| Baxter Building | |
|---|---|
 The original Baxter Building as depicted inFantastic Four Annual #1 (1963). Art by Jack Kirby. | |
| First appearance | Original version: Fantastic Four #3 (March 1961)[1] Current version: Fantastic Four vol. 3 #38 (February 2001) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Building |
| Location | New York City, U.S. |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
TheBaxter Building is a fictional 35-story office building appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byStan Lee andJack Kirby, the building first appeared inFantastic Four #3 (March 1962). The construction is depicted inManhattan, and its five upper floors house theFantastic Four's headquarters.[2][3][4][5]
The Baxter Building first appeared inFantastic Four #3 (March 1962) and was created byStan Lee andJack Kirby.[6] The Baxter Building was the first comic-book superhero lair to be well known to the general public in the fictional world.[7]
The Baxter Building is destroyed inFantastic Four #278 (May 1985), written and drawn byJohn Byrne. Explaining why he chose to destroy the iconic structure, Byrne said, "The FF's HQ building had long been established as 35 stories in height. Quite impressive in 1962, but not so much in 1980, when I came to the book. It didn't seem like I could just start referring to the building as taller than all those previous stories had made it, so I decided on something a wee bit more dramatic."[8]
Located at42nd Street andMadison Avenue inNew York City,[9] it had been built in 1949 by the Leland Baxter Paper Company. Originally designed as a high-rise industrial site to accommodate pulp recycling machinery to serve the mid-Manhattan area, each floor height is 24 feet (7.3 m).[6] The top five floors of the 35-story building were purchased outright by the Fantastic Four.[10]
The building'ssteel frame construction utilized the first application of "K bracing" in the world and is one of the strongest structures of its kind. The Baxter Building is located a few city blocks from theUnited Nations Building.Reed Richards has applied for many land-use zone variations to allow massive reconstruction of the top five floors for the installation of a heavily silenced silo, with a muffledrocket.
The design of the headquarters of the Fantastic Four is along strictly utilitarian lines, except for apartments and public areas. All aspects of the design are constantly being improved, including security. For example, windows are 2 ft (0.61 m) thick composites of various glasses and plastics which are mirrored on the outside. Solid, armored, exterior walls are also mirror-clad and are indistinguishable from transparent sections.
The top five sections of the Baxter Building are completely airtight; all doors are airlocks. Complete environmental support (including atmosphere) is provided by the area between elevators 2, 3, and 4 on all floors.
The buffer-zone is the interface between the top five floors and the lower levels. It provides a rapid-disconnect between upper and lower segments of building. It contains an array of large oil-rams to dampen any oscillations between the five upper levels and the base of the building. The buffer-zone contains some support equipment for the upper levels, but mostly it is the "mechanical floor", which provides heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and elevator support equipment for the lower 30 stories.
Arunning gag for years in the title was that thelandlord, Walter Collins, was initially eager to rent out to asuperhero team for the publicity and prestige, but he soon regretted his decision, as the building became a constant target for numerous attacks bysupervillains starting withFantastic Four #6 in whichDoctor Doom launched the entire building into outer space.[6] The attacks made things difficult not only for the Fantastic Four, but for the other tenants in the lower floors as well. Eventually, Reed Richards decided to invoke a clause of the rental agreement and bought the entire building to avoideviction.[10]
Eventually, the building was destroyed by Doctor Doom's adopted sonKristoff Vernard, who shot it into space and exploded it in a bid to murder the Fantastic Four.[11] It was replaced byFour Freedoms Plaza, built upon the same site.[12] After the Fantastic Four and other costumed heroes were presumed dead in the wake of their battle withOnslaught,[13] Four Freedoms Plaza was stripped clean of all the FF's equipment by Vernard and Reed Richards' fatherNathaniel, who sent it into theNegative Zone to keep it out of the hands of the United States military.[14]
Upon their return, the Fantastic Four could not move back into Four Freedoms Plaza, as it had been destroyed by theThunderbolts,[15] shortly after the revelation that they were actually theAvengers' longtime foes, theMasters of Evil. Thus, the Fantastic Four moved into a retrofitted warehouse along theHudson River which they named Pier 4.[16] The warehouse was destroyed during a battle withDiablo,[17] after which the team received a new Baxter Building, courtesy of Reed's former professor Noah Baxter. This Baxter Building was constructed in Earth's orbit and teleported into the vacant lot formerly occupied by the original Baxter Building and Four Freedoms Plaza.[18] The current Baxter Building's ground floor is used as a Fantastic Four gift shop and museum open to the public.
In the aftermath ofthe collapse of the multiverse, the Fantastic Four have disbanded as the Richards' family have gone on to reconstruct the multiverse,[volume & issue needed] leaving the Thing to join theGuardians of the Galaxy,[volume & issue needed] while the Torch is working as an ambassador for the Inhumans and a member of theAvengers Unity Squad.[volume & issue needed] As a result, the deserted Baxter Building was up for auction, until it was purchased to serve as the temporary headquarters ofParker Industries, much to the initial dismay of the Human Torch.[volume & issue needed] However,Peter Parker explained to the Torch that he outbidAlchemax, Hammer Industries, andRoxxon for the ownership of the building simply to keep it out of their hands, and will give the Baxter Building back when the Fantastic Four reunites. Witnessing a large sculpture of the FF in the entrance hall that was created by Alicia Masters, the Torch reflects that he is glad that the building is staying with family.[19] But when Parker Industries was destroyed duringSecret Empire,[20] it was sold out to an anonymous buyer and was shortly the headquarters of The Fantastix.[21] With the creation of a powerful portal through time and space, the building was once again destroyed by the Griever in an attempt to steal the portal.[volume & issue needed] The building then went missing, having been sent one year into the future by Reed in an act of desperation.[volume & issue needed]
An unnamed manor house owned by a Lord Baxter from Earth-311 appears in theMarvel 1602 miniseriesMarvel 1602: Fantastick Four. After renting it out from Lord Baxter, Sir Richard Reed equips it with an observatory and chemical laboratory.[volume & issue needed]
The Baxter Building ofEarth-21923 appears inOld Man Quill. This version was converted into a missile used to killLoki, with its remnants being sought after by individuals from other galaxies.[25]
The Baxter Building of Earth-802 appears in theSpider-Verse tie-in seriesScarlet Spiders. This version serves as a base and clone production facility overseen by Jennix of theInheritors, who also employs theHuman Torch as head of security beforeBen Reilly destroys the building.[volume & issue needed]
A government organization from Earth-1610 called theBaxter Foundation appears in theUltimate Marvel imprint. It is aUS governmentthink tank that offers exceptionally gifted children government positions in exchange for using their intelligence to serve their country. Additionally, their primary facility is overseen byGeneral "Thunderbolt" Ross, withWillie Lumpkin serving as head of security, while an Oregon facility is referenced.[volume & issue needed]
Reed and his cohorts use his fortunes to turn his company's headquarters, the Baxter Building, into an intelligence tower, from which his people monitor conflicts around the world and intervene when their services are needed
The Baxter Building, a gleaming skyscraper in the heart of Manhattan, serves as the Fantastic Four's home and base of operations.
The Fantastic Four even had their own skyscraper -the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill-style Baxter Building (all of these headquarters were revealed in panoptic cutaway views detailing the location of hangars, living quarters, training areas, and missile launchers).
Unlike previous superheroes, the Fantastic Four did not rely on double identities and disguises. In their alternate world they were celebrities headquartered in the Baxter building on New York's Fifth Avenue.
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