History Main / IslandBase

* ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'' goes for a twofer, having you [[ElaborateUndergroundBase tunnel into the mountain]] on your "Uninhabited Desert Island of Undisclosed Location (tm)". Midway through you're forced to move islands, because if you're going to use [[KillSat satellite-based]] doomsday weapons it's [[CardCarryingVillain obligatory]] to [[Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice launch them out the crater of an extinct volcano]].

* [[StealthPun Nomanisan]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', with a VolcanoLair/rocket launch facility, an armed security force, and giant experimental robots designed to kill any superheroes who were lured there.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' features a secret island base. A secret ''Easter Island'' base. In a volcano. With ''cannons in the Heads''. That shoot ''bears''.

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' features an unusual variant: [[IslandOfGiantHorrors Solgell Island and the rest of the Mu Archipelago]] are the HomeBase of the [[Characters/TheBridgeTerranDefenders Terran Defender]] {{Kaiju}} faction. Given the nature of the Terran Defenders, their base isn't a building, it's the island itself. Many neutrally-aligned kaiju are allowed by the Terrans to live on the islands and in the surrounding waters, with the understanding that if the islands themselves are attacked by the enemy [[Characters/TheBridgeMutations Mutation faction]], the neutrals will pitch in to help drive the Mutations off. [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs Guess what happens in the opening chapter of the fic]].

* ''Young Samson & Goliath'' episode "The Secret of Evil Island". The BigBad Voltor has his base on Evil Island, which is just off the coast of New Guinea. From there he imitates ''Film/DrNo'' by hijacking satellites and using their fuel to power his city/continent destroying missiles.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** Adventure ''The Island of Doctor Destroyer''. The title island Destruga holds the secret base of Doctor Destroyer, from which he plans to launch the Hypnoray satellite and MindControl the entire world.\\
\\
In ''Classic Organizations'', after being destroyed in its original location Neutral Ground relocates to this exact island, turning from a fairly posh ''club'' for supers of all kinds into an island ''resort'' in the process. Doctor Destroyer's legacy is brought up in the relevant chapter and used as a plot point in at least one example adventure outline.

* The Island of Claymodo in ''[[VideoGame/{{Clayfighter}} Clayfighter 63 1/3]]", home of the MadScientist Dr. Kiln.
* ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Red Alert 3]]'' features a secret island base. A secret ''Easter Island'' base. In a volcano. With ''cannons in the Heads''. That shoot ''bears''.

* ''Videogame/FurFighters'' has the last level set in a ''Film/JamesBond'' parody Island base...just off the coast of your hometown.
* Used and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing''; after [[ArchEnemy your Nemesis]] pulls a VillainExitStageLeft after your first battle with them, your class leader says they probably have a secret tropical island volcano lair. Sure enough, you eventually find a map to a secret tropical island volcano lair on one of your Nemesis's thugs and have a final showdown [[ConvectionSchmonvection in the heart of the volcano]], first with your Nemesis's [[SequentialBoss normal form]] and then with its [[OneWingedAngel Demonic form]]. {{Troperrific}}!
* In ''Videogame/KnucklesChaotix'', Dr. Eggman builds his latest SupervillainLair on an island in order to get himself one step closer to several Chaos Emerald-like objects rumored to be hidden there.

* ''Videogame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3'', the WWW has their base on an island, across the Demon Waters.
* ''Videogame/{{Metal Gear Solid}}''
** Shadow Moses Island is indeed an island -- something the players (and at one point even Snake) needed to be reminded of.
** VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker's Mother Base can become this with time.
* In ''Videogame/PhantomBrave'', [[MessianicArchetype Marona]] lives on an island all to herself, called Phantom Isle, which she uses as a base. The BigBad, Sulphur, also has [[{{Mordor}} an island of his own]], called the Island of Evil, which [[SealedEvilInACan he is sealed in]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Prison Island in ''Videogame/SonicAdventure2'', though that's likely based off the concept of Alcatraz.

