The Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Universe have had numerous movie adaptations, each with distinctive music themes for their respective protagonists. The superhero genre has a fascinating history in film, with live-action and animated film serials being among the first adaptations to bring Golden Age superhero comics to life. 1978’s Superman, 1989’s Batman, and 2002’s Spider-Man, however, each contributed to the rise of the modern superhero blockbuster in their own way. Building off the three films’ foundation was 2012’s The Avengers, which brought the MCU timeline and superhero genre to unprecedented levels of mainstream appeal.

The best superhero films combine the spirit of their respective source materials with high-quality filmmaking, and one of the most underrated elements of a great film is its orchestral score. A memorable movie score can communicate with viewers in ways that even the best acting and cinematography cannot. Music scores not only represent specific characters and locales, they also convey filmmakers’ intentions. Unfortunately, a common complaint with many modern superhero films is that their music scores are generic and forgettable. Here are the 10 most memorable and effective superhero themes that have been crafted throughout the genre’s history.

10

X-Men: The Animated Series Theme

Ron Wasserman

X-Men: The Animated Series is the definitive X-Men adaptation. Although there has been a multitude of X-Men movies and TV shows, including 20th Century Fox’s multi-decade-long X-Men franchise, the original animated series from 1992 balances the rich X-Men comic lore and ensemble cast of characters perfectly. Among the show’s many memorable elements is its opening theme by Ron Wasserman. Every episode of X-Men begins with Wasserman’s high-octane, electronic, motif that immediately builds hype for the X-Men’s next action-packed adventure.

The theme was, fittingly, kept for X-Men’s 2024 revival and sequel series, X-Men ’97, but it also played in theaters. Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox (and thus the X-Men IP), it was only a matter of time before the X-Men joined the MCU. 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brought an alternate universe iteration of Charles Xaviar into the MCU, and the character was introduced with the X-Men: The Animated Series theme, proving that the motif remains the most recognizable representation of the X-Men, regardless of continuity.

9

Batman (DCEU)

Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL

A mere four years after the end of the critically-acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy, Hans Zimmer was tasked with creating another theme for Batman, having already scored Christopher Nolan’s films and giving Batman a memorable theme. For the DC Extended Universe’s second film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zimmer and Junkie XL gave Ben Affleck’s darker and more comic-accurate Batman a brand-new motif that stood apart from his Dark Knight trilogy theme. The result is a theme that alternates between melancholic, ominous, and bombastic, perfectly representing the various elements of Affleck’s Batman.

The film opens with Batman’s new theme as it retells his tragic origin story. The motif is used particularly effectively in many of Dawn of Justice’s action sequences, with the booming theme reinforcing the Batmobile chase, the titular showdown between Batman and Superman, and the film’s beloved warehouse melee. Perhaps its most exciting use in the film, however, is when it is combined with the DCEU themes for Superman and Wonder Woman for Dawn of Justice’s Doomsday action sequence, with all three themes and their respective heroes working as a team for the first time on film.

8

Batman (Dark Knight Trilogy)

Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard

When the Batman movie franchise received a reboot with 2005’s Batman Begins, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard joined Christopher Nolan in reimagining the Dark Knight with a more realistic yet no less epic take on the character and his mythos. In their development of Batman’s new theme, Zimmer and Howard sought to convey Batman’s humanity as much as his theatrical costumed identity. The two crafted a theme that matched the drama of the Batman anthology themes while also effectively conveying the tragedy of Bruce Wayne.

Zimmer and Howard’s theme would be used consistently throughout the Dark Knight trilogy and even proved popular enough to appear in other properties. In 2006, V for Vendetta and the unaired Aquaman pilot would each sample Zimmer and Howard’s theme. Zimmer and Howard also notably used a variant of the theme each time Batman defeats the main foe of the Dark Knight trilogy’s films. The musical cue is absent when Batman defeats Bane, providing observant viewers with an early hint that he is not truly the main villain of The Dark Knight Rises.

7

Superman

Hans Zimmer

Considering that John Williams’s Superman theme is one of the most beloved and recognizable movie themes of all time, the task of crafting its successor for Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Man of Steel was daunting, to say the least. Hans Zimmer proved to be up to the task, as he created a new motif for Superman that not only stood apart from Williams’s iconic theme but also matched the spirit of the Superman character and comic mythos just as perfectly. Like the Dark Knight trilogy’s Batman theme, Zimmer’s Superman motif simultaneously conveyed the humanity and the epic-large scale of Superman.

Man of Steel takes its time with Clark Kent’s transformation into Superman, putting a strong emphasis on his extraterrestrial heritage and feelings of loneliness in his formative years, with Zimmer’s theme initially focusing on these ethereal and melancholic elements. The true bombast and optimism expected of Superman and his theme come out in two moments in Man of Steel. The first is when Clark Kent first dons his Superman suit and takes flight, and the second occurs during the film’s finale and end credits, in which Superman has completed his origin and created the character’s familiar status quo.

