The roles of the music supervisors tend to get overlooked by the audience, despite the fact that the songs play a huge role in setting up the atmosphere. This is especially true in big franchises, such as the MCU, where every little detail is crucial. Imagine watching a bad-ass fight scene, only to have it ruined by a wrong choice of music.
Over the span of 11 years, there has been a great deal of memorable songs included as the background music in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. From punctuating profound moments of character development to simply amplifying the exhiliration of an action sequence, these songs stood out. Here are our 8 picks of the most iconic songs in the MCU’s Infinity Saga.
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8 Avengers: Endgame – “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” by Harry James & Helen Forest
If the Avengers: Endgame doesn’t pull on your heartstrings throughout the whole movie, there’s a big chance this song forces you to feel at least a little of emotions. From the snap’s aftermath and beloved characters’ deaths to superheroes assembling and saving the world—the whole movie is an emotional rollercoaster. And this scene is no different. After the war, Steve (Chris Evans) makes it his mission to return the Infinity stones to their rightful place. But, instead of returning right away, he stays behind to spend his life with Peggy (Hayley Atwell). In fact, the last scene of the movie is them slow-dancing to this song.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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7 Captain Marvel – “Just a Girl” by No Doubt
Marvel Studios
It unfortunately took the MCU 8 years to finally release a movie with a woman lead. No wonder the movie gets so much hate when it’s finally told from a woman’s perspective and men find it hard to relate. But, to a lot of women Marvel fans, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) means a great deal. Throughout the whole movie, she’s constantly told to “control her emotions” and “to not let emotions get the best of her.” This gestures towards the world’s largely patriarchal structure that imposes on women the idea that they must be silent, subservient, and secondary. The fact that “Just a Girl by No Doubt starts playing at the same time that Carol fully realizes her power and beats up every bad guy in sight is a wholly empowering moment, both for Carol and womankind.
6 Iron Man – “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath
Iron Man (2008) is exactly the one we should be thanking for starting this global MCU phenomenon. The first movie mostly focuses on Tony’s (Robert Downey Jr.) playboy and billionaire persona, but as he slowly starts identifying himself as Iron Man, we can clearly observe some personal growth. After he defeats the Iron Monger, he’s asked to give a press conference to deny the Iron Man rumors. But Tony being Tony, he goes against orders and announces that he is indeed Iron Man. “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath starts playing right after, as the ending credits roll. When you realize that Tony actually likes Black Sabbath since he’s been wearing their T-shirt almost for the entirety of Avengers, it is even more iconic.
5 Spider-Man: Homecoming – “Blitzkrieg Bop” by Ramones
Putting “Blitzkrieg Bop” over a montage of Peter (Tom Holland) simply being a friendly neighbor Spider-man, is one of the best things the MCU has done for Spider-Man: Homecoming. The song fits perfectly for the theme of the movie. Homecoming shows us that you can also have fun with your given superpowers instead of fighting the bad guys all the time. The song has become so linked to the movie, you can’t help but to think of Spider-man when you hear it.
4 Captain America: The Winter Soldier – “Trouble Man” by Marvin Gaye
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is when we’re first properly introduced to Sam (Anthony Mackie) or The Falcon. As Steve and Sam jog around the same pool and Cap leads with at least 10 laps, Sam keeps saying “On your left.” Once they get to talk to one another, Sam recommends Steve to listen to Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man”. We don’t actually hear the song until the end of the movie when Cap wakes up in the hospital with Sam sitting next to the hospital bed. The song plays in the background on Falcon’s iPod. It’s safe to say the song represents their underappreciated friendship.
3 Black Panther – “Opps” by Kendrick Lamar
Via: Marvel Studios
We can collectively agree that Black Panther has one of the most iconic soundtracks in the MCU Infinity Saga. It was truly hard to pick just one to include in this list. But choosing one of the Kendrick Lamar ones seemed like the right choice. Vincent Staples also adds his undeniable skills to this great beat. “Opps” is used during one of arguably the best scenes in the Black Panther. T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Okoye (Danai Gurira), with the help of Shuri (Letitia Wright) chase Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) across the streets of Busan with the beat accompanying the scene.
2 Thor: Ragnarok – “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin
Probably not a controversial opinion, but Thor: Ragnarok is definitely the superior Thor movie. Taika Waititi truly outdid himself. The color scheme, the playlist and the storyline are top-notch. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) finally join forces to defeat their evil sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) by destroying Asgard. Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” is more than perfect for the final fight scene where Thor showcase his full thunder-driven powers. The song’s lyrics essentially talk about Norway and Vikings and perfectly capture the movie’s plot.
1 Guardians of the Galaxy – “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone
An old Walkman, Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love”, a long coat and a nonchalant dance in a place where no one can see him, is an exquisite introduction to Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) character. He does what he wants, is confident with his Star Lord powers and most of all, doesn’t think too much of the situation as he tries retrieving one of the Infinity stones. Guardians of the Galaxy’s song choices are impeccable and definitely the most catchy ones. The Walkman also symbolizes Quill’s human part and the relationship with his mother that was taken away from him.
