The Rock is taking on a major Superman figure.
Dwayne Johnson will be supplying the voice of Krypto the Superdog in the upcoming animated DC League of Super-Pets film.
This will be Johnson’s second major DC project but an intriguing tie-in to the Superman mythos.
Who is Krypto?
While Superman is supposedly the “Last Son of Krypton,” he’s not the planet’s sole survivor.
Debuting in 1955’s Adventure Comics #210, Krypto was the pet dog of toddler Kal-El on Krypton.
Jor-El used Krypto as a “test subject” for the rocket he planned to use to save Kal-El from Krypton’s impending destruction. The rocket was knocked off course to send Krypto into space in suspended animation.
Eventually, the rocket crashed on Earth with Krypto found by Clark, now Superboy. Intended as a one-off appearance, the dog caught on with readers and soon became a regular fixture.
Krypto had the same powers as Superman of super-strength, flight, and even heat vision and was able to fly. It would “talk” in thought balloons for the readers.
At one point, Krypto led a pack of “Super-Pets” that included Comet the Superhorse, Beppo the Super-Monkey, and Streaky the Supercat.
Like many Silver Age mythos, Krypto was wiped out of existence in 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. A non-powered version was a pet for supporting character Bibbo and later Conner Kent, the new Superboy.
When Brainiac created a false version of Krypton as a plot against Superman, he included a new Krypto. This version followed Superman to the real world with much the same powers as his Silver Age form and a loyal friend.
Krypto in media
While seemingly silly, the idea of a Super-Dog has been a fun one to play within Superman media.
A 2005 animated series Krypto the Superdog had him as the mild-mannered pet for a young boy leading a pack of super-animals fighting evil forces like the Joker’s Hyenas.
Smallville had a fourth-season episode with Clark finding a dog boosted by meteor rock energy with super-strength.
The live-action Titans series has Connor Kent discovering a golden retriever experimented on by the evil lab Cadmus. Possessing super-strength and heat vision, this Krypto follows Connor after being rescued.
The new Krypto
The new animated film comes from Jared Stern, the writer of the Lego Batman Movie, and has worked on Bolt, The Princess and the Frog, and Wreck-It Ralph.
The title indicates other super-powered animals will be involved from Comet and Streaky to Ace the Bat-Hound and Detective Chimp.
The casting of Johnson makes sense as the former pro wrestler has a Superman-like build and his voice perfect for the part.
The actor is currently filming Black Adam with him starring as the DC anti-hero, due in 2022.
League of Super-Pets had been set for this year but was among many projects delayed by the pandemic for a 2022 release.
No other cast members have been announced yet but having Johnson finally part of the Superman world is a dream come true for the Rock’s millions of fans.
DC’s League of Super-Pets is scheduled for release May 20, 2022.