# In Avengers, why don't they simply destroy the Stark Tower? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461 "2015-09-25T06:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/1 "2015-09-25T06:29:40Z")
…instead of dropping an H-Bomb on Manhattan. Seems to me that simply knocking down even part of the Tower would be sufficient to break the Tesseract’s beam. By “they” I mean the World Secuity Council. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/2 "2015-09-25T13:56:58Z")
Good point, but I think even the WSC would think twice about taking on Stark Industries. Easier to fight aliens from another dimension with giant metal dragon-worms. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/3 "2015-09-25T14:14:59Z")
Nobody knew about the deus ex machina that all the aliens would drop dead if the connection was broken. The World Security Council was looking at a situation where an invading army of aliens had successfully landed on Earth. At the moment they were all still concentrated in one location but within a matter of hours they were presumably going to spread out and conquer the world. Once they dispersed, they’d be unbeatable. So the only option to save the world seemed to be destroying them while they were still concentrated at the invasion site - even if that meant sacrificing New York City. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/4 "2015-09-25T14:19:57Z")
There’s also the fact that one or more of the members may have been Hydra, so nuking NYC may have been the better option for them. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/5 "2015-09-25T14:22:58Z")
Doubtful, since Pierce had to zap all of them when they objected to Project Insight. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/6 "2015-09-25T14:25:42Z")
Was there anything in the movie to indicate the WSC knew that the tesseract device was physically located on the roof of the Stark building? Tony figured it out, but he and the rest of the Avengers snuck off the helicarrier. Fury may have figured it out/reviewed the hidden security cams, but he wasn’t too happy with the WSC at the moment. So they might not have had any idea there was something on the Earth side keeping the portal open. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/7 "2015-09-25T14:29:28Z")
Manhattan was already swarming with alien invaders. Even if they broke the tesseract gate and stopped more from coming through, the aliens who already came through could do a lot of damage if they established a beachhead on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/8 "2015-09-25T14:38:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Doubtful, since Pierce had to zap all of them when they objected to Project Insight. Those were different people though. Maybe they were all replaced after the Avengers. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/9 "2015-09-25T14:44:55Z")
Did they actually show their faces in _Avengers_? I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/10 "2015-09-25T16:57:53Z")
simple answer - the WSC was interested in contain the threat - in doing so, they also destroyed Stark Tower and they (assumed) the portal. We can only assume they were not privvy to IM findings with relation to destroying the portal. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/11 "2015-09-25T17:02:53Z")
I just assumed that was the default reaction of Shadowy Movie Politicians whenever the Godzilla Threshold has been crossed. When the Guns of Navarone had to be silenced, they sent in a crack team of commandos. When Stark Tower needed to be shut down, just nuke the place. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/12 "2015-09-25T17:03:51Z")
But the aliens were entering from the skyhole. A skyhole caused by the beam emitted from the Tesseract. Surely, destroying the building would end the chances of anymore aliens entering? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/13 "2015-09-25T17:50:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Did they actually show their faces in _Avengers_? I can’t remember. Their faces were in shadow, but recognizable - at least Powers Boothe and Jenny Agutter were. If IMDB is to be believed, Agutter was the only WSC member who also showed up in Captain America:TWS. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-avengers-why-dont-they-simply-destroy-the-stark-tower/732461/14 "2015-09-25T21:32:06Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > There’s also the fact that one or more of the members may have been Hydra, so nuking NYC may have been the better option for them. It \*is \*the only way to be sure.