‘He even ate my laptop’: Dwayne Johnson’s erasure from the DC universe is complete as first look at his ‘Superman’ replacement arrives

The old DC is dead. Long live the new DC! Next summer, we’ll finally get to see James Gunn’s vision for the rebooted DCU realized when Superman swoops into theaters, but in the meantime, the good news is we’re inching closer to a first-look trailer all the time. In the latest brief tease that’s leaving fans with anime character heart eyes, Gunn has revealed our inaugural glimpse at a new character.

On Oct. 15, Gunn took to social media to unveil what’s only the second official image from his much-anticipated reboot of the Man of Steel’s movie adventures. Back in May, Gunn revealed the original pic, which showcased David Corenswet in his Supes suit for the first time. We’re still waiting on official looks at Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, but in lieu of them, the filmmaker gave us our initial peek at arguably an even more important character. After all, he is (Super)man’s best friend.

James Gunn unveils our first look at Dwayne Johnson’s “recast” DC character in Superman

Say hello to Krypto the Super-Dog! Kal-El’s Kryptonian pet has long been suspected to appear in Superman, but Gunn has finally made it official with his announcement. In doing so, the writer/director admitted how the inclusion of the super-powered pup has a personal significance to him, as it was his rescue dog, Ozu, who inspired him to put Krypto into the film. It was after the adorable terror wrecked his house — “he even ate my laptop”  — that Gunn idly thought “Gosh, how difficult would Ozu be if he had superpowers?” Thus Krypto was born.

Although Krypto made his first comic book appearance in 1955, moviegoing audiences might have only had their first exposure to the character in the 2022 animated film DC League of Super Pets. This was intended to be Act One in Dwayne Johnson’s DC takeover, as The Rock voiced the Super-Dog and a self-congratulating post-credits scene even featured a cameo from Black Adam, setting up that fall’s next blockbuster offering from Johnson. As it happened, both movies flopped, James Gunn was appointed head of DC, and Rhe Rock was caught between a hard place and, uh, himself.

Bringing Krypto into live-action isn’t as much an anti-DJ declaration as recasting Black Adam would be, but it’s clear Gunn is moving swiftly on from whatever Johnson’s aborted vision for the DC universe might’ve been. The same goes for The Rock’s would’ve-been-nemesis Zachary Levi, too, as the Shazam! actor seems unlikely to return following his divisive Donald Trump endorsement.

Trust famed animal-lover Gunn — this is the man who made Rocket Raccoon one of the MCU’s greatest characters — to bring Krypto to life for the first time in Superman. Not to mention, telling us about it as a way to promote Adopt A Shelter Dog Month. Catch the long-awaited reboot of the Last Son of Krypton when it blasts into theaters on July 11, 2025. You will believe a dog can fly.