Avengers Tower is no more. Tony Stark’s Manhattan high-rise has served as one of the signature visual landmarks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, going back to 2012’s The Avengers, which ended with a single “A” remaining after the other letters in “STARK” fell. Tony sold the tower in 2016, and the Avengers moved to their compound in Upstate New York. But the MCU takes its world-building seriously, and the tower remains a presence in its version of Manhattan.

As the MCU evolves, fans inevitably wonder who might take it over. The Baxter Building -- headquarters of the Fantastic Four -- makes an easy option. Reed Richards would presumably step in and fill Tony’s role as the MCU’s “Big Brain.” Oscorp is another canon-specific possibility, especially with the building playing a similar role in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. However, a new fan theory proposed on Reddit proposes a third prospect: the seat of Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire.

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The high-rise's continued presence in the MCU suggests fans haven’t seen the last of it,  and while the Baxter Building could end up as its ultimate fate, it may be years before the Fantastic Four is sufficiently established to justify the tower's rechristening. Oscorp feels a trifle late to the proceedings to make a serious choice, with Spider-Man’s future in the franchise uncertain after No Way Home. That leaves an opening for the building to serve any number of purposes above and beyond making an interesting Easter egg during the occasional flyby.

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Unlike Tony or the Green Goblin, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin remains a an ongoing concern in the MCU. The final season of Netflix’s Daredevil ended with him being carted off to prison, yet again, leaving the crime lord ripe for a return. Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal earned high praise from the fans for faithfulness to the comic book character. Furthermore, Charlie Cox’s rumored return to the MCU as Matt Murdock shows it wouldn't be a stretch to re-introduce Daredevil's greatest enemy; it would affirm Marvel’s commitment to the continuity of the Netflix shows. Most excitedly, Fisk's residence in the former Avengers Tower could open the door for other Netflix alums, such as Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, to return as well.

Of course, there is no evidence to suggest the MCU will go in this direction, or if Fisk will even return at all. Phase Four has tilted largely toward the cosmic side, with the creation of the multiverse and the introduction of the Eternals. Fisk’s comparatively gritty underworld operations could make for a poor fit, turning the building into a weird outlier. And even if he does take over, it’s likely the building's ownership would change once again. After all, Reed Richards could easily take the building over for the imminent arrival of the Fantastic Four.

That said, turning the building over to Fisk, even for a few years, would keep it from fading into the background. It would also add foreshadowing and a real sense of lived-in history. There would be an instant reminder for viewers that the high-rise wasn't always in the hands of heroes. The MCU has taken great pains to incorporate the building into its films and TV shows, even after Tony Stark's death. Fisk and his criminal empire could give it the kind of dramatic weight that make such Easter eggs so important to an organic sense of continuity.

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