Convention - SDCC 2025 : 11th Musical Anatomy of a Superhero Panel – When Film Music Becomes the Beating Heart of Heroes

By Mulder, San Diego, Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, Indigo Ballroom, 24 july 2025

On July 24, 2025, the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel once again became a temple for those who understand that music in film is not just an accessory, but a living, breathing character. The 11th edition of the Musical Anatomy of a Superhero and Other Heroes panel, produced by Costa Communications and sponsored by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and SCL, was one of the highlights of Comic-Con 2025 in San Diego. Hosted with warmth, humor, and decades of musical prestige by Michael Giacchino, the session offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creativity of Mick Giacchino, Brandon Roberts, Alex Seaver, and Simon Franglen, with the honorary participation of Ian Chang, who was absent but credited, and who was also part of this year's prestigious list of participants. For fans, it wasn't just a technical discussion, but an emotional journey through the art of composing for heroes, antiheroes, and worlds far beyond our own, punctuated by never-before-seen images and unreleased tracks from Avatar: Fire and Ash and Fantastic Four: First Steps.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the conference was how each composer revealed their earliest sources of inspiration. Mick Giacchino spoke with nostalgic reverence about John Williams' Close Encounters of the Third Kind, calling it the perfect embodiment of music as a universal language. He lightened the mood with a story about the voice-activated R2-D2 from his childhood, still in working order, which once brought Michael Giacchino a beer. Alex Seaver, who has just completed a grueling six-year project, credited How to Train Your Dragon with sparking something in his creative mind and painted a humorous picture of himself as a child covered in chicken pox in his underwear, happily glued to his Game Boy. Brandon Roberts named The Empire Strikes Back as the moment he woke up to music, calling it perfection, while Simon Franglen cited Blade Runner as proof that a single note could convey an entire emotional universe, a perspective born from his early years as a studio musician obsessed with synthesizers.

The excerpts and panel discussions offered fans something much rarer than a promotional teaser: candid insights into creative problem-solving and personal connections to their work. Describing his score for The Penguin, Mick Giacchino confessed that the project was a dream come true for a longtime Batman fan, praising Colin Farrell's transformative performance and Cristin Milioti's magnetic presence. Alex Seaver shared a surprisingly moving account of teaching a new invented language for Arcane to a children's choir, a creative freedom he admits he will never be able to experience again. Brandon Roberts detailed the tightrope act of blending Nicholas Britell's musical palette for Andor with the legacy of John Williams, noting that Tony Gilroy's musical instincts make the collaboration feel “like being in a band.” For his part, Simon Franglen lifted the veil on his immersive compositional process for Avatar: Fire and Ash, explaining how thematic evolution intertwines with the film's visual construction, and teased fans with a glimpse of the artistic concepts for the highly anticipated third installment.

What made this conference so captivating was the camaraderie between the composers, often punctuated by Michael Giacchino's dry humor. There was a sense of mutual respect and creative complicity, even when they discussed the pressures of the industry. When asked about the challenge of balancing personal creativity with the commercial demands of composition, Alex Seaver admitted that the pressure to make every moment in the studio count could be stifling, while Michael Giacchino reminded everyone that “the more you fail, the better you get at what you do.” The discussion took a philosophical turn when the rise of AI in music creation was brought up. Michael Giacchino presented it as one tool among many, but emphasized that audiences will always need the human element, that “struggle” that, according to Mick Giacchino, gives music its soul.

Perhaps the most revealing exchanges came when the conversation turned to musical signatures and influences. Michael Giacchino openly admitted to using recurring chord progressions that he tries to hide and reinvent, while Simon Franglen talked about creating grooves that “make your head and feet move.” Their musical tastes, which range from ELO and Queen to Rage Against the Machine and Killing Joke, underscore how eclectic influences shape the soundscape of superheroes. On the subject of composing for theme parks, Simon Franglen offered a fascinating insight into how composing for attractions such as Flight of Passage requires both a precise emotional focus on each moment and expansive, ambient “world music” that convinces visitors they are far away from Florida.

The most moving moment for many was when Michael Giacchino unveiled his upcoming work on Fantastic Four: First Steps, comparing the tonal ambition to a mix between The Right Stuff and the Disney Main Street Electrical Light Parade, a description that immediately resonated with the audience. Coupled with Simon Franglen's hints about the evolution of themes in Avatar: Fire and Ash, it was clear that this panel wasn't just celebrating past achievements, but offering a tantalizing glimpse of the cinematic experiences that will dominate screens in the months to come.

At the end of the panel, Michael Giacchino left the room filled with composers and fans with a piece of advice as simple as it was profound: Stay true to your friends and create together. In an era when film music can be as digitally polished as it is emotionally raw, the 11th edition of the Musical Anatomy of a Superhero panel reminded us that, at its core, this art form thrives on collaboration, shared passion, and the deeply human desire to tell stories through sound. For those in attendance, the hour not only demystified the technical side of the art, but also reaffirmed the emotional heart that keeps the superhero genre—and cinema itself—alive.

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Photos and video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville