Krypto
Krypto is a male comic dog who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Krypto was a male dog that was native to the alien world of Krypton where as a puppy he was taken as a pet of the House of El. Whilst there, he came to meet the infant Kal-El and was his cherished pet but there were fears that Krypton could explode at any time. Thus, Jor-El decided that they could not afford to waste anymore time with test animals and reluctantly used Krypto to be the experimental rocket. A passing meteor came to impact the rocket ship causing it to become lost in deep space where eventually it came to crash on the planet Earth. (Adventure Comics v1 #210)
Superboy volunteered to help the army test a new type of artillery by offering himself as a living target. After the test an adult version of Superboy, a Superman flew down from the sky. He showed Superboy that the artillery had cracked open a nearby mountainside, exposing red kryptonite, and it’s effect was to create the adult duplicate. Superboy introduced the Kents to Superman, and they were thrilled to now have two children. For the Kents’ wedding anniversary Superboy crafted a new line of Superman robots, and Superman concocted a potion that gave the Kents temporary superpowers. Superman told Superboy that his super-intellect had figured out that the two of them coexisting would cause spacetime disruptions that would destroy the solar system unless one of them left Earth in the next 48 hours. They were going to flip a coin to decide who staid, but as it was coming down Superman melted it with his heat vision, claiming it was an accident. They agreed to have the Kents decide, but Superboy used a dream projector on his sleeping parents, saw them dreaming about being superheroes once Superman made the effects of his potion permanent, so the next morning Superboy announced that he’d leave Earth after one last stroll around Smallville. Clark and Superman, posing as his uncle “Charles,” visited Lana Lang who wanted to show off her violin-playing skills, telling them she had an upcoming recital. Her high pitched playing caused the glass around her to break, but she thought her playing was pretty good. Krypto returned from one of his space jaunts in time to say goodbye to Superboy before Superman had him enter a space capsule and hurled him beyond the atmosphere towards a planet with a red sun. The Kents realized Superman was an imposter when the civilian glasses he used as Charles proved to be cracked from Lana’s music, which could never happen to Superboy’s glasses, which were made from unbreakable Kryptonian plastoid from the window of the ship that brought him to Earth. “Superman” revealed that he was actually the Kryptonian criminal Roz-Em, who’d paid a plastic surgeon to make him look like Kal-El’s uncle Nim-El in an attempt to raid the armory of forbidden weapons that Nim-El guarded. His plot was uncovered by Jor-El and Nim-El, and he was put into suspended animation inside a space capsule until it drifted near a yellow sun, giving him superpowers. He had seen Krypton explode and baby Kal-El rocketed to Earth, so he was determined to avenge himself for his imprisonment by targeting Jor-El’s son, fabricating fake red-K and concocting his spacetime in danger story. Pa Kent had gotten Krypto to fly into space to warn Superboy that they were in danger, and Superboy returned to Earth and used the Phantom Zone Projector to exile Roz-Em. (Adventure Comics v1 #304)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. It was known that the El family had a dog back on Krypton with the animal being named Krypto. (Superman v2 #167) He inhabited a simulation of Krypton that was created by Brainiac 13 to be a trap for the Man of Steel. Ultimately, Superman and Lois Lane managed to return to Earth just as the fake Krypton was destroyed but not before Krypto followed him thus surviving the world's destruction. Thus, he came to reside on Earth where he stayed with Superman where the dog was the only other thing to survive from his long lost homeworld. (Action Comics v1 #776)
The Justice League took a stand against the White Martians at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, using the armaments Superman had stored there. Krypto held off the Martians for a brief time as the JLA readied themselves. (JLA v1 #57)
Martian Manhunter was consumed by the Burning, and when the JLA sought refuge in Superman’s Fortress the Burning possessed Krypto to attack them. (JLA v1 #87)
B-Tech caused a time storm in Metropolis, threatening to wipe it from the continuum. Krypto and the Superman Family offered Steel assistance is averting disaster. Steel designed a Charged-Vacuum Emboitment powered by a fragment of Imperiex's armor and focused with the Phantom Zone projector, and he hoped to punch a hole in time and space that would give the storm somewhere to go to. The timestorm pulled Majestic to Earth from the Wildstorm Universe, and he told Steel his plan would not work. Eradicator didn't trust the stranger and used the projector to confine him to the Phantom Zone. Steel sent the Superman Family to the heart of the storm with the C.V.E., but the storm only worsened. After the timestorm reached a pitch the B-Tech disappeared and Metropolis was restored to normal. Majestic explained that the storm was a natural phenomenon and times' way of fixing itself, sending the B-Tech back into the future. (Adventures of Superman v1 #624)
