Magnum Opus: Difference between revisions

{{quote|'''Charlotte''': Plaything? I should say not. It is my egg sac, my ''magnum opus''.<br />

'''Wilbur''': I don't know what a magnum opus is.<br />

'''Charlotte''': That's Latin. It means "great work." This egg sac is my great work—the finest thing I have ever made.|'''''[[Charlottes Web]]'''''}}

Any given writer, artist, musician, etc. may produce many works in his/her lifetheir timelifetime, and many of these works may be great; but the greatest, and most important, well known, and influential of these works is their [[Magnum Opus]]. For the purposes of this trope page, it is probably best to consult [[The Other Wiki]]'s definition of "Masterpiece": "''a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship.''" This trope is meant to recognize both the work and its creator, so any work of enough quality and critical acclaim is welcome. If you've ever heard a work referred to as a "classic" or especially a "masterpiece," chances are it belongs here.

Note that for some particularly talented creators, which work is their true masterpiece can be open to personal interpretation. There may be [[Broken Base|heavy debate regarding multiple works as to which is their true Magnum Opus]]. However, for many creators there is usually a general consensus among critics and fans as to which work represents the pinnacle of their career—the big slam dunk. Others, unfortunately, find themselves facing the painful situational [[Irony]] of [[Magnum Opus Dissonance]]. With that in mind, be free to specify whenever there may be a discrepancy as to which work truly qualifies for this trope, or even if the creator doesn't think that the work generally accepted as their Magnum Opus is really their best. Also note that for some creators, there is little controversy, because [[One -Hit Wonder|they've only ever created or are only known for one particular work]], which happens to be a masterpiece. Others manage to have a successful career, but the [['''Magnum Opus]]''' is [[First Installment Wins|their first work]].

Before commenting on works that are already cited on this page as a creator's [[Magnum Opus]] that you don't agree with, please remember that the main page should be kept as objective as possible, with a minimal number of [[Justifying Edit|Justifying Edits]]s. If there is a work cited here that you don't agree with or a work you feel has been neglected, please mention it first on the Discussion Page.

Finally, please note that although there may be some overlap, this is not to be confused with [[One -Hit Wonder]], which is when a creator is only known for one work, and that page mostly has music examples. This isn't [[One -Book Author]], either. Most of these also aren't [[Tough Act to Follow|Tough Acts To Follow]], which is when any other work of a creator's is compared disfavorably to their opus; but again, they can be. The best way to decide whether or not a work is a Magnum Opus is by asking the question: "Is this work generally defined as a masterpiece, and as the greatest achievement of its creator's career?"

Also note that there may or may not be overlap with the creator's [[Breakthrough Hit]]. While a few creators' breakthroughs are often cited to be their greatest work, most creators will create their breakthrough first, then eventually go on to produce their [['''Magnum Opus]]'''.

Also notNot to be confused with [[Bloom County|a certain penguin]], or the song by the German techno/Gregorian/trance group [[E Nomine]] (which isn't theirs).

== Anime &and Manga ==

* ''[[Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure (Manga)|Jo JosJoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' for [[Hirohiko Araki]].

* ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (Anime)|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]'' or ''[[Turn aA Gundam (Anime)|Turn a Gundam]]'' for [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]].

* ''[[DragonballDragon Ball]]'' for [[Akira Toriyama]].

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' for Kazuki Takahashi.

** Bebop's soundtrack (especially [[Crowning Music of Awesome|that of the movie]]) is this for [[Yoko Kanno]], although ''[[Escaflowne]]'', ''[[WolfsWolf's Rain]]'' and ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' certainly come close.

* ''[[Akira (Manga)|Akira]]'' is widely considered to be [[Katsuhiro Otomo]]'s greatest work. It is certainly his most famous.

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (Mangamanga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' for Hiromu Arakawa.

** The [[Fullmetal Alchemist (Animeanime)|2003 anime adaptation]] for director Seiji Mizushima.

* The anime adaptation of ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' for the late Takeshi Shudo. Or at least the Kanto through Johto era, which is the only ones he personally worked on.

* ''[[Monster (Animemanga)|Monster]]'' and ''[[Twentieth20th Century Boys]]'' for [[Naoki Urasawa]].

* ''[[RevolutionaryRevoluionary Girl Utena]]'' for [[Kunihiko Ikuhara]].

* ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell]]'' is always the first film that comes up when [[Mamoru Oshii]]'s name is mentioned.

* ''[[Sazan Eyes (Manga)|3 x 3 Eyes]]'' for Yuzo Takada.

* [[Leonardo Dada Vinci]]'s ''Mona Lisa'' (or maybe his ''Last Supper'').

* Also more contemporary, prepare for some [[Squick]] in reading about Vito Acconci's performance masterpiece [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Seedbed_:Seedbed (performance_piece)performance piece)|Seedbed]].