6

The Avengers

Alan Silvestri

The Avengers changed the course of pop culture almost overnight, popularizing comic book-style shared universe storytelling while simultaneously delivering a solid superhero film in its own right. Perhaps one of the film’s more underrated elements is its score by Alan Silvestri, who had previously scored Captain America: The First Avenger for the MCU. Silvestri crafted a classic superhero motif for the MCU Phase 1’s grand finale that immediately became one of the franchise’s most recognizable themes.

The Avengers theme evokes some of the MCU’s greatest elements, namely its grand scale and loving adaptation of classic Silver Age Marvel comics. Even when Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman replaced Silvestri for Avengers: Age of Ultron, the original motif remained. Silvestri’s Avengers theme, along with Alan Silvestri himself, returned in the following two Avengers installments, with the theme playing at the end of Avengers: Endgame’s heartfelt end credits sequence, ending the Infinity Saga on an epic note.

5

Superman

John Williams

Fittingly, the first major superhero motion picture, 1978’s Superman, features a main theme so iconic that it remains one of the most recognizable pieces of film music in general. John Williams, having just scored the equally iconic soundtrack to Star Wars, created the theme for Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve’s Superman, a classic march that epitomizes the character, for many. Williams’s Superman theme remained in the franchise for its sequels, including 2006’s Superman Returns, which continues the story where Superman II left off but does not acknowledge its two sequels.

The John Williams Superman theme has gone on to inspire other composers when creating new motifs for the character, such as Shirley Walker, who composed the theme for Superman: The Animated Series. The motif has even been sampled in other live-action DC franchises, such as the Arrowverse and the DCEU. The latter notably uses the Williams theme in the 2017 cut of Justice League and 2022’s Black Adam.

4

Batman

Danny Elfman

Comparable in recognition and impact to the John Williams Superman theme, Danny Elfman’s main theme for 1989’s Batman is one of the most recognizable superhero motifs. The piece is every bit as dark, quirky, and epic as Michael Keaton’s iteration of Batman himself, turning the opening credits of the 1989 film and its sequel, Batman Returns, into a grand overture, fitting for the definitive reinvention of Batman in pop culture. Like Williams’s Superman theme, Elfman’s Batman motif would inspire the DCAU Batman theme, as heard in Batman: The Animated Series and other DCAU properties.

The theme would also represent Batman in a multitude of video games such as the LEGO Batman series, Batman: Arkham Knight, and the more recent MultiVersus. When Danny Elfman scored the 2017 iteration of Justice League, he ignored the established Batman theme and replaced it with his own, similar to his replacement of the Hans Zimmer Superman theme with the Williams version. The theme would make an even more fitting return in The Flash, representing the Michael Keaton iteration of Batman in the film’s Flashpoint timeline.

3

Wonder Woman

Hans Zimmer, Tina Guo, Junkie XL, Rupert Gregson-Williams

Naturally, one of DC’s greatest live-action superheroes also has one of the IP’s greatest superhero themes. The DCEU iteration of Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, debuted in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and would go on to co-star in both iterations of Justice League and two Wonder Woman solo films. Wonder Woman’s leitmotif is the result of a collaboration between multiple artists and immediately became one of DC’s most popular and recognizable themes.

For Dawn of Justice, Hans Zimmer sought to create a superhero theme that conveyed the cry of a banshee from Irish folklore. Zimmer and Junkie XL brought in Tina Guo to give Wonder Woman her distinctive melody via the electric cello. For 2017’s Wonder Woman, Rupert Gregson-Williams added to the theme with his own compositions, combining the fierce Dawn of Justice motif with an emotional and human element, tailoring the original theme to Wonder Woman’s heartfelt origin story in the DC Universe.

2

Spider-Man

Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman’s Spider-Man theme, as heard in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, is some of Elfman’s finest work. Elfman’s theme notably has two elements – the Spider-Man motif, and the Peter Parker motif – with both playing throughout the trilogy and giving each film the perfect overture during their respective opening credits sequences. The first part, representing Spider-Man, is fittingly higher-octane, yet with a degree of melancholy, conveying the reluctant and complex nature of the Spider-Man identity in Peter Parker’s life.

The second, representing Peter Parker and often referred to as the “responsibility theme,” is far more somber, representing Peter Parker’s guilt over Uncle Ben’s death and the sacrifices he repeatedly makes for his double life. Both themes become somewhat scarce in Spider-Man 3 – scored by Christopher Young – as both of Spider-Man’s identities are gradually corrupted by the symbiote’s influence. Elfman’s motifs returned along with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man himself in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

1

Captain America

Alan Silvestri

Alan Silvestri gave Captain America his definitive motif in The First Avenger. Fittingly, Silvestri’s Captain America theme is a march, similar to that of Williams’s Superman or Elfman’s Batman, giving Steve Rogers a simple, catchy, and heartfelt six-note motif that perfectly represents his altruism and straightforward Golden Age comic-style heroism. The theme would, unsurprisingly, continue to represent Captain America in The Avengers, which Silvestri also scored.

Silvestri’s theme was such a perfect match for the character that it even returned in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, despite Silvestri being replaced by Henry Jackman. While the theme was absent in Captain America: Civil War, it returned in Endgame for what may be Steve Rogers’ final appearance in the MCU. The theme would even inspire Captain America’s motif in his first appearance in X-Men ’97, cementing it as among the upper echelons of hero themes created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC Universe.