Cartoons are monumental in any child’s younger years. A good cartoon can go on to define a kid’s taste in entertainment for the rest of their life. A good cartoon can also get the catchiest of tunes stuck in viewers’ heads and stay there for their adult lives.
Many adults can call back to and hum the theme song of their favorite childhood TV shows and for good reason, with the superhero genre having some of the absolute best in the business. Whether it be the classic rock theme of Justice League Unlimited or the catchiest Spidey tune in The Spectacular Spider-Man, kids into superheroes will be treated with nothing but the best.
10 ‘The Batman’
(2004-2008)
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The criminally underrated early 2000s cartoon, The Batman, follows a younger Bruce Wayne in the earlier years of his Batman career. The show featured a new art style compared to how viewers saw the caped crusader in the Batman: The Animated Series universe and with that came a new type of theme.
Centered around a mysterious, yet epic guitar riff that would share similarities to Batman’s signature riff in the show, this theme set the tone for the earlier seasons that centered around his detective work and assembling his rogues gallery. The theme would eventually change as the universe expanded, and the show equipped a lighter tone.
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9 ‘Justice League’
(2001-2004)
The undefeated classic known as the Justice League animated series brought seven of DC’s titans to the silver screen in a way that still pleases fans to this day. Whether it be an episode focused on the fast-paced speedster, The Flash, or the mysterious caped crusader of Gotham, Batman, the theme manages to serve every character in one way or another.
The triumphant horns ignite the sun in the sky as the silhouettes of DC’s favorite heroes are introduced in iconic shots that perfectly capture their character types and power sets. It also just so happens to be a CGI animated intro for a 2D animated show, which was out of the box at the time of release in 2001
Release Date November 17, 2001
Cast Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Carl Lumbly, Michael Rosenbaum, Maria Canals-Barrera
Seasons 5
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8 ‘Spider-Man’
(1967-1970)
Being the first television series to ever be based on the iconic and titular superhero, Spider-Man, this show had a lot of pressure on it. The show has gone on to become a huge foundation for meme culture and was well-praised for its insanely accurate depiction of the Spider-Man cast of characters in relation to the comics they were based on.
But the greatest thing to come out of the series is its iconic theme song. Arguably one of the most popular superhero themes, period. “Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a Spider-Man” has become synonymous with the character, pretty much anyone who has heard of him knows the catchy tune. It was even remastered for the opening of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
7 ‘Spider-Man: The Animated Series’
(1994-1998)
The 90s was undoubtedly a good time for Spider-Man. He was thriving in the comics and had an amazing animated series to pair with it. It covered some of the greatest Spider-Man stories, featured the astounding Christopher Daniel Barnes as Spider-Man and had a head-banging theme song to top it all off.
Serving a drastic contrast from his first theme, Spider-Man: The Animated Series kicks off its episode with a heavy rock theme and thrilling action shots and sequences to get audiences pumped up for the story ahead. A type of opening you’d most likely only find in the 90s, that still manages to more than hold up in the present day.
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6 ‘Justice League Unlimited’
(2004-2006)
The sequel series to the Justice League animated series provided audiences with the same team and cast from the prior series, but taking part in adventures from an expanded universe. Heavily featuring other characters from the DC world, Justice League Unlimited lived up to its name by making audiences feel like there were unlimited possibilities as to who they could see and what adventures the League would go on.
Maintaining similar motifs from the original theme, now with a gnarly electric guitar behind it, the Justice League Unlimited opening does a great job of keeping the original seven at the forefront while teasing the greater DC landscape they’ll be interacting with.
Release Date July 31, 2004
Cast Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, Susan Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr, Michael Rosenbaum, Carl Lumbly, Maria Canals-Barrera
Seasons 3
5 ‘Batman Beyond’
(1999-2001)
One of the most iconic and unique interpretations of Batman on screen, Batman Beyond had a big job to do being in the same universe as Batman: The Animated Series; maintaining the tone and feeling of the previous iteration while differing itself enough to feel vast and different like the new Batman on the block, Terry McGinnis.
Much like other series in the mid to late 90s, Batman Beyond decided to bring in rock themes to the opening song. But to pair with the flashy, futuristic images on screen, they added a digital sound to it to fit the world of Neo Gotham. It manages to be different from the Batman: The Animated Series intro while still feeling like it lives in the same universe.
Release Date January 10, 1999
Cast Will Friedle, Cree Summer, Kevin Conroy, Angie Harmon, Rachael Leigh Cook
Seasons 3
4 ‘The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’
(2010-2012)
A show that many note as one of the best iterations of the Marvel universe, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes took the world by storm with its masterful storytelling, multi-episode story arcs, believable characters and so much more. Unfortunately, the show was not picked up for a third season as Disney opted to start anew with Avengers Assemble to provide synergy to the quickly growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The opening theme song, “Fight As One” by Bad City was one killer way to kick off an episode featuring the adventures of Marvel’s mightiest team. The opening sequence features the core Avengers taking down an invasion of New York like it’s nothing, showing off how cool these characters are before audiences get to watch them in the episode to come.
Release Date October 20, 2010
Cast Brian Bloom, Rick D. Wasserman, Fred Tatasciore, Wally Wingert, Alex Désert, Gabriel Mann, Phil LaMarr, Jennifer Hale
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3 ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’
(2008-2009)
Known among fans as arguably one of the best iterations of the Spider-Man character and mythology, The Spectacular Spider-Man was and continues to be met with thunderous praise. With fans starting a hashtag online, “#savespectacularspiderman” and writing up petitions, it’s safe to say this show is well-loved. Amongst the praise lies a lot of love for their catchy theme song.
The Spectacular Spider-Man theme features action-packed and visually stunning shots playing over the original theme song sung by The Tender Box. Needless to say, one of the best iterations of the character understandably has one of the best themes for the character as well.
Release Date March 8, 2008
Cast Vanessa Marshall, Josh Keaton, Lacey Chabert, Alanna Ubach, james arnold taylor, Clancy Brown, Deborah Strang, Alan Rachins
Seasons 2
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2 ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’
(1992-1997)
The 90s were an amazing time for children and superhero fans of all ages. Living in the same universe as the critically acclaimed Spider-Man: The Animated Series was X-Men: The Animated Series. The series serves as many kids’ first introduction to the mutant team and undoubtedly created many longtime fans with its compelling characters.
The show was so popular and the theme was so catchy that the main theme song has become about as synonymous with the X-Men team as the 60s Spider-Man theme has become with Spider-Man. The opening also serves as a great introduction to these wild characters, with each member getting their name superimposed on screen in a way that paired with their superpower, accomplishing everything a cartoon opening should do.
Release Date October 31, 1992
Cast Catherine Disher, George Buza, Alyson Court, Lally Cadeau, Alison Sealy-Smith
Seasons 5
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1 ‘Batman: The Animated Series’
(1992-1995)
If fans were told to rank superhero cartoon openings themselves, it’s no question that Batman: The Animated Series would end up at the top of most lists. Known for being one of, if not the best iteration of Batman there is with one of the best performances of Batman there is, the show already holds a special place in many people’s hearts.
Kicking off with some criminals trying to rob a bank and avoid the cops, the Batmobile engine roars in all its glory as Batman races to the incident. Batman eventually arrives to take down the criminals, shrouded in black and hidden from the audience, who don’t get the full reveal of Batman until he strikes a pose atop a rooftop and a bright bolt of lightning strikes behind him. Does it get any better than that?
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