All 6 Batman movie theme songs ranked from worst to best

6. The DCEU Batman theme

Batman is a larger-than-life figure and he requires a larger-than-life theme to get that across. All of his theme songs have encapsulated that in some way or another, but perhaps none really leaned as far into the awe-inspiring element of that as his theme in the DC Extended Universe.

Composed by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, there is something so Gothic and goosebump-inducing about this theme and whenever it featured in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it invoked all of the emotions. In fact, now when you listen to it, you can’t help but think of imagery of Ben Affleck’s Batman standing on a rooftop in the pouring rain on a dark night, illuminated by the occasional flashes of lightning.

It certainly captures the shock and awe required for a Batman movie, but the thing that prevents this one from coming any higher is the fact that it felt like a beginning, a moment of brilliance, that never quite got to reach its finish. It’s more terrifying and lacks a little of the triumph we’ve come to know from Caped Crusader too, and that’s likely because the DCEU never got to make full use of it in a solo movie. This hero’s journey was just beginning when Warner Bros. moved in a new direction, and so this score will always remind us of what could have been.

Could you imagine a suite full of this music, one that fully explored it in the way it should have been. There’s that word again: Awe.