Superman’s super dog Krypto may look all innocent in the trailer, but James Gunn says he is a "terrible dog" and is based on his own mischievous mutt
Krypto may not be so cute after all
He may look all cute and innocent in the first trailer, but DC boss James Gunn says Superman’s dog Krypto is actually a pretty terrible pet.
"You'll see in the movie that Krypto probably comes off as a better dog in the trailer than he is in the movie," said writer and director Gunn at a Q&A session held after a press screening for the new Superman trailer (H/T IGN). "Pretty terrible dog! You love him because he's a dog and how can you not? And he's got the cute, innocent eyes, but he's a terrible dog."
The first Superman trailer, which dropped earlier this December, opens with star David Corenswet’s Superman lying injured on the snow with a bloody head when his pet dog Krypto runs to his recuse. At first glance, Kryto looks to be a fluffy white dog who seems to be loyal to his owner, however, based on Gunn’s comments, this may not be true.
The DC boss has previously admitted that Krypto is based on his own dog Ozu. Gunn took to Instagram to let fans know more about the badly behaved dog he adopted just after he started writing Superman.
"Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs and never knew human beings, was problematic, to say the least," Gunn said. "He immediately came in and destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture — he even ate my laptop… I remember thinking, 'Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?' — and thus Krypto came into the script and changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life."
Kicking off the movie portion of DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, Superman follows the hero's double life as a being from planet Krypton and a reporter Clark Kent at The Daily Planet. The movie also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Superman hits theatres on July 11, 2025. For more, see our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, or keep up with upcoming DC movies and TV shows.
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I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.