How Far Iron Man Moved Avengers HQ From Stark Tower

Iron Man relocated the headquarters of The Avengers out of New York City, but the MCU is inconsistent about how far the new facility is from Stark Tower. The Avengers Facility is introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron as a new headquarters for the team, and makes additional appearances throughout the Infinity Saga, but it’s never explicitly stated where exactly it’s located. A general area can be extrapolated, however, using specific details from Phase 3 of the MCU.

Marvel Comics is intrinsically linked to New York City and the greater New York Metropolitan area thanks to creators like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who set their stories in locations they were familiar with. Marvel puts a particular emphasis on relative realism for a fantasy franchise, juxtaposing the ordinary with the extraordinary and showing how realistic characters and real locations might be impacted by outlandish superpowers and other high-concept elements. Marvel Comics has always been based in New York, and their creators used the beloved city as the setting for most of their superhero adventures. While not as New York-centric as the comics, the MCU still puts a greater emphasis on the greater New York area than any other Earth location.

In its Age of Ultron debut, the Avengers Facility is listed as being in “Upstate New York,” a general and inconsistently-defined portion of New York state. Hank Pym refers to the facility as “Upstate” as well, with a map suggesting that it may be in the northern portion of New York State’s Capital District. The clearest answer to where the facility is located is in Avengers: Infinity War, which shows the Iron Spider suit being deployed to the skies about Manhattan to aid Peter Parker. The New York skyline is visible from the facility, suggesting that it’s located somewhere in Westchester County, New York.

The Avengers Facility’s Westchester location is supported by Spider-Man: Homecoming, which shows Peter Parker arriving at the facility by car, suggesting a short commute. If the building was in the Capital District, it’d be too far away for Peter to be driven there without the trip lasting most of the day, and the Iron Spider suit wouldn’t be able to reach Spider-Man so quickly either. The building’s “Upstate New York” description likely came from Joss Whedon, a New York City native. “Upstate New York” tends to be defined differently, depending on the New Yorker describing it, and New York City natives are known for calling anything North of The Bronx upstate.

Considering the tendency for superpowered threats and allies to reside in New York City, keeping the Avengers Facility close but not too close to Manhattan makes sense. Iron Man most likely moved the Avengers headquarters out of the densely populated Manhattan to protect its citizens but wisely didn’t stray too far. In the real world, Westchester County has some significance to Marvel Comics, as it’s the home of the X-Men superhero team, whose headquarters are in North Salem, only a short commute north of New York City.

The relocation of The Avengers has created a growing curiosity in the former Avengers Tower’s new owners. With Tony Stark selling the building in Homecoming, some have speculated that Reed Richards, Norman Osborn, Wilson Fisk, or Nathaniel Richards (Kang the Conqueror) purchased the former Stark Tower. With The Avengers Facility having been destroyed at the end of Avengers: Endgame, perhaps the team will find themselves in Manhattan once more, in the 5^th Avenue Mansion that The Avengers used as their main headquarters in the comics.

About The Author

David Miller
(618 Articles Published)

David Miller is a staff writer for Screen Rant, indie comic writer, and life-long lover of all things Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. He was born and raised in New York and has a degree in English from Rider University. He relates to Peter Parker maybe a little too much.

More From David Miller