The second season of Superman & Lois ended with the Lane-Kent family creating a new Fortress of Solitude somewhere in the open ocean. Up to that point, the two Fortresses the TV show featured -- Superman's in the arctic and Tal-Rho's in the desert -- didn't have much to them. They mainly consisted of holographic parents, diagnostic equipment and computers capable of projecting 3D images. This more or less fell in line with versions of the Fortress that appeared in Christopher Reeve's Superman movies, Superman Returns and Smallville. However, it came up far short of the bizarre sci-fi wonderland the Fortress became during the comics' Silver Age.
Under the editorial guidance of Mort Weisinger, the Superman comics of the 1950s and 1960s moved away from the rough and tumble pulp influences of the Golden Age and into a more fantastical sci-fi realm. This was the era that introduced now-classic elements of the Superman mythos like Brainiac, the Phantom Zone and the Bottle City of Kandor. This version of Superman was less a two-fisted scrapper than a smiling father-like figure who built lookalike robots and conducted strange science experiments in his Fortress lab. The introduction of a new Fortress of Solitude on Superman & Lois is an opportunity for the CW series to embrace some of these weird and fun elements.
Despite one of its title characters being a super-powered refugee from a far-off doomed planet, Superman & Lois has largely been the most grounded of The CW's DC-based offerings. Its effects look more polished and its acting is more naturalistic than those of The Flash or Batwoman. But more reflective of the real world or not, Superman & Lois is a superhero series. Its attempts at verisimilitude can only be so successful. As such, why not have fun with the sillier aspects of Superman lore? Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely proved with All-Star Superman that it is certainly possible to do so without sacrificing quality or narrative sophistication.
The writers of Superman & Lois could use many features of the Fortress of Solitude to fill out Clark's history and hint at the two decades of adventures he experienced before the start of the series. Trophies, mementos and even the intergalactic zoo could give viewers and the Kent twins alike a better sense of what this Man of Steel has done and where he's been. Jordan Kent could use the giant sparring robot to further hone his developing powers. Seeing references to Kryptonian history and folklore like the adventures of Nightwing and Flamebird could inspire Jonathan Kent to begin embracing his alien heritage as he potentially uses Fortress technology to create his own heroic persona.
The Fortress of Solitude encapsulates everything that motivates and matters to Superman. It holds relics from his greatest exploits and rooms dedicated to all of the most important people in his life. More than a monument to a dead planet, it is the one spot in the whole world that marries together the Man of Steel's two halves. It is a Kryptonian scientific playground and a place where a sentimental farm boy can relax among reminders of his loved ones from past, present and -- with the help of his handy time telescope -- future.
Groundedness and realism have their place, but it's not usually alongside characters who can juggle submarines. Once superpowers enter the picture, there's no reason not to embrace the wondrous and fantastical. By bringing warm Silver Age strangeness to the new Fortress of Solitude, the creators of Superman & Lois can add another layer of heart and a greater amount of sci-fi fun to an already great series.
Superman & Lois Season 3 premieres on The CW in 2023.