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Avengers Tower
Loki’s a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered… Sonofabitch!
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr)
The filming of Avengers began on April 25, 2001 in New Mexico at the Albuquerque studios. Afterwards, Joss Whedon’s team moves to Pittsburgh and then to Cleveland where the biggest part of the famous final battle is to take place, when Iron Man and his friends try to counter the attacks launched by Loki. A bravura piece of work consisting of an extremely ambitious sequence shot, which required very complex logistics. For Whedon, it seems obvious that the film’s epic conclusion must be set in New York. After all, this is the city of Marvel! The director then wants to sack Manhattan to, in his words: “make the city look like it did when I grew up there in the ’70s” There’s only one way to do that: unleash an iconic villain and pit him against a motley crew of superheroes to orchestrate some totally spectacular urban guerrilla sequences.
Decorator James Chinlund chose to erase the MetLife Building and replace it with the Stark Tower. For him, this urban environment, immediately recognizable, is a perfect fit. As he walks down Park Avenue, he can easily imagine Iron Man flying over the city, on his way to confront a terrible enemy. It was then that Tyson Bidner, the person in charge of the filming locations, managed to make numerous agreements with the people in charge of the surrounding buildings to map them. Big Apple is ready for the Avengers! Nevertheless, for the purposes of the film, even New York needs a stand-in. Joss Whedon and his actors set up shop in Cleveland, on 9th Street, which was made up for the occasion to resemble Manhattan’s 42nd Street as closely as possible.
Reserve soldiers are even hired to shoot alongside Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Michael T. Landis, a sergeant of the General Staff, did not fail to welcome the initiative by stressing that the use of real soldiers played a lot in the realism of the sequence and that the fact of having asked the army to get involved, contributed to give a more positive image of the latter.
Although it remains invisible on the screen, the MetLife Building has nevertheless somehow witnessed the famous battle of New York. A pivotal event in the MCU during which many elements were set up for the sequel. The ambitious realization of a fantasy long held by comic book fans, partly filmed in New York. And even if the city was finally not very busy, it’s hard not to raise your eyes to the sky when you find yourself at the foot of the MetLife Building, waiting to see Iron Man land, pursued by one of the terrifying Chitauri leviathans…
The final Phase 1 film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers brings together some of the House of Ideas’ most iconic superheroes for the first time. A critical and public success, it earned 1.5 billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
21 explosions, 30 to 40 stuntmen, 350 extras, the figures for the single sequence of the battle of New York are off the charts.
MetLife Building
A once controversial giant, the MetLife Building stands out from the New York skyline with its imposing stature. This must-see skyscraper is located in one of Manhattan’s most desirable neighborhoods.
It was in 1963 that the building known as the Pan Am Building was inaugurated. Initiated by Pan American World Airways, it has 59 floors, 23 elevators and offers a surface of 260 000 m2.
With its 246 meters, it initially arouses the anger of New Yorkers because it partially masks the famous Park Avenue.
Nevertheless, over the years, when in 1991, following the bankruptcy of Pan Am, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company group bought it, the building, named MetLife Building, found its legitimacy. Today, it is difficult to imagine New York without it.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Electronic Helmet The Avengers Hasbro Marvel Legends - Iron Man
Become one of the most powerful Avengers with this Iron Man helmet
From the Marvel Legends collection, wow your loved ones with this full-size high-end helmet. The eyes light up with two LED bulbs, and the front of the helmet is magnetized and can be detached and then connected to the top. Comfortable and suited to most morphologies, the Iron Man Marvel Legends helmet is very detailed and teeming with realistic sound effects.
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By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !