The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand withIronheart, the long-awaited Disney+ series that picks up where 2022’sBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverleft off. That movie introduced MCU audiences to the brilliant Riri Williams, who made a big impact on the film but hasn’t been seen since. Williams is back in a big way inIronheart, a series which not only explores her personal journey and technological prowess, but expands on the mystical side of the MCU with characters like the Hood.
To its benefit,Ironheartcontinues what seems to be a recent MCU trend of changing what it means to sound like a Marvel movie. In this case, that’s thanks toThe InvitationandStrayscomposer Dara Taylor, who wrote music that evoked both the mechanical and mystical sides of the series. The result is an MCU score like no other, with synthesizer sounds tailored to emphasize Riri Williams’ genius, and musical signatures inspired in part by the score ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.
ScreenRantinterviewed composer Dara Taylor about taking her first steps into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with theRobert Downy Jr.-approvedIronheart. Taylor explained the unique sonic world of the series, broke down how she approached key musical themes, and discussed how Riri Williams’ personality dictated its sound. Plus, Taylor offered a tease of what to expect from her next project—the Ben Stiller-produced pickleball comedyThe Dink.
Separating The Mystical From The Mechanical
Taylor Created A Big Contrast Between Riri Williams & Parker Robbins
Early Marvel Cinematic Universe projects were often criticized for pitting their heroes against antagonists with the same basic set of strengths. Both Captain America and Red Skull had taken super soldier serum, Iron Man fought Iron Monger, and Ant-Man took on the similarly small Yellowjacket.Ironheart, on the other hand, is set to see Riri Williams go up against a magic-wielding antagonist. For Taylor, this meant writing music that helped audiences feel–not just see–the difference between its hero and villain.
“With a lot of the Riri stuff,”she said,“her mind never stops working–for better or worse. She’s constantly on, she’s constantly thinking, trying to tinker, [and] trying to figure out how she got in the predicament she got into [and] how to get out of it.The music pairs with that, so there are a lot of synthetic things.Most of the orchestra you’ll hear during the very Ironheart, Riri-centric, stuff will be doubled with synths so it’ll still feel big and epic, but there’s also this techie element to it.”
For Parker Robbins, aka the Hood, Taylor took a different approach.“The Hood itself has more eerie, mystical, almost quasi-pagan elements to it,”she shared.“There are some really distorted solo violins … and a lot of eerie vocal textures, guttural grunts and whispers, and gothic melodies.”
Dara Taylor Got The Job Offer At The Worst Possible Moment
“‘Are You Ready To Join The MCU?’”
Ironheartsees a tech-savvy young hero taking on baddies with magical powers, and Dara Taylor joined the dark side to land the gig:“I sacrificed about four goats.”
In reality, Taylor composed a demo to pitch herself for the role.“Then,”she said,“I did some fixes on that demo, and then I waited for a couple months because people are busy and it takes time to get feedback on stuff. So I figured, ‘Okay, well, it was a long shot.’”
But then, Taylor got a text from music supervisor Dave Jordan–at the worst possible time.“It was right before I was going to go into a recording session for another movie,”Taylor revealed.“We were, I don’t know, 15 seconds to downbeat, and it just said, ‘Are you ready to join the MCU?’”
“My brain was going all of the places,”Taylor said, adding,“I’m pretty sure I paid attention to maybe the first couple of takes … you just have to compartmentalize as best you can. But … [I’m] still kind of in disbelief, even though it’s here, that it all happened.”
How Ironheart’s Music Relates To Black Panther: Wakanda Forever & Iron Man
“They Each Have Their Own Percussive Heartbeat”
Ironheartwas designed to stand apart from its MCU predecessors–”They wanted them to be their own entities,”Taylor said–but there are still some small, but important, ways it connects to other properties. The first isBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. “There was one moment, actually, in the script [for] episode three where they referenced some talking drums,”Taylor said,“so I added a tiny little bit of talking drums, which is a big element of Ludwig [Göransson’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever] score. Blink and you miss it, but I know it’s there and the writer knows it’s there.”
But there is one way in which the two projects are linked in spirit.“I did end up using a decent amount of bucket drums to talk to the Chicago of it all,”Taylor revealed,“so you can correlate the bucket drums [in Ironheart] to the African drumming [in Wakanda Forever.] They each have their own percussive heartbeat that relates to their location.”
Riri Williams’ MCU adventure also has ties to the franchise that started it all. When asked if the character or music ofIron Manwas in Taylor’s mind as she scored the series, she said“Not so much,”but revealed fun ties that suggest the “not so much” was still meaningful.“There are some moments where I incorporated the sounds of the HUD and the sound design elements within the quirkier part of the score,”Taylor shared,“They’re put in there and they’re timed, so they’re rhythmic.”
Also, she revealed,“There are some elements that tie [Ironheart] to a different character from Iron Man. A lot of piano things, which are reminiscent of some Iron Man stuff, which is as close as I can get [to telling you]. But if you read the blog you can probably figure it out.”
“She’s her own person, but there are little nods to other things at times.”
The Dichotomy Of Riri Williams
“There Were Two Sides To Riri”
Ironheart’s trailers hinted that the series will focus not only on Riri Williams’ journey as a hero, but also her quest to understand who she is beneath the suit.“There were two sides to Riri,”Taylor affirmed,“She’s trying to find herself, but she’s [also] trying to see, ‘Am I a hero?’”As a composer, Taylor leaned into that by writing a main theme melody“that can be heroic, or you can slow it down and put it in something kind of sad. It has the opportunity [to] be emotional [or] heroic.”
The character’s theme also has another melody, a counter melody that Taylor revealed“the supervising music editor called ‘badass fury,’”and which plays“anytime where she’s winning.” “She tries a lot,”Taylor said,“and she wins sometimes, and that is her anthem for her winning, whether it’s a physical fight or a fight of the wits.”
To bring all of this together, Taylor utilized sounds that not only emphasize different parts of Riri’s personality, but also highlight other crucial aspects.“I wanted to lean into the tech of it all,”she said,“but I also wanted it to be fun. She’s a cheeky character, so as dark as some things get, I always wanted to find a little bit of levity where I could. So, some of that goes into the synth sounds … a lot of the synths I chose were a little bouncier.”
What To Expect From Ben Stiller’s The Dink
“It’s Really A Character-Driven Film”
Ironheartis an exciting example of Dara Taylor’s versatility after her work onThe Invitationproved her thriller prowess andBarb and Star Go to Vista Del Marhighlighted her comedic abilities. With the MCU project now hitting screens, Taylor’s followup projects will soon come into clearer focus. One of those isThe Dink,the Ben Stiller-produced pickleball comedy that also sees the actor making a rare return to comedy acting. When asked what audiences can expect from the movie, Taylor said“There’s obviously a lot of comedy, but there’s also a lot of heart to it.”
“It’s really a character driven film,”the composer continued,“and the relationships that character has. But pickleball plays a very large role in the story, and the name itself is silly, so you can expect plenty of silliness.”
