Superman is the talk of the town right now because of James Gunn’s first DC Universe movie. Unlike Zack Snyder’s iteration of the character, the new take on the Man of Steel is full of hope and enjoys having fun. However, there are plenty of people who get in his way, including his arch-enemy, Lex Luthor. The other major roadblock that Clark Kent has to deal with is his dog, Krypto, who just can’t seem to stay out of trouble despite being confined to the Fortress of Solitude. When it matters the most, though, Krypto is by Superman’s side and helps him defeat the forces of evil.
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One of the more surprising facts about Superman‘s Krypto is that he’s the fourth live-action version of the character. The dog makes appearances in Smallville and Superman & Lois, which shouldn’t be all that surprising, since they follow the Man of Steel and his family. His third live-action iteration differs from the others, as it is part of a show that often falls through the cracks when discussing notable DC TV series.
Titans Had a Very Different Take on Krypto
At the same time that the Arrowverse was churning out show after show on The CW in the late 2010s, Warner Bros. decided to create a streaming service called DC Universe. Its flagship show was Titans, a dark and gritty take on the young DC Comics team, which made The Dark Knight Trilogy look tame. Robin cursed all the time, and there were plenty of gruesome deaths; however, despite featuring multiple versions of the Boy Wonder, the Bat-Family didn’t get all the love. Superboy was a major part of the show after escaping Cadmus Laboratories and joining with the rest of the Titans. He wasn’t alone, though, because he also rescued a dog from Cadmus who had powers like Superman.
Krypto’s origin in Titans was different from the source material. Instead of being on Krypton, he was a Cadmus experiment that used Superman’s DNA to create a powerful dog. Krypto proved to be helpful in the right situations, but he didn’t have much of a personality, acting more as an extension of Superboy than as his own character. It’s hard to blame Titans for putting Krypto on the back burner because it had so many mouths to feed, but there was still room for the furry hero to grow. At least the DCU won’t make the same mistakes with its version of Krypto.
Krypto Is Already One of the DCU’s Biggest Stars
It’s hard to argue that Superman‘s version of Krypto isn’t the best one. Despite being a nuisance, he’s an adorable ball of energy that captures the attention of everyone around him. However, unlike his past iterations, he’s not going to spend his entire tenure in the DCU as a side character. Superman drops a major bombshell about Krypton’s past, and since Krypto is from there, he’s sure to be part of the larger story. He also has a connection to Supergirl, who is getting her own movie in 2026. It’s fair to assume that Krypto will be part of that project as well.
As if things couldn’t get any better, there are also rumors of a Krypto animated spinoff being in the works (via MovieWeb). Gunn has been playing coy about it on social media, and while it doesn’t seem like the show has the green light just yet, after the reaction to Superman, it’s hard to imagine a world where it doesn’t drop on HBO Max in the future. What the series would be about remains a mystery, but Gunn and Co. could very well pull from the beloved Cartoon Network series that ran from 2005 to 2006. In that show, Krypto fought crime alongside other superhero pets, such as Ace the Bat-Hound. But no matter which direction the DCU goes in with Superman’s best friend, it’s sure to be better than what Titans did when it made the character little more than a lab rat.
Titans is streaming on HBO Max.
Did you remember that Krypto had a major role in Titans? Are you enjoying what the DCU is doing with the character? Let us know in the comments below!
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