John Williams: the Superman March and its reprises through 2025
Share
Everything about John Williams when he writes for Superman, not when he writes Star Wars. In 1978, at Anvil Studios (Denham), he conducts the London Symphony Orchestra for Superman: The Movie. The march comes back with Ken Thorne, with Alexander Courage in 1987, with John Ottman in 2006, then with John Murphy and David Fleming in 2025. You'll see the recording, the structure, the reprises, and what Zimmer doesn't pick up.
📋 Contents
- John Williams at Anvil Studios, 1978
- Fanfare, march, love theme, Krypton
- One Oscar nomination, two Grammys in 1980
- Ken Thorne and Alexander Courage, from Superman II to IV
- John Ottman interpolates the march in Returns, 2006
- Man of Steel: Hans Zimmer, another cycle
- John Williams in Superman 2025: a quotation, not a replacement
- The rest of the career, in brief
- FAQ — Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
John Williams at Anvil Studios, 1978
Richard Donner's Superman opens in the United States on December 15, 1978. John Williams composes and conducts. The orchestra is the London Symphony Orchestra. The sessions take place at Anvil Studios, Denham, on July 6, 7, 10, 11, 13 and 14, September 9 to 11, October 6, 15, 24 and 31, and November 4, 1978. Engineer: Eric Tomlinson. Assistant: Alan Snelling. Orchestrators listed: Williams, Herbert W. Spencer, Alexander Courage, Angela Morley, Arthur Morton. Concertmaster: John Georgiadis. The Legacy of John Williams and the Wikipedia page “Music of Superman” corroborate these dates. According to Legacy, many of the visual effects were still missing at the July sessions, which made writing the music harder.
These sessions also mattered to the lead actor. Christopher Reeve, quoted by The Legacy of John Williams, recounts that after nearly a year and a half of filming he had lost all perspective on the film, and that when he heard the music for the opening titles at the first session with the London Symphony Orchestra, his enthusiasm came back. The song “Can You Read My Mind”: music by Williams, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; in the film, Lois (Margot Kidder) recites the lyrics in voice-over.
Key Facts
- Recording: Anvil Studios, Denham, Jul.–Nov. 1978
- Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
- Oscar: Best Original Score nomination, no win
- Grammy 1980: 22nd ceremony, Feb. 27: theme + album
Fanfare, march, love theme, Krypton
You can describe the 1978 score without conservatory jargon. There's an opening fanfare. There's the march, known by the titles “Superman March” and “Main Title.” There's a love theme, the one from “Can You Read My Mind.” There's material for Krypton and for leaving home (“Leaving Home”). In Variety, on July 14, 2025, composer David Fleming explains that what has always moved him in Williams's theme is the cadence, with its “beautiful major seventh jump.”
This is not a harmony lesson. It's enough to hear why the reprises hold on to the march and not to just any motif. The Superman films are sorted by director: Donner, Lester, Furie, Singer, Snyder, Gunn. Here, we only follow the music. The viewing order has its own guide.
One Oscar nomination, two Grammys in 1980
The Grammy website and awardsandshows corroborate the 22nd ceremony, on February 27, 1980: a win for Best Instrumental Composition for “Theme from Superman (Main Title),” a win for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special, and a nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance (won by Herb Alpert, “Rise”). johnwilliams.org still lists these awards under 1979: that's the year being honored, not the year of the ceremony. Oscar: 51st ceremony, 1979, Best Original Score nomination, no statuette (Giorgio Moroder, Midnight Express). Golden Globe: Best Original Score nomination.
Donner's film left its mark on superhero cinema. Its music has a separate, narrower record: nominated for the Oscar in 1979, honored at the Grammys on February 27, 1980 for the theme and the album. If you're looking for the box office, you're stepping outside the score. Here, the number that counts is two Grammys, zero Oscars.
Ken Thorne and Alexander Courage, from Superman II to IV
Superman II opens in France in December 1980 (June 19, 1981 in the United States), Superman III in 1983. Ken Thorne reworks Williams's themes. It is not a re-recording by the 1978 LSO. According to the Wikipedia page “Music of Superman,” the II sessions take place at CTS Studios in Wembley, with an orchestra of contracted session musicians, for budget reasons. The Donner Cut of Superman II (2006) changes the music too: it mostly reuses Williams's score for the first film, and Thorne keeps only an additional music credit.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) extends the trail: Alexander Courage adapts and conducts the music from Williams's themes, march included, and Williams writes three new themes, including the one for Nuclear Man. So after 1978, the march passes through Thorne, then through Courage, before reaching Singer.
John Ottman interpolates the march in Returns, 2006
Bryan Singer's Superman Returns opens in the United States on June 28, 2006. John Ottman composes. Williams declines, tied up with Revenge of the Sith and War of the Worlds (according to the soundtrack's Wikipedia page). Ottman interpolates the march, the Krypton theme, the Kent theme / “Leaving Home,” and “Can You Read My Mind.” ScoringSessions confirms it on May 1, 2006, after the sessions. Rhino / Warner album, June 27, 2006.
