Many Superman fans have noticed that Krypto’s breed is rather unusual in the upcoming Superman 2025 film. While Krypto is technically, well, Kryptonian, the superdog is usually based on various generic white-haired dog breeds, like the white labrador retriever, the white German shepherd, or the dalmatian. But the scrappy dog shown in clips for the new Superman movie does not look like any of those and is actually tough to identify. Fortunately, director James Gunn has explained what Krypto’s new breed is.
What is the breed of Superman’s dog Krypto in the new Superman film?
The breed of Superman’s dog Krypto in Superman 2025 is a mutt and more specifically a terrier mutt with some standard Schnauzer likely mixed in.
As for why Gunn chose to go with a different breed for Krypto, he shared in a post on Threads that he was inspired by his own rambunctious dog, Ozu, who he calls a “straight-up mutt” that he adopted while writing the script for the film.
Gunn wrote on Instagram back in May 2022, that Ozu was just two hours away of being put down when he was rescued. However, because the dog didn’t know much about human beings, he says that Ozu “immediately came in & destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture – he even ate my laptop.” In an interview with Inside Edition, Gunn playfully calls him “the worst dog in the world.”
This got him thinking about “how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?” That’s why we see Krypto being a “not-so-good-good-boy” in the new five-minute trailer for Superman 2025, where the superdog playfully jumps on the already battered hero, not understanding that he’s probably breaking multiple ribs in the process. Fortunately, the pup calms down and is smart enough to drag Superman by the cape to the entrance of the Fortress of Solitude where he is subsequently healed.
