Avengers: Endgame's Opening Song Is A Sly Meta Commentary About Marvel
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe charged down the home stretch of the Infinity Saga with "Avengers: Endgame," audiences were primed for three hours worth of falling action. The first part of this long-awaited finale (which kicked off ten years earlier with 2008's "Iron Man") concluded with Thanos activating the Infinity Gauntlet, which wiped out half of all life in the universe. We watched in shock as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther and others disintegrated into nothingness. Thanos had seemingly won the war. So this second part had to get all of the key players back in the game and stage the climactic battle that would end in triumph for our heroes.
We expected a whole lot of bombast. We did not expect Traffic.
The MCU films were always aware of their 1960s Silver Age origins. They played to the poppy aesthetic of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comics, which eschewed the mythic sweep of DC's godlike characters. Even when dealing with an actual god in Thor, the MCU movies were grounded in a recognizable reality. And one way they placed these characters in our world, even when they were adventuring in a far-off sector of space, was via needle-drop music cues.
"Iron Man" set the tone by peppering its soundtrack with songs by AC/DC, Suicidal Tendencies and, of course, Black Sabbath. "Guardians of the Galaxy" upped the ante by foregrounding its main character's 1970s-centric mixtape. We could connect with these super-powered individuals through a shared love of popular music.
So when the "Endgame" arrived, it was only right to draw moviegoers in with a vintage, late-'60s groove.
Dear Mr. Fantasy, play us a tune...
Traffic was a blue-eyed soul quartet fronted by Steve Winwood, whose most popular work of that era was recorded with the Spencer Davis Group and Blind Faith. But until he broke the band up for good in 1974, he thrived creatively with Traffic, especially on their debut album "Mr. Fantasy."
The title track of that LP is a bluesy, quasi-psychedelic song that you would never tab as the opening track for a superhero melee that wound up being (currently) the second-highest grossing movie worldwide. But directors Joe and Anthony Russo, keen to ease viewers into a film where half of humanity had been exterminated, heard the precise vibe they were looking to convey.
On the audio commentary for "Avengers: Endgame," the Russos, in conversation with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, discussed why they jettisoned the orchestral Marvel Studios fanfare in favor of Traffic.
Joe Russo: Now, this song [Steve Winwood's "Dear Mr. Fantasy"] was resonant for a lot of reasons. We felt like it was correct tonally, but we also thought that the lyrics were appropriate for Marvel, and what it's done, and the expectations from giant pop culture films.
Anthony Russo: This being the climactic movie of the 22-movie run, it was nice to comment on our experience of these movies.
Stephen McFeely: Did you have thought about needle drops in this as opposed to score? I don't think in "Infinity War," other than maybe a Guardians beat, that there are needle drops.
Anthony Russo: We did like the fact that it made things feel different, especially at that point in the movie. You know, it was an unusual choice. And the way that stood in contrast to "Infinity War." It was important again, because we're trying to let people know right away that this is a different story.
Something to make us all happy
The opening lyrics are absolutely spot-on for where "Avengers: Endgame" picks up the narrative. Check this out:
Dear Mister Fantasy, play us a tune
Something to make us all happy
Do anything, take us out of this gloom
Sing a song, play guitar, make it snappy
That's how we all felt walking into that movie. After the downer conclusion of "Avengers: Infinity War," we were in desperate need of a pick-me-up. To the film's credit, it wallows a bit in sadness before getting our heroes back into the fight. Even then, we don't for a second believe the surviving Avengers have a shot at taking down Thanos until the ultimate "Avengers Assemble" moment in the third act.
In any event, instead of a somber variation on the Marvel Studios theme, we get Traffic. It's a brilliant choice. And now that you're acquainted with the band, feel free to swan dive into their discography. When it came to blue-eyed soul, no one did it better.