71 Years Later, The DC Universe Will Reboot A Forgotten Origin Story
Ruff, ruff, and away!
Superman launched a new era of the DC Universe, but it also launched a brand new star: Krypto the super-dog, the unruly dog with one sticky-up ear that Kal-El agreed to dogsit for his cousin. During the course of the movie, Krypto saved his sitter’s life a few times (but also caused a bunch of problems) only for his true owner, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, played by Milly Alcock, to return after a bender on a planet with a red sun.
Now, it’s Supergirl’s turn to lead the next DC release, and in our latest sneak peek of Supergirl, it looks like the action is going back a few dog years. Check out the full teaser below:
Supergirl’s Super Bowl teaser shows Kara as she walks with a bunch of Kryptonians, all dressed in the typical white garb of the planet shown in Superman. As she walks, a muddy baby Krypto runs up to her, and she picks him up and asks, “Who are you?” We then see a collection of clips from the actual movie, including glimpses at the final days of Krypton and some impressive fight scenes, but the fan response was heavily focused on Baby Krypto.
Krypto’s Original DC Origin Story
Krypto the Superdog’s comics origin story is a little different. The superpowered canine was first introduced in Adventure Comics #210 back in 1955 as a companion for Superboy. In the comic, Superboy just happens to come across Krypto as a stray with identical powers to his. It isn’t until after he dubs him “Superdog” that he discovers the pup’s true origin: back on Krypton, much like on Earth, early versions of rockets were tested with animals. According to a note Superboy finds with a Kryptonian rocket, towards the end of the planet itself, one scientist realized he didn’t have the time to find a test animal, so he used his infant son’s pet puppy, Krypto.
Superboy learns about Krypto’s true origin in Adventure Comics #210, published in 1955.
The rocket was hit by a meteor and landed not only on Earth but also in Smallville. In an even bigger coincidence, Superboy realizes the note is signed by his father, Jor-El, so Krypto isn’t just any pet: he’s his own long-lost pet he didn’t even know about.
It appears as though this part of canon will get a revamp in Supergirl. But don’t expect this flashback to be just a prologue: Baby Krypto has already been given his own character poster, so we may see his puppy years quite a bit. (In an ingenious moment of brand synergy, Krypto was also the namesake of the “Krypto Superhero Play” during the Puppy Bowl.)
Krypto may have raised havoc in Superman, but apparently, that was him in his older and wiser years. But paired with Supergirl, he’s perfectly matched in a chaotic good dynamic duo — something we’re sure to see a lot of in a few months.
