Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Avengers Tower got a redesign in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but for who? The landmark building in New York has become a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years. Tony Stark originally built it as Stark Tower, but it became known as Avengers Tower by the end of The Avengers in 2012. Ever since, the big, glowing “A” has routinely popped up in the skyline of New York when possible - except in the Netflix shows.
After Avengers: Age of Ultron, though, the Avengers moved their base of operation to upstate New York to Avengers HQ. This led to Tony Stark selling the tower to an unspecified buyer in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The deal has left fans wondering who is taking over the location for the last two years, and trailers for Spider-Man: Far From Home showed that it was under construction. This reignited theories over who could own the tower and sparked hope that all would be revealed in the sequel.
At the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man swings past (and through) the redesigned building, giving audiences a glimpse at what it has now become. The most notable change that is visible is a gaping hole in the center. This is by design and not a result of another giant fight in New York. The gap is used as a lounge and garden area for the building, which has a modern, hi-tech feel to it. Beyond this, it isn’t clear what the functionality of the hole is, other than giving Spider-Man the ability to swing through the building instead of around it.
The new look makes the towering structure stand out even more than it did before, but Spider-Man: Far From Home stops short of showing us who is in the building or what name/company is branded on it. However, there are two prevailing theories about who could call the former Avengers Tower home, so let’s take a look at each of the possibilities.
Why It Could Be Oscorp Tower
The new owner of Avengers Tower that makes the most sense is none other than Norman Osborn. To this point, all of the set up for someone else moving into the former Avengers Tower has come in the Spider-Man movies, so it would only make sense that this thread will be paid off in the series’ future. It also makes the most sense considering the timeline, as the second option wouldn’t have even been in consideration when Spider-Man: Homecoming was being made due to rights issues. With this in mind, there is really no other Sony-owned character who fits the bill for someone who would want to take over Avengers Tower besides Norman Osborn.
One of the biggest questions raised by Spider-Man: Far From Home is who will step up and be the new Iron Man in the MCU. While the movie lands on Spider-Man filling that void, it is more likely at this stage that this will come to fruition as him being the face of the cinematic universe rather than the biggest in-world hero, tech-mogul, and leader of the Avengers. Instead, it would be very much in line with Norman’s character to try and take on this mantle himself, at least in the public eye. Him moving into Avengers Tower and rebranding it as Oscorp Tower would be a clear sign that he is here to stay and wants everyone to know it. Plus, his business practices ensure that he would have the cash to pay for such a lavish remodel.
But, Norman and Oscorp would present the MCU with the ability to do a reversal of Iron Man and Avengers Tower here. Instead of the building being the home for the world’s biggest hero, it would (secretly) be the home of possibly the MCU’s next big bad. And should the time come, it could then also serve as the base for an evil super team instead of the Avengers. Norman could one day lead the Dark Avengers, Thunderbolts, or Sinister Six, so having them operate out of the same building as the original Avengers team did would be quite a stroke of irony.
Why It Could Be The Baxter Building
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, however, the continued teases by the Sony Spider-Man movies also leave some uncertainty that Oscorp has taken over the building. After all, if they know that is the case, why not just include that nugget of information in the jam-packed mid-credits scene for Spider-Man: Far From Home? That could be because Avengers Tower is actually going to become the Baxter Building instead of Oscorp Tower. This would explain the vagueness of the teases the MCU has done so far, while also giving Marvel Studios the chance to have the long-awaited confirmation that the Fantastic Four are on their way in a Disney/Marvel Studios production - and not one where Sony gets all the money.
Beyond the business side of such an introduction, the Baxter Building is another clear alternative for Avengers Tower. Just like how Norman taking over the building would signal a prominent role for him in the future, the same would be true of the Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing taking over the Avengers’ old stomping grounds signals that they would be the new centerpieces of the MCU. It isn’t even evident if the Avengers are still a thing, so having a supergroup always living in New York makes sense, and that’s without also considering the comic precedence for the Fantastic Four operating out of the state.
Additionally, it would make Marvel’s First Family easily accessible for crossovers. Fellow heroes like Doctor Strange and Spider-Man could only be a few blocks away from the Fantastic Four, and since New York has regularly been the home to some significant events in the MCU, they could be needed to protect the city. The oddest part about the Fantastic Four making this new building their home is the flashy design. The big hole in the center seems a bit outside of their style, as a more practical layout of their building could maximize space for labs, research, and so on. That said, it could also serve a different, more important purpose than this quick tease in Spider-Man: Far From Home let on.
At this point, it is too early to tell for sure whether Norman Osborn or the Fantastic Four will be the ones revealed to have acquired Avengers Tower, but it hopefully won’t be too long before we learn about it either way. Osborn could be introduced in Spider-Man 3 perhaps, while many hope the Fantastic Four will be added at some point in the MCU’s Phase 4. There’s always the chance that Marvel Studios pulls a surprise and neither of these two options is chosen though. If that’s the case, then we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds. And who knows, maybe one day it could even become the headquarters for Parker Industries.
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