As the Marvel Universe has grown and shaped itself, there are constants to the scope of building a superhero franchise. There must always be a good story, and the story must be told through words, acting, and world building – including music. It could be argued that music is the most important part of the Marvel universe’s building blocks. It’s music that helps immerse the characters in the story, it provides the beats that pull the audience into the story.
At San Diego Comic Con, Marvel brought a legendary collection of composers to their panel on the anatomy of a superhero Panelists included Amie Doherty, Natalie Holt, Chris Beck, with notable credits including Loki, Obi-wan Kenobi, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Batman, and much much more! It takes a lot to use music to tell a good story, but it takes twice as much to immerse audiences in their stories the way they have since since superheroes have taken the public eye.
The panel opened with the moderator sharing that the 8th panel focusing on superhero composing would have three new female composers. The panel was full of firsts including Doherty being a fellow at the legendary fellowship with Skywalker Sound and Holt, the first female composer to score in the Star Wars franchise. The panel was moderated by Michael Giacchino, composer of Thor: Love and Thunder, Jurassic World: Dominion, and the iconic The Batman.
Doherty opened with some clips that she sent to Marvel to show them she could do she-hulk including her work on Dreamworks’s Spirit: Untamed and the Jurassic World Short “Battle at Big Rock.” Doherty shared that she’s not quite finished scoring the show, as well as Jennifer Walters will be green – an incredible unusual factoid! (one of the best parts about comic con is the sense of humor people bring to panels.)
Christopher Beck brought a clip from Wandavision, namely the iconic scene where Wanda creates Westview. Beck also shared that he’s working on Ant-Man: Quantumania. Nami Melumad shared there was a Thor: Love and Thunder deleted scene with choirs singing and showed the end credit scene of Love and Thunder – the introduction of Hercules!
The composer’s panel always showcases the best and brightest of film’s musical stars, people who pull us into the story. With the addition of showing how that universe has expanded and how many firsts musical film has seen recently, the future has never looked brighter – or more exciting – in terms of story, self, or sound.