* In ''Videogame/ThiefIITheMetalAge'', the Cetus Project is run from Markham's Isle, a former pirate base taken over by the Mechanists. As you learn when you go there, the administration of the project is a bit complicated, but Markham's Isle certainly fits the Island Base and ElaborateUndergroundBase tropes.
* The second PlayerHeadquarters in ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'' was The Bunker, a facility built on an abandoned industrial island by the technology company Blume, as a test bed for the ctOS. It is taken over by Aiden and Clara midway through Act 2 and used for the rest of the game. By the time of the ''Bad Blood'' DLC it was reclaimed by Blume as part of their hunt for Aiden.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Most of ''Billy & Howard'' and ''Literature/{{Duumvirate}}'' take place on one of these.

** Downplayed in ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove''. The training area where Rosa Klebb meets Red Grant is on 'SPECTRE Island' (wherever that is, as its island nature is an InformedAttribute). As it's a DeadlyTrainingArea, presumably this is for the same reasons of isolation and security that they'd need for a SupervillainLair.

** Downplayed in ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove''. The training area where Rosa Klebb meets Red Grant is on 'SPECTRE Island', wherever that is. As it's a Deadly Training Area, presumably this is for the same reasons of isolation and security that they'd need for a SupervillainLair.

[[quoteright:330:[[ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Screen_shot_2011-01-05_at_10_57_13_PM_2059.jpg]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy King André]] operates out of Skull Island. Subverted in that [[spoiler:Skull Island really looks like a giant duck's head, prompting Guybrush to complain "It should be called Duck Island!"]]

* ''Manga/Cyborg009'': An IslandBase showed up in the first episode of the anime. It was used by two {{Mad Scientist}}s like their MadScientistLaboratory.
* ''Anime/GreatMazinger'': Marquis Janus' HomeBase was at once a CoolShip (it was mobile and could swim or dive underwater), an IslandBase (it was shaped like an island) and a VolcanoLair (an artificial volcano had been built in the center).
* ''Anime/MazingerZ''. BigBad and MadScientist Dr. Hell had two {{Island Base}}s: Bardos, an ancient Greek island full of underground mazes and labyrinths where he found an army of HumongousMecha: and Hell Island, an island near from the Japanese coast where he moved later in the series. It was a barren, rocky islet. A low mountain rose in the center, and several giant faces had been carved on its slopes. TheDragon Baron Ashura also had an IslandBase doubled like a CoolShip: the submarine fortress Salude.

* In ''Videogame/ThiefIITheMetalAge'', the Cetus Project is run from Markham's Isle, a former pirate base taken over by the Mechanists. As you learn when you go there, the administration of the project is a bit complicated, but Markham's Isle certainly fits the IslandBase and ElaborateUndergroundBase tropes.

* [[SesquipedalianSmith Prometheus Black]] AKA, Meltdown has a underground lab on Dinobot Island in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''. [[spoiler:Blackarachnia]] moves into it later in the series. [[AllThereInTheManual Apparently]] it used to belong to the government.

** In ''Film/NoTimeToDie'', Lyutsifer Safin has a former Soviet base on (seemingly) one of the Kuril islands (which are disputed between Russia and Japan). [[CaliforniaDoubling Actually filmed]] on the UsefulNotes/FaroeIslands.

* The ''Comicbook/TeenTitans''' Titan's Tower is on an island.
* In ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'', Shockwave had the Decepticons construct an artificial island base off the coast of Florida, the surface of which concealed the fact that it was also a fully-functional space cruiser. Ratbat later turned the island into a vacation resort called Club Con, even going so far as to having [[TheStarscream Starscream]] appear in a television commercial for the resort. The base/ship was destroyed when the Underbase-empowered Starscream crashed Scorponok's ship into it.

%% The following Administrivia/{{Zero Context Example}}s have been commented out and copied to Discussion. Please don't add them back to the page unless you add enough information to explain how they're an example of the trope.

* ''Anime/GreatMazinger'': Marquis Janus' HomeBase was at once a CoolShip (it was mobile and could swim or dive underwater), an IslandBase (it was shaped like an island) and a VolcanoLair (an artificial volcano had been built in the center).

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel: The Triskelion, home base of both ComicBook/TheUltimates and S.H.I.E.L.D., is located in an island next to New York. This allows to fortify it to a degree that it became the most secure building on the planet. Even when the ''ComicBook/{{Ultimatum}}'' wave hit and flooded New York, the Triskelion still stands.
* Franchise/WonderWoman and her race of Amazons live on a secret island.

