The big new original series hitting Disney+ this month is Marvel’s “Ironheart”, which is set after the events of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Marvel Television’s “Ironheart” pits technology against magic when Riri Williams, determined to make her mark on the world, returns to her hometown of Chicago. Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself entangled with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, also known as “The Hood”.

Recently, I got to speak with the show’s composer, Dara Taylor about how she went about creating the score for “Ironheart”, which follows teen genius Riri Williams as she builds her own advanced armor and navigates grief, identity, and legacy, themes that Dara’s music explores with striking depth and texture. Her score fuses distorted synths, trap percussion, and orchestral layers into a genre-bending sound that mirrors Riri’s internal and external battles. One of the most moving elements: a real voicemail from Dara’s late father as inspiration for the score, underscoring the show’s emotional weight and Riri’s connection to her own sense of loss.

Dara is known for music that centres character and emotion, no matter the genre. She recently scored Universal’s R-rated comedy “Strays”, as well as the hit horror-thriller “The Invitation” and George Clooney’s coming-of-age film “The Tender Bar”. From irreverent comedy to supernatural horror to grounded drama, Dara brings a nuanced and contemporary voice to every project, and “Ironheart” is her most ambitious and personal work to date.

How did you get involved in doing music for TV and movies?

I don’t know. It seems like it is a very improbable job to have.  But I you know, growing up, I was always in the school courses and musicals and bands, and I played really mediocre clarinet like everyone else in the world. And, yeah, I always knew that I loved music, but I didn’t really know what to do with it because all I had really done was perform. And I knew that wasn’t really where I wanted to end up. But, in college, I’ve always listened to film scores.  I should have known earlier than I did because my ringtone was the theme from Gone with the Wind.

And that’s not a normal ringtone to have. But, I was sitting in my dorm room, sophomore year, listening to Harry Gregson-Williams’ “The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe”. And I had this moment, which feels weird.  You hear people talk about these moments, but you don’t think they’re real, and then you have one. You’re like, oh. But it was a moment where I figured maybe this is it, and I just kind of stubbornly held on.

I lived in New York for a while. I did a master’s program there in film music. And then I came out to LA a few years after that and did an internship, volunteered for stuff, and kind of worked my way up the apprentice program, as you might say. 

How did you come up with the idea of the music for Ironheart?

Yeah. So it was a group effort. We know that we wanted to lean into Riri’s, techie side musically. So there are a lot of kinds of synths in there.  And a lot of times when you do hear orchestra, you’ll also hear some synths doubling the orchestra to talk about her two sides. Because it’s a lot about her humanity, but it’s also a lot about her mind and her insatiable need to create something worthwhile and do something worthwhile. Yeah. There are obviously big epic orchestra moments, but there’s also a decent amount of synth sounds.

There are some bucket drums in there, from time to time, to kind of speak to the Chicago of it all, in terms of Riri and her sonic atmosphere. And then when you get to other characters, we kind of go into other realms. 

Did the music from Chicago also influence the soundtrack?

Yeah. I mean, on the score side, I really kind of let the bucket drums be my wink to Chicago. And then the music supervisors did a great job of finding fantastic songs by Chicago-based artists. And, that kind of helps round out the environmental aspect of the sonic template.

Did you take any influence from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” as well?

We really wanted her to have her own sonic identity. There is one moment in episode three where actually the script mentioned, like, having, you know, some kind of talking drums, a la Ludwig’s Wakanda score. But, so there’s a little bit of talking drums. I add in a spot. But they’re processing me, like, maybe you can’t really tell what they are, but it’s kind of a blink or you miss it moment. But, like, it’s kind of relevant to what she’s looking down at.

It reminds her of the events of “Wakanda Forever”. But, otherwise, I mean, other than you know, if you want to say that, Wakanda Forever, there’s a, you know, a heavy percussive element. And she also has her own percussive element, but instead of African drumming, we have bucket drums and other kinds of weird metallic things. 

How did you balance the magic and tech side of the score?

So, for the magic side and kind of the mystery, I wanted to maybe lean a little more into the organic, but still have it feel kind of otherworldly. So there are a lot of vocal textures in there, a lot of guttural kind of grunting and whispers and things that feel almost pagan. And then there’s a big gothic melody that’s more associated with the hood itself and what comes behind that.

And so that’s where we even lean even a little into horror as well. Yeah. It’s kind of jumping around a little bit because of the tone of the series.

What was your biggest highlight working on “Ironheart”?

I mean, it was, it sounds cheesy to say the people, but it was. I had just, like, a really great time working with absolutely everyone. You know, working with the producers, Zoie Nagelhout, Brad Winterbaum and the folks over at Proximity and just everyone.  It was a very warm atmosphere. And I felt like I was able to stretch a lot of muscles and kind of put my hands in a lot of different pots and that had kind of the creative license to try weird things. I was in my studio, and I found a leather skirt, and I’m like, ‘ You know? ‘ So it’s like there’s a lot of tactileness to things too. So, yeah, it was just fun to play. 

How long have you been working on the project?

The bulk of my work was in 2024, a little bit into 2023. But stoppages happen for lots of various reasons. But, I’d say the bulk of my work was last year. 

How long does it take to put together a score for a six-episode series like “Ironheart”? 

The first challenge is coming up with thematic ideas, and then taking feedback on those and making tweaks. And then once you kind of have those, everyone’s on the same page with those. I guess I was on it for about six months of writing, to picture and then recording and mixing and the whole process. 

What was the biggest challenge working on Ironheart?

I guess trying to tie together the different sonic ideas and making it still all feel of the show. Because episodes one through three are a little lighter than episodes four through six. So kind of you to deal with these tonal shifts as things get worse for her. 

And the final question is, Disney has a massive number of franchises and characters. Is there anything that they make that you would also like to work on in the future?

Disney does everything. I mean,  I love animation. So if the gods ever decide to put me in Pixar’s path, that’d be fun.

The first three episodes of “Ironheart” are available to stream on Disney+ now, and the final three episodes of the show will be released on Disney+ on July 1st 2025. The soundtrack is also available to stream on digital platforms now.

What did you think of the “Ironheart” score? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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