Ranking the Marvel Cinematic Universe Film Scores

In the past I’ve ranked the villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a collection of characters that have usually gotten quite a lot of flak from critics and audiences pretty much solely because of the unbelievably high standards set by Loki in the first Avengers film. Basically with that post I argued that a good chunk of the non-Loki MCU villains are better than what most people put them out to be. Well now I believe that I’ve found the second most often criticized aspect of the MCU; film scores. This was just recently made clear to me by the posting of the video ‘Marvel Symphonic Universe’ by the channel Every Frame a Painting. For the record, the video doesn’t outright crap on the scores; it just analyzes why some people don’t find them that memorable. But to quote Tony Stark from the original Iron Man, “I respectfully disagree” with the notion that most of the MCU scores are weak. Why else then would I have a lot of MCU score tracks on my iPod? While I definitely know why people tend to be fairly critical towards the MCU villains, mostly due to ‘lack of character depth’, for a while I never really understood the reasons behind the sudden flak towards the MCU film scores other than an argument that revolves around the supposed lack of a definitive theme that is consistent throughout the franchise’s run. Though looking at the ‘Every Frame a Painting’ video, I guess it’s mostly due to the fact that some feel that the scores get overshadowed by all the other sound effects in the films and that they don’t take many risks. Personally, though, I think that the scores for the MCU films have been pretty darn solid. So today, I’m going to be ranking the current 13 film scores of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the original Iron Man all the way back in 2008 to this year’s Captain America: Civil War. And let me be clear… this is NOT a ‘direct response’ to the ‘Every Frame a Painting’ video. I will admit that at first it kind of was but following a suggestion from my pal Alex Corey, I removed anything from this intro that may have been construed as a criticism of the video.  

13. IRON MAN 2 - JOHN DEBNEY

Out of all of the MCU films, Iron Man 2 admittedly has the one score that I’ll admit, for the most part, does sort of match the ‘forgettable’ description that the internet has been throwing around recently in regards to MCU scores. Now I don’t really blame this on the composer, John Debney, who has provided the scores to many of Jon Favreau’s films, including the excellent work that he did on Favreau’s remake of The Jungle Book earlier this year. Debney even got assistance from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello on this score. However, here their compositions fall flat for the most part. Now don’t get me wrong there are some enjoyable tracks, like ‘Ivan’s Metamorphosis’ which plays over the film’s opening credits as Whiplash prepares his own arc reactor similar to Tony Stark’s. The music does give the scene a sinister feel in order to set-up the character and the same can be generally said for most of the other tracks based around Whiplash. However, for the most part, most of the score is rather meh. The themes for Iron Man do try their best to be similar to those in the first film but for the most part a lot of it unfortunately ends up being kind of generic. Going back to what I said earlier about a ‘lack of consistent theming’, I guess this is probably the biggest example of this situation due to the switching of composers between the first two Iron Man films. Debney was even quoted as saying that there weren’t really a lot of places in the film to use a proper theme. However, I think that the other big reason as to why this score isn’t as memorable as it could’ve been is due to the fact that it’s sort of over-shadowed by the film’s soundtrack album. But to be fair, when said soundtrack album is done by none other than AC/DC, it’s kind of understandable why. Ultimately I don’t think that it’s a ‘bad’ score but it’s certainly the weakest of the MCU film scores. The bright side to this? I have primarily positive things to say about the next 12 scores.    

12. IRON MAN – RAMIN DJAWADI

The very first film score for the MCU, done for the first Iron Man in 2008, was done by Ramin Djawadi, who of course nowadays is known for his work on Game of Thrones, particularly for the series’ iconic opening title theme. Aside from that, he’s also done the scores for films like Pacific Rim and Warcraft and does a really nice job when it comes to ‘mechanical’-based scores. And ultimately that’s the perfect fit for a character like Iron Man; the name speaks for itself. When it comes to the best track from Djawadi’s score, that honor would have to go to the track ‘Driving with the Top Down’. This track is set to one of the best scenes in the film in which Tony tests out the flying capabilities of his Mark II armor. The music matches the scene perfectly. It starts out slow and technical as Tony first equips the suit. Then it begins to build as Tony launches out of his garage to fly off into the night, leading to an energetic melody that plays as he flies around the area. It then continues to build as he flies straight up into the air in order to attempt a flight altitude record. But then it pauses once he ends up getting dealt with the ‘icing problem’ and starts to fall back down to Earth. But then it builds back up again as his suit powers back up and as he soars down a street, the music kicks in yet again for the climax. Simply put, a terrific moment backed by an excellent track from the soundtrack. I also find it rather funny how the title of the track, ‘Driving with the Top Down’, is an actual line from the film but one that occurs in a completely different scene later on, when Tony is dealing with a pair of F-22 Raptors. Interesting to note, this film’s score was originally set to be done by John Debney. However, he ultimately couldn’t do it due to scheduling conflicts but would of course end up doing the score for the sequel. Tom Morello even helped with this score as well and had a small cameo in the film as a member of the Ten Rings.

