DC Super Pets -- a CG-animated film based on DC Comics' Legion of Super-Pets -- is currently in the works at Warner Bros. from directors Jared Stern and Sam Levine. The film is scheduled for release on May 20, 2022. A 10-second teaser was released at DC FanDome last year, starring none other than Superman's canine companion, Krypto. Over a decade before DC Super Pets was ever announced, however, the Dog of Steel actually had his very own animated series on Cartoon Network.
Created by DC animation mainstays Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, Krypto the Superdog premiered on March 25, 2005. Based on the character of the same name created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan half a century earlier in March 1955, the show was one of multiple DC animated series to premiere on Cartoon Network during that era, following the likes of Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans.
Krypto's eponymous animated series wasn't his first on-screen appearance. He had previously been seen in the Adventures of Superboy series of animated shorts in the 1960s. There were also multiple nods to Krypto in the DC Animated Universe, with the dog even appearing in Justice League Unlimited's 2004 adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' iconic "For the Man Who Has Everything" story. Moreover, in February 2005 -- a mere month before Krypto the Superdog's Cartoon Network premiere -- a live-action superdog appeared in an episode of Smallville Season 4 on The WB. However, while the episode in question is titled "Krypto," this dog is considerably different from his comic book counterpart, and the Kent family ultimately settles on the name "Shelby."
All that being said, Cartoon Network's Krypto the Superdog marked the first time the title character appeared on-screen in a leading capacity, with Sam Vincent -- perhaps best known for his role as Edd on Ed, Edd n Eddy -- stepping up to give the heroic hound his voice. Featuring an earworm of a theme song, the show opens as Krypto lands on Earth following the destruction of Superman's home planet, Krypton. He is subsequently adopted by Kevin Whitney, a 9-year-old boy who lives in the suburbs of Metropolis. Upon tracking his canine companion down, the Man of Steel agrees to let Krypto stay with Kevin for a while, as he's too busy saving the world to give him the attention he needs on his own.
Naturally, Krypto's own heroic adventures ensue. He's joined by various other crime-fighting animals in his exploits, including established DC characters such as Streaky the Supercat and Ace the Bat-Hound, as well as newcomers like Brainy Barker. Kevin and his neighbor Andrea -- Streaky's owner -- also often come along for the ride, as they are the only two humans aware of their pets' dual identities.
In keeping with the show's animal-centric theme, the villains faced by Krypto and the Super-Pets are often pets themselves, many of whom belong to infamous DC baddies. Offenders include Ignatius, Lex Luthor's iguana; Isis, Catwoman's cat; the Bad News Birds, Penguin's birds; and Bud and Lou, Joker's hyenas. Well, technically they're Harley Quinn's hyenas, but the show only ever mentions the Joker by name. However, in an apparent nod to Harley, Krypto the Superdog did redesign Bud and Lou, giving them a new, red and black color scheme.
Krypto the Superdog ran for a total of 39 episodes across two seasons, concluding on Dec. 15, 2006 with the holiday special "Iguanukkah." Reruns briefly aired on Kids' WB, with Boomerang re-airing episodes from 2007 to 2014. The show was last seen on Cartoon Network proper in the United States in December 2008, when "Iguanukkah" was broadcast as part of a marathon of the network's various holiday specials. Like many DC animated series, Krypto the Superdog also got a tie-in comic book, which ran for six issues under the Johnny DC imprint from 2006 to 2007.
Krypto continued to have an on-screen presence following his show's conclusion, appearing in episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Justice League Action and DC Super Hero Girls. He even finally made a proper live-action debut in 2018, appearing in Season 2 of Titans and subsequently being confirmed for Season 3. Superman's dog also broke out into the world of film, appearing in the 2010 animated movie Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and making a cameo in the 2018 theatrical release Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Announced in 2018, DC Super Pets is expected to fly into theaters next year, with Krypto leading the charge.