They’re our favorite heroes’ homes away from home. There’s a lot of bases out there, but now we know which ones are your favorites.
6. The Sanctum Sanctorum
We start off with Dr. Strange’s Greenwich townhouse, with also serves as his magical base of operations. One of the most enduring bases (it has magic to protect it, after all), the Sanctum Sanctorum has been used over the years by many. At one point, Strange even used it to house the outlaw New Avengers, so that they could continue to act with impunity while the government searched for them. The Sanctum, of course, is only tangentially connected to the physical location of the townhouse. Because magic.
5. Baxter Building
Next up is the infamous Baxter Building. When Dr. Doom is not launching the building into space, the top five floors are home to the Fantastic Four and all of Reed’s wonderful toys. They even have a missile silo, for those nights when Reed just decides to take off in a rocket (Thing hates those nights). With pending eviction in their early years, Reed bought the entirety of the Madison Avenue building. In recent years, much of the rest of the space has served as a home for the Future Foundation.
4. The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
School above ground, super top secret super hero base below ground. This is the one base that perhaps has been destroyed and rebuilt more than any other on this list. It has also swung from being a fully operational school to being a “school in name only” multiple times throughout its existence. And it almost always gets destroyed in whatever medium it appears in. But it just keeps coming back, like Xavier himself.
3. Avengers Mansion/Tower
That Tony Stark is a good guy. Donating the mansion his father built in the 30s, and that he himself used as a getaway on more than one occasion, to serve as the official headquarters of the Avengers. And then donating one of his New York skyscrapers for the same purpose! Yup, Tony Stark sure is a good guy. When he’s not hunting down his friends, that is.
2. Fortress of Solitude
Superman’s little piece of Krypton on Earth. “Officially” debuting in 1958, the Fortress is one of the best known aspects of Superman’s life. Even though having a “Fortress of Solitude” in the Arctic actually originated with Doc Savage in pulps in the 30s. Either way, the Fortress of Solitude is always a great place for SCIENCE!
And finally…
1. Nananananana BATCAVE!
The first superhero secret base. The Batcave had humble beginnings as an office inside of a cave and has often times grown to the manic menagerie pictured above. Still, many artists like to take the Batcave back to a more utilitarian and spartan design, often simply being a few computers and armory built into an existing cave under Wayne Manor.
And, of course, we have the honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions: Titans Tower, Arrowcave, The JLA Watchtower/Hall of Justice, The Hall of Doom, Legion of Super-Heroes Clubhouse, The Pitt, Oa, The Cat’s Lair