DC Drops Superman Sneak Peek: Here’s Every Change to the Fortress of Solitude

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Thanks to the latest sneak peek at DC Studios’ Superman, fans now know what the Man of Steel’s iconic Fortress of Solitude looks like. But with all the exciting things about it, how does it stack up to the one that readers know about from the comics?

This past week was CinemaCon, a trade show where studios can showcase and preview some of the most exciting films they have on the docket. On Thursday, DC Studios released a sneak peek at Superman, which showed a clip of an injured Superman being taken back to his Fortress of Solitude after being injured (presumably in a fight). The clip gave fans their first official look at Clark Kent’s home away from home and all the differences (and similarities) it has to the comics.

Superman Sneak Peek Gives Fans Its Best Look at the Fortress of Solitude

It’s a Surprisingly Faithful Adaptation (With a Few Changes)

In the Superman sneak peak (which fans can see on YouTube), a bloodied and battered Superman crashes in the Arctic, where the Fortress of Solitude has traditionally been set. The injured hero manages to whistle, calling his faithful dog Krypto to come running for his beloved companion. While Krypto wants to play a bit too roughly with Superman, he follows Superman’s orders and drags Clark by his cape. While Krypto continues to haul the Man of Tomorrow around, massive crystal fixtures begin to emerge from the ground, forming Superman’s iconic headquarters.

Once the Fortress has fully emerged from the ground, Krypto pulls Superman up to a massive door with Superman’s crest adorning it. While Superman has used keys in the past to unlock the Fortress of Solitude’s door (sometimes ones as big as a bus), Krypto manages to open the door with a bark. The door glows with Superman’s symbol and opens up, allowing the super pet to take his friend inside. Thankfully, Clark gets better help from the staff he has inside the Fortress, his legion of Superman robots.

Superman Robot #4 leads a small team to take Clark further into the Fortress, introducing the hero to their latest addition, #12, along the way. They set him down and analyze Superman’s injuries, noting he has fourteen fractured bones and damage to his organs. #4 readies Superman for an intense blast of yellow sunlight and has the Fortress of Solitude rotate to face the sun (a feature not often seen in the mainline Fortress). The walls open and a magnifying device amplifies the sun to heal Superman’s injuries, an intensely painful, but effective process.

What Superman’s Fortress of Solitude is Like in the Comics

And How The Man of Steel’s Base Has Evolved Over the Years

Truth be told, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude wasn’t always hidden in the Arctic. Rather than a true Fortress of Solitude, Superman had a sanctuary in a mountain range not too far away from Metropolis. But during the Silver Age, Superman’s private base was moved to the Arctic, where it has largely remained for every era afterward. That being said, Superman has had additional fortresses in different parts of the world, such as underwater and in the Amazon rainforest, but the standard Fortress of Solitude is always in the most remote location possible.

As mentioned earlier, the Fortress was often opened by a giant key that only Superman could lift, often leaving it in plain sight since no one could lift it. All-Star Superman humorously updated this aspect by having the Fortress key be the size of a standard house key, but one that weighed half a million tons. But while there have been several changes to the outside, it’s the evolution of the inside of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude that’s far more fascinating.

Not unlike the Batcave, there have been several additions to the Fortress of Solitude over the years. There are things that give Clark links to his Kryptonian past, like the Sunstone Simulator, Kryptonian tech with an avatar of his father Jor-El to guide him. Speaking of Jor-El, there are statues of him and his wife Lara in the center of the Fortress, created by Superman to honor his parents. There are also small, but important pieces of Superman lore, such as the Bottle City of Kandor and the Phantom Zone Projector, not to mention trophies from his various adventures lying around.

What Gunn’s Changes to Superman’s Fortress Mean for Superman

Film Fans Are Getting the Full Range of Superman’s Lore

While this clip was just a few short minutes, it gave viewers a solid idea of where Gunn’s head is regarding the Fortress of Solitude. First, he’s clearly embracing the fun, Silver Age vibes of the Fortress. Sure, he seems to have eschewed things like the giant key. But come on, who would have ever thought that they’d honestly be seeing Superman Robots in a feature, live-action film? Of course, Gunn has changed a few things, but only to help serve the movie and work in his DC Universe.

Gunn gets a lot of what makes the Fortress so special. It’s big, alien, but also peaceful and optimistic. Granted, this sneak peek only scratched the surface and fans don’t know what else could be lurking in this hideout. Maybe Gunn also has Superman’s alien zoo or a trophy room filled with weapons and mementos from previous adventures. Sure, there are some minor, cosmetic changes, but at the end of the day, it’s a very accurate portrayal that only changes what it needed in order to tell the Superman story Gunn wants.

The Fortress of Solitude isn’t the most important part of Superman’s lore, but it’s a fun one, and it looks like Gunn is really trying to bring the base to life. Knowing the director, there’s undoubtedly going to be plenty of Easter eggs littered throughout the Fortress, even if some things have been changed for the film. Whatever other alterations await Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, it’s clear Gunn is still going to be as faithful as possible.

Source: YouTube

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