Krypto the Superdog Turns 70! 8 Fun Facts Ahead of His Role in This Summer’s ‘Superman’
From 1955 comics to today’s blockbuster, meet the super pup fans are howling over!
Based on what we know about the new Superman film, Krypto the Super Dog is looking pretty spry for a 70-year-old canine. The film’s first trailer, which premiered on December 19 and was viewed more than 250 million times in its first 24 hours, got a lot of people excited, much of which has to do with Krypto, who is making his big-screen live-action debut and whose presence was even bigger in the second trailer.
Premiering in the pages of Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955, Krypto has had a pretty extensive past that’s seen him go from the printed page to traditional and CG animation, live action on the small screen and, now, ready for his Hollywood closeup. To celebrate his impending arrival in Superman, get to know the Mutt of Steel a little better, first by checking out the aforementioned trailer below and then a collection of facts about his history.
1. The comic book that started it all (1955)
As noted, the character of Krypto made his debut in the March 1955 edition of Adventure Comics in a story written by Otto Binder and drawn by Curt Swan. The DC Comics database describes the story for that issue as follows: “When a white dog in Smallville exhibits super-powers, Superboy investigates and finds a Kryptonian rocket ship in which the dog came to Earth. He learns that the dog is Krypto, his own pet from babyhood, and that [Superman’s father] Jor-El sent him into space in an experimental rocket that was knocked off-course by a meteor. Superboy has a good time romping with Krypto, but causes problems with his tasks and his secret identity. The Superdog eventually returns to exploring space and though Superboy is glad to be free of trouble, he is sorrowful that his dog is gone again.” It should be noted that Krypto has all the same powers as Superman.
2. Krypto was a team player! (1966)
In the 1960s—known as the Silver Age of Comics—there was a tendency to throw whatever creators could at the wall to see what sticks. What stuck for a time was the idea of Krypto being part of the 30th century Legion of Super-Pets and then the Space Canine Patrol Agents. In terms of the former, he fought evil with Comet the Superhorse, Streaky the Supercat and Beppo the Supermonkey. The latter group made its debut in 1966’s Superboy #151 and featured alien canines Bull Dog Chameleon Collie, Hot Dog, Krypto, Mammoth Miss, Paw Pooch, Prophetic Pup, Tail Terrier (a.k.a. Top Dog) and Tusky Husky. Hey, you can’t make this stuff up … well, okay, obviously writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp did, but … you know.
3. ‘The Adventures of Superboy’ Animated Adventures (1966 to 1969)
Debuting on Saturday mornings in 1966 was the animated series The New Adventures of Superman, which included two short adventures featuring the Man of Steel and one with Superboy and Krypto. A total of 34 six-minute tales of the latter were produced.
4. Nice doggie? (2001)
Krypto disappeared from the comics for a number of years, but returned in 2001 as written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Ed McGuinness. This time he wasn’t really a playful dog, but, instead, was a canine trying to cope with these strange abilities he suddenly found himself in possession of under Earth’s yellow sun. To keep others safe, Superman chose to lock him up in his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic until he could be trained better. There are actually some funny bits where Krypto doesn’t trust Batman and is constantly growling at him, threatening to unleash his heat vision. He’s particularly agitated when Kara Zor-El/Supergirl arrives for the first time.
Watching his behavior, Batman comments, “Doesn’t it bother you at all that the dog hates her?” Superman responds, “It’s his job to protect the Fortress while he’s here. Besides … the dog hates everybody.”
5. ‘Krypto the Superdog’ Animated Series
Running from 2005 to 2006, the animated Krypto the Superdog doesn’t team the title character up with Superman, but instead with a young boy named Kevin Whitney, who he lives with. Taking on the secret identity of a regular house pet, they’re ready for action—sometimes with other super-powered animals—whenever villainy shows up. Krypto is voiced by Samuel Vincent Khouth, whose credits include Edd “Double D” in Ed, Edd n Eddy, Lloyd Garmadon in Ninjago, Bugs Bunny, Tweety and Daffy Duck in Baby Looney Tunes and Jerry Mouse in Tom and Jerry Tales.
6. ‘Titans’ (2021 to 2023)
On the streaming series Titans, Krypto appears as a genetically-enhanced dog who escapes from a lab along with Connor Kent (that show’s Superboy). He’s depicted as being fiercely loyal and he demonstrates superpowers like heat vision and flight while protecting his allies. Good boy!
7. ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ (2022)
In this 2022 CG animated film, when Superman (voiced by John Krasinski) and the Justice League are kidnapped by Lex Luthor and a new villain, Krypto teams up with a group of shelter animals who accidentally gain superpowers. Together, they form the League of Super-Pets to save the day. Dwayne Johnson voices Krypto.
‘Superman’ (2025)
James Gunn (the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), writer/director Superman, hasn’t said a lot about the film, but he did say of Krypto that the idea of putting him in the film came from his experience of adopting a rescue dog named Ozu while he was writing the script. Said Gunn, “Krypto came into the script and changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life.”
Look for Superman on July 11, 2025.
And to learn much more about the 86-year journey of the Man of Steel, check out the author’s books: The unofficial oral history Voices from Krypton and the official Superman: The Definitive History.
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