11. THE INCREDIBLE HULK – CRAIG ARMSTRONG

When it comes to Marvel Studios’ now often forgotten Incredible Hulk film, a common criticism that I hear is that some felt that the film was a bit too melodramatic at times, namely in regards to the scenes where they focus in on the relationship between Bruce and Betty. I understand where they’re coming from but personally I felt that a lot of the ‘romantic’ moments between the two were actually pretty well handled. The scene where they share a peaceful moment together in a cave during a thunderstorm was a pretty sweet moment and the same can be said for the scene after the final battle where Bruce (in his Hulk state) shares a final moment with Betty (“Betty…”) before he goes into hiding again. And I think that this is well reflected in Craig Armstrong’s score, particularly in the track ‘Bruce and Betty’ which has a really sweet, sad melody that plays during the scene where the two finally reunite after the five years that they’ve been apart. Speaking of sad tunes, Armstrong even utilized ‘The Lonely Man’ by Joe Harnell, the classic ending theme from the 1978 Incredible Hulk TV series, in the track ‘Bruce Goes Home’. It was one of the many ways in which this film paid homage to that classic series. Another favorite track of mine from the soundtrack was the opening titles theme, simply titled ‘Main Title’. There’s a really nice suspenseful feel to it, which is fitting because this is the sequence that focuses on the incident that turned Bruce into the Hulk and his subsequent run from the law. Armstrong’s score is easily one of the largest MCU scores to date with 45 tracks spread across two discs on its physical release. Length-wise, it’s the fourth longest score in the MCU bested only by Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, and Age of Ultron. And overall it’s a solid score from a composer who isn’t really known for doing action film scores.

10. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – TYLER BATES

Obviously when it comes to Guardians of the Galaxy and music, most people primarily think of the film’s soundtrack, Awesome Mix Vol 1. And to be fair, that’s rightfully so as it was one of the best film soundtracks of all-time with its great array of classic songs like ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ and ‘Come and Get Your Love’. However, I also think that the film’s score is pretty solid too. It was done by Tyler Bates, who has done the scores for some of Zack Snyder’s films (e.g. 300, Watchmen) as well as GoTG director James Gunn’s previous two films, Slither and Super. According to Gunn himself, Bates wrote some of the score before the start of filming, allowing Gunn to film to his music. And overall I do think that the main motif that Bates creates for the Guardians is really epic. It’s admittedly a very bombastic motif and is also a bit repetitive given the fact that this version of the theme is used most of the times that it appears in the film but I think it works well given the epic sci-fi nature of the story. Highlights include when the Guardians enter the guard tower in the Kyln and when the Ravagers go into battle against Ronan’s forces. And despite what I just said about the motif mainly being used for action sequences, sometimes it actually is used for some emotional scenes, namely at the end when Star-Lord reads his mother’s letter (there are also a few solid emotional themes too throughout the film). My favorite use of it, though, occurs in the track ‘Black Tears’. This is during the final battle when Star-Lord grabs the Power Stone and the Guardians join together to use its power to destroy Ronan. This track is epic and emotional throughout culminating in, of course, the epic Guardians motif. So in the end, while the soundtrack obviously overshadows the score as was the case with Iron Man 2, in this case I’d argue that the score for Guardians is memorable enough to at least to stand somewhat toe to toe with Awesome Mix Vol 1.

9. THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON – BRIAN TYLER AND DANNY ELFMAN

While director Joss Whedon and most of the Avengers cast returned for the 2015 sequel, Age of Ultron, one person who didn’t return was Alan Silvestri as composer. Instead, Brian Tyler was brought in to do the music for the film, which served as his third score for Marvel Studios after doing both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World in 2013. And while it’s ultimately not the best score that he’s done for Marvel, he still does a pretty solid job with it. Given the darker nature of the plot (e.g. the main villain Ultron), Tyler’s score is a lot more sinister in tone and that’s very much clear right from the main title theme, simply titled ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron Title’, as well as the different opening fanfare at the beginning. For the record, Tyler was the one who was responsible for developing Marvel Studios’ first ‘fanfare theme’, which was first introduced in Thor: The Dark World. However, Age of Ultron used a different fanfare that closely matches the general motif of the score. But Tyler wasn’t the only composer for the film. A few months before the film’s release, it was revealed that Danny Elfman had also contributed to the soundtrack as well. Elfman’s tracks utilize Alan Silvestri’s theme from the first Avengers and as a result, this helps connect the two films while also creating new versions of the theme. His track ‘Heroes’ was the music featured in the end credits and he did the track ‘New Avengers- Avengers: Age of Ultron’, which was of course used in the final scene of the film as the new members of the Avengers assemble in the new Avengers facility in New York. So in short, I’ll admit that Elfman’s tracks are admittedly the more memorable tracks from the score but overall he and Tyler did a really nice job when it came to developing the music for the epic sequel that was Age of Ultron.

