The Skull Cave
| The Skull Cave | |
| |
| First appearance: | "The Singh Brotherhood" |
|---|---|
| Created by: | Lee Falk & Ray Moore |
The Skull Cave is the home of the Phantom. The entrance to the cave resembles, as the name indicate, a skull.
Location
The Skull Cave is located in Deep Woods of Bangalla, one of the last unexplored areas of the world. Not far from the cave, also in the Deep Woods, is the Bandar Village.
When getting close to the Deep Woods, always guarded by the Bandar warriors armed with deadly poison arrows, the visitor normally is blind folded and led through a waterfall, the only entrance to the Deep Woods and the Skull Cave.
History
The first time the cave was visited by anyone within the Phantom line was after the first Phantom had helped the the Bandar tribe escaping from the Wasaka. Fleeing through the jungle, the Bandars takes the Phantom through a waterfall, to a location only known by them, and showed him "a wonderful cave, so strangely carved by nature". Its shape gave it its name, and the Skull Cave became the home of the first Phantom. (cf. "The First Phantom", and later retold in several storie)
The 21st Phantom has also told Diana that the first Phantom built the Skull Cave, as well as the Skull Throne, presumably meaning that he improved its look, and made the interior inhabitable. (cf. "Walker's Table")
Ever since, the Skull Cave has been the home as well the birthplace of every Phantom. (cf. "The Heirs"). However - after the birth of the twins, Kit and Heloise, of the 21st Phantom, his family moved to the Tree House. (cf. "The Tree House")
Interior
According to the newspaper strip
| Room | First appearance | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | Story | |
| The Throne Room, with The Skull Throne | 1936 | "The Singh Brotherhood" |
| The Minor Treasure Room | 1940 1962 |
"The Beachcomber" (not named) "Treasure of the Skull Cave" (named) |
| The Phantom Crypt | 1944 | "The Childhood of the Phantom" |
| The Chronicle Room | 1952 | "The Female Phantom" |
| The Major Treasure Room | 1962 | "Treasure of the Skull Cave" |
| The Radio Control Room | 1970 | "The Missing Daddy" |
| The Vault of Missing Men | 1980 | "The Vault of Missing Men" |
| Room with shower | ? | ? |
| Bedroom | ? | ? (but at least in "Farewell to the Deep Woods") |
| The Hall of Costumes | 1962 2021 |
"Treasure of the Skull Cave" (not named) "The Visitor" (named) |
According to Team Fantomen
| Room | First appearance | |
|---|---|---|
| Year | Story | |
| The ancestors' disguises | 1980 | "Flame" |
| Room with a bath tub | 1988 | "Mystery of the Golden Rune, Part 5: Solomon's Mines" |
| The Tomb of Ale | 1988 | "Mystery of the Golden Rune, Part 5: Solomon's Mines" |
| A Gym | 1994 | "The Restart" |
It has also been shown that the Cave continues beyond the Crypt and Ale's tomb, deep into the center of the earth. This complex parts, resembling a giant maze and referred as the forbidden part of the Skull Cave, still remains mostly unexplored (cf. "Thor's Hammer").
Adaptations
Defenders of the Earth
The Skull Cave in Defenders of the Earth appeared sparsely as most stories took place outside the jungle, the Phantom and his daughter having moved to the city to fight evil there. What was shown was pretty similar to what appears in the comics.
Phantom 2040
The Skull Cave appeared very sparse in the Phantom 2040 as the Phantom had a headquarter in a city, however, the cave was at least once visited. The Skull Cave was also shown in some retellings of how the legend of the Phantom aroused.
SyFy
According to SyFy, the Skull Cave is not only the home of the Phantom, it is also the base for the Bpaa-Thap (their version of the Jungle Patrol) and has several floors with High-Tech interior.