* The ''[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Familia:Sagrada Familia|Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia]]'' of Barcelona is often considered the masterpiece of the renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. The intricacy and scale of the cathedral was so immense that not only was it incomplete at the time of Gaudi's death (despite being started some forty years before he died, and devoting the last fifteen years of his life to it entirely), but remains incomplete to this day. By the time it is expected to be finished, it will have been built over the course of about 140 years.

* [[Alan Moore]] and ''[[Watchmen (Comic Bookcomics)|Watchmen]]''. For the sole reason that ''Watchmen'' is the most famous and highly regarded comic ''ever''. How highly regarded is it? [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] placed it in their list of the top 100 pieces of literature of the 20th century. ''Everything else on the list was traditional text-only literature''.

* For [[Neil Gaiman]], it was ''[[The Sandman (Comic Book)|The Sandman]]''.

* ''[[Alias (Comic Book)|Alias]]'' or ''[[Daredevil]]'' for [[Brian Bendis]], although ''[[Ultimate Spider -Man]]'' is well on its way of taking the top spot.

* [[Geoff Johns]]' work on ''[[Green Lantern (Comic Book)|Green Lantern]]'' is developing into this for him. The highlights of this run are the epics ''[[Sinestro Corps War]]'' and ''[[Blackest Night]]''.

* [[Mark Millar]] seems to spark the most debate concerning his superhero stories ''[[The Ultimates]]'' and/or ''[[Superman: Red Son]]'' and his superhero [[Deconstruction]] ''[[Kick -Ass]]''.

* ''[[Invincible (Comic Book)|Invincible]]'' for Robert Kirkman, at least if you ask [[Superhero]] fans. Fans of comics in general can argue that it should be ''[[The Walking Dead]]''.

* Most readers consider ''[[Animal Man (Comic Book)|Animal Man]]'' to be [[Grant Morrison (Creator)|Grant Morrison]]'s best work, though many would also argue for ''[[All -Star Superman]]'', which Morrison himself has referred to as "my own Man of Steel magnum opus." A case could also be made for ''[[The Invisibles (Comic Book)|The Invisibles]]''.

* ''[[Y: theThe Last Man]]'' by Brian K. Vaughan.

* [[Garth Ennis]]' ''[[Preacher (Comic Book)]]''.

* ''[[Crisis Onon Infinite Earths]]'' for the writer-artist team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez, though the latter's run on ''[[Wonder Woman]]'' was also highly acclaimed and influential. The duo's run on ''[[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]]'' qualifies as well.

* [[Ed Brubaker]]'s run on ''[[Captain America (comics)]]'' has been hailed as the best ever on the title, so much so that it earned him [[My Real Daddy]] status. ''[[Sleeper (Comic Book)|Sleeper]]'' might be a better candidate, as it is quite representative of his body of work.

** Also, arguably for the duo, their run on ''[[Batman]]'', which made the character a darker figure again (after the campiness inspired by [[Batman (TV series)|the Adam West series]]) and introduced Ra's al Ghul.

* ''[[Starman (Comic Bookcomics)|Starman]]'' for James Robinson.

* ''[[One Hundred100 Bullets]]'' for Brian Azzarello, and also for the artist, Eduardo Risso.

== Fan FicWorks ==

* The ''[[Tamers Forever Series (Fanfic)|Tamers Forever Series]]'' ('''''ESPECIALLY'''especially'' "Silent Sorrow") for Daneel Rush.

* Considering how many works have come from this group, the [[Magnum Opus]] for [[Eyrie Productions, Unlimited]] is arguably its most well-known (and one of the oldest of Internet-based) fanfics, ''[[Undocumented Features]].'' It's the defining work of fiction for most of the Eyrie crew, most notably head writer Ben "Gryphon" Hutchins.

* Greg Fisk's fanfic series ''[[All Things Probable Series (Fanfic)|All Things Probable]]'' should probably count as his greatest work.

* [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s Magnum Opus is still probably ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', although ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' seems to have opened up the debate. Tarantino himself considers ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' his [[Magnum Opus]]. Note that the last line is "I think this just might be my masterpiece." This line is made all the more amusing- or snobbish- by Tarantino claiming that while writing the screenplay he pictured himself as the character that says that line.

* ''[[Citizen Kane (Film)|Citizen Kane]]'' for [[Orson Welles]]. Welles' own personal choice would have been his adaptation of ''[[The Trial]]''.

* For [[Peter Jackson]], it was the ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Filmfilm)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' film series.

* [[Fritz Lang]] is a little more questionable, but it's down to ''[[M (Film)|M]]'' and ''[[Metropolis (Film)|Metropolis]]'' by most accounts. Lang himself favored ''M''.

* ''[[Titanic]]'' and ''[[JamesAvatar Camerons Avatar(film)|Avatar]]'' may be the two highest grossing movies of all time, but when it comes down to it, when you ask film critics or other film nerds what [[James Cameron]]'s best film is, most will say either [[Aliens]] or [[The Terminator|Terminator 2: Judgment Day]].

