Warning: contains major spoilers for Batman/Superman #20!
Superman's Fortress of Solitude is one of DC's most iconic superhero hideouts. Batman/Superman #20 features the classic iteration of it, complete with a keyhole. This issue also reveals one of the biggest flaws inherent in the Man of Steel's home away from home's design.
The Fortress of Solitude first appeared in 1958. It is known as Superman's hideout in the Arctic and is generally considered to be impregnable. It was iconically featured in Superman (1978) and allowed the titular hero to learn about his past and about Krypton using crystals. It was also featured in The Lego Batman Movie (2017), as Batman and Robin needed to get in to steal the Phantom Zone projector. In the Batman/Superman ongoing series, it is the home to the "world's most powerful weapon."
Created by Gene Luen Yang, Ivan Reis, and Danny Miki, Batman/Superman #20 highlights how easy it is for someone to get into Superman's Fortress - or at least the classic version of it. An older design of the Fortress featured a giant keyhole that fit an equally giant key. This key was hidden and Superman's great strength allowed him to pick it up and use it to unlock his hideout. Unfortunately, as this comic reveals, the key can even be used by non-Kryptonians if they have particular abilities.
Etrigan, the Demon, is sent to the World of Tomorrow by Autuer.io - the Archivist of Worlds and this series' main antagonist. Etrigan is supposed to destroy this world and after receiving a power boost from his benefactor, he flies to Superman's Fortress while the hero is away. There, he easily notices the keyhole and unsurprisingly deduces that there has to be a key. He uses a magic spell to locate and summon it, then sends it into the keyhole, gaining access into the hideout. Even though he has a boost at the moment, the ability for ANYONE to get into the Fortress this easily is a major problem. It is no wonder that Superman eventually installed a new security system as his old one is far from effective.
To persuade Etrigan to carry out the destruction of the World of Tomorrow, Autuer.io gifted him a Phantom Zone crystal that has Batman and Superman from a different reality trapped within it. Etrigan shrinks it and wears it as a pendant, as the powers of Batman and Superman "seep" into his skin through it. While this could boost his magic abilities and allow him to be able to access the key, it doesn't seem likely that this is the only instance where the Fortress of Solitude could be so easily infiltrated. The main deterrent seems to be the location as finding it would be a major task in and of itself. However, this is something that even Lois Lane can figure out without Superman's help - which is what lead to Etrigan being able to find it so quickly. It stands to reason that anyone with strength comparable to Superman, or who has strong enough magic, can lift the key. The need for it is readily made available by having such a large, visible keyhole.
Later versions of the Fortress of Solitude are much harder to break into as they scan Superman to allow him to enter. This is a much better form of security, though it isn't perfect either. Nonetheless, it definitely beats having a giant lock with an obvious solution nearby. Superman may have a great hiding spot, but his classic iteration's security leaves much to be desired.
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August 27, 2021 at 12:40AM
