THE 10 BEST MARVEL & DC ANIMATED THEMES

There have been lots of adaptations of various comics over the years, each one accompanied by their own theme song. Some are great. Others, purely forgettable. We’re counting down our top 10 favorite Marvel and DC animated series opening theme songs.

10. “SPIDER-MAN” BY PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER & BOB HARRIS

When a song transcends the show it was made for, you have to pay it its due. The Spider-Man theme has continued to be featured in the comics, both movie series, and video games. Not to mention the various parodies and covers. It continues to be the go-to song for Spider-Man, even for those who have never seen the actual show it’s from. 

9. “SUPER FRIENDS (1973)” BY HOYT CURTIN

Super Friends was the longest-running series based on a DC property, reinventing itself with every new season. The theme never really changed as the show progressed, just had some minor alterations, but the first incarnation is by far the best. Those opening beats just get you pumped, and then it falls into a classically heroic melody indicative of the Silver Age of Comics.

8. “IRON MAN (SEASON 2)” BY WILLIAM KEVIN ANDERSON

Airing as part of the Sunday Marvel Action Hour programming block, Iron Man and The Fantastic Four were incredibly rough. Their production teams ignored the excellent work FOX was doing with their Marvel properties and did the complete opposite. Then, season two came and fixed everything that was wrong with them—including giving us this awesome theme for Iron Man that really played up into the heavy metal of the character.

7. “INCREDIBLE HULK” BY SHUKI LEVY & KUSSA MAHCHI

The song just screams “monster” in its composition, which perfectly captures the raging monster that is the Hulk. Add to that the continuous heartbeat in the background, and the song covers all the bases.

6. “JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED” BY MICHAEL McCUISTION

While the original theme was excellent, when the show shifted to Justice League Unlimited it gave us a theme that was infused with energy. The first few opening notes gave you that epic sense of scale that the series would encompass, and then erupts into a treat for the ears with a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack. A departure from the usual orchestral nature of the DCAU, but a welcomed one.

5. “THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES” BY SHIRLEY WALKER

When the success of Superman: The Animated Series inspired Warner Bros. Animation to revive Batman: The Animated Series, they paired the two shows together in the package program The New Batman/Superman Adventures. Complete with an original opening, the show gained a new theme that deftly blended elements evocative of both heroes in an excellent composition.

4. “BATMAN BEYOND” BY KRISTOPHER CARTER

This was an all-new, all-different Batman. That meant he needed a different kind of theme. This techno riff for Batman Beyond definitely fit the futuristic tone of the show and drove home the point that this wasn’t your grandpappy’s Batman. 

3. “SPDIER-MAN” BY SHUKI LEVY, KUSSA MAHCHI, UDI HARPAZ & JOE PERRY

While what few lyrics there are aren’t quite as catchy as “Spider-Man / Spider-Man / Does whatever a spider can”, it still had a way of sticking with you. This theme welcomed Spidey to a new generation of fans. The rock and roll riffs emphasized the action-oriented nature of the show, and was just damn cool to listen to.

2. “BATMAN” BY DANNY ELFMAN

For 1989’s Batman, Danny Elfman gave us the definitive Batman theme song. In 1992, he gave that song a slight tweaking and gave us the best possible theme that could accompany the dark and mature Batman: The Animated Series. The song is as distinctive as Batman’s bat symbol, and no matter how many times they try to replace it, it continues to stand out as THE Batman song in people’s minds.

1. “X-MEN” BY RON WASSERMAN

According to Previously on X-Men, the song was submitted and rejected about 20 times before they found a theme that everyone was happy with. And boy, was it worth it. As the first X-Men production to take the material seriously, X-Men: The Animated Series needed a serious song to go with it. Very few people can hear the opening chords and NOT know what it belongs to.

Do you agree with out list? What's your favorite Marvel and DC theme? Let us know in the comics, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

MARVEL VS. DC MONTH!

Marvel and DC by George Perez

            There’s been an eternal debate amongst comic fans: Marvel or DC. Which has the better characters? Which has the better books? And, in the 21^st century, that argument has expanded to include which has the better movies?

            This month, we’re bringing you MARVEL VS. DC. The name is a bit misleading, though. This month, we’re celebrating two milestones for those companies: the 80^th anniversary of Superman and the super hero genre, and the 10^th anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and, consequently, the record-breaking box office of Avengers: Infinity War). Not to mention the recently-passed 25^th anniversaries of Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series. (Interestingly enough, last year was also the anniversary of the Marvel vs. DC comic event).

