Phase 5 is The MCU's Chance to Solve Its Most Irritating Mystery
Of all the minuscule yet frustrating unfinished plotlines in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one mystery stands above them all:
Who bought Tony Stark's Avengers Tower?
The tower was introduced in Avengers with the name "Stark" shining above New York City. Four of the letters were destroyed in the Battle of New York, leaving only the "A" standing strong atop the tower Stark would soon repurpose as the base of the super team.
By Age of Ultron, the tower had become somewhat iconic. It's where the group exchanged ideas and celebrated victory with revels.
Only two years later in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Happy revealed to Peter that Tony had sold the building to some mysterious buyer. The Avengers moved to their campus upstate, and just like that, the iconic tower was gone.
But who was this mysterious buyer?
Theories have persisted ever since.
Some believed it was bought by Norman Osborn, meaning the Green Goblin would soon be introduced in the MCU. This was debunked in No Way Home when his alternate self revealed that Oscorp didn't exist in this universe.
Others thought it would be Wilson Fisk – the Kingpin of Crime. The character was introduced on the MCU's Netflix series before his shocking appearance on Disney+ 's Hawkeye last year. Other fans didn't see the logic there – why would Tony Stark, the ultimate superhero, sell his building to a criminal mastermind? Even if Fisk's crimes weren't known by the public, Tony's deep contacts give him a better-than-average understanding of the criminal underworld.
Maybe the most exciting theory revolved around the Fantastic Four. The theory states that Reed Richards, who will be revealed as an established scientist, bought the tower. It will become the famous Baxter Building by the time the Fantastic Four are introduced in Phase 6.
In the six real-life years since its purchase, there hasn't been a single hint dropped.
There was a scene in Loki that showed the building in an alternate timeline with the name Qeng – one of Kang's business enterprises in the comics – but that was likely no more than an Easter Egg.
Phase 5 is the perfect time to reveal who bought the tower, even if it's just fan service. The mystery has gone on long enough.
Fans hope it ends up being a big reveal, with the purchaser being the likes of Reed, Osborn, or some yet-unrevealed character. But at this point, ANY answer would be fine – even a throw-away line.
It seemed like Homecoming was setting up a new big bad with the purchase of Avengers Tower, but it's now become nothing more than a mildly frustrating thread left unraveled.
Phase 5 kicks off with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17; here's hoping we get some answers to one of the MCU's most annoying mysteries.