The Avengers were once a big symbol of hope in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and not just figuratively. Standing in the middle of New York City was the Avengers Tower: A big structure that served to remind bad guys that they weren't over anyone's head. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when the Sokovia Accords were ratified and Earth's Mightiest Heroes fought against each other leading to their disbanding.
Much to everyone's surprise, it was revealed that Tony Stark sold the Avengers Tower during the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming — a decision that marked the end of the heroes' era. That was all the way back in 2017, and we've all had the same question in mind since then: Who is the new owner of this iconic skyscraper?
Theories grew rampant as many supposed that Reed Richards was turning this structure into the Baxter Building, or that Wilson Fisk was behind the whole thing. However, we finally have an answer after eight years of speculation, and it's one that very few could've seen coming.
Valentina Allegra is the new owner of The Avengers Tower
Do you remember Valentina Allegra? The shady CIA director seen during the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the post-credits scene of Black Widow? Well, she's not only assembling a team to replace The Avengers in the form of the Thunderbolts, but she's also the new owner of the Avengers Tower (now called the Watchtower) as revealed by Empire. Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier stated that this might be a hint of darker things to come:
"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?"
The word "darker" is very interesting under this context, as it could finally reveal another mystery that has been plaguing fans' minds for quite some time now: What does the asterisk mean in the Thunderbolts* title? A recently released poster hinted it was only meant to add a footnote stating that "The Avengers Are Not Available" — hence why a new superpowered team was needed. However, we can't help but feel maybe that's just a misdirection.
The asterisk was always seen as a placeholder for the name of the team — an idea that only gained more traction when Bucky Barnes said "We can't call ourselves [The Thunderbolts]" in the movie's Super Bowl trailer. So what if that theory is still correct? Perhaps once the credits rolled audiences are treated to a rather shocking revelation that this new group of misfits will be, in fact, the Dark Avengers.
In comic book pages, Norman Osborn acted as the leader of the Thunderbolts before forming and leading the Dark Avengers, so what if Valentina were to do something similar on the big screen? Besides, it's worth remembering that the Dark Avengers subbed in for the Thunderbolts for some time in the source material as well, with Luke Cage acting as the leader of the whole operation. With that in mind, maybe we can see a similar scenario play out on the big screen, except in the opposite direction. As a result, Valenina's Watchtower could be turned into a Dark Avengers tower by the end of Marvel's upcoming movie — giving a home to this uncharacteristic group of "heroes".
Official concept art for Avengers: Doomsday revealed we'll see the formation of the Young Avengers on the big screen. Besides, Sam Wilson was tasked with forming a new iteration of The Avengers during the events of Captain America: Brave New World. So wouldn't it be interesting that—by the time the multiverse collapses and Doctor Doom finally comes—we see three different groups of heroes all trying their best to save the world, but failing since they were all doing it in separate ways?
It could mimic the arc we saw in Avengers: Infinity War, except this time with even more characters in the mix. It would be a big plot twist that not only could make Thunderbolts* a bigger movie than originally anticipated, but one that could set the pieces for what's to come in the following years.
Thunderbolts* will be released on May 2, 2025.