The new 2025 trailer Superman debuts Krypto the Superdog, who will join David Corenswet's new Man of Steel in the DCU's next live-action film. As such, many may be wondering just how powerful Krypto is compared to Superman himself. After all, Kal-El's four-legged friend makes a pretty powerful entrance in the new trailer.
In the new teaser trailer for Superman released by James Gunn and DC Studios, Krypto the Superdog is highlighted as he is shown helping a downed Kal-El in the snow. First appearing in 1955 Adventure Comics #210Krypto has long been alongside Kal-El on the page, having also been born on Krypton and survived its eventual destruction. To that end, Krypto has powers of his own that are comparable to those of the Man of Steel, and the same appears to be true in the DCU Superman also. Here's a quick look at Krypto the Superdog and his abilities.
Krypto's powers in DC Comics and James Gunn's film explained
All the same powers as Superman's Kal-El
As a Kryptonian, Superman's powers are derived from Earth's yellow sun, as opposed to the red sun Krypton once had. Seeing as the alien Krypto also comes from the same planet, the Kryptonian canine from the comics possesses many of the same powers as the Man of Steel.. This includes super strength, super speed, flight, heat vision, ice breath, super senses, and essentially all the same abilities as her best friend Kal-El (and any other Kryptonians operating on Earth like Supergirl).
Some of these abilities have already been demonstrated by the DCU's Krypto. As seen in the new teaser trailer for SupermanBroken and bloodied Kal-El whistles and Krypto comes running at super speed, having heard his call probably miles away. Likewise, Krypto's super strength is also on display in the new trailer, as he is shown pulling Superman home (presumably the Fortress of Solitude). However, it stands to reason that this new live-action Krypto can probably fly and also has all of Superman's other powers mentioned above.
How Krypto's Powers Compare to Superman's
Kryptonian strength proportional to an Earth dog
Despite having all of Superman's powers, it is also important to remember that everything is proportional to that of a normal Earth dog. Without the yellow sun, Krypto is as strong as any other dog would be, just as Superman would be as strong as any other human being.. As such, this also means that Krypto has more accurate senses of smell, sight, and hearing compared to Superman, and the same goes for his ground speed.
Likewise, Krypto's bite was supposed to be stronger than Kal-El's grip. However, it has also been argued that Krypto may still be slightly weaker compared to Superman, as humans can absorb sunlight and vitamin D better than dogs.. This could affect the overall strength of Krypto the Superdog's abilities and his sun-based powers compared to the Man of Steel's.
Who is more powerful: Krypto or Superman?
Still Superman, but don't exclude Krypto!
At the end of the day, Superman has typically been the more powerful between him and his loyal four-legged friend in the comics. However, one can imagine that trying to train a dog with superpowers would be quite a challenge, as James Gunn himself noted when he first revealed Krypto's involvement in the script, having been inspired by his own dog named Ozu. With Kryptonian powers as a shared foundation, Superman is the stronger of the two, given their proportional strength if they were just a normal man and his dog on Earth.
It will be very exciting to see how Superman and Krypto interact when the full film is released in 2025. James Gunn has teased a “complicated” relationship between Kal-El and Krypto, which could be a tease that the Kryptonian canine is still in fact still alive. training, while Superman works with him to help keep his powers in check. Regardless, Krypto the Superdog is absolutely adorable in the new teaser trailer for Supermanand it's easy to argue that the Man of Steel himself may have been overshadowed by DC's classic super pet which should also play a role in 2026 Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
james gunn Superman is set to be released on July 11, 2025.
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