Man of Steel features a service robot in Superman's famed Fortress of Solitude, a departure from past film versions of the hero's headquarters. When rebooting an iconic franchise, small changes are inevitably made to simultaneously update the character in original storylines while maintaining an adherence to the most established origins. In Man of Steel, Superman's Fortress of Solitude becomes more than a base of operations and place of peace: it connects the hero's life on Earth to his origin on Krypton. Although a robot companion may seem like a surprising addition to the Fortress of Solitude, its role becomes clearer upon understanding the origin of the fortress itself.
Writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster broke new ground in 1938 with their creation of Superman. The character debuted in Issue #1 of the National Allied Publications (later DC Comics) anthology series Action Comics, popularizing the archetypical characters soon to be known as “superheroes” and later becoming the standard upon which they are judged. The virtually indestructible Kal-El, aka Superman, hails from the planet Krypton and makes his home in Earth’s city of Metropolis under the guise of journalist Clark Kent, but the hero keeps a secret headquarters hidden far away from civilization. Originally called the “Secret Citadel,” Superman’s getaway also serves as a place of solace for the burdened hero, and thus more aptly became known as the “Fortress of Solitude.”
Although not properly introduced for another twenty years after his debut, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude became a mainstay of subsequent film and television adaptations. The secret fortress built into the side of a cliff in the Arctic remained relatively unchanged until the reboot of the Superman film series with 2011’s Man of Steel. While retaining the most fundamental principles of the character’s backstory, the origin film re-imagines his Fortress of Solitude as an ancient Kryptonian Scout Ship that crashed on Earth thousands of years ago and now lies frozen into the Arctic ice. That’s a big change, but it’s not the only one; Superman is no longer alone in his place of solace.
Kal-El later discovers the ancient Kryptonian Scout Ship 0344 buried in the Arctic, accompanied by a loyal robot and a hologram of his father, Jor-El. This ship becomes Superman’s new Fortress of Solitude, an ironic name considering its inhabitants. However, the robot’s purpose is greater than mere companionship. In addition to being the reason the ship remains functional after thousands of dormant years in the ice, this oblong-shaped drone provides much-needed security for the spacecraft’s highly advanced alien technology by analyzing and terminating any external sources it deems a threat. Although, historically, the Fortress of Solitude wasn’t a spaceship, the service robot does have comic book origins.
In 1986, The Man of Steel #1 introduced a Kryptonian robot caretaker to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. This robot, named Kelex, was originally Jor-El’s personal aid on Krypton before later being recreated in Superman’s fortress on Earth. Kelex makes an appearance in Man of Steel in its original role as Jor-El’s aid on Krypton instead of Superman's fortress caretaker. Kelex is present at Kal-El’s birth and helps Jor-El during Zod’s attack. Unlike the humanoid appearance of the comic book Kelex, the film version features a more minimal design of an oval head on a stem. While Man of Steel’s unnamed scout ship robot is not Kelex, it could be seen as a nod to Kelex’s role as the Fortress of Solitude caretaker in the comics.
Even Superman can use a little help, and what better help than a loyal robot that maintains and protects his Fortress of Solitude? The service robot may appear to be a surprising addition to the fortress, but its role becomes clearer upon understanding that, unlike past versions of the superhero’s headquarters, this fortress is in fact a Kryptonian Scout Ship. Given Krypton is a highly advanced technological society, it’s hardly a surprise to find maintenance and security drones in such vessels. Furthermore, the comic book robot Kelex sets a precedent for a Fortress of Solitude caretaker. Just think of the Man of Steel robot as Superman’s version of Alfred, hovering around the Fortress of Solitude as if the place were Wayne Manor.
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