8. ANT-MAN – CHRISTOPHE BECK

Back when Ant-Man was still intended to be directed by Edgar Wright, Steven Price, who did the excellent score to Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity as well as Wright’s The World’s End, was set to do the score. However, once Wright backed away from the project, Price backed away from it as well, though he would end up doing a superhero film score a year later for this year’s Suicide Squad. Instead, Christophe Beck was brought in to do the score, having previously worked with Wright’s replacement, Peyton Reed, on Bring It On. In a way, Beck seemed like a strange choice for a superhero film’s composer. He’s mostly been known for his work in comedies like the Hangover films and the two recent Muppets films. However, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t done scores for action films before. He did the score for Edge of Tomorrow, replacing Iron Man composer Ramin Djawadi, and heck this wasn’t even his first superhero film score as he also did the score for 2005’s Elektra. But it’s safe to say that he got far better material to work with during his second go-around in the genre. Simply put, Ant-Man has an excellent main theme. I just love the brassy nature of it, especially the ‘dun dun dun dun’ element of it. To me it fits perfectly with the film’s heist plot and the same can be said for a lot of the other tracks in the soundtrack, like when Scott Lang is testing out the Ant-Man suit. Heck there are even a few emotionally charged tracks as well, like ‘Small Sacrifice’ which plays during the final battle as Ant-Man shrinks to the subatomic level in order to defeat Yellowjacket. Originally, Beck and Reed intended to do a very electronically based score to match the technological aspects of the film. However, they abandoned that idea as they felt that it was ‘too weird’ in favor of a more traditional brass heavy symphonic score. The end result is another highly memorable score from an unlikely action film composer.  

7. THOR: THE DARK WORLD – BRIAN TYLER

I’ll admit that I was initially rather disappointed to hear that Patrick Doyle was not returning to do the music for Thor 2 (you’ll understand why I say that later on) but I was still interested in seeing who they would bring in to replace him. At first it seemed like the score would be done by Carter Burwell, who’s well-known for his frequent collaborations with the Coen brothers. However, like the original two directors for Thor: The Dark World, Burwell ended up leaving the project due to creative differences. Instead, Brian Tyler was brought in, making this his second MCU score of 2013 after Iron Man 3 earlier that year. And I must say, I have to give Tyler credit because he does a really nice job when it comes to big orchestral scores. You could definitely tell that based solely on the new opening fanfare that he created for Marvel Studios, with this film being the first to use it. Simply put, whenever this theme was played at the start of many of the Phase 2 MCU films, you knew that epic-ness was about to unfold. As for the rest of the score, it may not exactly match Doyle’s themes from the first Thor but it’s still pretty darn great in its own right. It does its job in regards to matching the epic nature of this plot that revolves around god-like beings and the Nine Realms. However, my favorite tracks from the score are actually the emotional ones that play during a tragic scene. The prime example of this is ‘Into Eternity’ set to the tragic death of Thor and Loki’s mother Frigga. In one word… damn! And that is why Tyler’s score for The Dark World is definitely one of the best parts of one of the more lesser-received MCU films. If anything, it gave us that epic opening fanfare.

6. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR – HENRY JACKMAN

Henry Jackman re-teamed with the Russo brothers to do the score for what is currently the latest entry in the MCU to date, Captain America: Civil War. While he did bring back some of the themes from Winter Soldier, namely the Winter Soldier’s theme which I’ll be going into more detail over later on, ultimately he ended up developing a new motif for the third Cap film along with developing themes for new characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther. And even though this does mean that this ended up being the third straight new main motif for a Captain America film, overall I really like the new motif for this film. I feel that it perfectly encapsulates the main conflict that emerges between the Avengers in the film, mainly due to its generally ‘back and forth’ nature that excellently reflects the power struggles of the story. Ultimately though, the best part of the score comes during the climax of the film. Of course the climax of Civil War was an emotional gut-punch of a finale, as Tony finally learned the truth about Bucky being the one who killed his parents, resulting in an emotional fight between him and Cap as the latter tries to protect his best friend from his other friend’s vengeance. And I feel that the score perfectly captured the emotional drama of the fight. Tracks 18 and 19, ‘Clash’ and ‘Closure’ respectively, are played during this battle, with highlights including the epic buildup that occurs when Bucky attacks Iron Man, gets his metal arm blown off, and Cap and Iron Man clash in the iconic pose from the original ‘Civil War’ mini-series. The climax of the fight, when Cap lodges his shield into Tony’s suit, also features an epically emotional musical cue which builds up all the way to the moment when Cap drops his shield. Goosebumps, I tell you, goosebumps. And ultimately it’s primarily thanks to those two tracks, which paired perfectly with the epic finale, that Civil War’s score lands one of the top spots on this list.

5. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER – ALAN SILVESTRI

Captain America! The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan! Truly a patriotic hero like Cap deserves a rousing theme that is just as patriotic as he is. And Alan Silvestri delivered just that with the main motif of Captain America: The First Avenger. This theme perfectly encapsulates the character of Captain America, especially with its heavy reliance on brass instruments. The motif is used frequently throughout the film, most notably in the scene where the device used to turn Steve Rogers into Captain America opens up, revealing his new muscular form, and the scene where Cap and the rescued soldiers of the 107^th Infantry return to camp after escaping from a HYDRA facility. And I think that it’s an absolutely terrific theme that pumps you up just like any good college fight song would. The themes of this film were even reused in other MCU films, including The Avengers, which is fitting because Silvestri did the score for that film as well, and Thor: The Dark World during the scene where Evans makes a highly memorable cameo. Another noteworthy track from the score that I really liked was ‘Passage of Time’. This track is played after the scene in which Cap ‘sacrifices’ himself by flying the Red Skull’s plane into the Arctic (the track ‘This is My Choice’ that plays during that exact scene is also fantastic and emotional as well). I’ve always loved this moment from the film as I felt that it was such an effective emotional moment and I feel that the score perfectly captures the tragedy of the loss of Cap from the perspective of his WWII allies, particularly Peggy during a scene in which she’s given Steve’s files which contain a picture of pre-serum Steve. Simply put, another great score highlighted by its great motif.

4. THE AVENGERS – ALAN SILVESTRI

And now we come to the film that effectively established the MCU as a premier film franchise and Marvel Studios as the kings of the superhero genre; 2012’s The Avengers. One year after working on The First Avenger, Alan Silvestri was brought back to do the score for Marvel’s epic superhero team-up flick. And I can sum up Silvestri’s excellent contributions to the film with just one track; Track 13, ‘Assemble’. Those who have seen the film (and let’s face it, with a gross of over $1.5 billion, I’m certain most of you HAVE seen it) will know exactly which scene this track is paired with. The Chitauri fleet, led by Loki, is currently in the middle of attacking New York. The Avengers arrive on the scene, with the last one to join them being Bruce who comes in on a motorbike. As a massive Chitauri Leviathan heads their way, Cap suggests to Bruce that “now might be a good time to get angry”, to which Bruce responds “That’s my secret, Cap… I’m always angry” He transforms into the Hulk right then and there, stops the Leviathan in its tracks with a powerful punch, and as Iron Man destroys it and the rest of the Chitauri look on, the Avengers finally do what we’ve all been waiting for since the early days of the franchise; assemble. What more can be said about this epic fanboy moment that hasn’t been said already? Heck it’s still guaranteed to give fans goosebumps even after all of the subsequent films that have come after it. Silvestri absolutely delivered with this score and while he didn’t return for the sequel Age of Ultron, Danny Elfman’s contributions to that film’s soundtrack did utilize Silvestri’s original theme. However, Silvestri is now set to return for the next two Avengers films, Infinity War and the currently untitled fourth Avengers film, which I’m certain will very much please fans as it will certainly mean that he will continue to utilize that excellent theme.

