The Stark Tower Complex is a high-rise building complex appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics. Located in
Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark, who is the alter ego of the
superheroIron Man. The structure is composed of a 93-story Main Tower flanked by a 35-story South Building and 55-story North Building. Located at the top of the Main Tower was the Watchtower of the superhero
The Sentry, but it has been replaced by
Heimdall's observatory.
The Main Tower is informally known as Avengers Tower, as it serves as the headquarters of the superhero team, the
Avengers, similar to the
Avengers Mansion. Currently, the main Stark Tower is located in
Broadway, occupying the space where the
Condé Nast Building is in the real world.
The Stark Tower, eventually changed to Avengers Tower, has been shown in various films set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with
The Avengers (2012).
Fictional history
The Stark Tower Complex was built as a world-class financial and business facility to complement the Midtown Manhattan business district. The building was completed as a gleaming beacon of
modern architecture after four years of excavation and construction. It is located in the vicinity of Manhattan's
Columbus Circle approximately 10 blocks north of the
Baxter Building, headquarters of the superhero team the
Fantastic Four.
While initially intending to use the top three floors of the Main Tower as his state-of-the-art bachelor pad, Stark gave them over to the Avengers as their base of operations after their former base,
Avengers Mansion, was destroyed.[1] Longtime caretaker of the Avengers Mansion
Edwin Jarvis was asked to resume his duties in the new location. Later, when the Sentry became a member of the Avengers, his long-hidden Watchtower appeared, integrating itself atop the Main Tower,[2] fully integrated into the building's existing architecture. Serving as both Sentry's headquarters and as the private residences of Robert Reynolds and his wife Lindy, the 20-story watchtower is operated and maintained by CLOC (Centrally Located Organic Computer), a near-sentient computer of Sentry's own design. The lower levels of the Main Tower, along with both the South and North Buildings, are largely occupied with Stark's subsidiaries and non-profit organizations.
After the passing of the
Superhuman Registration Act (SRA), Iron Man was tapped to head the task force charged with enforcing the Act. Subsequently, Stark Tower became the base of operations of the task force. The controversy surrounding the SRA broke the Avengers team apart leaving Tony Stark to form a new team, the
Mighty Avengers, who continue to occupy the Main Tower's higher levels. When the Tower became the headquarters of the SRA task force, it was assigned by the government a squad of
Cape-Killer guards with the call sign "Force Unit 9".[3][4]
During the events of
World War Hulk, a violent battle between
The Hulk and Iron Man nearly caused the collapse of Stark Tower.[5] The tower was rebuilt by Stark under his
S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, making it S.H.I.E.L.D. property.
Stark Tower becomes the setting for a multi-issue conflict between humans and a murderous Skrull hunting them for sport. During Secret Invasion, many non-powered New York citizens, including Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich, end up at Stark Tower. Unfortunately, it had become the hunting ground for a
Skrull. He is shown killing most of the members of a design firm that had rented space in the building. Ben Urich regains control of the security shutters and the Skrull is tricked into throwing itself out a high window. It dies on impact.[6]
When
Norman Osborn took over S.H.I.E.L.D., and renamed it
H.A.M.M.E.R., he also took ownership of the tower.[7] After Osborn is removed from power following the
Siege of Asgard, the tower is returned to Stark. With the Sentry's death, his watch tower disappeared from the rooftop where it is replaced by Heimdall's observatory as sign of solidarity between Earth and
Asgard.[8]
During the events of the Fear Itself storyline,
Thing acquired a hammer. This transformed him into a being with Asgardian-like power called Angir: Breaker of Souls.
