10 Best Superhero Movie Theme Songs

If Hans Zimmer's score to Batman Begins best summarises the modern Batman, Danny Elfman's score to the 1989 Batman is the perfect summation of the character in the 80s and 90s. In terms of the many collaborations between Elfman and director Tim Burton, this theme has stood the test of time best and is still the Batman theme to many fans around the world.

Whereas Zimmer's score is far more moody and urban, Elfman's theme has a more bombastic and gothic feel to it. Like the film itself, it is otherworldly and theatrical about the whole thing; it wouldn't feel at all out of place in a German opera. It has many of the hallmarks of Elfman and Burton's music but removed of all the usual whimsy; it's like a Tim Burton score on steroids.

The theme many have only lasted for two films, with scoring duties taken over by Elliot Goldenthal for the Joel Schumacher films (which, removed from the films themselves, are actually pretty decent scores), but it has lasted far beyond just Burton's tenure. A variation on Elfman's theme was used for the exemplary Batman: The Animated Series, and the scores have since been reused for the Lego Batman video game series.