The Batman Theme Returns

For the 80-plus year history of Batman, there have been a few main musical benchmarks - 1960s Neal Hefti television theme, Danny Elfman's version in 1989 and Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard's in 2005.

But over the years, the music from Tim Burton's film by Danny Elfman has been most associated with the character and appearing all over media as recently as this year. I'm going to feature the film examples, but shout out to the television series and Lego Batman video games.  Here are some of the film examples.

Batman (1989)

Along with the production design, the music is one of the most defining features of Burton's gothic Gotham. Minor key mystery and bombastic fanfares define the Elfman Batman sound.

 
Batman Returns (1992)

Of course the sound continued into the sequel, this time using more Christmas motifs and emphasizing music of the villains.

Justice League (2017)

Elfman brought his Batman theme to the mix when Joss Whedon brought him on board. The theme notably appears in Batman entrances and fight scenes. He also incorporated the 1978 John Williams Superman theme and 2017 Zimmer/Junkie XL Wonder Woman theme. The Snyder Cut eliminated all the past musical references. 

Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)

In between all the DC film humor, Batman chases the Teen Titans and Elfman's theme appears.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

We hear a sample of Elfman's theme during Batman's rap portion of "Gotham City Guys".

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

When LeBron enters the DC World, we see him as animated Robin with Bugs Bunny as Batman in the Batmobile. Naturally, we hear Elfman's theme.

DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

Steve Jablonsky's score incorporated several past themes for humorous character entrances, including 1978 Superman, 1970s TV Wonder Woman and Elfman's Batman theme.

The Flash (2023)

Returning to Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman, the Elfman theme plays a large part in the second half of Benjamin Wallfisch's score.