3. Fittingly enough, IRON MAN 3 – BRIAN TYLER

Iron Man 3 has one of the greatest end-credit themes of all-time, end of story… I’m just kidding I wasn’t going to end it there. Seriously though, this film has probably the best end-credits theme of the entire franchise, ‘Can You Dig It’. Keeping in line with director Shane Black’s appreciation for everything 70’s, this track is highly energetic and perfectly matches the fun 70’s style end-credits. It’s just terrific, but the rest of the score for Iron Man 3 is pretty excellent as well. This was the first MCU film to be scored by Brian Tyler and it still stands as his best MCU score to date. The key reason why is that Tyler did something with this score that the scores to the first two Iron Man films didn’t really do that well. It gave Iron Man a true definitive theme. Obviously throughout this whole post I’ve mentioned that one of the main reasons why some have been really critical towards the MCU scores has been due to the lack of a definitive theme. Thankfully that’s not the case with Iron Man 3. Thanks to Tyler’s strengths in delivering a pulse-pounding orchestral score, the main motif for the film is absolutely perfect. It has a very mechanical feel to it and of course that perfectly fits with the character of Iron Man. It’s a great theme that’s used frequently throughout the film, from Tony putting on the suit as helicopters attack his home to him initiating the ‘House Party Protocol’ to the final scene where he reaffirms that he is Iron Man. That final use of the theme is also cool because instead of the more action-heavy tone that it usually maintains when it is used, this version is slower and toned down which matches the final scene very well. And as a result, Iron Man 3 easily lands a spot in the Top 3 when it comes to MCU scores.  

2. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER – HENRY JACKMAN

This is one score that I find is surprisingly negatively received by most critics. One of the main reasons why is due to the fact that it didn’t really utilize Alan Silvestri’s Cap theme save for the opening scene (“On your left!”). However, I don’t think it’s that big of a loss because of the change in time period, with Winter Soldier taking place in the present compared to First Avenger, which obviously was primarily set during WWII. This film’s score was done by Henry Jackman, who had done excellent work on the last big superhero film that he scored, X-Men: First Class. The same can very much be said for his work on Winter Soldier. Again, even if he doesn’t utilize Silvestri’s motifs, the motifs that he does come up with here are fantastic. First there’s the ‘Winter Soldier’ theme, which of course plays whenever the Winter Soldier appears prior to the reveal that he’s Bucky. To sum it up as simply as possible, this is pretty much the MCU equivalent to the iconic Joker theme that Hans Zimmer created for The Dark Knight. It creates such a suspenseful and sinister atmosphere and was also used to great effect in Civil War, namely when Zemo reveals the video of Bucky killing Tony’s parents. But that’s not the only great track from the soundtrack. I also really like ‘Time to Suit Up’, which as the title suggests is played when Cap and co. prepare to take on HYDRA-overtaken SHIELD. It’s another one of those tracks that has a terrific buildup, culminating when Cap appears on-screen in his classic WWII uniform. There’s also ‘End of the Line’, which of course is named after the iconic line that Cap uses to reaffirm his friendship with Bucky and to also snap him out of his brainwashing. This emotional scene is matched perfectly by the emotional score. So in short, I guess you can say that Winter Soldier has probably the most underrated score of the entire MCU, with its solid motifs that may not utilize the motifs Silvestri did for the first Cap film but are still excellent in their own right.

1. THOR – PATRICK DOYLE

And now we come to my personal favorite score in the entire MCU; Patrick Doyle’s score for the first Thor film. I have seven tracks from the score on my iPod, more so than any other MCU film. And ultimately the main reason why I love it so much is the main motif that Doyle creates. I feel that this motif was a perfect representation of the grandeur of a story set around Thor and the universe that is the Nine Realms. But the best thing about it is the fact that, like Michael Giacchino’s amazing motif for the newer Star Trek films, this motif was utilized in different ways. Sometimes it’s used in an epic manner, like in the track ‘Thor Kills the Destroyer’, when Thor finally regains his powers to defeat the Destroyer machine, and ‘Earth to Asgard’, during which we got our first look at the majestic landscapes of the latter realm. It can be used during emotional scenes, like with ‘Forgive Me’, when Thor tries to reason with Loki during the battle against the Destroyer, and the conclusion of ‘Letting Go’, after Thor destroys the Rainbow Bridge, effectively preventing himself from reuniting with Jane for the time being. Track 14, ‘The Compound’, manages to do two different versions of the motif. The track itself starts out with a fun Metal Gear Solid esque theme as Thor sneaks into the compound and then the motif is used in a satisfactory manner as Thor finally finds his hammer. But then of course Thor isn’t yet ready to lift it and the sense of total defeat that he experiences in this moment is perfectly reflected in the score. Patrick Doyle has been a frequent collaborator of Kenneth Branagh and has done some excellent scores over the years, including ones for Branagh’s remake of Cinderella as well as the fourth Harry Potter film, Goblet of Fire, which has my personal favorite opening theme of the entire series. But with Thor, Doyle delivers a fantastic score based around a fantastic motif.

And that concludes my list of rankings for the 13 (as of September 2016) scores of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As I said in the intro, this was not meant to be a ‘direct response’ to the video that Every Frame a Painting made. If you’re not a big fan of the MCU film scores, that’s fine; all the power to you. But if you’re like me and you actually do like the scores for the MCU, be sure to sound off in the comments below in regards to your own favorite.