Summary
- Superman film to feature various DC characters, notably Krypto, who won’t be as heroic as fans may expect.
- Krypto’s role in the film is more as a nuisance to Superman, causing trouble rather than being an essential sidekick.
- The focus of the Superman movie is on Superman himself, ensuring an accurate portrayal and potentially setting the DCU for success.
Superman is set to debut a ton of both prominent and obscure DC characters, and while the film’s promotional strategy has centered on one unique member of the cast more so than others, they won’t be portrayed in quite the prominent, positive way that fans might expect.
Superman has been the single most anticipated project in the comic book movie space since it was announced, with viewers of all persuasions eager to finally experience the first proper project in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU. First announced as Superman: Legacy, the project has come a long way through the writing, casting, filming, and post-production ahead of its July premiere. With the film so close at hand, fans have finally gotten a fair amount of promo footage, including a recent trailer from CinemaCon that James Gunn put online for general audiences.
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No character has been quite as prominent in that trailer and in previous promotional material for Superman as Krypto, Superman’s canine companion and a character that has been touted as the secret weapon to James Gunn’s DCU success. However, this theory doesn’t seem to actually reflect the way the director portrays the character in the movie itself. In a recent cast interview with Fandango that saw the new Man of Steel answer questions alongside director Gunn and co-stars Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan, Corenswet revealed that the superdog isn’t quite as essential to the hero as some fans might be led to believe. “Superman doesn’t need Krypto,” he explained. “Krypto’s just… It’s sort of a foster situation. Superman is taking care of this dog. He loves dogs, as, you know, most people do. But Krypto, as James [Gunn] has described, is the worst dog in the world, with superpowers.“
Corenswet went on to give fans more details on just how Krypto constitutes a chore for his Man of Steel in the new canon. “He’s always destroying the Fortress of Solitude, and hunting wildlife, and just always getting into trouble never listening,” Corenswet revealed. “And although there’s a great love and affection between Superman and dog, it’s honestly more trouble than it’s worth.” While this goes against some portrayals of Krypto as a perfect canine sidekick for Superman, the character has just as frequently been portrayed as mischievous and often not portrayed at all. As such, Gunn taking the initiative not just to include Krypto in the live-action reboot, but also establish a personality for the character that leaves room for growth and improvements over the course of the new DCU’s run is certainly a better direction to go in than what some might have initially envisioned from the promotional material. While Gunn loved dogs and has certainly fostered a good record with non-human characters, a non-anthropomorphic canine that can’t speak doesn’t fit the same mold as characters like King Shark and Rocket Raccoon, and was likely never seen as that sort of character by Gunn himself.
It’s unclear how much screen time the film will dedicate to showing off Krypto and setting up that character arc, and fans will have to wait on the premiere to ascertain how well it works out. Things do look good for the project as Superman star Anthony Carrigan recently assured fans that Gunn’s take inspires hope in the way that the character should, in contrast to the version that fans got under the Snyder vision. Implicit in that commendation is a focus on Superman himself, instead of Krypto or any of the other heroes, villains, and supporting stars that will be present in the project. That’s what fans want from a Superman film, and if Gunn can get it right, then the DCU really could take off with a running start.
Superman is set for theatrical release on July 11, 2025.
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Source: Fandango/YouTube