            Each week we’ll be presenting a pair-off between both company’s Saturday morning offerings, two “bouts” per “round”. Some are ones we’ve posted before, some are all-new, and all are accessible through the round posts. We’ll also be presenting some extras as we celebrate all things comic this month. To think, a mere 20 years ago TV networks viewed comic-based properties as a gamble, now you’ve got Hollywood scrambling for properties for the next big movie and show. How times have changed!

            And hey, be sure to let us know what shows are your favorites, which shows aren’t, what shows bring back great memories for you, or anything else you want to say! You can follow us and chat with us on Facebook here and here, and on Twitter @SatMForever. That’s also where we post news items and other announcements. And feel free to send us requests for what shows you’d like us to get to sooner than later.

MARVEL VS. DC: ROUND 1

THE GOLD STANDARD

They always say you save the best for last...but why? We're starting things off with the best of the best, the ones by which all others are measured. The two shows regarded as kicking off a bold new era of comic-based programming.

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

VS.

X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

THE STRANGEST THINGS

From the best to the...questionable, at best. These are the two shows that have left comic fans wondering why they even bothered being put to paper.

THE THING

VS.

SWAMP THING: THE ANIMATED SERIES

THE THING

THE THING

(NBC, September 22-December 15, 1979)

Hanna-Barbera Productions

MAIN CAST:

Wayne Morton – Benjy Grimm

Joe Baker – The Thing

Noelle North – Kelly Harkness

Marilyn Schreffer – Betty Harkness, Miss Twilly

John Erwin – Ronald Radford

Art Metrano – Spike

Michael Sheehan – Turkey

John Stephenson – Dr. Harkness, Stretch, various

            Team-ups in comics are not an uncommon thing. In fact, Marvel Comics had two ongoing books dedicated exclusively to the concept. However, when Hanna-Barbera decided to team-up a Marvel character with some of their characters, it was a bit misleading.

The ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing.

             DePatie-Freleng was trying to maintain its hold on the Fantastic Four license after the abject failure of their series The New Fantastic Four. They pitched an idea to NBC’s Fred Silverman about a spin-off show where Ben Grimm would travel from town to town, transforming into the Thing to help people (similar to the hit CBS series, The Incredible Hulk). At the same time, Hanna-Barbera was pitching a show featuring Archie Comics-styled teenagers where one of them could change into a monster leading to hilarious results (sounding like Ruby-Spears’ Fangface). Silverman liked the Hanna-Barbera proposal, but felt it would be more successful with a recognizable monster instead of an original creation. Silverman took the Thing away from DePatie-Freleng and allowed Hanna-Barbera to use him in their series, which ultimately ended up being an amalgamation of both studios’ pitches.

Thing Rings doing their thing.

             The Thing centered around the titular character (Joe Baker, with some inspiration from Jimmy Durante) going to scientist Dr. Harkness (John Stephenson) for a way to transform back to human form permanently. Although the cure worked, he was now the teenaged pipsqueak Benjy Grimm (Wayne Morton) instead of an adult test pilot. Benjy could still access his rocky persona thanks to a pair of rings which, when put together with the phrase “Thing ring, do your thing!”, caused Benjy’s rocky visage to gather around him. Benjy stayed with Harkness as he worked to find a permanent cure for his condition that wouldn’t also diminish his age any further. While the Thing still sported his blue trunks and still declared himself “The idol o’ millions” (amongst other signature phrases), no mention was ever made of his time with the Fantastic Four.

Spike and Turkey causing some trouble.

             Benjy attended Centerville High School with Harkness’ daughters Betty (Marilyn Schreffer) and Kelly (Noelle North), the latter of which knew Benjy’s secret identity. Betty’s personality was very inconsistent, ranging from one of Benjy’s friends to a spoiled and shallow girl that could barely tolerate him (ironically, she was a big fan of the Thing) and used his crush on her (let’s forget for a moment he was technically an adult) to get her way. Benjy often clashed with Betty’s snobby boyfriend, Ronald (John Erwin), who would play mean-spirited pranks on him. The kids were frequently in the company of their scatterbrained teacher/principal, Miss Twilly (also Schreffer). Thing would be called upon to solve general problems, such as Miss Twilly stepping onto a runaway push cart or a gas truck stalled on railroad tracks, or to deal with the shenanigans of the Yancy Street Gang. The Gang, often depicted in the comics as a group of often-unseen juveniles that tortured Thing whenever he visited his old neighborhood, were reimagined as a biker gang comprised of the diminutive Spike (Art Metrano), the bulky Turkey (Michael Sheehan) and the scrawny Stretch (Stephenson).

