The use of music has always been important to the MCU, both through its inclusion of powerful orchestral melodies and the latest pop hits. Ms. Marvel's premiere episode took advantage of one recent pop banger to open the series with The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights," which played while Kamala Khan recounted the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Black Panther featured a particularly memorable musical suite as it included both an orchestral score by Ludwig Göransson and a soundtrack of original hits from rap legend Kendrick Lamar - including the chart-topping "All the Stars."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is only five months away and is expected to bring with it an all-new hit soundtrack. But even four years later, the beloved originals from the Black Panther soundtrack continue to be played by many, and one song almost made it into Ms. Marvel.
Black Panther Song Almost Used in Ms. Marvel
In a recent thread of tweets, Ms. Marvel writer Bisha K. Ali revealed Episode 2 almost featured the song "The Ways," by Khalid and Swae Lee, from the Black Panther soundtrack.
The writer described how she first discovered the Black Panther song as her husband while working on the second installment as thought it "would be so cool to introduce it to the MCU:"
"Me to husband while working on Ep 2, playing a song on repeat: I love this song, wonder if we could use it. Would be so cool to introduce it to the MCU. Really speaks to the vibe in my heart—
Him: Um… I don’t think so—
Me: Why not?! Sana will be into it too I bet—"
Ali's husband then encouraged her to "check the album it's from" and she left the idea behind:
"Him: I’m sure everyone at work loves that song. Why don’t you check the album it’s from?
Me: Oh. Yeah, fair enough. I didn't bring it up."
Can the MCU Re-Use Songs?
Ultimately, including "The Ways" in Ms. Marvel probably wouldn't have been a significant obstacle for the Disney+ series. Much of Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther soundtrack never actually appeared in the blockbuster flick but was simply inspired by it, and the song in question was among those excluded from the big screen.
Who knows what other recent bangers will make it into the rest of Ms. Marvel, especially since the premiere already included the likes of The Weeknd. With Khalid and Swae Lee's "The Ways" having been in consideration for the follow-up episode, there's no doubt there are plenty more recognizable hits to come.
After how popular the Black Panther soundtrack proved to be, Marvel Studios will likely be looking to replicate that success with Wakanda Forever. Who knows whether Lamar will be back to produce as he has just finished his own album and is preparing to go on tour, but the studio likely won't struggle to find a host of new artists to fill the roster.
Ms. Marvel Episode 2 will premiere on June 15, exclusively on Disney+.