** Or the original ''[[Indiana Jones (Franchise)|Indiana Jones]]'' trilogy.

* [[Stanley Kubrick]] and ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''. For most directors, the almost-as-influential and loved ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'' would serve as this, but ''2001'' may be the purest distillation of Kubrick's style. Also, ''[[A Clockwork Orange (Filmfilm)|A Clockwork Orange]]''.

* Obadiah Stane references this trope in regards to Tony's Arc Reactor in the ''[[Iron Man]]'' [[Iron Man (Filmfilm)|movie]].

{{quote| ''Oh, it's beautiful. Tony, this is your [[Ludwig Van Beethoven|Ninth Symphony]]. Oh, what a masterpiece.''}}

* ''[[La Dolce Vita]]'' or ''[[Eight and A Half (Film)8½|Eight and A Half]]'' for [[Federico Fellini]].

* ''[[Ran (Film)|Ran]]'' or ''[[The Seven Samurai]]'' for [[Akira Kurosawa]], but ''[[Rashomon]]'' deserves special mention.

* ''[[Ed Wood (Filmfilm)|Ed Wood]]'', ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' (despite not directing it) or ''[[Big Fish]]'' for [[Tim Burton]]. He considers ''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'' to be his personal favorite, however.

** ''[[Plan 9 From Outer Space (Film)|Plan 9 Fromfrom Outer Space]]'' for [[Ed Wood (Creatorcreator)|Ed Wood]].

* ''[[The Thing (Filmfilm)|The Thing]]'' for [[John Carpenter]], though ''[[Halloween (Filmfilm)|Halloween]]'' is also raised to this status.

** ''[[The Thing (Filmfilm)|The Thing]]'' is an interesting example as it was universally despised by both critics and audiences at its release. [[Vindicated Byby History|Now you'll be hard-pressed to find a list of the all-time best sci-fi and scariest horror films that doesn't include it.]]

* ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Film)|The Texas Chainsaw Massacre]]'' for [[Tobe Hooper]].

* ''[[Once Upon a Time Inin Thethe West]]'' for Sergio Leone, though [[Dead Artists Are Better|critics didn't think so at first.]]

* Most critics will point to either ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'', ''[[The Godfather (Film)|The Godfather]]'' or ''The Godfather Part II'' for [[Francis Ford Coppola]].

* Martin Scorsese has several for contention: ''[[Goodfellas]]'' has the most love, with ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' and ''[[Raging Bull]]'' at the top of the list. The movie that ''did'' win [[Academy AwardsAward|Oscar]] love for Scorsese, ''[[The Departed]]'', isn't as highly regarded (although it's still considered excellent).

** Unfortunately, ''[[Memento (Film)|Memento]]'' could easily be considered this, if only as a major contender against the above, were it not for its lack of marketing, visibility, and a major theatrical run due to [[Executive Meddling|the distributors' uncertainty]]. Why? [[Viewers Areare Morons|The complex plot.]]

* When [[Steven Spielberg]] was asked which film he would like to be remembered best for, he answered either ''[[ETE.T. the Extraterrestrial (Film)Extra-Terrestrial|ET the Extraterrestrial]]'' or ''[[Schindler's List]]''.

* Most critics are considering ''[[Black Swan (Film)|Black Swan]]'' to be [[Darren Aronofsky]]'s masterpiece. Coming from the same guy who made ''[[Requiem for Aa Dream]]'' and ''[[The Wrestler]]'', that's saying a lot.

* ''[[PansPan's Labyrinth]]'' for [[Guillermo Deldel Toro]].

** Although some would argue that ''[[Groundhog Day (Film)|Groundhog Day]]'' is Ramis's magnum opus (and Bill Murray's).

* For the late [[John Hughes]], it's both ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' and ''[[Ferris BuellersBueller's Day Off (Film)|Ferris Buellers Day Off]]'', and to a lesser extent, ''[[Home Alone]]''.

* Most readers assume ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' is this for [[JRRJ. R. R. Tolkien (Creator)|JRR Tolkien]], but [[Magnum Opus Dissonance|Tolkien himself considered]] ''[[The Silmarillion (Literature)|The Silmarillion]]'' (which he worked on for longer) his [[Magnum Opus]].

* ''[[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|Harry Potter]]'' for [[JKJ. K. Rowling (Creator)|JK Rowling]].

* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' for [[George RRR. R. Martin]].

* [[Herman Melville]]'s ''[[Moby Dick (Literature)|Moby Dick]]''.

* Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle (Creator)|Arthur Conan Doyle]] wrote multiple stories, but he will always be remembered as the one who gave ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'' to the world. Of the "Holmes" stories, either the short story collection ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' or the novel ''[[Literature/The Hound Of The Baskervilles|The Hound Of The Baskervilles]]'' tend to be praised as the finest examples.

* [[HGH. WellsG. (Creator)Wells|HG Wells]]' iconic ''[[The War of the Worlds (novel)|The War of the Worlds]]''.

* [[Douglas Adams]] and ''[[The HitchhikersHitchhiker's Guide to Thethe Galaxy]]''.

