WARNING: This article includes crucial spoilers for “Thunderbolts*,” currently showing in theaters.
When director Jake Schreier was approached to direct the 36th installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he recognized that he was set to create a unique take on the superhero genre.
Understanding that the film’s soundtrack needed to stand out, Schreier enlisted the help of innovative band Son Lux, comprised of Ryan Lott, Ian Chang, and Rafiq Bhatia, to craft an original score for the movie.
Thematic Exploration of Antiheroes
“Thunderbolts*” centers around a group of antiheroes: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), a former Black Widow agent; Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), known as the Winter Soldier; Yelena’s adoptive father and formidable Russian warrior Red Guardian (David Harbour); disgraced Captain America wannabe John Walker (Wyatt Russell); Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who possesses invisibility and intangibility; and Taskmaster (olga Kurylenko), a combat expert. After falling into a deadly trap orchestrated by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), these misfits embark on a mission that forces them to confront their past traumas.
Schreier collaborated with Son Lux from early in production, even before filming commenced. In an interview with Diversity, Lott shared, “We were brought onto this project because we could inherently bring an outsider energy.”
This collaboration proved fruitful. Schreier met with Son Lux weekly as ideas flowed—everything hinged on their interpretation of the script.
A standout piece is the Thunderbolts theme itself,which plays fully at the film’s conclusion. the composition begins with an eight-note motif featuring brass instruments before transitioning into strings as it builds towards its climax. Interestingly enough, this pivotal cue was one that Lott developed first.
Lott explained, “It has multiple components—a distinct bassline that can stand alone—and then there’s a counter melody that’s more aggressive followed by a primary melody. It was really this combination that pushed it over the edge for Jake.” He added, “Before he even heard what would become the main melody—just hearing those raw elements—was when he first said ‘That sounds like Thunderbolts*.’”
The initial instance where audiences will hear this theme occurs when Yelena visits her father’s home and gazes at an old photograph from her childhood soccer team—the Thunderbolts. Lott emphasized its emotional depth: “It’s not just about recognizing her soccer team but rather tapping into her memories and feelings of longing.” He elaborated on Yelena’s character arc: “She feels trapped and yearns for something more in life; she carries disappointment or regret.”
The theme is deconstructed throughout various scenes to mirror characters’ evolving perspectives within their collective journey. Bhatia noted how they aimed for familiarity within their score: “There’s an intention behind how it all comes together—it should evoke feelings of nostalgia so when you finally hear it in full form at last, it feels familiar.”
Cohesion Over Individuality
An additional approach taken by Son Lux involved scoring individual characters while considering whether each should have distinct themes or motifs. Lott remarked on these discussions early on with Schreier: ”One key question we faced was whether we should assign themes specific to each character based on their screen time or pairings.” He continued explaining how they arrived at realizing that focusing solely on individuality would be misguided as “the essence lies within their collective energy as they gradually unite.”
The only notable exception arose concerning Sentry—the film’s primary antagonist. According to Lott, “This character embodies critically important pain and turmoil beneath his imposing exterior.” Consequently,Sentry’s theme manifests throughout various moments across different contexts during runtime—including once during an intimate scene played softly through solo piano notes.