Superman Returns presents itself as the sequel to the first two Reeve films. The march over the opening titles says it better than any speech. It's not a copy-paste of 1978: Ottman writes the rest, and he quotes Williams. Kate Bosworth is this film's Lois. The music, though, also ties her to Kidder: the “Can You Read My Mind” theme comes back.
Man of Steel: Hans Zimmer, another cycle
Man of Steel (2013) has a score by Hans Zimmer, with no Williams reprise. In this film, Henry Cavill takes flight to a Zimmer theme, not to the march. Different composer, different cycle, different sonic palette. Batman v Superman (2016) isn't a Williams score either.
So the 1978 fanfare is not the theme of the 2013 film. Yet the character spans both cycles, and Williams's phrase eventually returns in brief touches, notably in Justice League (2017), where Danny Elfman quotes it, and at the end of Black Adam (2022), where it accompanies Henry Cavill's appearance.
John Williams in Superman 2025: a quotation, not a replacement
James Gunn's Superman opens in the United States on July 11, 2025. WaterTower soundtrack, July 8, 2025, 33 tracks. Composers: John Murphy and David Fleming. The Williams theme is credited. Business Wire / WaterTower: Murphy arranges the melody for electric guitar; Fleming handles the orchestral arrangements. Variety (July 14, 2025): Fleming works on the cadence, with choir. Gunn has confirmed a new version of the march. The soundtrack's Wikipedia page also lists two versions of “Theme from Superman,” released as singles with the teaser and the trailer.
Murphy and Fleming don't erase Williams. They quote the theme, and they write the rest. According to Variety, Murphy's electric guitar arrangement is used at a key moment in the film. David Corenswet wears the 2025 cape; the march, for its part, arrives through guitar and orchestra, not through a 1978 LSO recording replayed as is.
The rest of the career, in brief
Before Superman, Williams had already scored Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); after it come Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Those films have their own story; here, we only follow the Superman trail, from 1978 to 2025.
If you're keeping track of the names that follow Williams: Thorne (II, III), Courage (IV), Ottman (Returns), Murphy and Fleming (2025). If there's one name to set aside, it's Zimmer. The 1978 march did not die in 1978. Nor has it been Superman's only music since. Anvil in Denham, CTS in Wembley, Todd-AO in Studio City, the Eastwood Scoring Stage in Burbank: four studios, one phrase that keeps coming back.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Who composed the music for Superman 1978?
John Williams. His music, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, is recorded at Anvil Studios (Denham) from July to November 1978. Eric Tomlinson is the engineer. The film opens in the United States on December 15, 1978.
Did John Williams win the Oscar for Superman?
No. A Best Original Score nomination at the 51st ceremony (1979). Two Grammys on February 27, 1980: the theme (Main Title) and the soundtrack album. johnwilliams.org lists them under 1979, the year honored by that ceremony.
Who picks up the march in Superman II and III?
Ken Thorne, working from Williams's themes. It is not the 1978 LSO. For budget reasons, the II sessions take place at CTS Studios in Wembley, with a studio orchestra. In Superman IV (1987), Alexander Courage in turn adapts Williams's music.
Does John Ottman copy Williams in Superman Returns?
He interpolates the march, Krypton, Leaving Home and Can You Read My Mind, and he writes the rest. Williams had declined, tied up with Revenge of the Sith and War of the Worlds. Album: June 27, 2006.
Does Hans Zimmer pick up the march in Man of Steel?
No. The score for Man of Steel (2013) is by Hans Zimmer and does not reuse the march. The march only returns later, in brief touches, notably in Justice League (2017) and Black Adam (2022).
Is the march in Superman 2025?
Yes, as a quotation. John Murphy (guitar) and David Fleming (orchestra, cadence, choir) work around a credited Williams theme. WaterTower album on July 8, 2025; the film's U.S. release on July 11, 2025.
Did Williams compose Batman v Superman?
No. Neither Man of Steel nor Batman v Superman. After 1978, the march passes through Thorne (1980-1983), Alexander Courage (1987), Ottman (2006), then Murphy and Fleming (2025). In the DC films that follow Man of Steel, it only returns in brief touches, notably in Justice League (2017), where Danny Elfman quotes it, and in Black Adam (2022), for Henry Cavill's appearance.
Conclusion
The march is born at Anvil in 1978. It travels through Thorne and then Courage, returns with Ottman, falls silent with Zimmer, and speaks again with Murphy and Fleming. It is not all of Superman's music. It is the phrase that 2025 still chooses to quote.
The 1978 film and the 2025 trailers have their own articles, which you'll find below. Here, you get the composer, the studios, the reprises, and the album's release on July 8, 2025.