Marvel Cinematic Universe: Soundtrack Scores Ranked From Worst To Best
2. Thor: Ragnarok
This was a horse of a different colour. Mark Mothersbaugh was hired to take on this film score in August 2016 and knew straight away that he had to do something different from the films that had come before. By the time that Thor: Ragnarok was to be released, the MCU had been criticized for many 'same' sounding soundtracks.
Mothersbaugh used keyboards extensively, combined with a 100 piece orchestra. He used the themes from both Thor and Thor: The Dark World, while also utilising music from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and, in one of the film's most memorable moments, The Immigrant Song by Led Zepplin.
The result was an outlandish score that has a very defined and unique sound, complimenting Taika Waititi's colourful and sometimes bizzare visuals perfectly. There was a risk that the score could have ended up becoming either too much style over substance, or simply pander to audiences with a synth here or there.
Mothersbaugh instead knocked it out of the park, delivering what is probably the most fun of all of the Marvel soundtracks. It doesn't take itself seriously at all, thus capturing the spirit of the film. There are many musical gags peppered throughout. The main theme is an effective rework of Tyler's The Dark World theme, though developed in a such that it is fresh and new. Elfman and Tyler's theme for calming the Hulk reappears in the Arena Fight, only to be snapped away as Hulk shows what he thinks of it.
The soundtrack, like the film itself, is a knowing and tremendously fun entry in the MCU