Highlights
- "Superman: Legacy" director James Gunn hints at the inclusion of Krypto the Superdog, one of Superman's powerful allies from the comics.
- The film serves as the starting point for a new cinematic universe and aims to incorporate Superman's extensive list of allies, including Krypto.
- The recent pictures posted by Gunn featuring a Superman-inspired outfit and posters of Krypto indicate his potential appearance in the DCU, generating excitement among fans.
Superman: Legacy director James Gunn teased the debut of one of the Man of Steel's most powerful allies from the comics: Krypto the Superdog.
Superman: Legacy is the first planned theatrical release for the new DCU that Gunn and Peter Safran planned out, with a younger Superman set to tackle his identity and reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Alongside the expected high-powered action and worldbuilding, several other heroes will appear in Superman: Legacy. The decision serves the film’s role as the kick-off point for a new cinematic universe and the goal of utilizing Superman's extensive list of allies, including Krypto.
Gunn previously let it slip that Krypto could appear in Superman: Legacy while promoting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with Chris Pratt. Gunn recently continued the speculation by posting two pictures on Threads with the caption, “Art department dog Nora got dressed up for the office today. ❤️” The pictures show Nora in a splendid Superman-inspired outfit, with the second image showing a wider angled shot of the office with a few posters visible in the background, one of them being a Superman 50th anniversary commemorative poster. The other two, a cover poster for 2011’s Superman (Vol. 1) #712: "Lost Boy: A Tale of Krypto the Superdog," and another for 1955's Adventure Comics #210 (Krypto’s first appearance), seem to be as good a sign as any that Krypto will be in the DCU.
The new pictures drew a lot of fan comments praising Nora and sharing pictures of similarly dressed pets, alongside a few other Threads denizens who noticed the posters and discussed their significance with a positive view on the character’s addition. Unlike Batman's canine sidekick Ace, Krypto is a generally well-received member of the DC hero roster, even headlining the recent animated DC feature League of Super-Pets with Dwayne Johnson lending his voice to the main role. While not exactly a canon introduction to the continuity, the animated film has helped popularize the character.
While there will be some hurdles to a live-action Krypto, Gunn could easily manage it if he was so inspired, including following the example of the animated movie and making a few changes to Krypto from the comics to suit the medium and the story's intent better. Whether or not Krypto will make it into the final cut of Superman: Legacy won’t be known for quite a while, but fans can look forward to it with some optimism.
Superman: Legacy is set for theatrical release on July 11, 2025.
Source: James Gunn/Threads