President Luthor blamed Superman for the kryptonite asteroid heading towards Earth, and put out a warrant for his arrest. He prematurely announced the capture of Superman, and Batman, who was aiding him, leading members of the Batman and Superman Families, including Krypto, to raid the White House to rescue their friends. The Superman Family was defeated by D.E.O. agents, but Batman and Superman broke into the White House and freed their friends. (Superman/Batman v1 #5)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Krypto
Krypto was shown as being the dog and pet to the House of El in the final years of Krypton. When the planet faced destruction, Jor-El thought to use the Phantom Zone as a means or him and his family to survive. However, the trapped prisoners there sought to use it as an opportunity to get their revenge on him. One even managed to get his hand through the barrier when Krypto attacked him to protect his owners where he was pulled into the Phantom Zone to become trapped in that anti-verse. (Action Comics v2 #5) Within the Phantom Zone, Krypto came to survive the destruction of Krypton and in a spectral state followed Kal-El who was sent via rocketship to Earth where he grew up to be Superman. (Action Comics v2 #13)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Due to being a native of Krypton, Krypto gained all the traits of the Kryptonians when under a yellow sun. This included superstrength, unbreakable skin, flight, super-senses and other such powers. (Adventure Comics v1 #210)
Notes
- Krypto was created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan where he made his first appearance in Adventure Comics v1 #210 (March, 1955).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Smallville, a dog based on Krypto appeared in the setting of the live-action television series. This version acquired temporary super-strength through Kryptonite-related experiments conducted by LuthorCorp. After being found by Lois Lane and taken to the Kent family's farm, Clark Kent considers naming the dog Krypto because of his cryptic origins, but eventually names the dog Shelby after one of Martha Kent's old dogs.
- In Krypto the Superdog, Krypto featured in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Samuel Vincent. Similar to the comics, this version was sent off in a rocket as a puppy before Krypton exploded, though he accidentally damaged the rocket while playing with a ball, putting him in stasis and causing him to arrive on Earth long after Kal-El had become Superman. Now fully-grown, Krypto acquires superpowers similar to Superman's and is adopted by a young boy named Kevin Whitney with Superman's consent. Additionally, he can communicate with other animals and Kevin via an ear-implanted translator, and later joins the Dog Star Patrol.
- In Young Justice, a large canine known as Wolf appeared as a homage to Krypto in the setting of the animated television series. Originally the alpha male of a pack of Indian common wolves, Wolf and his pack were captured by the Brain and Mallah and subjected to the pair's Cobra-Venom enhancement procedures. Used as guard dogs, Wolf and his pack were set on Superboy when he and the Team investigated the unusual activity in the area. When Superboy managed to defeat the pack, Wolf followed his new alpha into battle against Brain and later followed him back to America as a new part of Young Justice.
- In Justice League Action, Krypto appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Best Day Ever" where he was voiced by actor Jason J. Lewis. In the episode "Unleashed", Superman left Krypto in the care of Plastic Man who was assigned monitor duty at the Justice League headquarters. In this time, Plastic Man came to care for a stray cat which unknown to him was the Red Lantern Dex-Starr. Krypto made numerous attempts at exposing the cat but failed as Plastic Man did not believe him. With his guard down, Dex-Starr attempted to shutdown the bases defences in order to allow the Red Lanterns to invade it. However, their plot was thwarted by Plastic Man and Krypto working together.
- In Titans, Krypto appeared in the setting of the live-action DC Universe television series where he was portrayed by dog actors Wrigley, Digby, and Lacey.
Films
- In Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Krypto appeared in the setting of the 2010 animated film. Similar to the comic, he was shown to be Superman's pet dog who resided at the Fortress of Solitude. When Kara Zor-El arrived on Earth, she was brought to the Fortress where Krypto had a negative reaction to her and attempted to attack her.
Video games
- In Infinite Crisis, Krypto appeared in the setting of the MOBA video game where he was voiced by actor Frederick Theodore Posenor III.
Appearances
- Adventure Comics v1: (1955)
- Superman v2:
- Action Comics v1:
- JLA v1:
- Action Comics v2:
- Supergirl:
External Links
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