Tony Stark sold his famous New York City skyscraper in Spider-Man: Homecoming. That was way back in 2017! Ever since we’ve speculated about who actually bought the building that became Avengers TowerOpens in a new tab. Was it the Fantastic Four? Kingpin? Norman Osborn? Turns out the answer is none of them! The newest trailer for Thunderbolts*Opens in a new tab features the team of anti-heroes meeting at that iconic building because it now belongs to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Marvel Studios debuted a “special look” at Thunderbolts* during Disney’s D23 Brazil. The action-packed trailer features a lot of what we’ve already been expecting from the film. There are plenty of laughs, a litany of explosions, the group fighting among themselves, and David Harbour’s Red Guardian being the superhero dad we all deserve. Oh yeah, and Bob is also hereOpens in a new tab. Bob. Bob.
What we didn’t expect from this Thunderbolts* trailer was to finally get an answer to one of the MCU’s longest outstanding questions. That shot of the team in the elevator, the one Marvel has been teasing for a very long time, has an incredible payoff. They’re riding the elevator at what was once Avengers Tower. It is now the property of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She tells the Thunderbolts, “To think of all the monumental fights that happened exactly here where you’re standing. I mean, the place wasn’t cheap, but it’s got good optics.”
Hooooo baby that last line is fun. Val has been putting together her own team of “heroes”Opens in a new tab with checkered pasts. What better way to sell a new, questionable superhero group to the public than by having them operate out of a building that symbolizes bravery and teamwork? In that way Val buying Avengers Tower is less about making a big real estate investment and more about a pricey marketing strategy. It’s a good one, too. It’s already working on us.
In Thunderbolts*, the Avengers Tower will snag a new, much more ominous name, “Watchtower.” Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier shares, “We know what that tower means. Who’s the person you would least like to own that tower, that means so much to so many people? Can you use that as a symbol of things taking a darker turn?”
Her ownership of Avengers Tower could also answer another major MCU question we have. This team’s own name has a giant asterisk attached to their movie’s title. It would be only fitting for them to work out of Avengers Tower if they end up being called the Dark Avengers, or just AvengersOpens in a new tab, when the film debuts May 2, 2025.
