When a new Marvel film comes out, I am always interested in its music. If I look at it from a generic point of view, I can divide the music into two main categories. The first category is a traditional orchestral score, like the ones Alan Silvestri did for the Avengers films or what Laura Karpman wrote for one of the most recent additions to the franchise with Captain America: Brave New World. The other category is music from Marvel movies that lend themself perfectly to creating something completely different music-wise. Outstanding examples are Ant-Man, with an outstanding heist score by Christophe Beck, and the perfect film music for Black Panther, which blends the sounds of the orchestra with hip-hop and many African elements. The latest addition to the Marvel universe is the movie Thunderbolts*. When I looked at the trailers for that movie, I noticed that it would not be a traditional Marvel superhero film, which was confirmed for me when I saw the announcement that Son Lux would be responsible for writing the score.
Son Lux is a three-member experimental band comprising Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang. As a band, they do not have much experience composing for films as Lott is the only one with several soundtracks by himself. However, their first contribution together was quite a banger, as they wrote the music for Everything Everywhere All at Once, which got them an Oscar nomination. Thunderbolts* would be their second film, and according to their interview on Score: the podcast they have been working on it for around two years, starting by reading the script and visiting the set while composing the music for it.
You only need to listen to the album for a few minutes to hear that the music is not a traditional score for an action movie. As I expected, the music is not a conventional orchestral score, and while you hear some orchestral elements, it is definitely not the primary focus. In the music you hear a lot of different patterns and all kinds of sounds. When you do encounter an orchestral sound, it is usually with fewer instruments than a full orchestra, or the music has been transformed by some heavy postprocessing.
To get an idea of the music, I recommend listening to the last track on the album, “Thunderbolts*,” which is a suite containing the musical ideas that you can hear within the rest of the score. There are two main melodies in it, which flow wonderfully into each other. The first is a beautiful melody line by the strings, reflecting that the anti-heroes are humans too, and the second one is more like a low musical foundation representing them as heroes. I even hear some hint to the Avengers theme in it, which also gets its own due with a small nod in “Welcome to the Watchtower.” These two melodies that Son Lux has created can be heard throughout the score, making it an anchor that binds all these new patterns and sounds together. I also love that this theme is used for the Thunderbolts as a group instead of giving each member their own recognizable themes.
If I have to describe the music for Thunderbolts* in one word, I would say that the music is ‘unusual,’ which fits the film perfectly since it is not a traditional Marvel one. While watching the movie, I kept listening to what the music was doing, and I think it fits this movie style well. Being a hero film means a lot of action sequences, and I enjoyed what Son Lux has done with the music during these by keeping the music interesting instead of going for some traditional percussion ostinatos like many other movies do, as can be heard, for example, in “I’m Not Here for You” or “Penthouse Fight.” With that said, while I think that the execution of the score was well done, it is not as suited for me to relisten without the film, but the music for Thunderbolts* is nonetheless a unique and refreshing addition to the Marvel universe.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack from Amazon or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- There’s Something Wrong with Me (1:32)
- I Needed That Face (0:43)
- The Light Inside You Is Dim (1:22)
- Last Assignment (1:46)
- I’m Not Here for You (2:41)
- Countdown (2:22)
- Forest Memory (1:06)
- The Climb (1:46)
- Walker’s Memory (1:01)
- Preparing for Lethal (2:07)
- Every Man for Himself (1:00)
- Maybe We’ll All Get Out of Here Alive (2:00)
- First Flight (1:25)
- Limo Chase (2:04)
- It’s Bucky! (1:16)
- Welcome to the Watchtower (1:03)
- To Be Chosen (1:31)
- For the Glory (0:50)
- Left the Door Unlocked (0:57)
- Introducing Sentry (0:44)
- Unimpeachable (1:17)
- Penthouse Fight (1:22)
- It’s Not Robert You Need to Be Afraid Of (1:19)
- I Don’t See Your Mistakes (1:34)
- No Use Fighting (3:06)
- Yelena’s Choice (1:53)
- Searching for Bob (1:58)
- The Attic (1:23)
- Show Us the Worst (1:29)
- You Can’t Even Save Yourself (2:57)
- Not Alone (2:50)
- Thunderbolts* (3:27)
Total length: 54 minutes
Hollywood Records (2025)
