Superman Poster #34 Fortress of Solitude w/ Kryptonite Shard

Description

The Fortress of Solitude is a fictional fortress appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. It is the place where Superman first learned about his true identity, heritage, and purpose on Earth. The fortress functions as a place of solace/occasional headquarters for Superman and is typically depicted as being in frozen tundra, away from civilization. Its predecessor, Superman’s “Secret Citadel”, first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis. By issue #58 (May–June 1949) it is referred to as the Fortress of Solitude, seems at a glance to be a freestanding castle, and is said to be located in a “polar waste”. When the Fortress reappears in 1958 and for the first time takes center stage in a story (“The Super-Key to Fort Superman”, Action Comics #241), it is again an underground complex in a mountainous cliffside.

In Superman and its sequels (except for Superman III, in which it did not appear), the Fortress is created by a crystal that Jor-El enclosed in Kal-El’s spaceship. The crystal leads teenage Clark Kent to an ice field where it is “planted” by Clark, after which it melts into the ice and grows into a huge crystalline building, similar to the crystalline architecture shown on Krypton at the beginning of the film. This fortress was also used to start Kal-El’s 12-year training to become Superman. This Fortress contains numerous “memory crystals” that can be used to access Jor-El’s artificial intelligence and hologram, interactive holographic recordings of Lara, and other Kryptonians, and a chamber that uses red sun radiation to strip Kryptonians of their super powers.

In Richard Donner’s cut of Superman II, the Fortress is destroyed by Superman as its existence was revealed to Lex Luthor and his henchwoman, Eve Teschmacher. However, Superman then turns back time (à la 1978’s Superman), so technically the Fortress is completely undamaged, while Zod, Ursa and Non are returned to the Phantom Zone.

In Superman Returns, the Fortress follows the same formula as the earlier movies, but goes into more detail about the crystal origins of the Fortress and Kryptonian architecture. Lex Luthor attempts to use memory crystals he stole from it to create a new land mass in place of America. An observation is made (following Superman II) that he acts as though he has been there before. The crystals that power the Fortress were lost when Lex Luthor’s assistant dropped them out the escaping helicopter into the ocean below. The tie-in book, Superman Returns: The Visual Guide lists the Fortress as sitting on “Fletcher’s Abyssal Plane”.

In February 2021, Ta-Nehisi Coates was revealed to be writing a new Superman film for the DCEU that was in early development. J. J. Abrams was set as producer alongside Hannah Minghella, with no director or actors attached to the project yet. The film was expected to feature a black actor portraying Superman, with potential for Michael B. Jordan to take on the role. Coates said he was looking forward to “meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero”, while Abrams said the film would tell a “new, powerful and moving Superman story”. This was reported by outlets as being a reboot of the franchise, but Richard Newby of The Hollywood Reporter felt the film starring a black actor could indicate a new version of Superman that could exist alongside Cavill’s portrayal within the DC Multiverse. Newby also noted that Coates’ history as a non-fiction author and journalist focusing on African-American issues would give him “the insight and experience to delve further into the Superman mythos in a way never seen on screen”.

The studio was in the early process of finding a director for the film at that point, and had committed to hiring a black filmmaker for the project. They had met with potential directors by early May, working from a list that included Steven Caple Jr., Ryan Coogler, J. D. Dillard, Regina King, and Shaka King. Coates was not expected to deliver his script for the film until mid-December, and was believed to be introducing a new version of Kal-El / Superman in what was potentially a 20th century period piece. The film was expected to be set in a separate universe from the DCEU at that point.

Jordan stated in April that he was not interested in starring the film. He later clarified that this was because the film was planned to portray Kal-El himself as black, rather than use an alternate version of Superman, such as Calvin Ellis or Val-Zod, who had already appeared as black in the comic books, which would give rise to charges of racebending. Instead, Jordan began developing a Val-Zod limited series for HBO Max.

‘Superman: Legacy’: Release Date, Plot, Creative Team, and Everything We Know About James Gunn’s Reboot

Chances are, when you hear the word superhero, the first name that pops into your head is Superman. Easily the face of DC Comics (sorry Batman), the story of Metropolis’s red-capped protector from the planet Krypton is universally known by fans both hardcore and casual, and a big reason for his popularity can easily be attributed to his history in cinema. Starting all the way back with Richard Donner’s Superman (1978). The iconic interpretation of the character may be a bit dated and corny, but its lighthearted attitude that was accentuated by the infectiously charming Christopher Reeve, has made it stand the test of time as a true classic, even spawning a total of three sequels and a Supergirl (1984) spin-off.

