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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Krypto the Super-Dog is a fictional dog comic book character owned by DC Comics. Krypto comes from Krypton, the same planet Superman comes from. He is officially Superman's pet, and has all of his super-powers. He is a white dog and wears a red cape like Superman's.
Silver Age Krypto
Krypto as a puppy lived in the home of Jor-El, Lara, and the infant Kal-El on the planet Krypton. Baby Kal-El loved his puppy, and the two played together and were constant companions.
When Jor-El became aware that Krypton was going to explode, he experimented with rockets as a way of saving, at first, the population of Krypton, then his family. As a test, Jor-El sent a rocket into space, carrying his son's puppy, intending that it would return safely. Unfortunately, the rocket was hit by an asteroid, and poor Krypto was hurled into space.
Years later, the rocket found its way to Earth, where Kal-El had grown up to be the teen-ager Clark Kent, the Silver Age Superboy. Krypto, exposed to Earth's yellow sun, gained all the powers of his master, and the two renewed their friendship. The boy and his dog would have many adventures together.
Krypto was a pretty smart dog, and the creators revealed his thoughts to us in thought balloons, which seemed surprisingly human.
When Superboy grew to become Superman, Krypto would wander in space, chasing comets like other dogs chase cats and cars. When Superman wanted to summon him with a super-sonic whistle, which could somehow travel through the vacuum of space, using his "super-ventriloquism" power, which evidently Superman had during the naive Silver Age.
Krypto was the first super-pet, but others were to appear during the Silver Age of Comics. Eventually, Krypto became a founding member of the Legion of Super-Pets, the "animal branch" of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Modern Age Krypto
Krypto is the only super-pet that exists in the Modern Age of Comics. In this version, he is a refugee from the Krypton created in the Phantom Zone by Brainiac 13 as a trap for Superman, using the knowledge and technology of the eradicator matrix that Superman had used to defeat him at their previous encounter. At the conclusion of the story, Superman foils the plan, and escapes the trap, and, in the tradition of canine stories, Krypto follows him home.
On Earth, Krypto gains super-powers like his new master. This Krypto is portrayed more realistically (no thought balloons) with all the canine instincts (good and bad) of a real dog. In Superman # 170 (2001), when Mongul tries to attack Lois, Krypto practically rips his throat out. Recognizing how dangerous a dog with Kryptonian powers could be, Superman keeps Krypto locked up in his Fortress of Solitude, and visits him regularly. He is eventually trained well enough to leave the fortress in Superman's company, and has spent some time with the Modern Age Superboy as well.
Recently, Superman realizes that Krypto is only happy with a youthful master. For now, he has left him in the care of his young pal, Jimmy Olsen.
Other Media
Krypto appeared in the Superboy cartoons that were part of the 1966 animated TV program The New Adventures of Superman.
Krypto the Superdog is an animated series that began on the Cartoon Network in 2005. This Krypto lives in a cartoon universe where animals talk with each other, and he is the adopted pet of a young boy named Kevin. He he is friends with characters like Ace the Bat-Hound, Streaky the Supercat, and fights villains like the hyenas that belong to the Joker.
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