Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the Superman and Lois season 3 premiere.The new Fortress of Solitude in Superman and Lois season 3 was revealed to have one particular upgrade that is more commonly associated with X-Men than the Superman Family. Superman has utilized a number of different remote Fortresses over the years, with most of them being located somewhere in the Arctic Circle. These Fortresses have likewise contained many exotic features, ranging from an alien zoo to an armory containing the many weapons Superman confiscated from his enemies over the years.
The new Fortress of Solitude first appeared in the closing scene of the Superman and Lois season 2 finale, after Clark Kent threw a crystal into the ocean to grow a new Fortress to replace the one destroyed by Tal-Rho. This Fortress, Clark had decided, would act as a second home and be accessible to everyone in the Kent Family, rather than just him and his super-powered son, Jordan. Despite that declaration, the first scenes showing off the new Fortress centered on father and son training and Clark revealing one of the new Fortress upgrades to Jordan. This upgrade, while uniquely Kryptonian, seems to be inspired by the X-Men comics.
Superman’s Fortress of Solitude Upgrade Explained
The new Fortress of Solitude possesses a training room with realistic holograms, comparable to the X-Men's Danger Room. After racing Jordan to the new Fortress of Solitude to test his reflexes while flying and forcing his son to crash into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean, Clark tasks Jordan with facing a virtual sparring partner while he's at work. After scrolling through a display listing several of Superman's enemies (including Mechano-Man and Titano) Clark unleashes a hologram of Atomic Skull on his still soaking-wet son.
Why Superman & Lois Borrowing The X-Men Danger Room Makes Sense
While many versions of the Fortress of Solitude have included specialized gymnasiums capable of giving the Man of Steel a good work out, it makes sense that the Clark Kent of Superman and Lois would develop something like the X-Men Danger Room for training his son Jordan Kent in mastering his superpowers. Jordan was able to master the basics of controlling his abilities on the Kent farm by focusing his heat vision on remote targets and bench-pressing farm equipment. However, teaching him how to safely use his powers in combat offered Superman a unique challenge.
It makes sense that Clark would meet this challenge by creating something like the X-Men Danger Room, which utilized his son's love of video games while also allowing him to train in secret. The holograms in the Fortress of Solitude also allow Clark to make sure that Jordan is properly trained in how to fight without having to raise a hand against his own son, even if it is to teach him self-defense. With Jordan's powers increasing and his training regimen accelerating, it seems likely that he will officially adopt the Superboy name before the end of Superman and Lois season 3.
Superman and Lois season 3 continues on Tuesdays on The CW.
