If you’re a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan, you might have noticed a little bit of a musical coincidence in the last Avengers film. When Steve Rogers and Agent Carter danced together at the end of Avengers: Endgame, they did so to the classic big band song “It’s Been a Long, Long Time.” It’s the same song that plays as part of the opening credits in Captain America: The First Avenger. The choice of music might seem trivial, but for die-hard fans, it adds another layer to the story.
The recurrence of the big band version of Captain America’s theme is an impressive bit of continuity. It was originally written by Alan Silvestri for the first movie, and while the composer didn’t return to write a score for AGE OF ULTRON, his theme still makes an appearance. This time, it’s tracked into a quick piece of action as Cap leaps off a bridge to fight Ultron. It’s a nice touch that shows that someone at Marvel (a music supervisor? a director?) thought to add the musical reference in order to make the scene feel more authentic.
It also shows that Silvestri’s music left an impression on the folks at Marvel Studios. Brian Tyler retained Silvestri’s theme in his THOR: The Dark World score, and while the composer wrote his own motif for Thor, he still used the original theme as a reference point. Perhaps that’s what Marvel Studios is aiming for in their future films: more authenticity and a deeper connection to the audience.