I Can"t Believe I Was Gaslit By So Many Avengers Tower Theories But I Know Why Marvel Chose The "Worst" Answer

I"m ready to admit that I was gaslit by the various theories regarding Avengers Tower in the MCU, now that Thunderbolts* is providing answers. The story of the MCU"s Thunderbolts* centers around the titular team being formed out of a group of misfits in the franchise. Naturally, the cast assembled for Thunderbolts* is causing a great deal of excitement, primarily because it consists of fan-favorite actors and their characters like Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova.
Moreover, Thunderbolts* is causing excitement due to the MCU mysteries the film will answer. From the inclusion of the mysterious Bob in the upcoming Marvel movie to the true motivations of Val, Thunderbolts* is expected to answer several lingering questions that the franchise has had for a while. Interestingly, one such mystery was answered in the most recent trailer for Thunderbolts*, though I admit the answer came as a disappointment to me. Somehow, though, I understand why Marvel made this choice as it makes more sense than the alternative, raising an interesting point about theory culture in modern Hollywood.
Who Bought Avengers Tower Has Been A Mystery Since Spider-Man: Homecoming

Custom image by Nicolas Ayala The theory in question is who bought Avengers Tower in the MCU. Avengers Tower was initially known as Stark Tower and was first introduced in 2012"s The Avengers. After the climactic battle with Loki in The Avengers" ending, Stark Tower became Avengers Tower, the central hub of the eponymous team in the MCU. Avengers Tower remained as such for the story of Avengers: Age of Ultron, before the focus of the team shifted to the Avengers Compound located in upstate New York.

Related Forget The Dead Celestial, There's An Avengers Mystery From 7 Years Ago Marvel Has Forgotten To Answer The MCU has a habit of introducing big plots in the small details, but it can take years before these hints get resolved in later movies.
5 After the establishment of Avengers Compound, it was revealed that the Avengers Tower was being sold. This revelation came in 2017"s Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Happy Hogan telling the titular hero that Tony had found a buyer for the building. Since then, eight years of theories have been crafted over who now owns Avengers Tower, building on the idea that superhero fans - myself included - will theorize over absolutely anything to the point of absurdity (see WandaVision"s endless MCU Mephisto theories as proof).
Marvel’s 2025 Projects Had Three Potential Answers To The Avengers Tower Mystery A Turning Point For The Avengers Tower Mystery Close Eight years after these theories began, 2025 offered Marvel Studios three different options as answers to the enduring question: who bought Avengers Tower? The first, and perhaps most popular, was that Daredevil: Born Again"s Wilson Fisk bought the building. Fisk returned to the MCU in Hawkeye, with the upcoming Marvel TV show Daredevil: Born Again building on that, his appearance in Echo, and the three seasons of Netflix"s Daredevil. Given that he is running for the mayor of New York in the upcoming show and is known by his moniker of Kingpin, Fisk buying Avengers Tower to solidify his power made sense.
It could have been revealed that the old Avengers building would become the hub for Marvel"s First Family upon their integration to Earth-616...
Another theory was that the Avengers Tower was going to become the Baxter Building. In Marvel Comics, the Baxter Building is the home base of The Fantastic Four, a team that has long been gearing up to be introduced to the franchise. 2025 will see this finally happen with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and it could have been revealed that the old Avengers building would become the hub for Marvel"s First Family upon their integration to Earth-616. The final theory turned out to be the true answer to the question of who bought Avengers Tower, linking to 2025"s Thunderbolts*.
Why The Reveal Of Val Buying Avengers Tower Is The Weakest Choice (But Actually Makes Sense)

Thunderbolts* most recent trailer revealed that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was the person who purchased Avengers Tower in the MCU. After eight long years of theorization and three potential options, it can be argued that Marvel made the weakest choice in providing this answer. After all, it is unclear how Val fits into the future of the MCU beyond Thunderbolts*, yet Fisk is set to be a major villain and the Baxter Building could have been a mainstay for future Fantastic Four stories.
All that said, despite being the weakest choice, Val being the buyer of Avengers Tower makes the most sense. As of 2025, The Fantastic Four does not exist yet in the MCU due to First Steps taking place in another universe, and Fisk"s illicit activities have seen him mostly operate from the shadows. As such, either of the other two choices for this theory makes little sense. Therefore, I have been well and truly gaslit by the endless fan theories about Avengers Tower.
Fisk"s return to the MCU came four years after Spider-Man: Homecoming"s Avengers Tower reveal, poking another hole in the theory that many did not think about.
I was convinced that Fisk buying the tower was the best choice, and did not stop to think if it made sense within the universe or the stories at hand. The same can be said for the possibility of linking the tower to The Fantastic Four. Overall, this raises the interesting discussion that fan theorization can reach immense levels, regardless of the logic behind it. Thunderbolts* proves this by having Val, a rich, influential character in the MCU, buy Avengers Tower. While it may not be as flashy or fancy a reveal, it is certainly a logical one.

Thunderbolts* Marvel's Thunderbolts* is a superhero movie based on the comic team of the same name. The movie acts as a part of the MCU's fifth phase of films. The film sees the likes of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell, the Red Guardian, and more as an unlikely group of heroes and villains brought together to fight for good.
Director Jake Schreier Release Date May 2, 2025 Writers Lee Sung-jin , Eric Pearson , Joanna Calo Cast Florence Pugh , Sebastian Stan , David Harbour , Wyatt Russell , Olga Kurylenko , Hannah John-Kamen , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Geraldine Viswanathan , Lewis Pullman , Joshua Mikel Upcoming MCU Movies