With the Guardians Of The Galaxy, two epic Avengers crossover films, and the long-awaited debut of our favorite teenage web-slinger, Phase 3 has no shortage of awesome film scores and soundtracks.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Black Panther (2018)
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Captain America: Civil War:
- "Civil War". It's like the movie is showing you all this cool shit, everything you've ever wanted to see in a superhero fight scene, but the music reminds you that this is supposed to be a bit of a tragedy; a team divided, waging war against itself.
- "Cap's Promise" starts on an emotional tone but gets more triumphant and exciting as the film reaches its finale.
- Doctor Strange (2016):
- The official Marvel Studios fanfare, debuting in this film. Fans can get excited just by the studio fanfare, similar to the Disney fanfare or the Fox fanfare!
- The Master of the Mystic End Credits is delightfully mysterious. It has received much praise for its unique blend of instruments and styles, with the end result being just as grandiose, majestic, and trippy as one would expect for a film about the Sorcerer Supreme. It has been compared favorably to Pink Floyd, among other things.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming:
- The Vulture's gang are introduced after the Time Skip with "Can You Hear Me Knocking" by The Rolling Stones, in an homage to the montage introducing to the Hole in the Wall Gang in Casino.
- Michael Giacchino's score includes an epic version of the iconic Spider-Man (1967) theme that is used to introduce the Marvel Studios logo. The suite for the film can be heard here. Spider-Man has come home indeed.
- The Vulture's theme (mainly the ten-note phrase that announces his arrival) is menacing, swooping and intense, and fits perfectly for his terrifying appearances as a monster from the sky. When it plays during fight scenes, it features heavy drum accompaniment, making it sound like an evolution of the music from the '60s cartoon. Is there a better bad guy motif than that in the MCU?
- Spider-Man's patrol of his neighborhood is set to "The Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones, a band native to Peter's own Queens that fits perfectly with our high-energy New Yorker hero.
- Thor: Ragnarok:
- Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is used in the teaser trailer... and appears twice in the movie.
- The entire score by Mark Mothersbaugh has been praised as being one of the, if not the single best score for an MCU movie to date. The "Ragnarok Suite" is particularly epic. "Twilight of the Gods," the song that plays during Odin's death scene, is also particularly moving.
- "Where To?" uses the theme from the original Thor to phenomenal effect as Thor becomes the new King of Asgard and takes his seat in the control chair of the escape ship.
- "In the Face of Evil" by Magic Sword heard in the trailer is an electronic number bringing in bravery like none other, setting the stage for the story.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp:
- Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's hip-hop classic "It Takes Two" plays in the second trailer, and fits the Lighter and Softer tone of the movie perfectly.
- It Ain't Over Till the Wasp Lady Stings has a Mission Impossible-like vibe.
- Arthropodie plays after the mid-credit scene, keeping this air of suspense and tension for most of the credits.
- Captain Marvel (2019):
- Captain Marvel's theme is proud, passionate, and dynamic, much like the woman it represents and her "Higher Further Faster" mantra.
- Nirvana's "Come as You Are" gives Carol's second encounter with the Supreme Intelligence a delightfully eerie vibe. Carol now knows exactly what the Supreme Intelligence is, and the song perfectly captures the melancholy and quiet anger that's running through her mind.
- "I'm All Fired Up". Drawing on the strength of her reclaimed memories, Carol destroys her photon inhibitor, defies the Supreme Intelligence, and breaks out of the digital dictator's mind prison to assert her true power. Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Marvel has arrived in the MCU.
- No Doubt's "Just A Girl" plays as Carol Danvers wipes the floor with her former Starforce members in order to save the innocent Skrulls from the Kree's Final Solution. Now, the song's pretty damn kick-ass in its own right already, but it works incredibly well in the scene itself as the already sarcastic lyrics (i.e, "I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite") have their irony cranked up as they play over sequences of Carol blasting her former teammates aside and punching them through steel walls.
- Unlike the other examples, the song itself doesn't have much connection to the story, but the scene of Carol tearing across the desert on a motorcycle fits perfectly with Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains." There's also a well-executed Diegetic Switch when she walks into Pancho's bar.