There are so many absolutely breathtaking soundtracks that are often being ignored by regular audiences. From Hans Zimmer to Benjamin Wallfisch, DC films have had many great tracks to show off to anyone willing to listen.
To make the list more interesting, we went beyond just the DCEU. That meant factoring in Joker and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy and then choosing ten best soundtracks from the mix. Here are the 10 Most Iconic DC Soundtracks.
Suicide Squad
Even though the movie did not receive much love even (or especially) from hardcore fans, the soundtrack to Suicide Squad was still quite decent. This list mostly focuses on the instrumental parts, but in this case, it’s worth mentioning the songs as well as the tracks.
Obviously, almost all the songs used in the movie are quite relevant (such as “Purple Lamborghini,” “Heathens,” “Sucker For Pain,” “You Don’t Own Me,” and others), but the compositions are exceptional too (such as “Task Force X,” “Arkham Asylum,” “Harley and Joker,” and others).
Aquaman
There were plenty of reasons that Aquaman was a hit: great casting, stunning CGI, action and humor. But what it also managed to do well was use music. Nobody will argue that Skylar Grey’s song “Everything I Need” wasn’t absolutely beautiful while the soundtrack written by Rupert Gregson-Williams was quite good too.
For example, Arthur’s theme perfectly fits his personality and the overall atmosphere of the film. But there are other great tracks too such as “Kingdom Of Atlantis,” “The Black Manta,” “The Ring Of Fire,” “The Legend Of Atlan,” and “What Could Be Greater Than A King?”
Wonder Woman
Rupert Gregson-Williams also wrote the soundtrack for 2017’s Wonder Woman, which turned out to be around the same quality as Aquaman’s. Like with Aquaman, Wonder Woman’s soundtrack has great musical compositions and contains one incredible song - “To Be Human” by Sia and Labrinth.
As for the tracks, the best ones from the movie would probably be “Angel On The Wing,” “Pain, Loss & Love,” “No Man’s Land,” “Wonder Woman’s Wrath,” “We Are All To Blame,” “Lightning Strikes,” and “Action Reaction.”
Shazam!
Shazam! is perhaps the perfect visualization of what would happen if modern teenagers suddenly got superpowers and had to become superheroes. Nevertheless, this movie is also stunning thanks to its soundtrack, which is probably way more stylized than all of the movies previously mentioned on this list.
The soundtrack was written by Benjamin Wallfisch, who has also worked on other great movies and is becoming quite popular. The best tracks would probably be “SHAZAM!,” “The Consul of Wizards,” “Seeking Spell,” “Compass,” “Subway Chase,” “Super Villain,” and others.
Batman Begins
With Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins we are moving into a higher league. The soundtrack was written by no other than Nolan’s favorite composer to work with, Hans Zimmer. However, Zimmer collaborated with James Newton Howard on the soundtrack to this movie because they had wanted to work together for a long time and Nolan approved of it.
Each of the tracks is titled after the scientific names of the different genera of bats and each of the tracks is special in their own way. Some of the most beautiful ones include “Corynorhinus,” “Barbastella,” and “Nycteris.”
Man of Steel
There are plenty of different opinions about Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, but what remains true is that the soundtrack to this movie is quite well-made. There are both tender melodies and more action-inspired tracks with drums and a swift tempo.
It is very hard to choose which of the tracks are the best, but it’s safe to say that there are some that stand out: “Look to the Stars,” “Oil Rig,” Sent Here for a Reason," “DNA,” and “Goodbye My Son,” among others. The most well-known track is, of course, “What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving The World?”
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gave us some questionable plot points and character development, but there were definitely some amazing tracks that stay in your mind for a long time, while the soundtrack as a whole is truly inspiring.
Wonder Woman’s track “Is She With You?” is probably the most iconic one, but there is also the magical “Beautiful Lie,” the terrifying “The Red Capes Are Coming,” the hypnotic “New Rules,” and so many others.
The Dark Knight Rises
The third film in Nolan’s trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, is probably as famous as its counterparts. The soundtrack was written by Hans Zimmer once again, but this time, he worked alone and did a great job nonetheless.
The most famous track from the movie is “Rise,” but there are others too like “On Thin Ice,” “Gotham’s Reckoning,” “Underground Army,” “Born In Darkness,” “The Fire Rises,” “Why Do We Fall?,” and “Necessary Evil.”
Joker
It seems that Joker is a sign that DC might be actually getting back on track. Nearly every aspect of this film is perfect even though it does have some nuances. The soundtrack, written by Hildur Gudnadottir, is no exception to this. It even scored her a Golden Globe victory.
There are many great tracks and it is really difficult to select the best ones, but some of the most prominent tracks are definitely “Defeated Clown,” “Meeting Bruce Wayne,” “A Bad Comedian,” “Arthur Come to Sophie,” “Looking for Answers,” “Penny Taken to the Hospital,” “Subway,” and “Bathroom Dance.”
The Dark Knight
By far the most iconic DC soundtrack is that from The Dark Knight. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard also worked together on this movie, though, as mentioned earlier, they parted ways afterward and Zimmer did the soundtrack for the third movie by himself.
The best tracks from this film would have to be “Why So Serious?,” “Like a Dog Chasing Cars,” “A Dark Knight,” “Agent of Chaos,” “Blood on My Hands,” and “Watch the World Burn,” though pretty much every track from that soundtrack is practically flawless.
