Who owns Avengers Tower? It has been a lingering question that has plagued a subset of the Marvel Studios fandom. And in a recent interview during the Deadpool and Wolverine press day, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that the answer as to who (or what) bought Avengers Tower was going to be revealed soon. If you asked me to guess, though, I didn’t expect the answer to come in next summer’s upcoming Marvel movie, Thunderbolts*. Following the release of the first full trailer for Thunderbolts*, Marvel fans took to the internet with their theories that Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) meets with the team in the open-air bar/lounge area that once was part of Avengers Tower.
Which, to me, means that this is going to become a Dark Avengers movie. And that’s PROBABLY what the asterisk refers to in the title.
Let’s dig into the theory.
That’s Avengers Tower, Right?
Above is the photo that most fans are pointing out as appearing to take place in a renovated Avengers Tower. The view of Manhattan in the background. The large expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows. The bar that is off to the left of the photo. If you go back and watch scenes from The Avengers, or even the infamous hammer scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron, you likely will come to the same conclusion that Valentina set up her base of operations in what started off as Stark Tower, then became the official headquarters of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes before they moved out in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) sold the tower when the Avengers moved to a larger campus in upstate New York. That location was decimated in the final battle against Thanos. At the same time, the concept of the Avengers has been defunct since Tony Stark sacrificed himself at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. It’s my belief that the Avengers are going to be coming back, in some important format. For starters, we got a glimpse of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) recruiting Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) for a possible Young Avengers team up. And we have two Avengers movies in Doomsday and Secret Wars to look forward to.
But that’s not what I think is happening here.
I Think The Asterisk In The Thunderbolts Title Will Change This To ‘Dark Avengers’
And above, I think, is your first look at the official Dark Avengers roster. In the comics, the Dark Avengers are formed by Norman Osborn. They are a team of super-powered villains (Bullseye, Venom, etc) who all have natural Avengers counterparts. That gets a little confusing here, as Yelena is a natural Black Widow, but John Walker, Bucky, and Red Guardian all seem like the “Evil” Captain America. Then there’s Taskmaster, who basically can mimic the fighting styles of any hero. So, you know, this isn’t a simple A to B translation.
Still, seeing the Thunderbolts recruited by Valentina makes it seem like Marvel is setting up either a Dark Avengers or possibly a Secret Avengers roster. This happens at the same time that Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) was seen asking Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) if he’ll help him reassemble the Avengers in Captain America: Brave New World. Global politics are on the agenda in the MCU in 2025.
There Are Other Avengers Connections In The Trailer
Did you guys see this moment? I don’t think this is Avengers Tower. It more looks like a Washington, DC fundraiser attended by Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). But there are banners commemorating “The Battle of New York,” the first official time that the Avengers needed to assemble. And there’s paraphernalia from that event, including Loki’s scepter. Someone wants the audience to be thinking about The Avengers, and the sacrifices they made to keep us safe.
And then Val is going to put together a different roster, for an alternate mission.
The cast for Thunderbolts has me most intrigued for this movie, and I was thrilled to see the trailer launch with character moments between Florence Pugh and David Harbour. The action looks good, but when you bring these personalities together, I want them to have moments to shine. Particularly Lewis Pullman, because his character – Sentinel – has the chance to be a real wild card.
Thunderbolts will be the second Marvel movie arriving in theaters in 2025, behind Captain America: Brave New World, but ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. We’ll have more information on the movie as it gets closer to release.
