Remember the theme song for Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man? The swooping score that played over the opening credits and large portions of the action throughout each film. That track is lodged firmly within the mind of most comic book movie fans. Tom Holland’s Spidey has a theme song too, so why, when fans read that sentence, can they not hear it in their head the way they still hear the 2000s theme song?
When the trailersforThe Batmandropped, people had plenty of interesting design and filmmaking elements to discuss, but one element stood out. The massive, bombastic, gothic soundtrack that crashed and boomed over the trailer. It’s a shatteringly epic track, but it also brings the lack of similar compositions for fellow heroes into sharp relief.
RELATED:Composer Michael Giacchino Shares Sample Of The Batman Score
When fans attempt to bring iconic music from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into their mind, they aren’t without examples. It’s just that most of the examples are from theGuardians of the Galaxysoundtrack. TheAwesome Mix Vol. 1 & 2are unquestionably the most iconic musical fingerprint of the MCU, and it’s composed entirely of beloved hits written well before the films. Beyond that, there are the AC/DC tracks Iron Man loves to blast from his speakers, multiple stellar songs off theBlack Panthersoundtrack, and “Agatha All Along” fromWandavision. Every MCU hero, from Iron Man to Captain America, to Thor, has their own theme song, but none of them seem to have any staying power. Most fans are probably forced to look them up to form an opinion about them.So, the MCU’s themesong output isn’t living up to the old standards, but how’s the DC Extended Universe handling the issue?
Not well, but in a different way. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam all have their themes too, but they are similarly overshadowed or replaced across films.Zack Snyder’s Superman’s themesong doesn’t sound related to the character, it sounds like an unused track from300. Ditto Wonder Woman’s theme. It’s a bit better orchestrated in the sequel, but it still isn’t used in a way that makes it memorable.
The DC superhero themes don’t stand out and don’t stick around. Part of this is a problem of the larger DCEU, which is fractured by its many different filmmaking visions and multiple disconnected universes. The themes aren’t the problem, more often than not, they’re very good songs. They’re all written bywell-respected and multitalented composersand recorded by extremely skilled performers. The problem is the way the theme songs are used, and what’s often used instead.
Think back toChristopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy. Each film had its own theme song, each of which iterated and built on the theme that came before it. Batman had a distinct and memorable track, whenever it came on, people knew exactly which hero was on their way and which version would be presented. Ditto Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man, each of the films made liberal use of the excellent Danny Elfman score and the character theme in particular. The score of those films wasn’t simply better than the score of any given MCU film, that’s entirely down to personal taste. The thing that made those films' themes more memorable, is the places they were inserted.
Each Nolan-directed Batman film featured the Batman theme in the trailer. Each Sam RaimiSpider-Manplayed the Danny Elfman score throughout the marketing. Even today, Matt Reeves’The Batmanput Michael Giacchino’s theme song front and center from the very first trailer. People remember movie moments that weren’t even in the final cut if they were included in the trailer. The average modern superhero movie either compose discrete trailer music or uses another pop song. The lone standoutisThe Avengersthemebecause it shows up multiple times throughout multiple key scenes. Beyond that, most of these classic themes weren’t just relegated to the opening titles, or worse yet, the closing credits. Spidey’s theme played over the biggest action scenes in each film, as didThe Dark Knighttheme. The theme songs aren’t the problem, the way they’re cut into each film fails to give them the place of prominence they deserve.
Most of the DCEU andMCU themes are excellent, but some of them must be looked up to be heard. The track that supposedly stands as Scarlet Witch’s unique theme is the end-credit music fromWandavision. No one remembers that not because it’s bad, but because it was in the closing credits. Black Panther, Spider-Man, Captain America, and more superheroes feature great theme songs, informed by the unique tone of their films and perfectly suited for the character.
MCU and mainline DCEU films should have more faith in their scores, so people can have a hero’s theme get stuck in their head again. Pop songs and classic needle drops are just fine, but every superhero needs a good superhero theme.
MORE:Batgirl Movie Hires Loki Music Composer To Score The HBO Max Film