TV Guide ad for the show.

             Now, as for the misleading team-up mentioned earlier, The Thing wasn’t broadcast as its own show. Instead, it was placed in the hour-long package show Fred and Barney Meet the Thing along with The New Fred and Barney Show, a spin-off of The Flintstones. Despite the title, Fred and Barney never interacted with the Thing outside of the opening title sequence and commercial bumpers; all of the characters were contained within their own shows. Fred and Barney Meet the Thing debuted on NBC on September 22, 1979. Two Thing segments aired during the second half hour of the program for a total of 13 episodes. On December 8, the show was expanded to 90-minutes to included the recently-cancelled show The New Shmoo and was renamed Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo. Once again, all of the featured characters only interacted in the opening and the commercial bumpers.

That's one way to raise the roof.

             The show fared no better than Fantastic Four and was cancelled after a single season. Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo continued on in reruns through November of 1980 when it was replaced by The Flintstone Comedy Show. Reruns of The Thing eventually made their way to Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Hanna-Barbera would recycle their teen-into-monster-hero idea for Drak Pack the following year. Because the show was produced by Hanna-Barbera, the rights to the series lie with WarnerMedia as Warner Bros. had purchased the studio in 1996. However, the rights to the character belong to Disney who had purchased Marvel in 2009 and later Fox, who held the theatrical rights, in 2019. As a result, it’s not likely that the series will see a home release any time soon.

Thing Rings do their thing...in comics!

In 2013, the Fantastic Four were temporarily replaced by the Future Foundation in the comics. The team was comprised of Ant-Man, She-Hulk, the Inhuman Medusa, and new character Darla Deering: a purple-haired rock star that once dated the Human Torch. Deering became the reluctant superhero Miss Thing when she was given the ability to summon an exosuit that resembled Thing’s body in the same manner as the cartoon in FF vol. 2 #8 by Matt Fraction, Mike Allred, Laura Allred and Clayton Cowles.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Picnic Panic / Bigfoot Meets the Thing” (9/22/79) – The Yancy Street Gang cause a distraction so that they can steal the food from the picnic. / The Yancy Street gang use a Bigfoot costume to terrorize the local ski resort, not knowing the actual Bigfoot is nearby.

“Junkyard Hijinks / Gone Away Gulch” (9/29/79) – Benjy and Kelly decide to clean up an abandoned lot for a playground, but the Yancy Street Gang likes it as is. / The kids end up stuck in a ghost town where an obsessive prospector dangerously searches for treasure.

“Circus Stampede / The Thing and the Queen” (10/6/79) – The Yancy Street Gang causes trouble when the circus comes to town, resulting in the animals breaking free. / Betty plans to run for homecoming queen, but the Yancy Street Gang plans to make sure their girls win.

“Carnival Caper / The Thing Blanks Out” (10/13/79) – A crooked carnival owner wants to sign the Thing as an attraction. / When a drawbridge conks Thing on the head, he loses his memory just as his friends are stranded on a boat in front of a breaking dam.

“The Thing Meets the Clunk / Beach Party Crashers” (10/20/79) – A scientist’s well-meaning robot causes chaos around the city. / The Yancy Street Gang decides to play tricks on the kids at the beach.

“Decepto the Great / The Thing’s the Play” (10/27/79) – The magician hired for the school bazaar ends up being a thief who steals during his act. / The kids go to a delusional acting coach who believes Betty is his favorite actress and the key to his big comeback.

“Double Trouble for the Thing / To Thing or Not to Thing” (11/3/79) – A robot double frames Thing for its crimes. / A new attempt at a cure leads to the Thing transforming in uncontrollable and strange ways.

“The Big Bike Race / The Thing and the Treasure Hunt” (11/10/79) – Benjy enters a bike race where Betty serves as the race queen. / A day of boating leads the kids to discover a treasure map.

“Out to Launch / The Day the Ring Didn’t do a Thing” (11/17/79) – A jilted city employee threatens the launch of a ship from the new shipyards. / While on a fossil hunt, Benjy removes one of his rings and it ends up in the hands of Spike.

“A Hot Air Affair at the Fair / The Thing Goes to the Dogs” (11/24/79) – Benjy, Ronald and Spike compete in a hot air balloon race. / The Yancy Street Gang plans to scare Ronald by stealing his father’s prized dog from the dog show.

“The Thing Goes Camping / Dude Ranch Rodeo” (12/1/79) – Miss Twilly takes the kids on a camping trip. / The Yancy Street gang causes trouble at a rodeo.

