Keeping Score: How John Williams put the ‘Super’ in ‘Superman’
The DC film universe has been in dire straits for some time. Lacklustre efforts, well-publicised backstage issues, whatever the hell Blue Beetle was, none of it was particularly inspiring. When James Gunn became co-chair of the studio, he decided that a fresh start was needed. Out was the old ‘DC Extended Universe’ and in was the much more streamlined ‘DC Universe’, kicking off in 2025 with a name familiar to moviegoers and comic book fans of all ages – Superman.
There has been much hype and discussion around the new ‘Superman’ film, which Gunn has directed. Will David Corenswet live up to the role? Will Nicholas Hoult make a convincing Lex Luthor? Will anyone care about Krypto the Superdog? Not only does the film have to stand on its own merit, but it also has the unenviable task of resurrecting the entire brand. Standalone ‘Superman’ entries have varied wildly in quality over the years, but even the movies themselves have been atrocious, one thing has never failed to disappoint.
When Richard Donner signed on to direct the very first feature-length ‘Superman’ adventure in the 1970s, he turned to his old pal Jerry Goldsmith for help with the music. Goldsmith had worked with Donner before on The Omen, and his other work included Planet of the Apes and Chinatown. However, when scheduling conflicts forced Goldsmith to pull out, the team hired somebody else to take his place – the legendary John Williams.
Williams had burst onto the film scoring scene the previous year with his iconic theme for Star Wars, as well as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, one of the first of many collaborations with Steven Spielberg. Superman represented a different challenge, though. This was one of the most recognisable heroes in all of popular culture, an almost god-like being who had become a real-life symbol of bravery and excellence. His theme would need to encompass all of this and more, but luckily, Williams had just the thing.
The composer liked that the movie, which Richard Lester ultimately completed, was light-hearted and didn’t take itself too seriously. This allowed him to borrow elements of theatre and ballet to create a fanfare that sounded both impressive and fun. Superman’s ability to fly, a major part of the film’s marketing, also had an impact. The ascending nature of the piece, titled simply ‘Theme from Superman’, invokes images of soaring into the air with the greatest of ease. Also, as has been pointed out before, the opening three notes of the main portion of the theme sound like they’re saying the word ‘Superman’. A subtle, yet genius earworm.
Few could have predicted the long life this music would enjoy. Almost every single film to feature Superman has used some variation of this theme, from Superman Returns to Justice League. Other DC movies and TV shows have also borrowed from it, from Black Adam to Arrow. For his outstanding work, Williams was nominated for an Oscar, but lost out to Giorgio Moroder’s theme from Midnight Express, which we’ve also covered for this series.
One of the many, many reasons why Williams is one of the all-time greats is his ability to capture characters through his music. The ‘Theme from Superman’ is every bit as noble, exhilarating, and memorable as the Man of Steel himself. There’s a fair case to make that, without it, the series would have never gotten off the ground.
