Summary
Thunderbolts*has revealed some interesting updates for some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most interesting and underutilized characters, and now it’s also been confirmed to offer fans a better look at how one big MCU location has evolved for the new era.
Thunderboltshas crept up on the MCU fan base relatively unchallenged, with its impending release being overshadowed by other projects on both ends. With Daredevil: Born Again finally in play on Disney+ andCaptain America: Brave New World’sunsatisfactory box office run almost at an end, the film’s promotional tour is finally starting to pick up some steam with fans and the media. One major selling point of the film will be its revelations on the current state of its cast of characters, many of whom are fresh off of live-altering developments from their last appearances. This also applies to the world at large, asThunderboltsoffers fans a chance to see what the MCU world is like whenthe Avengers are nowhere to be foundin a way that the politically involvedCaptain America 4couldn’t.
One thing that fans have been interested in knowing the current status of is Avengers Tower, where the Earth’s mightiest heroes coalesced as a team. It has been unclear what became of Avengers Tower after the death of Tony Stark and the dissolution of the Avengers following the end of the Infinity Saga, withthe iconic location missing inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, it was eventually revealed that in-universe CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine bought it.More recently, it’s been confirmed that the building was renamed the Watchtowerand this rechristening has some real significance for the MCU, according toThunderbolts*director Jake Schreier.“We know what that tower means,”he says in an interview withEmpire.“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?”Val is indeed the person that fans would least like to own such a prominent monument to the Avengers, and it likely won’t end well.
In addition to being a more grounded entry,Thunderboltswill certainly take on a grittier, darker tone than most MCU projects, with leading ladyFlorence Pugh calling the final cut ‘an indie assassin film’in a recent interview. While it won’t be without that classic MCU humor and charm, as fans have already seen in the promo material for the film, it is centered on characters that either have never aspired to be heroes or have met with harsh reckonings that dissuaded them from those lofty ideas, like John Walker’s downfall inFalcon & The Winter Soldier. Trailers have already shown that this new team of misfits will be briefed in the newly named Watchtower, but it’s unclear if the location will become an instrumental part of their combined origin story or is just a neat bow on that era of the Avengers. When a new Avengers team does eventually form, it’s not known whether the Thunderbolts will merge into that new group, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that they’ll be working out of a new base of operations. The sinister overtones of a crooked government bigwig operating the Watchtower is also sure to be an interesting plot point sometime soon.
WhileThunderboltswill bring a much-missed team dynamic back to the MCUthat’s been missing since the departure of the Avengers, it could also finally bring that grounded new direction that the franchise has been trying to capture.Captain America: Brave New Worldfailed on that front by basically becoming a Hulk sequel, and the inclusion of Sentry could takeThunderboltsin the same direction. However, if the story can manage to introduce the character and maintain the promised tone without burning the already frayed goodwill from fans, there’s a chance thatThunderbolts*really will make it up there with theAvengersfilms.