Although technically it’s four sequels, Superman Returns (2006) functioned as a continuation of the Donner films whilst ignoring Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). While far from a horrible film, Superman Returns still performed under box office expectations and wasn’t able to capture the magic of the original films. Still, even the response to that film pales in comparison to that of Man of Steel (2013), which is easily the most polarizing and controversial Superman film to date. Fans of the film love Henry Cavill’s more grounded take on the character and found the various action sequences to be visually stunning. However, the film’s critics felt that the film’s melodramatic tone missed the point of the Superman character and branded its wanton destruction as violence for the sake of violence. Things didn’t get much better for the DC Extended Universe’s Superman when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) also weren’t exactly warmly received.

Since then, Superman’s film future has been in a state of limbo. Man of Steel 2 was in development hell for who knows how long and whispers of a potential reboot starring Michael B. Jordan failed to come to fruition. Now, with new DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran mapping out a new plan for a connected DC Cinematic Universe, it’s no surprise that a new version of Superman is a part of that plan. Superman: Legacy is the latest feature film to star Clark Kent, and represents the true start of DC’s new generation and the first part of what Gunn has titled the “Gods and Monsters” phase.

With the film now in pre-production, it’s time to find out what Big Blue’s next adventure will be. Here’s everything we know so far about Superman: Legacy.

It was confirmed during James Gunn’s address that an all-new, all-different Superman will be flying into theaters to save the day on Friday, July 11th, 2025. Just one week after the Fourth of July, which seems appropriate for a hero whose motto historically has been “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” (which is weird given Superman is an alien created by Canadian authors, but hey, why not be a little patriotic?).

Do We Know Anything About the Plot for Superman: Legacy?
We don’t know too much about the plot for Superman: Legacy, and technically, neither does James Gunn, as he said he was only halfway through writing the film at the time of his “Gods and Monsters” announcement. We’ve known for a while that Gunn would be writing the film in addition to producing, and he did share a pretty significant detail. Unlike the original Superman and Man of Steel, Gunn has confirmed that Superman: Legacy will not be an origin story. That means when this Superman takes to the skies, it won’t be the first time he’s done so, as he’ll already have some experience protecting Earth’s inhabitants as the costumed superhero. That being said, there’s always the possibility that we’ll see flashbacks showing Clark’s days before taking on the Superman mantle.

It’s also anyone’s guess whether or not we’ll see other popular Superman characters, such as his lifelong love interest Lois Lane, appear in the film. We expect the Daily Planet’s top reporter to play a pivotal role, especially when her photographer, Jimmy Olson, is already confirmed to appear. Still, details on the supporting cast are scarce, and that goes double for whoever the film’s villain or villains might be, but given that this is a wholly new version of Superman, we’re going to guess it might be someone we haven’t seen on screen before. Lex Luthor and General Zod are great and all. Still, there are many other classic Superman villains to choose from, with characters like brutal alien mastermind Mongul and the morally confused Bizzaro being potential candidates. Not to mention that one of Superman’s and the DC Universe as a whole’s greatest villains, the kleptomaniac AI conqueror Brainiac, has yet to make an appearance in a live-action theatrical film, which is honestly pretty shocking given how popular of a villain he is. That all being said, there’s a good chance that we’ll see Luthor and Zod make an appearance or at the very least, get referenced.

Who Is Making Superman: Legacy?
James Gunn has confirmed that he will be penning the script and directing Superman: Legacy. Gunn’s journey with DC films began with him writing and directing The Suicide Squad (2021), which successfully rebooted the team of anti-heroes after a poorly received first installment. In a series of tweets, Gunn explained his love of the script and how he eventually landed on directing the film himself, saying: “Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it, especially not something of this magnitude. But, the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.”

Gunn’s history in comic book movies also began long before being the co-CEO of DC Studios. He also wrote and directed all three Guardians of the Galaxy films. Superman: Legacy will start filming in January 2024.

Who Will Play Superman?
Well, we know for sure that the one person who won’t be playing Superman in Superman: Legacy is Henry Cavill, which has caused quite a bit of division among the fanbase. Despite making a surprise return in Black Adam (2022), the announcement of Cavill proved premature, as Gunn would go on to say that Cavill wasn’t fired. He just wasn’t hired.

Gunn did speak about what he hopes to find in the Superman actor in an interview with Variety: “It’s hard, but we’re looking. We actually have some really great choices which I’m excited about, but it has to be somebody who has all the humanity that Superman has, but he’s also an alien. It has to be someone who has the kindness and compassion Superman has, and it has to be somebody you want to give a hug. All the Supermen have been good, we just have to add to that story”.

Near mint condition.