* William Golding wrote many, many novels. One of those was ''[[Lord of the Flies (Literature)|Lord of the Flies]]''.

* ''[[The Glass Bead Game (Literature)|The Glass Bead Game]]'' by [[Hermann Hesse (Creator)|Hermann Hesse]].

* ''[[The Master and Margarita (Literature)|The Master and Margarita]]'' for Mikhail Bulgakov.

* ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' for [[CSC. LewisS. (Creator)Lewis|CS Lewis]].

* ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'' is often considered the [[Magnum Opus]] of [[Jane Austen (Creator)|Jane Austen]], but Austen considered ''[[Emma]]'' her best work.

* ''[[The Sound and Thethe Fury]]'' for [[William Faulkner]].

* [[Vladimir Nabokov (Creator)|Vladimir Nabokov]] wrote many books, but ''[[Lolita (Literature)|Lolita]]'' is the only one most people have heard of. Although some of his other books are well-known among English majors. And ''[[Pale Fire]]'' seems to be well-read by educated people, and it is likely a very distant runner up in the contest for most famous Nabokov book. (''Lolita'' was a ''success de scandal''; none of his other books are from the POV of a child molester.)

* [[Ayn Rand (Creator)|Ayn Rand]]'s ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]''.

* [[Hunter S. Thompson]] was a prolific journalist and author, writing many articles and books covering politics at least up until the 1992 presidential election, but everyone knows him for ''[[Fear and Loathing Inin Las Vegas]]''. Shame considering how all his work is so awesome.

* [[George Orwell]]'s ''[[Nineteen Eighty -Four]]''.

* ''[[Brave New World (Literaturenovel)|Brave New World]]'' for Aldous Huxley.

* [[Stephen King]] has said that if he has a [[Magnum Opus]], it's ''[[The Dark Tower]]'' series. Fans usually argue ''[[The Stand]]''.

* [[Plato (Creator)|Plato]]'s ''[[The Republic (Literaturenovel)|Republic]]''.

* [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''[[GravitysGravity's Rainbow]]''.

* Jonathan Swift's ''[[GulliversGulliver's Travels (Literature)|Gullivers Travels]]''.

* In-story example: Charlotte, of ''[[CharlottesCharlotte's Web]]'', explicitly referred to her egg sac as her [[Magnum Opus]], even explaining the term to Wilbur the pig. See the page quote. ''Charlotte's Web'' itself is probably E.B. White's Magnum Opus, though ''[[Stuart Little]]'' may have its advocates.

* ''[[The Catcher in The Rye (Literature)|The Catcher in The Rye]]'' for [[JDJ. D. Salinger]].

* Either ''[[Of Mice and Men (Literature)|Of Mice and Men]]'' or ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (Literature)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'' for [[John Steinbeck (Creator)|John Steinbeck]].

* An example of a Magnum Opus that ''does'' overlap with both [[One -Book Author]] and [[Tough Act to Follow]] is Harper Lee's classic ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird]]'', which is also the only book she ever wrote.

* ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' for [[Lewis Carroll (Creator)|Lewis Carroll]].

* Most would say ''[[Charlie and Thethe Chocolate Factory]]'' is this for [[Roald Dahl]], but ''[[Matilda (Literaturenovel)|Matilda]]'' also has its supporters.

* [[Brandon Sanderson]] is apparently planning ''[[The Stormlight Archive (Literature)|The Stormlight Archive]]'' to be this, but currently, ''[[Mistborn]]'' is generally considered his greatest work.

* ''[[Stranger in Aa Strange Land]]'' for [[Robert A. Heinlein]], although arguments could be made for ''[[Starship Troopers]]'', ''[[The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress]]'' and ''[[Time Enough for Love]]''.

* [[Isaac Asimov (Creator)|Asimov]]'s ''[[Foundation]]''. On the other hand, the series was never concluded and many people find it somewhat dry. In terms of a legacy, ''[[I, Robot (Literatureliterature)|I, Robot]]'' probably fits more.

* [[Arthur C. Clarke|Clarke]]'s ''[[ChildhoodsChildhood's End]]'' although ''2001ASpaceOdyssey[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' could also contend.

* ''[[Krabat (Literature)|Krabat]]'' for Otfried Preußler, which took him ten years (albeit with breaks).

* ''[[The Decline of the West (Literature)|The Decline of the West]]'' for Oswald Spengler (1911-22 - yes, that includes [[World War OneI]]).

* Miguel Cervantes' ''[[Don Quixote (Literature)|The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha]]''. Commonly hailed as "the first modern novel".

* [[Philip K. Dick (Creator)|Philip K Dick]] has written a lot, but ''[[Ubik]]'' is perhaps the best contender for the title, with ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'' close behind.

* Either [[Earthsea Trilogy]] or [[The Left Hand of Darkness]] for [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], depending on who you ask. ''[[The Dispossessed]]'' also gets a strong mention, and "[[Powered Byby a Forsaken Child|Those Who Walk Away From Omelas]]" is generally considered the best of her short stories.

