Superman was all the buzz yesterday at Warner Bros stage at CinemaCon 2025. David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Safran, and James Gunn were all in attendance to talk about the upcoming summer blockbuster. Absent was Ozu, James Gunn's own dog and the inspiration for Krypto.
Gunn described his experience with his own dog destroying his stuff and how that played into his thoughts for Superman.
“Ozu is terrible to anyone who comes near him,” Gunn joked. He recalled going to a shelter to rescue the canine: “He kind of looked like my old dog on crack.” He added, “I said, ‘That dog looks funny to me, and I like funny things.'”
“I thought, ‘Oh, my God, what if this dog had superpowers? I’d be f***ed. And I said, ‘Now I know what I’m going to do with Superman.'”
It's no secret that Gunn used his own dog for inspiration for Krypto. Some fans love the filmmaker’s personal touch, while others think it's a little self serving and would prefer for Krypto to be more comic accurate. In the comics, Krypto is portrayed as a white Labrador Retriever. In the movie, it Krypto will be smaller, scragglier, but still the same amount of heroic.
It seems as if Krypto, while he will definitely help Superman save the day, will serve as a bit of comic relief in the film that Gunn has said has a more serious tone. At CinemaCon, an extended version of the snowy scene in which Superman is injured in the trailer was shown, and Krypto's actions are described as “comedic”.
“The footage starts similarly to the first trailer, with Superman crashing into the arctic, injured and whistling to summon Krypto, who arrives in a big snowy flurry. Krypto playfully jumps on Superman as he grunts in pain. “Take me home” he commands, holding out his cape. Krypto comedically drags Superman around the tundra as a crystal structure grows in the distance and creates two doors that glow with Superman’s logo — it’s the fortress of solitude.
Automatons greet Superman and pick him up to place him in a healing chamber powered by the sun. He tries to thank the automatons but they stress they do not have sentience. The clip transitions into the main Superman trailer, but ends with Superman leaving the fortress of solitude, almost leaving Krypto behind before his pet whimpers. He allows Krypto to tag along as he playfully charges and bites at Superman’s shoes as the clip ends."
While Krypto definitely could be a good source for comedic relief within the movie, there are bound to be those that want Krypto the just be Superman's friend and not a prankster. Regardless, Krypto is a welcome presence to just about every DC fan.
Superman debuts July 11, 2025. Are you excited to see Krypto in action? Let us know in the comments!