The DCU’s upcoming Supergirl movie is teasing a pretty big change for Krypto the Superdog. A new intergalactic adventure starring Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin is about to embark on a desperate mission heavily inspired by a specific DC Comics series. However, it looks as though there’s going to be some key changes.
Since the movie was first announced, we’ve known that Supergirl is largely taking its inspiration from Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic series. The upcoming DCU movie was even going to have the same name before DC Studios head James Gunn decided to get rid of colons and secondary titles altogether. All the same, Supergirl’s trailers have proven that the new DCU movie is taking many of its cues from Woman of Tomorrow, while also teasing a key change when it comes to Krypto’s role in the new film.
Here’s Krypto the Super Dog’s role in the original comic story explained, and how his role in the upcoming Supergirl movie will likely be different (arguably for the better).
Krypto’s Role In DC’s Original Woman of Tomorrow Comic Explained
In the original Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow storyline by Tom King, Krypto the Super Dog plays a crucial role in setting the story in motion.
While Kara is similarly getting drunk off-world in an attempt to stop feeling the loss of Krypton, things take a darker turn when Krypto is shot with a poisoned arrow by the villain known as Krem of the Yellow Hills while the duo was visiting a planet with a red sun (negating Kryptonian abilities).
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01 Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet?
✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story.
02 Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she?
✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner.
03 Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called?
✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness.
04 In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor?
✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman.
05 Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror.
06 After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up?
✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm.
07 As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper?
✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world.
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home.
08 This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain?
✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013).
✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories.
Mission Complete Your Kryptonian Record
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Are you the Man of Steel — or still stuck in a phone booth?
In critical condition, Krypto is left to be cared for while Kara gets the antidote, joining a young Ruthye Marye Knoll on her quest seeking vengeance for her family, who had all been murdered by Krem. However, the twist revealed at the end of the comic series was that Krypto was no longer in critical condition before Kara left with Ruthye. Kara only told Ruthye that saving Krypto was her mission, in a bid to guide and show Ruthye during their journey that vengeance would not ease her pain, nor would it make up for the loss of her family.
Now, the latest Supergirl trailer suggests that the upcoming DCU movie will be going in a different direction regarding whether Kara’s dog is in actual crisis (or not).
The New Supergirl Trailer Suggests The Movie Won’t Have The Krypto Twist
As seen in the new trailer for Supergirl, the stakes appear to be very real for Krypto the Super Dog. After Krypto is shot with a poisoned arrow by Krem in the new trailer, it’s notable that Ruthye Marye Knoll is the one who tells Kara that the antidote is in the hands of the space pirate and the Brigands.
Likewise, it’s also confirmed that Supergirl also has a set time window of three days to get it before Krypto is gone, further suggesting that the stakes and urgency for Kara’s dog are very real indeed. Considering how beloved the Super Dog was in 2025’s Superman, will James Gunn actually allow Krypto to be killed in 2026’s Supergirl? I highly doubt it (unless Gunn wants to have a DCU riot on his hands).
That being said, Krypto’s life actually being on the line for far longer in the new movie makes perfect sense, allowing the tension to be felt even for those familiar with the original story from the comics. Likewise, other pieces of new footage from the Supergirl trailer do suggest that Kara Zor-El and Ruthey Marye Knoll will still learn from each other, just as they do in the original storyline.
Supergirl releases in theaters on June 26th from DC Studios.
Release Date
June 26, 2026
Director
Craig Gillespie
Writers
Ana Nogueira, Otto Binder, Tom King, Al Plastino, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bilquis Evely