* ''[[Bleak House]]'' for [[Charles Dickens (Creator)|Charles Dickens]].

* ''[[The Old Man and The Sea (Literature)|The Old Man and Thethe Sea]]'' for [[Ernest Hemingway]].

* ''[[The Colour Out of Space (Literature)|The Colour Out of Space]]'' for [[HPH.P. Lovecraft]].

* [[Saul Bellow]]'s final ''[[Literature/Ravelstein|Ravelstein]]''--a—a [[Roman aà Clef]] about one of his close friends, [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Bloom:Allan Bloom|Allan Bloom]--is]—is considered by many literary critics to be his masterpiece. This man wrote all manner of famous novels and short stories. Yeah.

* ''[[Babylon 5 (TV)|Babylon 5]]'' for [[J Michael Straczynski (Creator)|J. Michael Straczynski]].

* [[Joss Whedon]] - a case could be made for ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[Angel (TV)|Angel]]'', or ''[[Firefly (TV)|Firefly]]''.

* ''[[All in The Family (TV)|All in The Family]]'' (the first 8 seasons before he left anyway) for Norman Lear.

* It might be argued that in terms of TV stories, ''[[Lost]]'' would count for [[JJJ.J. Abrams]], Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. For now, anyway.

* ''[[MASHM*A*S*H (television)||M*A*S*H]]'' for Alan Alda (and the rest of the cast, for that matter). Bonus points for Alda being a director, lead actor, AND''and'' writer.

* They say that every ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' [[Show Runner]] has an episode that encapsulates everything about their era in general, an episiode that couldn't have ever been made under anyone else. In rough order, based on fan opinion:

** Barry Letts/ Terrance Dicks - ''The Daemons''

** [[Russell T. Davies]] - ''The End Of Time''

** Actually, speaking of just ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' writers by themselves:

* ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' for Lucille Ball. Seeing as how it [[Ur Example|practically invented]] the [[Sit ComSitcom]] and to this day you can't make one without borrowing from ''Lucy'', it can be seen as a [[Magnum Opus]] for the genre itself, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that it made Ball the most powerful woman in the TV industry at a time when women weren't given much slack.

* [[Twenty Four24]] for Kiefer Sutherland is what he is always going to be best known for acting-wise, in addition to encouraging debate regarding "extreme interrogation methods" employed by the Bush administration and other political issues.

** [[Guns N' Roses (Music)|Guns N' Roses]] had "Sweet Child O' Mine".

* While everybody seems to have a favorite [[The Beatles]] album and a decent argument as to why, it's pretty widely agreed that ''[[Sgt. PeppersPepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Music)|Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' is their most important album, and kind of changed the face of music.

* Britpop band [[Pulp (Musicband)|Pulp]] have their magnum opus in 1995's ''Different Class'', while their contemporaries [[Blur (Musicband)|Blur]] have 1994's ''Parklife''.

* [[Metallica (Music)|Metallica]]'s ''Master of Puppets'', although ''...And Justice for All'' and ''Ride the Lightning'' have plenty of fans as well. ''Master of Puppets'' is generally considered by critics to be the greatest heavy metal album ever recorded, or at least very close to it.

* [[Slayer (Music)|Slayer]]'s ''Reign in Blood''.

* [[Megadeth (Music)|Megadeth]]'s ''Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?'', ironically released the same year as ''Master of Puppets'' and ''Reign In Blood''. ''Rust In Peace'', though, is often held up at the same level as ''Peace Sells...'', mostly ending up a matter of personal preference.

* [[ACDC (Music)|ACDC]]'s ''Back In Black''. After their original singer [[The Band Minus the Face|Bon Scott died]] they were first thinking about quitting. Then they instead hired Brian Johnson (who Scott was a huge fan of) and recorded a new album in only a few months. It produced some of their most famous songs, like "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long" and the title track. It is the best selling rock album of all-time and second overall behind ''Thriller''.

* [[My Bloody Valentine (Musicband)|My Bloody Valentine]]'s ''Loveless''.

* [[The Stone Roses]] have ''[[Self -Titled Album|The Stone Roses]]''

* [[Motorhead (Music)|Motorhead]] have ''Ace of Spades''.

* [[Tori Amos (Music)|Tori Amos]]' ''Little Earthquakes''.

* [[Soundgarden (Music)|Soundgarden]]'s ''Superunknown'', a bridge between their heavy metal and experimental leanings.

* [[Tough Act to Follow|While they made many good albums]] [[Pearl Jam (Music)|Pearl Jam]] knew that their first album ''Ten'' is theirs. But for a good reason.

* With ''London Calling'' [[The Clash]] moved beyond [[Three Chords and Thethe Truth]], instead seeking influence from everything from 50's rock n' roll to reggae.

