Music is as important as anything in the movie business and that’s certainly the case inside the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. After more than two dozen films we have dozens of hours of original scores and numerous pieces of popular music that can take us back in an instant to how we felt when we first saw certain scenes on a movie screen.
There are so many great musical moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it’s difficult to narrow down that list. We had to go bigger than a simple top 10. From needle drops to pieces of original score, here are the best musical moments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
12. Carol Danvers Stands Up In Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is all about Carol Danvers discovering and embracing her own power. She’s been lied to about who she really is for years, but when she finally remembers her past and understands who she is, and what she is capable of, Pinar Toprak’s excellent score gets to take center stage as we see that every time Carol Danvers gets knocked down, she gets back up.
11. The Star Spangled Man In Captain America: The First Avenger
If you watch the Marvel movies in order, one of the best musical moments comes first. When Captain America is first created, rather than putting him on the front lines, he’s turned into a mascot. “The Star Spangled Man” is the song designed to help promote him, and by extension, the war. It’s a beautiful way for the movie to deal with the overtly political nature of Captain America head-on, and the song is pretty catchy, too.
10. Peter Goes On Patrol In Spider-Man: Homecoming
Our first chance of seeing the MCU Spider-Man really being a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man comes early in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spidey swings around his home trying to help out where he can, and he does it all to The Ramones classic “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Considering both The Ramones and Peter Parker are from Queens, there’s really no better music for this montage.
9. Peter Dances On Vormir In Guardians Of The Galaxy
No discussion of music in the MCU is complete without the music of Guardians of the Galaxy. Music is a key part of the way those movies not only set their tone, but also express emotion. The first big musical moment in the franchise comes when Peter Quill listens to “Come and Get Your Love” while dancing across an alien world. If you wondered what the Guardians of the Galaxy movie was all about, this scene pretty much explains all you need to know.
8. The Opening Credits In Black Widow
Black Widow is a unique movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a lot of ways, but one of the most interesting is that Black Widow has an opening credits sequence. Those credits are set against a melancholy version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as performed by Malia J. Taking the quintessential ‘90s song, the era of the movie’s opening scenes, and layering it with the darkness of what happened during Natasha Romanoff’s teen years gets the audience perfectly in sync with the character.
7. Wanda Fights Back In Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Wanda Maximoff is now seen as one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but she didn’t see herself that way in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The young woman was terrified of the battle going on in Sokovia, but after a pep talk from Hawkeye, she made the decision to fight, and the score swelled to meet her in an epic superhero moment.
6. Peter Makes His Choice In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the movie where the team of misfit heroes come the closest to falling apart. The Chain, a song about connection, plays twice during the film. The second time is during Quill’s battle with Ego, where he makes the decision to choose his surrogate family over his actual father.
5. Entering Wakanda In Black Panther
Ludwig Göransson’s score for Black Panther is one of the highlights of the entire film. There’s an ethereal and otherworldy quality to the music, which focuses on a land untouched by colonial hands. The song simply titled “Wakanda” first plays as T’Challa is returning home after a mission early in the film, and when the ship crosses the barrier and we see the real Wakanda for the first time the music hits a beautiful crescendo that transports you there.
4. Iron Man Arrives At Stark Expo In Iron Man 2
The first Iron Man has more than its share of classic metal needle drops, but the best of those moments actually comes in the opening moments of Iron Man 2. AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” plays as Iron Man jumps from a plane. At first it looks like he may be going into battle, but actually he’s just showing off for a crowd at Stark Expo, which is a fitting juxtaposition, given the rest of the movie.
3. Thor’s Battle On The Rainbow Bridge In Thor: Ragnarok
Thor: Ragnarok was a drastic shift in tone for the character of Thor after the two previous solo films. Nothing made that clearer than the movie’s opening battle set to Led Zepplin’s “Immigrant Song.” The tune returns for the final battle as well. It’s Thor at his absolute best.
2. The Final Goodbye In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
All stories must end, and the story of the Guardians of the Galaxy, at least this version of the Guardians, ended about as well as it could have been expected. Rocket plays Florence & the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” It’s hard to feel bad saying goodbye with a song that even makes Drax want to dance.
1. Avengers Assemble In Avengers: Endgame
Alan Silvestri’s Avengers Theme is the most iconic piece of Marvel music for a reason, from the moment we heard it as the camera first circled The Avengers it was a song that stirred our emotions. In Avengers: Endgame that moment is only bigger, as heroes from over a decade of film come together to fight for everything. It made people literally cheer in the theater for a reason.
We can be sure that in upcoming Marvel movies, there will be even more musical moments that will be worth noting. Perhaps some of them will even be good enough to change this list.