James Gunn's Superman Shines Due To One Character (But It's Not The Man Of Steel)

Look up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a spoiler warning for "Superman!"

James Gunn's "Superman" is an amazing feat. The movie manages to bring the titular superhero back to basics after a decade of films and shows desecrating the character's image. Rather than making Superman a monster or outright genocidal like more cynical recent stories have, "Superman" makes the radical choice of being an unapologetically silly, earnest, and sincere movie about a genuinely good guy who respects all life, values truth and justice, and is just out here trying to save people as he fights for a better tomorrow.

Though the film is firmly Golden Age in how political Superman is, it's also very much a love letter to DC's Silver Age comics in terms of its tone and outlandish concepts. This is, after all, a movie where a kaiju attacks Metropolis, keyboard-typing monkeys post rage-bait online, silly heroes fly around left and right, and nobody bats an eye at any of it. Even Lex Luthor's (Nicholas Hoult) big real estate scheme is pretty elaborate, even by his standards.

The gamble works in no small part because Gunn creates a world that feels lived-in, allowing "Superman" to kickstart a cinematic universe that can support all sorts of stories and tones. Unlike the DC Extended Universe, this new DC Universe already feels like a connected, comic book-based setting where characters like Swamp Thing and Booster Gold could conceivably co-exist without asking too much of audiences.

Arguably, however, the most Silver Age thing in "Superman" is also the character that makes the movie shine the brightest: Krypto the super-dog.

It would've been easy for Gunn to portray Krypto as the perfect dog, much like the traditional white labrador from DC's comics and cartoons who's depicted as being noble, strong, and worthy of being called the "Superdog." Instead, the DCU's Krypto is an adorable ball of pure chaos. Indeed, he's a horribly misbehaved super-pup who steals every scene he's in. The very first scene in "Superman" also makes it clear Krypto is going to be important to the story, as he literally saves the Man of Steel after his first major defeat leaves him doing the Yamcha death pose.

We really should have seen this coming, given how good Gunn is at writing lovable, heart-stealing animals that end up becoming hugely important to his movies. He not only got the world to fall in love with a talking tree and a raccoon, but he even found a way to turn a major Marvel movie into a stealth "We3" adaptation with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." Now, with "Superman," Gunn has once again given us an adorable animal companion who's easy to love and can pull at the heartstrings. It's no coincidence that Superman (David Corenswet) is at his angriest and most emotionally vulnerable when confronting Lex about his stolen super-pup.

And yet, just like this "Superman" subverts the history of Krypton (turning Superman into Goku in the process), it also drastically changes how people view Krypto. To be sure, this version of Krypto is far from obedient or well-behaved. Rather, he's a demon spawn who has more in common with the Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) than Clark Kent. Whether he's inadvertently beating up Superman with his super-strength by jumping all over him, destroying Mister Terrific's (Edi Gathegi) assorted gadgets, or looking adorable playing with the cows at the Kent family's farm (at least until Superman clarifies he had to stop Krypto from accidentally killing the cows in the process), he's absolutely delightful and weird.

Far from a glorified mascot who's there to sell toys, Krypto is thematically relevant to both "Superman" and the fabric of the greater DCU. Regarding this last part, we get hints throughout the movie that people are surprised by the existence of this alien dog, with both Lex and even Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) not knowing the Man of Steel had a dog. Hence, when we reach the end of the film and discover Superman is merely dog-sitting for his cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl (Milly Alcock), it makes for a great way of teeing up the latter and her upcoming solo movie. It's also why Supergirl's appearance is arguably the best cameo in the film, as she pays off one of the movie's running gags.

Then there's Krypto's larger importance to the story in "Superman." In a way, the super-pup is kind of like humanity for Superman: He's chaotic, volatile, and prone to violence, but also cute and in need of guidance. It's a testament to Superman's goodness that he keeps trying to help Krypto. That the Man of Steel goes to great lengths to rescue a dog that's not even his, and not even a respectful one, speaks volumes to his character. As the hero notes at one point in the movie, "He's out there alone ... and probably scared."

Sure, Krypto is not entirely defenseless, given he can fly and has super-strength. Still, the way Gunn uses Superman's relationship with his dog to showcase the character's kindness is a brilliant move.

"Superman" is now playing in theaters.