* [[Iron Maiden (Music)|Iron Maiden]]'s is [[Broken Base|debatably]] ''The Number of the Beast'', although ''Powerslave'' is a close second, and the most common alternative. As far as songs go, the popular vote is typically on "[[Audience Participation Song|Fear of the Dark]]", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", or "[[Epic Rocking|Rime of the Ancient Mariner]]".

* [[The Smashing Pumpkins (Music)|The Smashing Pumpkins]] third album, ''Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness'', is generally considered by critics and fans to be their greatest work. That, or ''Siamese Dream''.

* [[Black Sabbath (Music)|Black Sabbath]]'s is generally considered to be ''Paranoid'' or ''Heaven and Hell''. [[Ozzy Osbourne (Music)|Ozzy Osbourne]] says that ''Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'' was the band's pinnacle.

** Arguably, they share this distinction with [[Talk Talk]], whose final two albums (''The Spirit Of Eden'' and ''Laughing Stock'') collectively qualify as that band's [[Magnum Opus]].

* [[Talking Heads (Musicband)|Talking Heads]]' ''Remain In Light'', one of the great albums of the [[Post Punk]] period and perhaps the band's greatest achievement.

* [[Red House Painters]] have about 3 albums considered to be their masterwork. For most critics and fans the first [[Self -Titled Album]] (retitled ''Rollercoaster'' to help distinguish between this and the sister self-titled, ''Bridge'') and ''Ocean Beach''. However, 1997's ''Songs For A Blue Guitar'' has also been considered the band's best work, but a lot of critical opinion on it tends to split between incredibly brilliant to [[So Okay ItsIt's Average]].

* For [[Beck (Musicmusician)|Beck]], it's either ''Odelay'' or ''Sea Change''.

* ''Paradise Don't Come Cheap'' for [[New Kingdom (Music)|New Kingdom]]

* [[The National (Music)|The National]] is a rather complex case. While most argue that ''Boxer'' is their reigning masterpiece, many other people will also support ''High Violet'' and ''Alligator''.

* [[Dixie Chicks (Music)|Dixie Chicks]] have two of the strongest received country albums of the late 1990s: ''Wide Open Spaces'' and ''Fly''. Their strongest received album altogether, though, is 2002's ''Home'', often cited as the best of the decade and sometimes even one of the best country albums of all time.

* [[U 2U2]]'s is either their 'American' sounding ''The Joshua Tree'' or the 'European' sounding ''Achtung Baby''

** How can you mention Matt Hughes without citing his victory over Frank Trigg at UFC 52? Matt survived an accidental low blow, a pummeling, a near submission, then got up, PICKED UP TRIGG AND RAN ACROSS THE OCTAGON WITH HIM, threw him down, returned the pummeling, and got a submission of his own. If that's not his [[Magnum Opus]] and [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]], I don't know what is.

* For [[Stephen Sondheim]], it's ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Theatretheatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]''.

* ''[[The Ring of the Nibelung (Theatre)|The Ring of the Nibelung]]'' by [[Richard Wagner]].

** ''[[Cat Onon a Hot Tin Roof]]'' is also a contender; it was Williams' personal favorite of his plays and his other Pulitzer Prize winner.

* ''[[Wicked (Theatretheatre)|Wicked]]'' for [[Stephen Schwartz]]

* ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' is often hailed as the frontrunner for [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]], although ''[[Oklahoma!]]!'' wouldn't be out of the running.

* Either the ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' or ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' series for [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. As for individual games, let's just say that a case could be made for many games from either series.

* Hironobu Sakaguchi's ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series. Out of all the games, he considers ''[[Final Fantasy IX (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IX]]'' to be his favorite. Given the fans, this is hotly debated, with ''[[Final Fantasy VI (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VI]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]]'' being other contenders. Some cases also exist for ''[[Final Fantasy V (Video Game)|Final Fantasy V]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy X (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]''. Yep, [[Broken Base|another hotly contested series]].

* ''[[Dragon Quest V (Video Game)|Dragon Quest V]]'' for Yuji Horii. Or, if you're willing to count [[Dream Team|team-ups]], ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]''.

* Alexey Pajitnov had the original falling-block odyssey, ''[[Tetris (Video Game)|Tetris]]''.

* It might be easy to say ''[[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]]'' is Koji Igarashi's magnum opus, but that honor is better stated to go to Toru Hagihara, as he served as director and producer. Hagihara was designer and/or producer of almost every ''[[Castlevania]]'' game to that point, and so ''Symphony'' is more logically the endpoint of everything he worked towards, while this was only the second game Igarashi worked on.

** Many will argue ''[[Castlevania: Rondo of Blood]]'' instead.

* As broken as the ''Sonic'' fanbase is, it seems to be agreed that ''[[Sonic 3 and Knuckles (Video Game)|Sonic 3 and Knuckles]]'' is the high point of the series and the Opus of [[Sonic Team]], as well as their ex-leader, Yuji Naka. Interestingly though, while S3&K is the fan favorite, ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' is much more likely to be mentioned as the Opus by professional game reviewers as well as by gamers in general.

