Who Is Krypto? DC’s Superdog Explained

The DC Universe has revealed that Krypto the Superdog will appear in the upcoming Superman, which has led to conversations around the character’s comic book history and potential future. While the cast of DC League of Super-Pets humanized some of the popular DC pets, the comic books have featured these characters for many years in many different incarnations. Live-action comic book films, however, have had a more challenging time with introducing pets and using them effectively, making one addition to the Superman cast all the more noteworthy.

Dogs are one of the most beloved animals in the world, although only a handful have been explored in superhero cinema. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduced Cosmo, Hawkeye featured Lucky the Pizza Dog,and other instances of comic book movies and series’ pets have cropped up at a somewhat rare rate, with the characters not being a great focus of their projects. Following in the footsteps of Lockjaw from Inhumans or Dogpool from Deadpool & Wolverine, audiences can await their introduction to Krypto the Superdog in the upcoming Superman movie.

Krypto’s Comic Book Origins & History

Krypto Has Been Around Since 1955

Krypto has actually been around in the comics for quite some time. The beloved Kryptonian dog was introduced in 1955, in Adventure Comics #210. The pet has had his origin changed a few times throughout the years, although the original version was Kal-El’s pet on Krypton, before coming to Earth. Like Superman, Krypto originally gained powers from being on Earth due to his Kryptonian physiology. These manifest as super strength, flight, and intelligence, among other abilities.

In the comics, Krypto has had to hide his true identity on occasion, where he has worn a fake brown spot on his back and has gone by the alter ego Skip. However, it seems likely that a character resembling the later incarnation of Krypto may be the one introduced in the new film, where Krypto was created as part of a trap by Brainiac on a fake Krypton, and the dog did not have super-intelligence. A less-aware version of the character better aligns with James Gunn’s recent explanation of Krypto.

Krypto’s Previous TV & Movie Appearances

Krypto Has Appeared In Several Movies And TV Series

Krypto has had a number of notable appearances on television and in movies through the years. The dog appeared among many Smallville Kryptonians in the beloved series, as well as in several episodes of Titans. These live-action iterations of the character made some tweaks to the character’s lore, with Titans featuring the dog as an experiment from Cadmus Laboratory rather than a Kryptonian dog, and Smallville offering a similar alternative origin. Rather than being Kryptonian, Krypto has often been depicted as an Earth experiment.

In animation, Krypto has been more faithfully used. The character had an eponymous, light-hearted animated series for kids that ran for 39 episodes beginning in 2005. This series has some characters and tonal choices in common with the 2022 DC League of Super-Pets movie, which saw a number of superhero pets, including Ace the Bat-Hound, coming together to save the Justice League. A live-action version of Krypto has not yet appeared in any big-screen Superman movie.

Details On Krypto Have Been Shared In An Instagram Post

Krypto was announced to be a major part of Superman in an Instagram post shared by James Gunn. In the post, the film’s director outlined how the dog in the film was based on his own rescue dog, Ozu, whom he adopted while writing the script. Facing the playful but violent actions of the dog ripping apart things around the house, Gunn thought that it would be interesting to confront and explore such a poorly housebroken pet if they had superpowers.

Gunn has confirmed that Krypto will not talk in the film, and will only bark. This differentiates the character from his animated counterparts. This will also make it more challenging to construct a fully-fleshed out and exciting character from Krypto, although Gunn has experience in constructing compelling characters with few words, as was done with Groot saying very little in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. How much Krypto will influence the DCU’s direction, including if more DC pets will be introduced to the universe, remains to be seen.

Krypto is set to be an integral part of the upcoming Superman movie, and his presence could contribute to more stories in the DCU’s schedule. The comics on which Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is based use Krypto significantly, and it seems likely that the dog may also appear in that film.Examining Superman through the lens of a pet owner helps to humanize the character, and it will be exciting to see Krypto the Superdog finally in live-action on the big screen when the DC Universe kicks off next year.

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