Laura Karpman, composer of the spin-off MCU series, talks about creating her own themes while blending existing themes.
second season release of what if…? is just around the corner, and MCU fans are eagerly awaiting more mind-bending conundrums. Details have yet to be revealed, but an interview with the composer of the series, Laura Karpman You will find that you can hear different musical styles. She said she spoke with Collider about the process, drawing from the themes of her other MCU films and adding something new.
“Listen, I’m working on three projects for Marvel, and for this one in particular, I was like, ‘What are we dealing with? So are we dealing with Marvel movies? Are we working with Guardians of the Galaxy? Are we working with Black Panther? Are we working with a combination of those?” , the second thought was, “Okay, if it’s a combination, what…” There was one place where T’Challa was Star-Lord, right? So what theme do you draw from? Will we pull from Black Panther? Will we pull from Guardians? Will we do something new? Is there anything you want to accomplish musically with this particular episode?” And of course, there’s The Watcher and his whole world, his themes, and everything in between.
what if…? It literally explores multiple possibilities such as ‘what if Ultron wins’. The story then proceeds from there into independent episodes loosely connected by a mysterious being called The Watcher. We don’t know the premise of all episodes of season 2, but they may be inspired by MCU films released after the first season. Eternals, Doctor Strange and the Mad Multiverse, Spider-Man: No Way Home, When Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Hela is Thor: Ragnarok Appears in Season 2.
what if…?The composer says she has one main rule
In a world that breaks the rules of conventional storytelling, it makes sense that composers have few rules. Kaufman’s only “monster rule” is not to look at sheet music when using themes from other of his MCU composers.
“If you choose, there is material that you can draw from. I mean, there is existing material. If you want to use some of Ludwig’s [Göransson]or Alan Silvestri’s music, or anyone who’s ever worked in the MCU, think how they want to do it. And he has only one kind of monster rule to me when it comes to using the great themes that the composer wrote. That is, you don’t actually look at the sheet music. I think it feels like a show if it somehow gets through my brain, so I do it all by ear. That way, you’ll feel like you have your own influence instead of drawing exactly from what’s written. ”
what if…? Season 2 is set to release in early 2023 on Disney Plus. The cast varies from episode to episode, but it’s possible that Jeffrey Wright will return to voice The Watcher. The series is created by AC Bradley, directed by Brian Andrews, and has music by Laura Karpman. The first season began streaming on August 11, 2021.