Superman’s dog Krypto has gotten a lot of attention as part of the marketing for James Gunn’s Superman movie reboot, as the character in the film is modeled directly on Gunn’s own dog, Ozu. But it turns out that Ozu himself has a specific reaction to seeing himself on screen, with his excitable nature coming out whenever he sees Krypto.
“This is my dog Ozu barking at the screen,” Gunn explains in a video posted to social media, showing Ozu having a bit of a fit while watching the now familiar trailer scene where Krypto tries to play with an injured Superman, only to finally save him by taking him back to the Fortress of Solitude.
“Krypto was actually 3D modeled after Ozu’s body,” Gunn continues. “We 3D captured Ozu and turned him into Krypto. We turned him white. And anyway, every time he sees himself come on screen, he tries to murder himself.”
Ozu and Krypto #Superman #OzutheDog pic.twitter.com/ycjSUHYcC9May 5, 2025
Gunn previously revealed that Ozu was the inspiration for Krypto, explaining how he adopted Ozu (who is presumably named after Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu), with the pup’s difficult circumstances inspiring Gunn’s inclusion of Krypto in the movie.
“Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing Superman,” Gunn stated back in October. “Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs & never knew human beings, was problematic to say the least.”
“He immediately came in & destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture – he even ate my laptop,” Gunn explained. “It took a long time before he would even let us touch him. I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?’ – and thus Krypto came into the script & changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life.”
Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025. You can also keep updated with every other upcoming DC movie and TV show heading our way at that link.
