New Fantastic Four Theme Revealed at D23

Movies

Now that D23, Disney’s big fan expo held in Anaheim, California, has begun, you can be sure plenty of Marvel updates are on their way. The first comes from the Music of Marvel panel, in which a group of MCU composers – Christophe Beck of the Ant-Man films, Laura Karpman of The Marvels, What If…?, and Ms. Marvel, and Kristen Anderson Lopez and Bobby Lopez of Agatha All Along, discussed what goes into making Marvel music. But the big reveal was the premiere of the Fantastic Four theme from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That film is scored by Michael Giacchino of The Incredibles, Doctor Strange, John Carter, and the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films. Giacchino has also scored some of Abrams’ T.V. shows, Alias, Lost, and Fringe. You can hear Giacchino’s Fantastic Four theme below:

Michael Giacchino’s full score for ‘THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS’ has arrived! 4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/iY4VwDvSuI

— Fantastic Four Updates (@F4Update) August 9, 2024

My appreciation of film music is usually a process, with a few exceptions where it’s just flat-out great right away. (These are your classics: Star Wars, Superman, Batman, Indiana Jones, etc.) The Fantastic Four theme is no different, and I’ve listened to it a few times to try to get a feel for it – or a feel for my feel for it, I guess. At first, I was convinced it would be as boring as the movie’s title because it starts slow, with a sort of boppy opening, for lack of a better term. It feels flat and sort of childlike, more fitting for Giacchino’s Pixar stuff than a superhero movie; I think the intention at this stage is to emphasize the bright, hopeful sense of wonder that goes with the Fantastic Four, and that isn’t a bad idea, but it didn’t really work for me… until the about 45 seconds in.  This is when the more sinister tones begin, suggesting a mounting danger. Now, the opening makes more sense, a soothing lullaby before the storm; this isn’t a graceful transition so much as an interruption, evil intruding on a peaceful night, imperiling those who simply want to be with their families. And that leads to the theme proper, the heroic arrival of the Fantastic Four to save the day. This theme is telling a story in itself, and I love that.

From here, it’s a mix, which I think indicates that the Fantastic Four are trying to return the world to its peaceful state by taking on the bad guys. This is also, I imagine, what will be known as the Fantastic Four theme, and I like it. It’s growing on me, much like Captain America’s theme did; I’m trying to do it justice by visualizing an action sequence set to it, which is difficult because everyone who wasn’t in Hall H at Comic-Con doesn’t know what The Fantastic Four: First Steps will look like yet. It may be useful to watch a scene from the Fantastic Four cartoon from the 90s (or whichever one is your preference, but I loved that one) with the sound turned down and the new theme playing. But on its own, I like it so far. I’m not sure how I feel about them saying “Fantastic Four” towards the end. I understand what they’re getting at; many of these themes are designed so that you can hear the main character’s name, like the John Williams Superman theme or the Captain America theme by Alan Silvestri. But I prefer that to be something you discover, not something the music literally tells you by having vocals.

Still and all, I’m happy with Michael Giacchino’s Fantastic Four theme after a few listens. It’s not as good as the Avengers theme (which has been my ringtone for years), but it’s appropriately heroic. I hope the movie does it justice, and I’m looking forward to seeing it in the context of the film.