There is a certain logic to the idea of Superman having a well-behaved dog as a pet. After all, the Man of Steel is the embodiment of good and righteousness, and you'd expect that any canine he keeps by his side would have the same kind of nobility. It's a direction that's been taken with many versions of Krypto in the past... but audiences should get ready for the atypical in writer/director James Gunn's Superman. Instead of being a faithful and helpful companion, the superdog is going to be featured as a hilarious and untrained agent of chaos.
This afternoon, Warner Bros. hosted a special presentation of their upcoming slate at CinemaCon – the annual Las Vegas-based convention for theater owners – and the showcase concluded with a special extended preview of Superman (which is set to arrive in theaters this summer). Some of the footage was familiar from the first trailer for the film that dropped online a few months ago, but the extra material made a special point of revealing Krypto's very specific personality, and it's hilarious.
Like the aforementioned trailer, the Superman CinemaCon footage began with the titular hero crashing into a tundra sporting some serious injuries. Spitting out blood on to the ice, he makes the only move he can: he whistles for Krypto. Like a loyal pet, the white dog comes running, kicking up a big dust clouds of snow behind him... but he isn't immediately helpful. Not recognizing that his owner is badly hurt, he dashes around, bites his foot, and occasionally makes a point of jumping on the injured Kryptonian's body – causing him to wince in pain.
With all of his strength, Superman asks, "Take me home," but Krypto doesn't quite understand initially. Eventually, Supes sweeps his cape across his body and holds out a bunch of it for the dog to bite and drag. The canine finally figures it out, and as the alien and his pet move across the ground, the Fortress of Solitude emerges from beneath the ground. They approach a big metal door with a glowing "S" logo, and when the entrance opens, the Man of Tomorrow is greeted by a collection of four robots.
The automatons pick Kal-El up to help him, and he thanks them for their effort – but they bluntly dismiss the gratitude because their lack of consciousness doesn't allow them to to process it. The bots bring Superman to a medical table in front of a window, determining that what is needed is a full blast of Earth's yellow sun. Large magnifying glasses are lined up automatically that blast a beam right into Supes' chest, and as the glow grows, he screams with rejuvenation.
A montage of familiar moments from the trailer followed this moment, but the extended look continued with a final funny moment. Back to full health, Superman prepares to leave the Fortress of Solitude, but before he goes out, he recognizes that Krypto has unleashed some hefty destruction. The hero ponders why the robots weren't able to stop the chaos, but they explain that the dog is unruly. Following his owner, Krypto starts running around and biting at Superman's feet, and he is told in a frustrated tone to sit and stay. As Supes reaches the door, the pet begins to whimper, and regardless of how much damage he does and pain he causes, you can't help but love him.
The Superman CinemaCon footage didn't provide any specific insight to the plot of the upcoming film (we don't even know at this point how the titular hero got so injured that he crash landed in the snow), but it did provide a great sense of the characters and was enriched by James Gunn's wonderful sensibilities (both his sense of humor and love of comics).
With the calendar turning over to April, we are now just a little over three months away from the release of Superman in theaters worldwide, and after this latest preview, I'm more excited than ever to see it. The blockbuster is set to arrive on the big screen everywhere on July 11 – and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend not only for more about the upcoming DC movie but also more of our on-the-ground coverage of CinemaCon 2025.
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