Superman: Legacy Photo Seemingly Confirms Krypto's DCU Debut
Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a dog!
A dog is man's best friend, but a superdog is the Man of Steel's best friend in Superman: Legacy. Writer and director James Gunn seemingly confirmed that the Kryptonian superdog Krypto would make an appearance in the upcoming relaunch from DC Studios, and now it appears that the canine crime-fighter has indeed joined the first film in the rebooted DC Universe. On social media platform Threads, Gunn shared a photo of Nora, a (real) art department mascot dog dressed in a Superman cape. In the background, sharp-eyed fans spotted classic comic book art pinned up in the movie's art department.
They references include Superman: The Legend Returns, a 1988 poster commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Man of Steel; Superman (Vol. 1) #712, a 2011 issue titled "Lost Boy: A Tale of Krypto the Superdog"; and Krypto's first appearance in 1955's Adventure Comics #210, which introduced "the superdog of Krypton" as Superboy's super-powered pet dog.
The Dog of Steel became a recurring character in issues of Adventure Comics and Superboy, and went on to serve as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Pets — the animal branch of the Legion of Super-Heroes — alongside other super-powered pet sidekicks like Supergirl's Comet the Super-Horse and Beppo the Super-Monkey. Krypto starred in the animated series Krypto the Superdog and the CG-animated feature film DC League of Super-Pets, and made his live-action debut in a second season episode of the DC Universe/HBO Max series Titans.
Per the official synopsis, "Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned." Along with David Corenswet's Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, the cast includes Nathan Fillion as the Guy Gardner Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as the mass-shifting Metamorpho.
Written and directed by James Gunn as part of the new DC Universe Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, DC's Superman: Legacy is slated to open in theaters on July 11th, 2025.