Contradictheory: Merdeka 118, a raised hand reaching onwards

Merdeka 118's shape is meant to represent Tunku Abdul Rahman in Stadium Merdeka on Aug 31, 1957, shouting Merdeka! seven times. — Filepic/The Star

Merdeka 118 is slowly becoming one of my favourite landmarks in Kuala Lumpur. At 678.9m, it’s a towering column that dominates the skyline as the second-tallest building in the world. Its sharp, angular silhouette makes it instantly recognisable, a jagged exclamation mark in the middle of the city.

Not only that, it’s been seen around the world as the backdrop for the opening scene in Marvel’s Thunderbolts, in which Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) leaps off the building’s glass face head-first into action and adventure, while advertising Malaysia on a global scale.