** You can also find a large section of the fanbase that considers ''[[Sonic Adventure (Video Game)|Sonic Adventure]]'' the Opus AND beginning downfall of the franchise. Opus, because it was a very excellent leap from 2D to 3D, as well as an all around great game, but downfall because of the travesties in the franchise would latter go on to have in it's 3D games.

* Either the ''[[Kirby]]'' franchise or the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]].'' games for Masahiro Sakurai, depending on whom you ask. Even picking out individual games for those franchises gets iffy, although ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' stand out.

* By the judgment of many fans, sales numbers and [[Word of God]], Keiji Inafune's greatest work will always be ''[[Mega Man 2 (Video Game)|Mega Man 2]]''.

** ''[[Mega Man 3 (Video Game)|Mega Man 3]]'' would be a very close second then, followed ''maybe'' by ''[[Mega Man X (Video Game)|Mega Man X]]'' (even though Inafune said ''3'' [[Magnum Opus Dissonance|was his least favorite Mega Man game]]).

* Related to the above example, for [[Retro Studios]] the ''[[Metroid Prime (Video Game)|Metroid Prime]]'' trilogy was thought as this for many years until ''[[Donkey Kong Country Returns (Video Game)|Donkey Kong Country Returns]]'', which is said to contend heavily for that title.

* Either ''[[Portal (Video Gameseries)|Portal]]'', ''[[Portal 2 (Video Game)|Portal 2]]'' or the ''[[Half-Life (Video Gameseries)|Half-Life]]'' series for [[Valve]] Software.

* ''[[Cave Story (Video Game)|Cave Story]]'' for Studio Pixel (Daisuke Amaya).

* ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Video Game)|Marvel vs. Capcom 2]]'' for the ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' series if not for all the [[Capcom vs. Whatever]] games.

* ''[[Okami (Video Game)Ōkami|Okami]]'' for [[Clover Studios]] (before getting kicked out of [[Capcom]] and forming [[Platinum Games]]).

* ''[[Mother 3 (Video Game)|Mother 3]]'' for [[Shigesato Itoi]].

* id Software has been, especially in the 90's, a standard-setter in video games. Perhaps the best candidate for their [[Magnum Opus]] (and lead programmer John Carmack's) is ''[[Doom]]'', their most universally acclaimed game, often considered a milestone. ''[[Quake (Video Gameseries)|Quake]]'' is close behind due to its technological innovations.

* ''[[Another World (Videovideo Gamegame)|Another World]]'' for Eric Chahi. A timeless classic which made quite an impact at its time and was a pioneer of artistic games.

* ''[[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]]'' for [[Ion Storm]], which more than made up for their [[Daikatana (Video Game)|infamous failed FPS]].

* Either the ''[[BaldursBaldur's Gate]]'' series or the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' trilogy for [[Bio WareBioWare]].

* The former can also be one for Black Isle Studios. That, the original ''[[Fallout]]'' duology, or ''[[Planescape: Torment]]''.

* ''[[Plants vs. Zombies (Video Game)|Plants vs. Zombies]]'' for [[Pop Cap Games]], being their fastest-selling game and having won many awards.

* American McGee has ''[[American McGee's Alice (Video Game)|American McGee's Alice]]'', cult classic and great game of its time, probably even more like a [[Magnum Opus]] than its sequel ''[[Alice: Madness Returns (Video Game)|Madness Returns]]''.

** For Ultimate's successor company [[Rare]], ''[[Banjo -Kazooie]]''.

* Either the [[.hack]] franchise or ''[[AsurasAsura's Wrath]]'' probably qualify for this for [[Cyber Connect 2]].

* As for ''[[Pokémon]]'', ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' was for a very long time the only possible contender for the title of [[Magnum Opus]] - especially when ''[[Updated Rerelease|Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver]]'' were released. Then along came ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'', and it suddenly became a two-way battle for supremacy.

* [[Nobuo Uematsu]] considers the soundtrack to ''[[Final Fantasy IX (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IX]]'' his greatest work. Like the games, the soundtracks are also heavily debated.

* Roger M. Wilcox is probably best known for ''[[The Intercontinental Union of Disgusting Characters]]'', but he still considers his life's work to be ''[[The Pentagon War (Literature)|The Pentagon War]]''.

* ''[[Felix the Cat]]'' is hands down the [[Magnum Opus]] of animation pioneer [[Otto Messmer]].

* ''[[Peace Onon Earth]]'' is considered to be the best short ever made by Hugh Harman of the [[Harman and Ising]] duo. He even said it was one of the very few good cartoons he ever made.

* [[Disney Animated Canon]] fans and critics alike have a ''field day'' trying to determine which is the best film of the Disney's [[The Golden Age of Animation|Golden Age]]--many—many say ''[[Pinocchio]]'', others say ''[[Snow White and Thethe Seven Dwarfs (Disney film)|Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs]]'', others say ''[[Fantasia]]'', and some like John Lasseter even think ''[[Dumbo (Disney)|Dumbo]]'' is his greatest film (and on one episode of Disneyland, Walt said it was the favorite feature his studio worked on). However, Walt himself considered ''[[Bambi (Disney)|Bambi]]'' his [[Magnum Opus]].