“Photo Finish / Lights, Action, Thing!” (12/8/79) – Ronald, Spike and Benjy compete in the zoo’s photo contest. / The kids get jobs working on the movie that a jilted stuntman would do anything to disrupt.

“The Thing and the Captain’s Ghost / The Thing and the Absent-Minded Inventor” (12/15/79) – The Yancy Street Gang challenges the kids to confront a ghost story in order to scare them. / The kids help Miss Twilly’s absent-minded uncle get to the annual inventor’s convention.

Originally posted in 2018. Updated in 2020.

SWAMP THING (1991)

SWAMP THING (1991)

(FOX, October 31, 1990-May 11, 1991)

DiC Entertainment, BBK Productions, MTE Enterprises

MAIN CAST:

Len Carlson – Swamp Thing/Alec Holland

Don Francks – Anton Arcane

Harvey Atkin – Tomahawk

Philip Akin – Bayou Jack

Errol Slue – Dr. Deemo

Gordon Masten – Skinman

Joe Matheson – Weed Killer

Tabitha St. Germain (as Paulina Gillis) – Abigail Arcane

Jonathan Potts – Delbert

Richard Yearwood – J.T.

            Swamp Thing is the creation of writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson. Debuting in DC Comics’ House of Secrets #92 (1971), Swamp Thing was early 20^th Century scientist Alex Olsen whose experiments were sabotaged by his co-worker, Damian Ridge, in an attempt to kill him and steal his wife, Linda. The resulting explosion caused the chemicals and forces in the swamp to turn him into a monstrous and mute creature. Swamp Thing killed Ridge before he could kill Linda, who was growing suspicious of Ridge’s involvement in Olsen’s death. Unable to communicate his identity with Linda, Swamp Thing returned to the swamp. Wein had conceived of the character while riding the New York City subway, and without a name for it just kept calling it “that swamp thing I’m working on”, eventually giving it its name. Wrightson designed Swamp Thing’s appearance based on a rough sketch by Wein.

The first Swamp Thing story.

            When the story proved successful, DC asked them to do an ongoing series depicting a more heroic and contemporary version. Now set in the 1970s, scientist Alec Holland was working on a bio-restorative formula in the Louisiana swamps that was designed to make inhospitable environments capable of supporting plant life. When Holland refused to give up the formula to the mysterious Mr. E, a bomb was planted in his lab. Doused in chemicals and on fire, Holland dove into the swamp, re-emerging as Swamp Thing. Wein’s roommate at the time, Gerry Conway, tried to get Wein to change the revised origin as it was very similar to the origin of Man-Thing, the character he and Roy Thomas debuted almost two years prior at Marvel Comics. Wein, however stuck with his idea and Marvel never pursued legal action since both characters were similar to The Heap, who debuted in Air Fighters Comics #3 (1942).

Swamp Thing's more "heroic" run.

            Swamp Thing ran for a total of 24 issues before it was cancelled. During that time, Swamp Thing fought against evil as he sought to avenge his murdered wife (also named Linda), gained the arch-nemesis of Dr. Anton Arcane who was obsessed with discovering immortality, and developed a relationship with Arcane’s niece, Abigail. Hollands’ friend, federal agent Matthew Cable, believed Swamp Thing responsible for the death of Alec and Linda and often hunted him. Wein and Wrightson only worked on the first batch of issues in the series, with David Michelinie, Conway, Nestor Redondo and Fred Carrillo taking it over for the remainder of its run. DC planned to revive Swamp Thing in 1978, but it was a victim of the DC Implosion. The Implosion was the resulting failure of the “DC Explosion” plan to overtake Marvel’s growing dominance of the market by publishing more books, which was Marvel’s strategy at the time. But the blizzards of ’77 and ’78, rampant inflation, economic recession, and increased costs of printing forced DC to cancel almost 40% of its titles and lay off staff members.

            In 1982, Wes Craven wrote and directed a film based on the character for Embassy Pictures. This version saw scientist Holland (Ray Wise) working with his now-sister Linda (Nannette Brown) on a project to make a plant/animal hybrid capable of surviving in extreme environments. Arcane (Louis Jourdan) killed Linda in an attempt to steal the formula, leading to Alec being transformed into Swamp Thing (Dick Durock). Adrienne Barbeau also starred as federal agent and Holland’s love interest Alice Cable, a combination of Matt Cable and Abigail Arcane. This led to a low-budget sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing, in 1989 and a live-action television series on USA Network from 1990-93. Durock reprised his role in both. The film also led to DC reviving the Swamp Thing series, birthing Alan Moore’s highly-regarded revitalization of the character.