* The ''Comicbook/TeenTitans''' Titan's Tower is on an island.

* Cobra had a temporary island base in the first issue of ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]]'', and later gained a larger and more permanent one in international waters in the Gulf of Mexico by having the Joes help them ''create'' it. Specifically, they tricked the Joes into detonating a fault line at just the right location to cause enough upheaval to create the island. Cobra even had an army of laywers standing by at the UN to lay their sovereign claim to the newly-formed Cobra Island. It serves as the focal point for several stories, including the original [[EnemyCivilWar Cobra Civil War]].

* FanFic/DungeonKeeperAmi features several- all of which score bonus points for covering the active volcano, skull-shaped cave, and so on. Just not all at the same time. Zarekos' Islands were riddled with lava-filled fissures, due to the tremendous dark energy contamination, which Ami inherited from him following his defeat. Ami, [[GuileHero naturally]], repurposed them for use as geothermal plants. Later, the battle of Dreadfog Island takes place on an island in a large swamp -- and the island sports a skull-shaped cave incorporated into the fortifications.

** Kananga's island of San Monique in ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', but it isn't really isolated: it has a tourist trade. Too bad - poppy fields, voodoo totems with guns, [[EnigmaticMinion Baron Samedi]], and a SharkPool.

* Dr. Totenkopf's island base in ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' (2004), complete with robots, [[spoiler:prehistoric animals and a space ship]].

* Captain Nemo's island headquarters in the Disney version of ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea''. Volcanic crater, submarine docking facilities and SelfDestructMechanism.
* ''Film/{{Yellowbeard}}''. El Nebuloso's island, with a castle full of murderous monks.

* Baron von Frankenstein's island in ''WesternAnimation/MadMonsterParty''. He has a castle where he performs bizarre experiments.

* In the ''Film/AustinPowers'' series, Dr. Evil once held operations inside a volcano shaped like his head which was key geographical icon on a Caribbean island.
* ''Film/SpyKids2IslandOfLostDreams'' has an island with a hidden base inside the volcano, and bio-engineered monsters running around.
* ''Film/JurassicPark''. The eponymous amusement park is built on an island, Isla Nublar. ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' reveals the primary research facility was on a separate island, Isla Sorna.
* ''Film/BlackDynamite'' faces foes on both Kung-Fu Island and Slave Island.
* Much like its' forebear (see "Puppet Shows" below), the infamous live-action ''Film/{{Thunderbirds}}'' movie has Tracy Island (in reality several islands in the Seychelles), which looks even cooler in live-action, and now it has two pools (since the film crew realized having a rocket launch next to the main house wasn't the best idea). Most of the movie takes place there as The Hood and his goons [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs stage a takeover of the island]] (trapping most of the Tracys aboard the damaged ''Thunderbird 5'' in orbit) to steal the Thunderbird craft and use them to rob the world's biggest banks, leaving International Rescue responsible.

* ''Literature/JurassicPark'', justified as they need it contain all the dinosaurs. Unfortunately it's not as secure as they think.

* "Lincoln Island" is the headquarters of Captain Nemo and the harbor of the Nautilus in ''Literature/TheMysteriousIsland''.

* General Zaroff also had an island base in ''TheMostDangerousGame'' where he hunted... well, you know.
* In ''Literature/The39Clues'' universe: the Ekaterinas had a island base inside the Bermuda Triangle.
** [[spoiler:The Madrigals]] have Easter Island as a base.
** There's also the [[spoiler:Cahill ancestral home]] and [[spoiler:the Gauntlet]], on an island off the coast of Ireland.
* In ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible'', Dr. Impossible used the same island base for 14 years before the heroes finally cracked it. At the climax of the novel, he returns to construct his new DoomsdayDevice in the ruins.

