Despite often being overlooked by general audiences, music is among the most integral tools in filmmaking for the role it plays in creating atmosphere. Over the years, the superhero genre has spawned countless iconic tunes, including the theme tunes from The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Batman - two of which were scored by composer Danny Elfman.
Danny Elfman, John Williams, and Hans Zimmer are arguably three of the biggest composers in film history, and they've all made their mark on the superhero genre. Zimmer worked on Batman V Superman; Williams wrote Christopher Reeve's classic Superman score back in 1978, and Elfman composed for Justice League, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
As fans eagerly await the imminent release of Marvel's latest Multiversal epic, Elfman's spectacular score recently debuted online, bringing with it several spoilers for the film itself. But with music buffs now beginning to listen deeper, one listener has pointed out that one tune sounds awfully similar to one from Justice League.
Doctor Strange Copies Justice League Theme
Reddit user u/BorderDispute pointed out in a recent post that a song on the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness soundtrack copied a motif from Justice League, both of which were composed by the legendary Danny Elfman.
Around the 1:20 mark in Multiverse of Madness' "Stranger Things will Happen," a motif can be heard that sounds almost identical to one found at 1:40 in Justice League's "Spark of the Flash."
The DC theme was created by Elfman to represent Ezra Miller's Flash, and can first be heard as the speedster uses his super-speed to give Wonder Woman her sword.
The comparison of the two similar sounds can be heard below:
Did Danny Elfman Copy his Own Score?
There's no denying that these two segments of score sound incredibly similar to one another, but what's unclear is just how intentional this was. Perhaps Danny Elfman included this motif as a reference to his prior work, or maybe he just accidentally came up with the same idea twice and didn't notice the similarity.
With the number of films and series released every year from Marvel and DC, it makes sense that several composers have crossed the bridge to work with both sides. Among these are Elfman himself, and Loki composer Natalie Holt who will next tackle the scores for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Batgirl.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6.