1990 proved to be a big year for Swamp Thing. Along with the launch of the television series, Kenner had entered into a $6 million deal to produce a line of action figures based on the character. To promote the figures, Reed and Brue Shelly pitched an animated series to CBS which largely ignored Moore’s contributions and focused on the original Wein/Wrightson work. The series, like the comics, had the transformation of Alec Holland into Swamp Thing (Len Carlson) after his lab was destroyed for his plant-growth formula designed to end world hunger. This time, Anton Arcane (Don Francks) was behind the attack, using his team of synthetic Un-Men: Dr. Deemo (Errol Slue), a rhyme-speaking snake-like voodoo doctor that could transform into a serpent monster; Skinman (Gordon Masten), a frail zombie that could transform into a flying fangbat monter; and Weed Killer (Joe Metheson), a gas mask-wearing plant killer that turned into the leech-like bogsucker monster. 

Swamp Thing vs. Arcane.

Swamp Thing also had his own allies in the form of Tomahawk (Harvey Atkin), a Native American expert tracker; Bayou Jack (Philip Akin), a Vietnam Veteran who became a hermit in the swamp after the war; Abigail Arcane (Tabitha St. Germain), Arcane’s stepdaughter; and Delbert (Jonathan Potts) and J.T. (Richard Yearwood), two young boys who lived near the swamp. Five episodes were produced by DiC Entertainment when CBS pulled the plug on the series. Instead, it would end up over at FOX. 

Weed Killer, Skinman and Dr. Deemo in their second forms.

Swamp Thing previewed on October 31, 1990 on the Fox Kids programming block with the rest of the episodes airing that April to replace the failed Piggsburg Pigs. The series took on a pro-ecological slant, trading the horror overtones of the source material for goofy action/adventure as evidenced in the use of the theme by Michael Tavera that parodied Chip Taylor’s “Wild Thing”. The series was written primarily by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, with assistance on one episode by Mike Medlock and the final episode by the Shellys. Miles Teves, Stefan Martinere and Kurt Connor handled the character designs. Despite being produced by veterans Michael E. Uslan and Benjamin Melniker, who also worked on the Swamp Thing films and live series, and animation veteran Andy Heyward, the cartoon ultimately failed to find a significant audience; mostly due to being put up against CBS’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. FOX reran the series in July, but both times it ended up being replaced by Piggsburg Pigs—the very show it was brought in to replace. It later aired on NBC as part of Chip and Pepper’s Cartoon Madness and on the Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy). It would also air in Canada on YTV.

Swamp Thing and Tomahawk.

Despite its short run, a wide range of merchandise was released in relation to the cartoon. Kenner ended up producing two waves of the figures including several variants of Swamp Thing, playsets and vehicles. Other merchandise included a paint by numbers kit and a board game from Rose Art, a t-shirt, slippers, a bop bag, three pencil sharpeners by Noteworthy, and a piece of green chalk in the shape of Swamp Thing. Most of this merchandise featured artwork by Alfredo Alcala. In December of 1992, THQ released a Swamp Thing video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. The side-scrolling beat ‘em up saw Swamp Thing take on various foes throughout the swamp with standard attack and “mud ball” projectiles. The game received generally negative reviews due to its high difficulty, poor controls, bland music and dull gameplay.

Kenner released “The Un-Men Unleashed” to VHS in 1992 to tie-in with their toys. The cover for the tape used the same package art as the Snare Arm Swamp Thing figure. A second release with a new cover came later in the year. In 2004, UAVCO released the complete series to DVD in promotion of its Animation Station programming block on Sci-Fi Channel. In 2006, Anchor Bay Entertainment released the complete series in the United Kingdom.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Un-Men Unleashed” (10/31/90) – Dr. Arcane turns his henchmen into mutants to attack Swamp Thing, but a group of allies comes to his aid.

“To Live Forever” (4/20/91) – Arcane and his Un-Men head to the Amazon and enslave a local tribe to harvest sap from “the trees that never die.”

“Falling Red Star” (4/27/91) – Swamp Thing, Bayou Jack and Tomahawk help NASA retrieve a downed satellite before Arcane can get his hands on it.

“Legend of the Lost Cavern” (5/4/91) – Arcane invades the ancestral burial ground of Tomahawk’s people to look for the Fountain of Youth.

“Experiment in Terror” (5/11/91) – The government captures Swamp Thing and takes him to New Orleans for experimentation.