack Snyder’s decisions, something that’s still fiercely debated to this day. The Fortress was wrapped up in this, too, with the iconic ice palace being replaced by Clark’s ship. Jor-El, this time played by Russell Crowe, still appeared as a hologram, guiding Clark to the Superman suit and revealing his true identity. The ship would be destroyed towards the end of the film, but would return in future films, such as ‘Batman vs Superman’ and ‘Justice League’, as a way to create the enemy Doomsday, and to revive Superman.

In looks, there’s no ice here, instead being replaced by CGI nanomachines and the grey-color scheme that defined much of the DCEU era, led by Snyder. The design looks like an ant colony, with tunnels and walkways that also showcase some of the ship’s robots. It’s an interesting twist on the take of the Fortress, but perhaps one that strays a little too far from the source material.

Supergirl – 2015

Although the Fortress appeared in just five episodes throughout Supergirl’s six-season run between 2015 and 2021, it made an impact every time, especially when a giant House of El key was featured to unlock the structure. With Superman away, Kara / Supergirl was allowed to access Superman’s base and use it as a headquarters for a short while.

Although its appearance was short overall, the Fortress was a step-up from ‘Smallville’, with a bigger space, characters like Kelex keeping the structure clean and safe from outsiders, and more ancestors to talk to Kara and others.

Krypton – 2018

Were you ever curious about Jor-El’s Father and the early years of Krypton? Probably not, but this is what the short-lived TV series, Krypton, offered from 2018 to 2019 for two seasons.

Although the series obviously took place on Superman’s home planet, the Fortress still appeared, explained away by the revelation that it was first created as a secret science base by Zor-El, the Great Grandfather of Jor-El. The location was used in the show to reveal the history of the Phantom Zone and Braniac, told via a hologram of Zor-El.

This time, the Fortress looked like a cross between a Roman Colosseum and the DCEU ‘Man of Steel’ iteration, which meant a mostly gray and blue color scheme and a stage that showcased the Zor-El hologram. It was pretty underwhelming, much like the Krypton show as a whole, but it at least gave the Fortress some added depth, whether you wanted it or not.

Superman & Lois – 2021

It could be argued that ‘Superman and Lois’ is the best TV adaptation of the mythos, and for good reason. Starring Tyler Hoechlin as the Man of Steel after appearing in Supergirl, Hoechlin went full throttle on the character, giving viewers a new perspective on how Lois and Clark managed daily life, as well as having two kids. Episode 11 of Season 1 tells the early years of Clark, from arriving on Earth to discovering his powers, leading to the creation of the Fortress.

Like ‘Smallville’ and the original Superman movies before it, this take on the Fortress also featured Jor-El as an AI hologram, teaching and helping Clark throughout his early adult years to become the Man of Steel. It was also the place where Clark proposed to Lois after confessing everything, in a heart-warming scene.

Although this Fortress looked huge on the outside, scenes of the inside mostly consisted of an icy cavern, featuring holograms to advance the plot. Although it wasn’t as grand as Smallville or Krypton’s take, it was the storytelling that made this Fortress stand out in a different, greater way.

Superman – 2025

James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ movie is finally here, but we’re going to avoid spoilers and keep to what we’ve already seen from the trailers and the sneak peek clip from April. Starring David Corenswet this time, we’ve seen shots of Superman recovering at the base, as well as many Kryptonian robots helping him.

This incarnation of the Fortress is back to the grand scale you’d expect from a major motion picture, with different rooms and areas of the Fortress. It’s another encouraging sign from this new take, especially after years of seeing the Man of Steel in live-action surrounded by CGI-heavy sets and enemies, where drumbeats for a soundtrack attempted to be the heart of the DCEU era, and mostly flatlined.

This time, the Fortress looks to make a big impression on the characters and the viewers. We’ve already heard the motifs of John Williams’ classic Superman theme, seen colors abound instead of the grey that plagued the DCEU, and most of all, the themes of hope. How does it compare to other Fortresses from the past 50 years? Get out there and find out.

James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ is screening in theaters worldwide right now.