At the moment, pop culture is dominated by a glut of superhero media; animation is a medium where the genre has been able to thrive, no surprise, given how intrinsically similar it is to superheroes' native realm of comics.
What good is a Saturday morning cartoon without a catchy theme song, though? Looking across every superhero cartoon, here are the greatest opening themes; the catchiest songs, most memorable opening sequences, the whole package.
10 X-Men: Evolution Has A Very 2000s Theme, But It Works
The second major X-Men cartoon, X-Men: Evolution, reintroduced the team on the small screen in the 21st century. To that end, it recast most of the major characters as teenagers (the exceptions were Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Magneto, Mystique, and of course Professor X) while taking aesthetic inspiration from the contemporary X-Men films and Ultimate X-Men comics.
The theme song, composed by William Kevin Anderson, is emblematic of the show's general approach; punk rock instrumentals not unlike that of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer's theme. The music is hardly bad though; especially well-done is the electric guitar riff played during Wolverine's introduction in the opening titles.
9 Superman: The Animated Series Replicates John Williams' Iconic Anthem
The Christopher Reeve Superman movies cast a long shadow over pop culture; the public perception of the Man Of Steel is still rooted in those films, particularly the original, 1978 one directed by Richard Donner. America's greatest film composer, John Williams, provided the score for the film, and its main theme ranks among his most famous works —no small feat.
When Superman returned to the small-screen, helmed by the same team as Batman: The Animated Series, composer Shirley Walker looked to Williams for inspiration. Trumpets blast over selected clips from the show itself, creating a melody of pure, uplifting heroism.
8 Justice League Has A Suitably Epic Opening
Like previous DCAU productions, Justice League stuck with pure instrumentals for its theme music, but those instrumentals fit the show like a glove. Lolita Ritmanis effectively combined the effects of Shirley Walker's Batman and Superman compositions; the use of trumpets recalls Superman: The Animated Series, but the acoustics are more dramatic and operatic like Batman: The Animated Series.
Playing beneath this music is a roll-call for each Justice League member displaying their skills, animated in 3D unlike the rest of the show. The CGI doesn't hold up but the sequence itself still succeeds at making the Justice League look larger than life. Combined with the music, the opening truly feels like a welcoming cry for the gods of today.
7 The Theme Of Spider-Man Has Become A Pop Culture Staple
Spider-Man's first foray out of comics came just five years after his debut, in the 1967 cartoon eponymously named for its hero. The show's most enduring legacy is its theme song, composed by Bob Harris and Paul Francis Webster: "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a Spider can..."
Though undeniably hokey, the lyrics are also impossibly catchy and are still associated with the title character to this day. Indeed, Michael Giacchino would compose an instrumental version of this theme for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
6 The Opening Of Batman Beyond Perfectly Introduces The Show
In the same way that Batman Beyond is an evolution of the very character and concept of Batman, Kristopher Carter's theme for the series feels like an evolution of Shirley Walker's compositions for Batman: The Animated Series. The instrumentals have evolved from gothic/operatic into techno, reflecting the new cyber-punk Gotham which Terry McGinnis must navigate as the city's new Dark Knight.
The title sequence itself, featuring artwork done by the late, legendary Darwyn Cooke, consists of shots of Terry himself, his rogues gallery, and the Neo-Gotham itself. These disparate shots are edited together at a quick-paced rhythm which perfectly complements the music.
5 The Theme Of Spectacular Spider-Man Surpasses The Classic
Though unfortunately short-lived due to a licensing kerfuffle between Disney and Sony, The Spectacular Spider-Man remains one of the finest portrayals of the Wall-Crawler and his supporting cast. The show mixed reverence with innovation at every turn, including the theme song.
Rather than repackage the iconic 1967 theme, alt. rock group The Tender Box created a new, just-as-catchy anthem: "Livin' on the edge, fighting crime, Spinning webs, swinging from the highest ledge. He can leap above our heads." The song strikes an incomparable rhythm, between the drumbeat and the chants of "Spectacular Spider-Man" that make fans want to join in.
4 Justice League Unlimited Has A Head-banging Rock Theme
When Justice League relaunched with an expanded cast and new subtitle, Unlimited, a new theme song and opening credits were made. Still, images of the founding seven were intercut with in-show footage of the League's newly-recruited, ancillary members, all played over an exhilarating electric guitar theme.
Compared to the weighty, operatic mood of Justice League, Michael McCuistion's score for Unlimited instead has a vibe of diving headfirst into the action. Quite different, but just as celebratory of DC's heroes as the old theme.
3 "Fight As One" From Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Is Endlessly Listenable
Many superhero cartoons don't bother with lyrics, but after hearing Bad City's "Fight As One" from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes fans will be wishing more did. The opening titles begin with HYDRA attacking New York City and shots of the individual Avengers, lyrics describing their situations ("Tormented and attacked" plays over a shot of Banner transforming into the Hulk, "Lost From When We Wake, With No Way To Go Back," blasts over Captain America, then Thor).
From there, a cry of "Avengers, Assemble" breaks out and the catchy, cheesy but epic chorus begins: "Always we will fight as one, 'till the battle's won, with evil on the run, we never come undone, assembled we are strong, forever fight as one." It's a shame the full version has never been released, and that only a heavily abbreviated version of the song played during the show's second season.
2 X-Men Has A Simply Unforgettable Theme Song
1992's X-Men is one of the most fondly remembered versions of the team, and a chunk of the credit for that must go to composer Ron Wasserman's unforgettable theme song. Wassermann had previously composed the theme for Power Rangers, and his X-Men is just as instantly, electrically exciting as his music for that series.
The sequence introduces the X-Men one by one, giving them a chance to show off their powers, before pivoting to images of mutant persecution and culminating with a stand-off between the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood Of Mutants. Everything about the show is conveyed in a tight, 60-second package that'll instantly rope viewers in.
1 The Opening Of Batman: The Animated Series Is Masterwork Of Animation & Atmosphere
It's only natural that the best superhero cartoon has the best opening sequence. Indeed, the opening of Batman: The Animated Series is basically a short film in and of itself; rather than just hastily-spliced together footage from unrelated episodes of the show, the sequence has a consistent narrative. After a bank robbery in downtown Gotham, Batman leaps into action and quickly apprehends the two crooks.
The opening is a masterclass of atmosphere; every figure, human and building alike, remains encased in shadow, lit against the blood-red sky of Gotham. The darkness only disperses with a lightning strike, revealing Batman perched on a rooftop in all his glory. As this all transpires, Shirley Walker's operatic, transcendent theme music plays in masterful sync with the animation.