With the new year just around the corner, there’s a whole host of new Marvel projects to look forward to both on the big screen and at home. One such project, of course, is the multiverse animated series. What if…?which premiered in August 2021 and will return for a second season sometime in 2023.
The series stands out for many reasons, including the animation style, the unique twists on existing MCU stories, and the inclusion of a staggering number of actors reprising the roles they created in live action. However, one perhaps underestimated aspect of the series is the music composed by Laura Karpman — whose work also includes Ms. Marvel and upcoming movie Wonders - together with his wife Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum.
In a one-on-one interview with Collider, Karpman spoke about returning to What if for the second season, and what she loves so much about working on the series:
“Oh, I like it. What if…? The amazing thing is that every episode is different, so you sort of start over. So each episode is its own little world or big world. So it really is… It’s a series of little films, and it’s a pleasure. It’s a great concert.”
When asked if voicing each episode means being able to play different genres, Karpman quickly agreed, giving several examples of stories from the first season that varied greatly in tone:
So, in the first season, we had the zombie episode. We had an episode of “Captain Carter, Captain America.” So you had all the 40s stuff and The Hydra stuff. And then we had an episode with Doctor Strange, very emotional and about his relationship with the love of his life. And it stretches you. So one was horror… one was zombie horror, the other was like a 1940s war movie. The other was a love story. And so every time it’s like, “Okay, what do we have this time? What literal film genre are we exploring? And how are we going to make it and create it as part of the sound world that exists for the show.” ?”
When it comes to working with an industry giant like Marvel, it’s easy to worry that creative people will get sucked into a project and not show their own influence. Karpman says that this is not the case, and that the approach to each episode is collaborative, based on sources both new and pre-existing in the MCU.
Look, I’m working on three projects for Marvel. So in this, specifically, the rules are: “What are we working with? So we’re working on a Marvel movie? Are we working with the Avengers? Do we work with the Guardians of the Galaxy? Do we work with Black Panther? Are we working with a combination of them?” And then the second thought is, “Well, if it’s a combination, then what…” There was one where T’Challa was Star-Lord, right? So what topics do we draw from? Are we drawing from Black Panther? Are we drawing from Guardians? Are we doing something new? So every time you sit with the show’s creative directors and director Bryan Andrews, you have to think, “What do we want to achieve in this particular episode musically?” And, of course, we have the Observer, and his whole world, and his theme, and everything that includes.
So it’s one of those things where you have to make big decisions every episode. And in fact, it is the opposite of prescriptive. Although there are materials from which we can draw if we want. So, there are ready-made materials. If I want to use some Ludwig [Göransson]music by Alan Silvestri or anyone who has worked in the MCU, we’re thinking about how we want to do it. And I have only one monstrous rule for myself when it comes to using great themes written by composers, and that is that I never actually look at the sheet music. I do all this by ear because I think that if it somehow seeps into my brain, then it will be like a show. Then it will seem that I had my influence, and not just relied on what was written. And I think it’s also better for the show, because then it feels like something new.
What if…? The second season will premiere in 2023. Read our interview with Nate Mooremarvel producer Black Panther: Wakanda Forever below:
Source: Collider
