10 Marvel And DC Animated TV Show Opening Title Sequences We Can’t Get Out Of Our Heads: These are the best beginning scenes from all of Marvel and DC’s animated movies, from famous songs to visually groundbreaking scenes. Since X-Men ’97 made people remember how flashy the original series’ title scenes were in the 1990s, it’s a good idea to look back at some of the most famous Marvel and DC animated show openings. Modern superhero TV shows have title sequences that are easy to recognise.
For example, Smallville’s teen drama intro and alt-rock theme music are easily recognisable, and Daredevil’s abstract red images are also easy to recognise. The art of opening titles is being reinterpreted even more now that shows like Echo and WandaVision are part of the MCU storyline. Even TV shows in the DC Universe are switching out traditional starts for weird ones, like Peacemaker’s strangely funny synchronised dance routine.
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10 Marvel And DC Animated TV Show Opening Title Sequences We Can’t Get Out Of Our Heads
Animated character shows that have been on the air for even longer have used a range of opening titles like this. The radio-like announcement in Max Fleischer’s Superman cartoons from the 1940s or the jazz-filled, surreal opening to the Fantastic Four series from 1967 are both great examples that have stood the test of time.
But there isn’t a strict Marvel or DC plan to follow, and you can also get ideas for a fun beginning from around the world. The 2023 movie My Adventures With Superman is a good example. Its opening sequence, which was influenced by shonen anime, shows Superman as a younger person.
10. Iron Man: Armoured Adventures Changed Tony Stark into a Teen Rock Star
The beginning of the original Iron Man movies in the 1990s was darker and more traditional. The 3D animated Iron Man: Armoured Adventures, on the other hand, used faster transitions and a rock music soundtrack. As Tony Stark grows up from a spoiled brat to a responsible superhero, the two-season cartoon show showed his younger years.
The rock band Rooney’s ode to Iron Man really shows how happy and unpredictable youth can be. As Rooney’s songs about teen angst become surprisingly personal, supporting characters like Pepper and Rhodey are shown as younger versions in split-screens. The Armoured Avenger even does his famous open-palm pose.
9. Spider-Man (1967) Had A Happy Song For All Time
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko made Spider-Man, but Paul Francis Webster and Bob Harris wrote and produced the theme song for the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon, which is why everyone loves the web-slinger. Song lines like “Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can” have been used to make some of the best Spider-Man movies, TV shows, and musicals.
The simple animation of the wall-crawler swinging across New York City goes well with the old music from the 1960s. Some classic scenes from the beginning show Spider-Man messing up a bank robbery and taking a picture of the crowd while meeting them.
8. You can see anime influences in My Adventures With Superman
With its horn fanfare, the beginning of Superman: The Animated Series is a classic in its own right. But Adult Swim’s “My Adventures With Superman” changes all of those starts by using a new animation style that looks like it was inspired by anime. A quick guitar riff and a bunch of bright colours play together for just over 20 seconds.
As he changes into Clark Kent, Superman flies through the sky and meets his parents from Krypton and bad guys from other worlds. The show is also about his relationships with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, two other reporters, so both of them appear a lot in funny scenes.
7. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Is Rousing And Inspirational
Even though Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes came out in 2010, its beginning theme sounds like grunge rock and alternative music from the 2000s, like Linkin Park and Audioslave. The famous song “Fight As One” was written by the rock band Downstait. It’s a great ode to Marvel’s original superhero team because it shows how important it is to work together when bad things happen.
Several heroes don their masks and fight HYDRA bots. With its swirling camera angles, dramatic panorama shots, and action-packed scenes, this is the most like the 2012 Avengers movie that a cartoon show has come.
6. Silver Surfer Began With A Weird Fever Dream
The Silver Surfer cartoon series is one of the most underrated Marvel TV shows that you should watch again. The dreamlike, surreal settings of the show and the tragic beginnings of the main character are both good topics for the show’s short opening scene. The psychedelic image from the 1990s shows Silver Surfer surfing through space while being held by Galactus.
It is both beautiful and sad because it makes you think of him being stuck in a cosmic maze. The beginning of Silver Surfer was different from the rest of the Marvel shows of the decade, like X-Men and Spider-Man. It had less action and more surreal images, which made it really stand out.
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5. Teen Titans Captured Teenage Angst With Foot-Tapping Beats
Japanese rock band Puffy AmiYumi and composer Andy Sturmer worked together on the catchy opening song for Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans. The heavy percussion-based song comes to life with bright images that show how diverse the teen superhero team is.
The show’s title logo is very important. The comic book-style font stretches across the screen in bright colours, and figures appear from all over the place. Animal video from real life is used in Beast Boy’s intro. In general, the Teen Titans opening is crazy, sneaky, and all the more exciting for it.
4. Joe Perry of Aerosmith played the theme music for Spider-Man.
In contrast to the happy beginning of the 1976 series, Spider-Man in the 1990s had a darker tone, with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry writing a theme song with a lot of guitar and vocoder. There are many pictures that show Spider-Man’s two lives: as a superhero and as Peter Parker, a photographer.
The classic opening scene also does a great job of introducing a lot of bad guys, like Hobgoblin, whose hoverboard drops bombs, and the Lizard, whose tail whips around. There are even guest figures like the Punisher and Morbius in the fast-paced intro sequence, as well as an abstract scene of the Venom symbiote attaching itself to Peter.
3. Justice League Has Fun With Superhero Shapes
Justice League is the best show in the DC Animated Universe, and it has held up well over time, in part because of its clever opening scene. Justice League wasn’t like other superhero shows in the past, which relied on big shots of action involving the whole cast. Instead, it took a more subtle approach.
The orchestral score by Lolita Ritmanis leaps across an orange-red sky as DC’s most famous heroes are teased in the dark. Along with the famous silhouette of the team, the sequence shines a light on each figure with 3D-animated outlines that give a quick glimpse into the shadows. The beginning of Justice League is truly unique.
2. X-Men: The Animated Series Boasts Instantly Catchy Guitar Riffs
The classic beginning of X-Men: The Animated Series is set to dramatic synths and electric guitar riffs. It presents all the main characters one by one, showing their signature poses and even the font styles they use for their names. After the introductions, there is a fight royale between the titular mutant superteam and Magneto’s bad guys, the Brotherhood of Mutants.
In between, there are fun, flashy action scenes, like when Rogue throws a Sentinel robot to the ground and Wolverine charges up his Adamantium claws. The openings in Japan are even scarier, with creatures that look like Xenomorphs and a hard rock music that raises the stakes.
1. Batman: The Animated Series Is Still The Best
People remember a lot of things about Batman: The Animated Series, from Kevin Conroy’s voice acting to the hauntingly beautiful opening scene. Danny Elfman’s grand score and Bruce Timm’s art deco-inspired visual style turn Gotham City into a Gothic playground where the Dark Knight can do some good.
The show’s neo-noir themes fit well with the dark, blood-red clouds and dim yellow lights. The Warner Bros. logo turning into an owl-eyed police blimp and Batman crawling out of the shadows to chase thieves are just a few of the memorable visuals in the DC Animated Universe classic’s opening scene.
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