Red Hulk started to fight him to protect the innocents, but got batted away by Thing. Red Hulk survived though and to try and remedy it, Thing tossed his hammer through Avengers Tower, bringing it down onto Red Hulk.[9]
A new Stark Tower was later built on the site of the original. The structure also acted as the headquarters of the Avengers.[10]
When the Avengers fell under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority, S.H.I.E.L.D. took over the Stark Tower, and made it their Golgotha station.[11]
During the Secret Wars storyline, Stark Tower is destroyed by the Children of Tomorrow during the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610.[12]
Following an eight-month
ellipsis, Tony, who is suffering financial difficulties at the time, is forced to sell the rebuilt Stark Tower to a Chinese company called Qeng Enterprises.[13] Tony and the rest of the Avengers relocate to another Stark Tower which had been built near Time Square.[14][15]
Reception
Critical response
George Marston of Newsarama included the Avengers Tower in their "Best Superhero Headquarters And Hideouts Of All Time" list.[16]Comic Book Resources ranked the Avengers Tower 1st in their "10 Most Iconic Superhero Hideouts In Marvel Comics" list,[17] and ranked the Stark Tower 6th in their "Avengers 10 Best Headquarters" list.[18]
An alternate version of the Stark Tower appears in the
Ultimate Universe. The Stark Tower is the residence of Tony Stark, Thor, and Jane Foster.
In other media
Television
Stark Tower appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, though it is only seen in a few episodes since the team is based out of the
Avengers Mansion in the series. It is prominently featured in the episode "Alone Against A.I.M." when A.I.M.'s Scientist Supreme leads a raid on Stark Tower and unleashes Technovore to target Tony Stark.
Stark Tower, modeled after the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation, appears in Avengers Assemble.[19] This version acts as the Avengers' headquarters after the destruction of the Avengers Mansion in the pilot episode "The Avengers Protocol". In the episode "Avengers Disassembled", part of the tower is destroyed after Iron Man destroys his arc reactor to stop
Ultron from taking over his satellites.
Introduced in The Avengers,[22] this version is located in
Midtown Manhattan and powered by its own independent arc reactor, capable of sustaining itself for a year without any cost to the city. The tower's unique power sustainability leads
Loki to use it to harness the
Tesseract and transport the
Chitauri army to Earth. After the battle between Loki's forces and the Avengers, the upper levels of the tower are destroyed. However, Stark and
Pepper Potts are later seen planning to rebuild and revise it. Furthermore, the tower sits on top of the
MetLife Building, with Stark purchasing the building and
deconstructing its upper half to accommodate the construction of Stark Tower.[23]
In Avengers: Age of Ultron,[25] the Tower is the Avengers' main base and features a lounge area, three laboratory areas, a machine room, a gym, a relaxation area, and a locker room. There, Stark and
Bruce Banner work on a project and create
Ultron. The Avengers host a celebratory party there where Rogers invites
Sam Wilson to attend and Stark invites
James Rhodes. After the party, Ultron reveals himself and attacks the Avengers. Later, the Avengers return to the Tower along with new recruits
Wanda Maximoff and
Pietro Maximoff,[26] where the android
Vision is created.
In Doctor Strange, the Tower is seen in an establishing shot before
Stephen Strange's car accident and again during Strange's battle with
Kaecilius' Zealots in the Mirror Dimension.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming,
Happy Hogan is inside the Tower getting the last of the Avengers' items transported onto a cargo plane, as the Tower is being sold.
In Avengers: Endgame, an alternate version of the Tower appears when Stark, Rogers, and
Scott Lang quantum time travel to an alternate 2012 timeline to retrieve the
Space and Mind Stones. Rogers ends up dueling his alternate self in the Tower.
Stark Tower appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. After the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier UNN Alpha is damaged in an attack of
Doctor Doom's
Masters of Evil, Tony Stark offers his property as a provisional base of operations. The heroes are based there up until the mission in the Valley of Spirits, after which they relocate to
Doctor Strange's
Sanctum Sanctorum. Near the end of the game, the heroes return to Stark Tower to free it from Doom's control.
Stark Tower is featured in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. This version serves as a rescue shelter and a temporary hospital during the
symbiote invasion, housing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, caravans, airships and un-infected civilians, as well as electric barricades to keep symbiotes out.
Avengers Tower appears as a hub level in Marvel Heroes. Both playable and non-playable heroes, as well as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents can be seen at the tower.
Avengers Tower appears as a stage in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. In the game's story, it is relocated to New Metro City following the merging of the worlds, and serves as the headquarters for the allied heroes.