Jared Stern’s “DC League of Super-Pets” is an amazing animated film that transplants the concept of superheroes to animals. The movie primarily focuses on Superman’s constant companion Krypto, but also admirably depicts the caged animals’ plea for release and their selfless love for their master. With brain-tickling, intelligently funny dialogues, numerous visual Easter eggs, and crazily pleasing cameos, this movie is a complete entertainment package. So let’s find out how this movie can keep you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning to its post-credit scenes.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Krypto Come To Earth?
At the very beginning of “DC League of Super-Pets,” little Superman, whose name was Kal-el on the planet Krypton, is seen playing with his beloved dog, Krypto. But Jor-El and his wife Lara, foreseeing the destruction of Krypton, set out to send their son Kal to Earth in a small spaceship. While Krypto runs to join Kal, Jor and Lara allow Krypto to go with their son so that he can protect Kal. The planet Krypton is destroyed in a nuclear cataclysm, but little Kal’s spaceship remains intact, and they make a successful landing on earth.
Why Is Krypto Jealous?
Little Kal grows up to become Superman, the protector of the world, with Krypto as his best friend. But Krypto is no ordinary dog; he possesses all the power that exists in a superman. He has super strength, flight, x-ray vision, invulnerability, and laser eyes. Accompanied by Clark Kent, aka Superman, Krypto saves the world with all his abilities. So, like Superman, Krypto’s fame grows, and his statue is built next to the statue of Superman. However, Krypto is no longer the only important person in Superman’s life when Clark Kent falls in love with a reporter named Lois Lane. That’s what makes Krypto a little jealous. His innocent mind thinks that Lois is going to replace Krypto in his master’s life. His childlike brain may not grasp the concept of a lover. Both Lois and Clark empathize with Krypto in that when the two of them are together, Krypto can feel alone. So Clark goes to an animal adoption shelter to find a new companion for his dog.
Here in the shelter, we are introduced to some cute pets like Krypto, whose only grief in life is being caged at the shelter. Their only wish is to become someone’s snuggly pet. Among them, we see PB the pig, Ace the hound, Chip the squirrel, and Merton the slow-moving turtle. However, Ace, unlike them, wants to be free so that he can take the other animals to his farm upstate that gives them hope to live. Here we are introduced to a big part of the story: Lulu, the guinea pig. Lulu is a diminutive but self-proclaimed maniac scientist who is always up to something big and sinister. So, the rest of the animals in the shelter don’t care much about her. As Clark enters the shelter, Ace tries to escape through the window, out of sight, but is caught by Krypto, who is incognito as ‘Bark Kent’, wearing Clark’s glasses. Although anyone can recognize him. However, Ace’s condition worsens when Krypto starts messing with him and eventually brings him back to the shelter. Krypto meets an ordinary dog whose owner took him to the shelter as he bit a Fed-Ex guy, but with Krypto’s rambling gibberish, he gets a little annoyed, and waits for his owner, without even knowing that his “pet-days” are over.
Meanwhile, Clark has to go out on a national service mission where his nemesis, Lex Luthor, has started a mess. Lex Luthor, CEO of LexCorp International, uses a meteorite’s tractor beam to attract orange kryptonite, through which he intends to gain his supernatural powers. However, the entire Justice League comes to help Superman to save the damage Lex is about to cause to the public. In the entire Justice League, we see the coolest cameos of Aquaman, Cyborg, the Flash, a female Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Although they successfully save mankind from Lex’s misdeeds, a small amount of orange kryptonite gets into Luthor’s hands. But shockingly, the kryptonite has no effect on his body. Along with Luthor, we also want to know what the use of orange kryptonite is.
What Is The Power Of Orange Kryptonite?
We soon get the answer when little Lulu’s true intentions are revealed. She uses her own tractor beam to bring orange kryptonite into the shelter, which gives her supernatural mind powers and super strength to break free from the cage. But Devil Lulu’s real purpose is to help Lex Luthor, who took her to the lab as a test subject and experimented with different kryptonite. Red kryptonite made Lulu’s fur fall off, and purple kryptonite gave her strange dreams. Only orange kryptonite has special powers that Luthor was unaware of. Superman attacked Lex’s lab before he could experiment with it, and Krypto brought Lulu to this shelter. Lulu reveals the secret of this orange kryptonite: it only works on pets, not on human beings. The maniac Lulu sets fire inside the shelter and comes out with a small kitten, Whiskers. But she makes a small mistake, as a result of which not only Lulu gains superpowers, but Ace, PB, Merton, and Chip are now unusually strong. PB the pig can shrink her shape. Ace gets fire endurance while Chip gets electro-kinesis. The slow-moving turtle Merton gains super-speed power like Flash. So getting out of the shelter is not a difficult thing for them.