** When it comes to the [[The Renaissance Age of Animation|Disney Renaissance]], fans get into ''a lot'' of debate on whether ''[[Beauty and The Beast (Disney)|Beauty and Thethe Beast]]'' or ''[[The Lion King]]'' is the crown jewel.

*** Recently, ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' has been seen as this for the Disney Renaissance as well - a far cry from its earlier lukewarm reception.

** [[Pixar]] has this too. The debate is usually between ''[[WALL-E]]'', ''[[Up (Filmanimation)|Up]]'', ''[[The Incredibles]]'', and one or all of the ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' movies. You can even find a few supporters for ''[[Finding Nemo]]''.

** Yet ''another'' debate involves the works of [[The Renaissance Age of Animation|Disney Renaissance]] writer/director duo John Musker and Ron Clements. Although ''[[The Little Mermaid (Disney)|The Little Mermaid]]'' kickstarted the renaissance and ''[[Treasure Planet (Disney)|Treasure Planet]]'' is a [[Cult Classic]], most critics and fans would pick either ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' or ''[[The Princess and The Frog (Disney)|The Princess and Thethe Frog]]''.

** There are people who'd say their first work, ''[[The Great Mouse Detective (Disney)|The Great Mouse Detective]]'', is a contender for this, as well.

* Most fans believe that [[Don Bluth]]'s best film was ''[[The Secret of NIMH (Animation)|The Secret of NIMH]]'', although ''[[An American Tail (Animation)|An American Tail]]'' and ''[[The Land Before Time (Animation)|The Land Before Time]]'' have their supporters.

** ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven (Animation)|All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' has been [[Vindicated Byby History]] in this regard, as well.

* ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'' for [[Greg Weisman]].

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' for co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Of course, ''[[The Legend of Korra (Animation)|The Legend of Korra]]'' is alreadywas shaping uphyped to be an [[Even Better Sequel]].., but it was [[Executive Meddling|Executive Meddled]] to death.

* Fans will debate endlessly over which installment of [[Bruce Timm]], [[Paul Dini]] and Alan Burnett's [[DCAU (Franchise)|DCAU]] contributions is their best, with the top contender usually ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]''. ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' is often cited for Timm as well (as he was the only one of the three to have full involvement in it).

* If it ever gets finished, ''[[Samurai Jack (Animation)|Samurai Jack]]'' can finally be considered this for [[Genndy Tartakovsky]]. Until then, there's always ''[[DextersDexter's Laboratory (Animation)|Dexters Laboratory]]'' .<ref>For the record, ''Samurai Jack'' is usually considered this anyway</ref>.

* ''[[Invader Zim (Animation)|Invader Zim]]'' for [[Jhonen Vasquez]]. An unusual example, since the rest of his work is in comics rather than animation.

* ''[[Heavy Traffic]]'' or ''[[Coonskin]]'' for [[Ralph Bakshi]], even though he's better known for ''[[Fritz the Cat (Animationanimation)|Fritz the Cat]]''.

* Acclaimed animator [[Richard Williams]] has literally referred to ''[[The Thief and The Cobbler (Animation)|The Thief and Thethe Cobbler]]'' (or at least his original vision for it) as his magnum opus; others believe ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'' was his masterpiece.

** The [[Re CutRecut|Recobbled Cut]] was one of the most amazing animated features this troper has ever seen, if it's not his Magnum Opus then it certainly is at the very least a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] and [[Visual Effects of Awesome]].

* [[Mainframe Entertainment]] may be the primary source of Direct-to-Video ''[[Barbie]]'' movies today, but the big debate over its Magnum Opus boils down to either ''[[Re BootReBoot]]'' or ''[[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]''.

* Invariably, when asked what her greatest work is, fans and even the woman herself will state that ''[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' is this for [[Lauren Faust]]. Having not only revitalized the ailing ''[[My Little Pony]]'' franchise, but also redeeming it in the eyes of the general public, as well as being the one thing Lauren is best-known for and being the source of many stories of redemption, enlightenment, inspiration and empowerment, it's rather understandable why so many people have this thought about the show.

* Fans have argued that either ''[[The Fairly Odd ParentsOddParents]]'' or ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' is Butch Hartman's opus.

* ''[[What's Opera, Doc?]]'' or ''[[One Froggy Evening]]'' for [[Chuck Jones]]

* ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'' is definitely considered to be [[Dream WorksDreamWorks]]'s greatest animated film.

** Of course, ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (Filmanimation)|How to Train Your Dragon]]'' has a lot of supporters, as well. ''[[Shrek]]'' may have once been a contender, but it... Hasn't aged well, to say the least.

* [[Brad Bird]] has never EVER''ever'' made a bad film, but the biggest contenders for his Opus are ''[[The Iron Giant]]'' and ''[[The Incredibles]]''.

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