The Iconic X-Men The Animated Series Theme Song A Controversy You Didn’t Know About

Summary

• The X-Men ’97 revival series promises fan service for nostalgic audiences while reimagining the characters for modern viewers.
• Ron Wasserman’s iconic electronic theme music returns in the X-Men revival, highlighting the show’s lasting impact on pop culture.
• A plagiarism case involving the X-Men theme was settled, with the court citing similarities but not finding copyright infringement.

Like X-Men: The Animated Series returns in 2024 Marvel Cinematic Universe revival X-Men ’97, it’s impossible not to recall the iconic theme song. Driven by dramatic synths and a sharp guitar riff for the ages, the theme song introduces the show’s superheroes and mutant villains in what is now one of the best opening themes for a superhero show. The series sequel follows the events of Charles Xavier’s death, promising fan service for audiences who grew up with the ’90s original, while reimagining some characters for modern viewers. More importantly, Ron Wasserman’s iconic electronic theme music is back.

the voice of X-Men ’97 is packed with returning and new cast members, with the Disney+ original promising to double as nostalgic joy and a glimpse into the future of the X-Men. The fact that the distinctly recognizable theme music was also sprinkled throughout the MCU timeline (Ms. Marvel and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) proves how synonymous the mutant team has become with him. Ron Wasserman, whose other notable work includes Mighty morphine power rangers theme, also established its artistic legacy with the opening score, although doubts about its originality persist.

Is the X-Men theme music plagiarized?

A Hungarian crime drama from the 1980s was at the center of this controversy

Ron Wasserman’s synth-driven theme X-Men: The Animated Series contributed greatly to the show’s importance in pop culture. Given its influence, it wasn’t surprising that the theme would reappear in several MCU films and join the biggest reveals from X-Men ’97 trailer, but the subject has a hidden past that is rarely talked about. In 2019, Wasserman was among several parties sued by the estate of Hungarian composer György Vukán for allegedly plagiarizing Vukán’s theme music for the 1980s cop drama called Linda the policewoman. The 2019 lawsuit suggested that the cartoon show’s crew had been in contact with Hungarian animators who may have introduced them to Linda the policewoman instrumental theme.

When the lawsuit story first broke TMZ and Gizmodo, observers on social media noted the similarities between the two themes, with some even pointing out similar melodies from Whitney Houston’s 1990 hit “I’m Your Baby Tonight.” Ignoring the latter, X-man the theme really sounds similar to Vukán’s music, the reason why the late musician’s estate tried to sue all the companies connected to the show’s profits, including Marvel, Saban, Disney, Fox and Amazon. Linda the Policewoman is a cult favorite in his home country and is known for redefining gender norms during the then Soviet era in Hungary.

For Wasserman’s part, he revealed (via Popverse ) some of the process that went into composing the iconic X-man theme revealing its starting point and his process, including the revelation that he composed it himself:

“In this case, Ron Kennan, Saban’s head of music at the time, had an idea to modify a bass line from a song he had written. It’s a bit fuzzy, but I’m sure the bass inspired me to work the rest of the theme… I’m just working on my own. My brain is so overloaded with ideas that the distraction of every person or phone interrupts my flow. By the time X-Men was written, I had learned to play or imitate every instrument so that I had played every part. Just me, a MIDI keyboard and a computer.”

What was the verdict on the X-Men theme music?

“Until next time…”

The 2020 plagiarism verdict document from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York states that Ron Wasserman’s motion to dismiss was granted, but the judgment did not find that X-man the theme was original (via News from the Court House). According to the decision, the topic has similarities with Linda the policewoman but Wukan’s legacy failed to establish claims of copyright infringement and strict liability in court.

“So it was
X-man
theme song an original creation or was it an illegal copy of a theme song to a tv show broadcast in hungary in the 80’s? Until next time, fair reader.”

The ruling in the case states that the plaintiff also failed to prove this against Marvel and Disney, but did so against Saban founder Haim Saban and Shuki Levy because they own Saban Entertainment and can control the creation and distribution of the song . The court dismissed Ronald Wasserman from the case, but not others like Saban’s team, with the official document signing with a strange flavor: “So, was the X-Men theme song an original creation or was it a pirated copy of the theme song to a TV show that aired in Hungary in the 1980s? Until next time, fair reader.” Wasserman briefly shared his thoughts on the case: “They all disappeared. Above. I got kicked out of it early.”

Wasserman’s removal from the case came after he filed a motion to dismiss and the court granted it based on New York County’s lack of jurisdiction because his song was written in California. Most importantly, there was no decision on the copyright claim at this point, and after Wasserman’s removal, the case was deemed worthy of further consideration. Instead, the case was eventually settled (according to official documents). Despite this legal dispute over allegations of plagiarism, a miracle now owns the rights to the music with X-Men ’97 continuing to turn it on.

Key release dates