Superman’s dog Krypto has been a Superman Family mainstay since his introduction in 1955. The white shepherd has appeared in numerous television series and films, such as Smallville (though renamed Shelby), the live-action HBO Max series Titans, and 2022’s DC League of Super-Pets animated film. It was announced back in September that the canine companion will make his live-action cinematic debut in the upcoming film Superman, and director James Gunn finally gave fans our first look.

Taking to his socials, Gunn shared a photo of Superman actor David Corenswet sitting alongside a white dog in space, watching the Earth rotate. Gunn shared a story about Krypto and how the film’s dog was based in part on his own.

“Krypto arrives on screens in Superman this summer. Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing Superman,” Gunn wrote. “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. He immediately came in and destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture–he even ate my laptop.”

Gunn would continue about how Ozu’s problems helped navigate Superman’s own narrative for the film.

“It took a long time before he would even let us touch him. 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. What better time to debut the not-so-good-good-boy Krypto than Adopt A Shelter Dog month?” Gunn noted that Ozu has remained a good boy.

Superman, starring Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Anthony Carrigan, María Gabriela de Faría, Sara Sampaio, Skyler Gisondo, and Nicholas Hoult flies into theaters July 11, 2025.