* ''Literature/{{Swellhead}}''. The protagonists are sent to investigate strange events on the long-deserted and distant island of Skerra, somewhere on the ill-defined border between Britain and Ireland which for historical reasons even has a monarchy (not that she's ever set foot on the island before now) and is therefore an independent nation. Turns out an ElaborateUndergroundBase has been discovered on Skerra, despite the sheer impossibility of constructing one without vast resources and public knowledge. One which, as they delve further into it, looks increasingly like a classic SupervillainLair... [[spoiler:It turns out the base was constructed by a supervillain in an AlternateUniverse, which is encroaching into our reality.]]
* Goro Yoshida, the eponymous villain in ''Literature/TheManWithTheRedTattoo'' has set up camp for his private nationalist army in Etorofu, which is one of the Kuril Islands, which reside in a disputed territory between Russia and Japan.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': From ''[[Literature/ColdDays Cold Days]]'' on, Demonreach has become this for Harry. Its secluded location and powerful GeniusLoci make it far more defensible than his old apartment, but at the same time more vulnerable, as the island is [[spoiler:the site of a massive supernatural prison constructed by the original Merlin to hold some of the baddest bads in the setting, and some of Harry's enemies are interested in setting those baddies loose]]. The isolation from his friends and allies his relocation to the island has caused is also a minor plot point.
* Mystery Island serves this purpose for Cobra in ''Literature/SecretAgentsFour''.
* Deconstructed in ''Dead and Gone'', when Literature/{{Burke}} uncovers a scam to sell an island as a sovereign territory to the [[RichReclusesRealm highest bidder]]. It's a scam because for one thing, [[MightMakesRight none of the world powers would tolerate it]] and so the sovereignty wouldn't be worth the paper it was written on.

* The island of MadScientist Dr. Boris Balinkoff in the ''Series/GilligansIsland'' episode "The Friendly Physician". He has a castle where he performs experiments on the castaways.

* A rare heroic example: Tracy Island in ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'', home to International Rescue, and therefore is also an ElaborateUndergroundBase- the pool slides back for ''Thunderbird 1'', ''Thunderbird 3'' launches from within a rounded structure, and ''Thunderbird 2'' launches from inside the mountain. There's even another island nearby which has an underground monorail link to Tracy Island for additional supplies and such.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Illuminati''. One potential location for the Illuminati main base is on a private secret island that has been erased from the world's maps. It could even be in the Bermuda Triangle - the reason so many ships and planes have disappeared there is because they got too close to the Illuminati base and saw something they weren't supposed to see.

%% * The ''Franchise/JamesBond'' game ''VideoGame/{{Nightfire}}''.
* Kwajalein, Betio, Otori Shima, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima in ''VideoGame/RisingStorm'' are all islands located in the vast Pacific Theater that have completely operational airbases for both the Japanese and Americans. And usually, one of the objectives that is to be taken is the headquarters of the defending faction.

** Shadow Moses Island is indeed an island - something the players (and at one point even Snake) needed to be reminded of.

* In ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy King André]] operates out of Skull Island. Subverted in that [[spoiler:Skull Island really looks like a giant duck's head, prompting Guybrush to complain "It should be called Duck Island!"]]
* ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'' goes for a twofer, having you [[ElaborateUndergroundBase tunnel into the mountain]] on your "Uninhabited Desert Island of Undisclosed Location (tm)". Midway through you're forced to move islands, because if you're going to use [[KillSat satellite-based]] doomsday weapons it's [[CardCarryingVillain obligatory]] to [[Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice launch them out the crater of an extinct volcano]].
* In ''Videogame/KnucklesChaotix'', Dr. Eggman builds his latest SupervillainLair on an island in order to get himself one step closer to several Chaos Emerald-like objects rumored to be hidden there.
* Used and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing''; after [[ArchEnemy your Nemesis]] pulls a VillainExitStageLeft after your first battle with them, your class leader says they probably have a secret tropical island volcano lair. Sure enough, you eventually find a map to a secret tropical island volcano lair on one of your Nemesis's thugs and have a final showdown [[ConvectionSchmonvection in the heart of the volcano]], first with your Nemesis's [[SequentialBoss normal form]] and then with its [[OneWingedAngel Demonic form]]. {{Troperrific}}!
* ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Red Alert 3]]'' features a secret island base. A secret ''Easter Island'' base. In a volcano. With ''cannons in the Heads''. That shoot ''bears''.
* Dr. Nonookie's Nontoonyt Island lair in ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry2LookingForLoveInSeveralWrongPlaces''.
* The headquarters of Cipher, [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Citadark Isle]], in ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness''. They even have a machine that generates a constant storm around the island to prevent any unwanted visitors.
* The game ''VideoGame/{{Device6}}'' takes place on a seemingly abandoned one of these.
* ''Legend of Hero Tonma'' takes place on one named Untrodden Island.
* Governor's Island serves as the headquarters of Soviet forces occupying New York in ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters2003''. Two missions revolve around it, one to infiltrate it and assassinate General Tatarin and the final mission where it is stormed en masse by boat.
* In both ''Rymdjakten'' (''The Space Hunt'') and ''Djuphavsjakten'' (''The Deep Sea Hunt''), the heroes are headquartered on an island solely owned and inhabited by them. They start out rather mundane, with just the home of the person(s) who discovered the central issue of the game and some kind of facility relevant to the game (an observatory in ''Rymdjakten'', a lighthouse in ''Djuphavsjakten''), but by the later portions they include, among other things, training facilities (for astronauts in ''Rymdjakten'', and for divers and dolphins in ''Djuphavsjakten''), construction facilities, laboratories, and in ''Rymdjakten'' two rocket launching pads. In both games, all of this is privately owned.
* The Island of Claymodo in ''[[VideoGame/{{Clayfighter}} Clayfighter 63 1/3]]", home of the MadScientist Dr. Kiln.

