EPIC the Musical: From Outside the Fandom
Written by Vi-Anh Nguyen | September 17, 2025
Musicals have never been my top genre of music. At best, I enjoy them casually. I have listened to mainstream ones like Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera, as well as less mainstream ones like Notre Dame de Paris. But Epic has stood out to me as distinct, both for its variety of genre mixing and its clever marketing. I witnessed this thanks to my sister being in the fandom.
Epic official concept art
For anyone unfamiliar with musicals, Epic is unique in that it was entirely conceived on social media, primarily TikTok. The creator, Jorge Rivera Herrans, used the platform to hold auditions, develop songs, and make official announcements about the musical’s release. With TikTok audiences gaining a firsthand view of the creative process, Epic the Musical quickly built a significantly large fandom.
“Warrior of the Mind” was one of the first songs to go viral and served as my introduction to Epic. At the time of release, I enjoyed its strong melody and fast rhythm, which aligned with my musical tastes. However, one element has not aged well for me—the “hahaha” interjection, which feels like an interruption that pulls me out of the song. Because of that, I rank it lower than others.
As much as I like musicals in a casual way, “Just a Man” is not a song I would typically seek out. It lacks the fast rhythm I prefer, regardless of genre. Still, I find it memorable, largely thanks to an animatic by @NealIllustrator. In her version, the adversaries have a different dynamic with the hero than I am used to seeing in American adaptations of Greek mythology. Queen Andromache and baby Astyanax are humanized. Odysseus addresses Andromache with “Forgive me,” while Astyanax laughs and giggles. In many other fan works, Astyanax is asleep and Andromache is ignored, reducing them to props. While the song itself does not appeal to my taste, it stands out for how it conveys the story at that specific point in Epic.
YouTube thumbnail of an Episode of Epic
“Dangerous” distinguishes itself with an ‘80s synth-rock sound, very different from what I expect in modern musicals, whether Disney productions or Broadway/Off-Broadway shows. The “ho ho ho” laugh in the song surprised me at first, but unlike “Warrior of the Mind,” it did not create tonal dissonance. Instead, it enhanced the playful energy. Overall, listening to it felt like an enjoyable night out.
“Ruthlessness” is my favorite track from the musical, thanks to its rock-heavy sound. Rock is one of my favorite genres, so this song felt right at home. It conveyed the grandeur I expected from a story about gods, helping me picture the vast scale of their power. However, the ending disappointed me; the line “All I have to do is open this bag!” felt jarring, much like the tonal interruption in “Warrior of the Mind.”
“Thunderbringer” has a grand and fitting sound for Zeus, and I was pleased with the voice casting. Like “Ruthlessness,” it also inspired an early fan animatic by NealIllustrator. The popularity of this animatic solidified her designs to the point that some fans consider them canon. Yet NealIllustrator’s experience in the fandom was not without conflict.
I worry about how fandoms can sometimes take things too personally. Fans did not create the musical, yet any deviation can feel like a personal attack. For example, NealIllustrator received backlash for her creative interpretations of the Greek pantheon, which differed from traditional depictions in American media. In her “Thunderbringer” animatic, she placed Odysseus’s remaining crew on land rather than a ship, a choice made for visual clarity. This departure from canon sparked uproar online. Since Jorge shared the creation of Epic openly on TikTok, some fans felt ownership over the process. While fan interaction can build community, it also risks fostering entitlement.
Because Epic was primarily released as individual songs, much of the fandom imagined the visual elements themselves. Some created animatics that reimagined “Ruthlessness” as a staged play. Others used songs by Steven Rodriguez, the voice of Poseidon, to portray his character in modern-day scenarios. Fans even made comics featuring Odysseus interacting with gods disguised as humans. The creativity of the fandom has been extensive.
Even now, long after Epic was officially released, the fandom remains active as Jorge develops Ilium, its prequel. Despite my mixed feelings about the fandom, I am eager to hear it. My sister recently played a preview, and it captured my curiosity. Having grown up with an interest in Greek mythology, I have my own theories about what Ilium will include. Given the popularity of their story, I strongly expect Achilles and Patroclus to be featured. Still, the Iliad is vast, and we will not know until Jorge reveals more.
Ultimately, while fans were fortunate to be included in the creative process, Epic the Musical remains Jorge Rivera Herrans’s work. Whether through his compositions or fan-made animatics, TikTok has encouraged parasocial connections between artists and audiences. Yet at its core, Epic the Musical is a modern retelling of the Odyssey. Just as Jorge is a fan of Homer’s story, Epic has inspired fans to create their own versions of a timeless myth.
Find Out More About EPIC: The Musical
Website: epicthemusical.com
Spotify: EPIC: The Musical on Spotify
