How Smallville Has Turned The Whole Association Of ‘Superman’ And The Fortress Of Solitude Around Completely? The ‘Fortress Of Solitude’, the one thing that is considered to be the holy grail of “peace” and the one thing in the whole wide world that every individual seeks to discover. Whether the path to this endless journey leads to the destination of expectations or a nightmare of failures, the path is full of unexplored and unexplainable mysteries that shape life in itself.
Desires and needs clash against the will-power of men. Priorities are set and the ability to say “Yes” or “No” without fear or hesitation are carved within the subconscious of winners. At the end of it all, timing is everything. If opportunities are missed, it hurts in the long run.
The decision to choose either and then move forward holds the most significance. Failure and falling down are lessons in growth, while success is a gift to enjoy and sustain.
However, the times when human beings fail are the ones that capture real attention. In these times, mistakes are made and lessons are learnt. Yet, the process is never easy and this “sanctum of peace” is craved by both the heart and the mind.
What Did Smallville Do Differently With Regards To The Fortress Of Solitude?
When you put a pathway to the Fortress Of Solitude in old ancient caves, the Kawatche Caves, it puts them at the centre of everyone’s attention. This makes the entire story about these caves that need to hide and protect a secret at any cost. The reason for it was to give Smallville (the town), more importance than it actually had with regard to Clark’s (Superman) adolescence and adulthood.
This is contradictory to the comics in a lot of ways. Clark never really went to Metropolis and remained his human identity for too long. Once he met Lois in the big town, he had to turn his existence into a dual identity. This did not let him remain the same person.
One of the things that the show had to hide till the very end, was as it would surely overshadow some of the other characters. As per some claims, due to copyright and other unconfirmed issues (which have been denied at times since). Whatever be the reason for this act, it left the Fortress as a liability for Clark and his friends to protect and there was nothing solitude-like about it anymore.
The Fans Accepted It As The Show Must Go On!!
At the end of the day, the show must go on and the fans looked the other way. They were keen to focus on the storylines that were created by this unrecognizable change. From Lex and Lionel Luthor (another anomaly) also chasing it, to the storyline of The Traveller coming to Earth. The script was rather beautifully written.
Further, Zad’s obsession to ascend to General and how the Kryptonians tried to re-emerge on Earth linking to the Fortress, was once again brilliantly put upfront for the fans to enjoy. These storylines gave it a level of importance that the comics probably never could. It was like a living being at the centre of each episode in Clark’s life.
Even the stories of Lana Lang, Brainiac and Supergirl were linked to the Fortress. This, along with the entire Kryptonian history and the knowledge of the Universe. This was something huge (part of it in the comics too) but most battles were done for this big secret that had to be protected at any cost.
Read More: The Pain Of Missing Superman In Smallville
It had a perfect balance of good and bad. These were mixed with a little light and dark moments of brilliance and madness. Characters evolved with time, though the evolution was rather fast in comparison to Clark’s evolution. Yet, when you produce a show, there have to be some compromises for sure. That is something that Tom Welling must have learnt the hard way.
At the end of the way, the show can surely say one thing. Though the end of some of the villainous characters like Doomsday and Darkside wasn’t that great, the 10-season journey was the real Fortress Of Solitude for the cult of DC fans. Many of whom may love the show to this day. Everyone tells the story of Superman and can go on and on about it, yet can they showcase Clark Kent and his friends in such a brilliant way? Guess not!!