* Case 36 of ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseWorldEdition'' takes place in a [[Film/KingKong1933 Skull Island]] {{Expy}} full of equipment belonging to [[NebulousEvilOrganization SOMBRA]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'': [[spoiler:The happy ending has this for Helen (and Dave, by extension).]]
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the fortress where Jay is held during the "Parable" storyline is [[https://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/parable-138 located]] on an island.

* ''WebVideo/{{KateModern}}'' BigBad Michelle Clore's evil lair is located on (RealLife) Adak Island.
* At the beginning of episodes of the Dr. Steel show, Music/DoctorSteel's secret laboratory is shown to be on an island. Supposedly this island is located in the Pacific, near Hawaii.

* Science Island is the headquarters for Jarvis Kord in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''.
* The bunny-shaped island known as Bunny Island is the primary setting for ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'' and related show ''Grim & Evil''.
* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' TOS. Dr. Benton Quest's island of Crab Key. It had dock facilities, experimental labs and a hovercraft.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has [[http://images.wikia.com/avatar/images/8/8d/Air_Temple_Island_overview.png Air Temple Island]] where Tenzin and his family live.
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' episode "Too Hot To Handle". Kobar the Solar-Terrarian villain has his laboratory hidden under a volcano on an island.

* During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, several U.S. allies acted like these as they hosted US military personnel; most notable were (and still are) the UK and Japan as they are actual islands, as well as Iceland (which didn't and still doesn't have a military when it joined UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}) and Taiwan (prior to the establishing of diplomatic ties between the US and China in 1979). Islands need not be purely geographical, either - Alexander Haig, Secretary of State under UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, called Israel the US's largest unsinkable aircraft carrier in the Middle East.

** It houses a massive US military base at Diego Garcia. It was used for reconnaissance in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and saw wartime use in the first Gulf War. After 9/11 it was key to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It may house nuclear weapons and may be a "black site" for detaining prisoners. It is more secretive than Guantanamo Bay - which is probably why most people have never heard of it.

* Deconstructed in one of the Literature/{{Burke}} novels, when the con artist turned private eye uncovers a scam to sell an island as a sovereign territory to the highest bidder. It's a scam because for one thing, [[MightMakesRight none of the world powers would tolerate it]] and so the sovereignty wouldn't be worth the paper it was written on.

** Film/DrNo's Base was on Crab Key, albeit more of an ElaborateUndergroundBase.

** Francisco Scaramanga's private island is probably the best example of the trope in ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun''.
** Stromberg's Atlantis base in ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' is a giant platform that can both rise above the sea and sibmerge itself.

** In ''Film/NoTimeToDie'', Lyutsifer Safin has a former Soviet base on (seemingly) one of the Kuril islands (which are disputed between Russia and Japan).