The following article contains spoilers for What If…?.
What If…?’s sixth episode takes plenty of visual cues from both Iron Man and Black Panther, yet in the latter’s case the references expand well into other human senses as the animated series repurposes parts of the movie's award-winning musical score to enhance its overall experience.
Besides anything related to the realm of special effects, the MCU’s comic book world really doesn’t get much recognition when award season rolls in, except for Black Panther. While the film is still widely regarded as one of the Marvel Studios’ best, its overall sound and score were at the time considered the movie industry’s finest, period.
Naturally, What If…? has mostly taken an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach when repurposing assets and music for each of its episodes, this is quite evident with the usage of Captain America’s theme from the show’s very start. However, this week’s Killmonger episode allows the musical side of things to shine even more, not only because visiting Wakanda requires it, but because Killmonger’s journey is just as emotional as it was in the film.
On top of that, the episode also features arguably What If…?’s biggest MCU type battle so far, albeit it being staged by Kilmonger for his own selfish purposes, which calls for the score to rise to the occasion to provide those “Wakanda Forever” and “For T’Challa” chants the right emotional punch they need. Those same African beats carry the episode until Killmonger meets T’Challa in the Ancestral Plane for a one on one conversation that really wouldn't be the same without the dreamy sounds from the movie.
Of course, none of this is an accident, as Black Panther’s score saw the working partnership between Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler blossom even more to ensure the film had just the right vibe. Both men, along with Michael B. Jordan had worked together in Coogler’s first two movies, Fruitvale Station and Creed, to create equally impressive sound experiences, even if they lacked the ethereal qualities Black Panther invokes.
Göransson’s research and trips across Africa were what inspired him to add so many odd and mysterious instruments to Black Panther’s score, and it’s that desire to delve into many tribal cultures that still make the Dora Milaje entering battle feel so real. Despite the smaller Disney Plus stage, all of this shines even when remixed to fit in What If…?'s world.
The icing on the cake is Killmonger's theme song, a mix of ancient African sounds that cuts into modern electronic beats for a blend of both cultures that perfectly represents the character’s unique background story. It’s this sound that signals to viewers early on, that after rescuing Tony Stark this is a Killmonger episode above all things.
Perhaps if this was a feature-length Killmonger movie, instead of just a What If…? episode, e creative team would have found time to fit in some snippets of Kendrick Lamar’s contribution to Black Panther’s soundtrack, because the West Coast rapper also represents part of Killmonger’s Oakland roots, which are ultimately what drives the character towards his misguided end goal.
By any metric, Killmonger is pretty evil in Black Panther, he's an extremist and a murderer but his cause and motives are somewhat relatable to the point that they allow T'Challa to learn from his cousin in order to eradicate similar threats in the future, which was something his father couldn't foresee. All of this is what makes him the villain he is, and like any good villain, his theme song fits him like a glove.
Black Panther's score took more time to produce than any other MCU film, and it's clear that being best friends with Coogler since they were college students played a part in the type of synergy seen in Göransson's work, but even then it's impossible to talk about what inspired it or how it's structured better than the man who composed it. Goranssson's own breakdown of his music surely allows for better usage of it in projects like What If...?, and it's clear the show's producer took to heart the tight relationship that exists between what was filmed and recorded for Black Panther.
Luckily, Göransson's recognition for his work in Black Panther has made him one of the most respected and coveted composers and music producers in the world. His score for The Mandalorian is part of what gives the series those space western vibes that make it stand out so much from anything created in the Star Wars universe, his fingerprints are all over Donald Glover's Childish Gambino music, and he's the person Christopher Nolan chose to write music for Tenet once the director knew the that Hans Zimmer was unavailable.
It's utterly impressive for an animated show like What If...? to be able to rely on the work of a composer as renowned as Göransson, yet that's precisely what having over a decade's worth of MCU content does for the series. Since Killmonger has a spot booked in What If...?'s final showdown, maybe that'll come with more spectacular musical moments, if not, there's no harm in waiting for Coogler and Göransson to join forces again in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.