What The Umbrella Academy Does Better Than Marvel Or DC

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An overinflated budget is never a substitute for artistic vision, creative voice, and pure love for the medium. Sometimes a smaller and stranger project manages to outmaneuver all the biggest moneymakers in the medium at a game they started.

There are countless moments in which a superhero enters one big scene or another accompanied by a beloved song that wasn't written for the film. These needle-drop moments can be minor jokes, character-building flourishes, or integral to the overall feel of a narrative. Everyone has their favorite use of a classic track, but the underrated Netflix series The Umbrella Academy hides some of the best song choices and needle-drop moments in superhero media.

The Umbrella Academy: Using History In A Narrative

The benefit of a needle-drop moment is in its ability to convey information and shift the tone of a scene. Often the non-scored music is diegetic, provided by some character's speaker system, headphones, or nearby band. These moments can say so much about a character, purely through the music they choose and the moments they need to hear them. Bad needle-drop moments are dull or obvious. There are occasions in poorly written films where a seasoned viewer might be able to guess the track before it even rolls in. There are a few overused songs that most could see coming, but fans will find them in parody before they will in anything sincere. The needle-drop is a powerful tool, but one that can be easily used incorrectly. A good one can elevate a scene, a bad one can turn it hilarious.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe makes some interesting use of the needle-drop, often linking specific tracks or bands to individual characters or traits. Iron Man is heralded by an AC/DC track so many times it