Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been asking, theorizing, and dreaming about the future of Avengers Tower for years now. Once the iconic building in New York City no longer belonged to Tony Stark, there were a ton of ideas floating around in regards to who it might belong to. Reed Richards was maybe the post popular option amongst fans, but the likes of Victor Von Doom, Norman Osborne, and several others had been brought up on numerous occasions. This weekend, Marvel Studios put those theories to rest by revealing the surprising new owner of Avengers Tower.
The building was purchased by none other than Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is played in the MCU by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Valentina has been something of a fixture in the MCU over the last few years, slowly putting together the team at the center of the upcoming film, Thunderbolts*.
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In fact, it was in a sneak peek for Thunderbolts* that Marvel revealed the news about the purchase of Avengers Tower. The studio revealed three minutes of footage from the film at D23 Brazil over the weekend, and that new sneak peek includes a scene inside Avengers Tower. Valentina pours a drink in the same place Tony Stark once did, overlooking the city, and speaking to the band of misfits she put together for a secret mission.
“How crazy is it to think of all the monumental fights that happened exactly here where you’re standing,” Valentina tells the group. “I mean, the place wasn’t cheap, but it’s got good optics.”
Whether through her own money, or with some sort of shell company being used to fund the Thunderbolts, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the owner of Avengers Tower. And her comment pulls back the curtain just a bit on some of the potentially villainous intentions many fans have assumed she has. Even if she’s not an outright, “I want to kill everyone and/or rule the world” kind of villain, she’s someone we know isn’t exactly out for the greater good.
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Buying Avengers Tower is an “optics” move for Valentina, which means she needs some sway with the public to either mask or make up for some of the more nefarious things she’s doing. If she uses the tower as a base of operations for her new team, it might give people some hope that they are on par with the Avengers, both when it comes to talent and intentions. People are probably willing to trust a super-team operating out of the same place Iron Man and Captain America once saved the world.
What we don’t yet know is whether or not Valentina is the first owner of Avengers Tower since Tony Stark, or if the property has changed hands more than once. It also wouldn’t be super surprising to see someone else purchase it at some point down the line.