The Fortress at 50: Key Information

Celebrating 50 YEARS of Superman's
Fortress of Solitude

As with any tour of a famous home or historic building, the best place to start my week-long tour of Superman's Fortress of Solitude is right at the front door, arguably the coolest (and most famous) front door in all of fiction.

As literally the first image of Superman I can recall seeing as a boy (which I detail here), the cover of Superman #187 (1966) combined every kid's fascination with secret clubhouses and the visual novelty of "huge stuff" into a powerful image that made me an instant convert to the fantastic world of Superman (and superhero comics in general). So, with that kind of life-altering impact, how can I not devote an entire post to that famous front stoop?

Oddly enough, the very first appearance of the golden key on the cover of Action Comics #241 (1958) looks nothing like its more robust (and familiar) appearance on page two of the story inside, making it clear that miscommunication between editors and creators has at least 50 years of history as well.

Action Comics #241: The "super skeleton key" of
the cover vs. the more familiar image on page 2.

Did you happen to catch Superman's rationale for leaving the giant key in the open snowfields, as opposed to hiding it somewhere (perhaps under a giant welcome mat)?  According to Superman (who, keep in mind, was portrayed as an unparalleled super-genius at the time), his big shiny key would serve as an "arrow marker to guide planes over this lonely region"...as if giant golden arrows were a common directional indicator or pilots wouldn't be the least bit curious or suspicious of such an unusual object.

So, where did the idea for this utterly unique doorway (and airplane marker) come from?  As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Action Comics debut of the Fortress follows Superman's visit to a presumably long-finished structure with no background given on exactly how or when he created it.  It wouldn't be until several years later that glimpses were provided into its actual construction, which included a look at the door and key system (click on the images for a larger view):

from Superman #176 (1965)

Again with the airplane marker!  Did Superman honestly expect his Fortress to remain a secret with a huge arrow pointing squarely at its entrance?  As if in answer to that question, along came Action Comics #411 (1972):

So, let's get this straight:  He leaves his key out in the open as a guide to wayward pilots....then gets worried when an actual pilot follows the direction of the arrow....straight to the entrance of the Fortress?  Hey, I'm a loyal Superman fan, but not even I can defend (much less comprehend) that plan.

After tricking the explorers into thinking their discovery was a bust, Superman takes steps to assure an accidental discovery will never happen again by hiding both the door and the key behind the illusion of a "mirage ray" (essentially a high-tech welcome mat to hide the key under).

A mere two issues earlier, in Action Comics #409, an "Untold Tale of Superman" revealed more details of the entry way. Forging a super-alloy of elements collected from alien worlds, Superman decided to test its strength by leaving it in the middle of Metropolis Park. For an entire day, a small army of cops, construction crews, and demolition squads fail to make even a scratch in the golden monolith...

After withstanding whatever human technology and know-how could dish out, Superman whisks the mysterious metal slab to his (then) newly-created Fortress to serve as its imposing, impenetrable door.

Now that we've unlocked the Fortress door and slowly swung it open, let's see what strange things await us inside.  Of course....that'll have to wait until tomorrow!

Comments

[Captain Average]

You know, I just noticed a little flaw in the giant key idea I never thought of before. That keyhole is big enough to walk through! And yes, it's interesting Supes thinks a huge directonal arrow is normal.I wonder if he sees those little dashed lines between countries as he flies over.
BTW-Thanks for the Doc Sampson info.Heard of him, knew a little info, but never read any of his stories, so that will be my next library exploration.

[Nimbus]

I was going to say the exact same thing! The door to the Fortress has a great big hole in it - the keyhole! Anyone can simply walk through it.

Also, in that last sequence of panels, Superman cuts a hole in the door but doesn't appear to add any locking mechanism.

So we have a big, gleaming, gold door with a huge hole and no lock. Conspicuous and not very secure.

BTW, I didn't think the arrow-key was actually pointing to his Fortress of Solitude. I thought it was simply used to "guide pilots safely through the desolate wilderness". Thus it could be pointing anywhere (and probably away from the Fortress). But Action Comics #411 kinda ruined that idea.

[Rich]

Cap, note that it's Doc Savage rather than Sampson. The latter will just get you to the Incredible Hulk books. :)

I'm curious how Supes convinced Pearson and his men that their discovery was a bust. I mean, it's an unmarked golden door on an Arctic mountain. For all they know it was built by aliens. I guess it was, really.

[Mark Engblom]

"You know, I just noticed a little flaw in the giant key idea I never thought of before. That keyhole is big enough to walk through!"

Good point, Cap...thanks for bringing it up (since I forgot to). Rest assured, the keyhole was rigged with multiple levels of security (such as ultra-sonic alarms and bomb-defusing radon mist), so nobody would be able to sneak through the keyhole (unless you count the guy who did sneak through in Action Comics #405).

"I'm curious how Supes convinced Pearson and his men that their discovery was a bust. I mean, it's an unmarked golden door on an Arctic mountain. For all they know it was built by aliens. I guess it was, really."

Rich- Superman created a "false front" using a look-alike golden door, so that when the fake one was removed, there was an alien plaque mounted on the ice wall that urged the people of Earth to live in peace. Once the expedition wandered off in dismay, Superman revealed his ruse to Supergirl, explaining that he really didn't lie since he was an alien who wished peace for the people of Earth. Clever guy, that Superman!

[John Nowak]

When the door was standing in the park, did people rub it in hopes of evolving?

[Mark Engblom]

LOL...no, but they threw a few bones at it.

Actually, there was alot of shooting, flame throwing and an attempted crane lifting before the puny humans of Metropolis gave up.

You wonder sometimes if Superman just likes messing with the human race.

[googum]

I know there were lasers in the keyhole, which seems kind of hardcore for old Supes there. (I remember him having to sneak through while depowered, using his still-invulnerable cape as a shield. Don't ask me where...)

Thanks to that key, as a kid I thought airplane markers were all over the place...

[ShadowWing Tronix]

The Animated version (also used in JLU), with the secret entrance that goes through freezing water, makes more sense. Although it still didn't stop Mongul from finding it.

[John Nowak]

I'm kind of surprised that when a huge golden monolith appeared in Metropolis Park, the first reaction of the locals was to try to poke holes it in.

I mean, wouldn't your first reaction be to call Superman and say, "Hey, we know you're busy, but there's this huge monolith in the park and we can't figure out how it got there. You've been to other planets -- you ever see anything like this? Mind giving it an X-Ray scan and tell us what you see?"

[Kyle]

Back to Action #411, I loved the fact that in one panel Supes passes the helicopter, which is following the "arrow marker to guide planes over this lonely region." Yet in the very next panel, we discover that Pearson's chopper arrived at the Fortress before the Man of Steel, and with enough lead time for the entire party of explorers to descend a ladder to stand at the entrance. You'd think he might have used some of that super-speed of his to arrive there first and cover the golden door with snow or something...

[PAUL SAETHER]

THERE ARE UMPTEEN ALIEN BEASTS IN THAT FORTRESS, A NUMBER OF ALMOST HUMAN ROBOTS, FREQUENT VISITS FROM DOZENS OF DASTARDLY PHANTOM ZONE PRISONERS AND THE WHOLE POPULATION OF THE ONE-TIME CAPITAL OF KRYPTON (GREATER THAN NEW YORK'S POPULATION I BELIEVE - 20 MILLION OR 200 MILLION I SEEM TO RECALL READING AT SOME TIME)...

...NOT A GREAT DEAL OF SOLITURE REALLY.

[PAUL SAETHER]

Or solituDe, even.