In
his inimitable style Groucho Marx once said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a
man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” With DC League of Pets coming to theatres at the tail end
of July, it is the right time to explore the friendship of Krypto the Superdog
and Superman. 

Also Read: Who is Krypto?

The character of Krypto first appeared in Adventure Comics #210 by Otto Binder and Curt Swan in 1955. Krypto then appeared in the HBO Max series Titans. In the comics, Krypto is typically depicted as a Labrador Retriever, though his breed is never mentioned. 

Krypto has always been Superman’s best friend. In
fact, he has also helped Superman save the world on some occasions. Krypto’s
powers are similar to those of Superman. They both gain their powers from the
Earth’s yellow sun. During the Silver Age, Krypto mirrored Superman as he had
his own Doghouse of Solitude and an arch-nemesis named Destructo.

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Krypto’s pre and post-crisis origins are relatively
similar. The modern Krypto during the 1985-1986 Crisis on Infinite Earths
limited series was eliminated from Superman’s life. He was later reintroduced
to the Superman myths, the first as being the exact copy of the pre-crisis
Krypto. Krypto heroically sacrificed his powers for his master to provide him
with gold kryptonite to defeat his enemy in the early post-crisis storyline. 

The second modern Krypto was a small white pet dog.
Bibbo Bibbowski wanted to name the dog Krypton after Superman’s home
planet.  Krypto was later acquired by modern Superboy. This version of
Krypto was an ordinary Earth dog with no superpowers. 

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The third and more familiar version of Krypto was
introduced in the early 2000s Superman comics storyline Return to Krypton.
Krypto followed Superman on Earth when Superman defeated the trap by Brainiac
13. In Public Enemies Krypto becomes part of the rescue force put together by
Superman and Batman. 

Krypto’s first appearance outside the world of
comics was as a companion of Superboy in the 1966 TV cartoon The New Adventure
of Superman. In the Justice League Unlimited episode For the Man Who has
Everything Krypto appears as a pet of Superman’s imagined son Van-El. In 2005,
Cartoon Network debuted Krypto in his own series Krypto the Superdog. This
version of Krypto shares the origin of the first Krypto, having been launched
by Jor-El. A noticeable change is that this Krypto can talk and can be
understood by his boy caretaker, Kevin. Krypto used to be a beloved dog and
Superman’s best friend. In this continuity, Superman knows full well about Krypto’s
existence but he decided that it was best for the dog to stay with Kevin,
especially after he realized how they had bonded already.

Krypto and Superman will reunite again in DC League
of Super Pets, where Krypto will save his master from danger.