Marvel's Thunderbolts May Have Revealed The New Owner Of Avengers Tower

Marvel Studios' attempt at assembling its own "Suicide Squad" took a big step forward today with the first trailer for "Thunderbolts*" – and yes, we're just as curious about that asterisk as everyone else is. However, one thing that Marvel fans seemingly don't have to be curious about any longer is who has taken over ownership of Avengers Tower after Tony Stark sold the New York City skyscraper during "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

For a long time now, many have assumed that someone like Norman Osborn or Victor Von Doom had taken over Avengers Tower, setting up some kind of reveal for a future Marvel movie where a new version of Green Goblin would take shape, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first iteration of Fantastic Four's arch nemesis gave himself an upscale lair. Instead, a different kind of shady individual seems to have taken over Stark's fancy pad: Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine.

Debuting in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," the director of the CIA (played by "Seinfeld" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has been recruiting powerful and skilled individuals like Captain America redux John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) for some kind of covert version of The Avengers, and Thunderbolts is what they have become. The last time we saw Valentina, she was betraying her ex-husband and subordinate Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," showing that she's always one step ahead of everyone else and won't hesitate to throw anyone under the bus for her own gain. So it should come as no surprise that she somehow figured out how to get her hands on Avengers Tower, which appears to be where the would-be Thunderbolts meet her for the first time.

Marvel Studios

In the "Thunderbolts" trailer, the gang of Marvel misfits meets Valentina in what should be a familiar location, even if it took you a little while to realize it. Yes, you've seen that elevator before, albeit with a different interior style, and that New York City skyline view from the massive, slightly angled windows is a dead giveaway. This is Avengers Tower, and since Val has her own swanky bar with some kind of rock formation surrounding it, I think it's safe to say that she's the new owner of Avengers Tower. 

Well, the owner may not be Val herself, but at the very least, the CIA has taken it over. Do they own the building now, though, or are they just renting it from someone else who owns it? Perhaps that's a question that will be answered in the movie. However, the location where Val is holed up and meeting her new team may provide another hidden detail that fans have been waiting to discover.

We've established that there's some kind of secret hiding in the "Thunderbolts*" title, thanks to the asterisk at the end. That would seem to imply that "Thunderbolts" isn't the actual title of the movie. So what else could the movie be called? Well, if Valentina's team is getting comfortable in Avengers Tower, then wouldn't it stand to reason that they could be called something like Young Avengers, Dark Avengers, or New Avengers? That would certainly change the title of the movie. And did you see the tagline on the new "Thunderbolts*" poster? It says, "Careful who you assemble."

Experience Marvel Studios' #Thunderbolts* only in theaters May 2025. pic.twitter.com/j9iDjHOoc7

— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) September 23, 2024

However, using any of those monikers might rub fans the wrong way. Sure, various characters on this team have been part of those teams at different points in Marvel Comics history, but will this ragtag team prove themselves worthy of the Avengers name by the end of the movie? That feels like a tall order, especially with weak characters like Taskmaster and Ghost on the roster. Of course, that could also be part of the gag, with Val being so arrogant and giddy about the prospect of having her own team in Avengers Tower that she just gives them that name without realizing how presumptuous it is.

At the end of the day, we're still without a superhero team to call The Avengers. Sure, Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) appeared to be recruiting her own Avengers team at the end of "The Marvels" last year, starting with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), but that's far from a full roster yet. Perhaps some assembly will indeed be required in order to get a new version of Avengers off the ground.

We'll find out when "Thunderbolts*" hits theaters on May 2, 2024.