How Does Krypto Lose His Powers?
Krypto is super excited to see the “British Bake-Off” show with Clark, but his heart breaks when Clark ditches him to go on a date night with Lois. While having a fight with Clark over it, a heartbroken Krypto goes to watch the show alone, listening to Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”. But on his way to propose to Lois for marriage, Clark is approached by Lulu. She threatens Clark with her minion voice, but like words, like action, Lulu’s power increases so much that she even overcomes Superman using green kryptonite.
Superman calls out to Krypto, but Krypto, in a heartbreak frenzy, doesn’t hear Clark’s shout for help. By the time Krypto comes out, Clark is already kidnapped by Lulu. Krypto unknowingly eats a piece of cheese mixed with green kryptonite left by his beloved doll, “Squeezy Bruce.” Consequently for the cheese, his superpower disappears. So he cannot survive an unequal battle with Lulu. Krypto remembers his father, who, after giving a long introductory speech, finally asks him to find the solution within himself.
A glimmer of hope comes to him in the form of lightning in the sky, and following it, he finds Ace, PB, Merton, and Chip. Krypto is shocked to see their superpowers, which makes him hopeful as well. He asks them to help save Superman, but Ace intervenes by literally peeing on his suggestion. Ace insists on the idea of his firm upstate, which Krypto proves to be false. Ace calls him alone and confesses that his imaginary farm story would give hope to the rest of the animals. So Krypto doesn’t let that hope go to waste. Because eventually, only hope keeps all the souls alive in this world. Krypto promises the rest of the animals that if they help save Superman, Krypto will take them to his own farm.
How Does Krypto Make Friends and Gain Power?
Now the actual story begins from here when the team of super pets comes forward against Lulu, but in the ultimate moment, Lulu makes a bigger move. She imprisons all the Justice League superheroes in Lex Corp, and not only that, she turns all the guinea pigs from the lab into super guinea pigs by irradiating orange kryptonite. Meanwhile, the team of super pets is repeatedly defeated by Lulu as they still don’t have a proper understanding of their powers. On the other hand, Lulu pours poison into the powerless Krypto’s ears about how Clark ignored his presence to talk about his decision to marry Lois. Krypto’s heart breaks again. He fails to gain the courage to fight with Lulu, so he returns to the hall of justice with his mates.
On the other hand, the imprisoned superheroes of the Justice League count the days in the hope of Krypto and the rest of his teammates, who are the only ones who can save humanity. But Superman is more than happy because his extraordinary super dog has finally made friends, which is very unusual for Krypto. But after losing all his powers, Krypto finally realizes the pain of being a simple stray dog. So he is able to make new friends by correcting his mistakes.
When the team of super pets reaches the Hall of Justice, Ace stands by the sad Krypto and tells him about his tragic past. He says how he ended up at the animal shelter, revealing that he was previously the pet of a couple, whose young daughter he saved from falling down the stairs. But due to the rescue, when his teeth injured the baby’s tender hand, the couple thought it was a vicious dog and sent it to the shelter.
Krypto realizes that at the end of the day, an animal is considered an animal, but Ace doesn’t hold grudges, realizing that the couple took this step to protect their child. Ace tells Krypto that someone who truly loves him has to let go and be free. We should never hold our loved ones back. Krypto understands the meaning of unconditional love. On the other hand, PB, Chip, and Merton start practicing their fight but can’t seem to control their powers. Ace tells Krypto that once they understand their strength, everything will be fine, like PB needs to love herself, Metron’s eyes are weak, and Chip needs to feel a little safe. Ace has been familiar with them for so many years. So Ace knows about Lulu too, so he informs Krypto about Lex Luthor, and Krypto guesses where Lulu can be found now. Krypto and the rest of the super pets have to step up and rescue the Justice League. But the shelter’s kitten, Whiskers, whom Lulu took to herself, stands in the way. Her whiskers are also super-powered by kryptonite, allowing her to fend off the super pets by sometimes throwing cat-bombs at them or firing at them with her tail rocket gun. But eventually, super pets can figure out their powers. As they hide in a car to escape Whiskers, Krypto gives Merton a pair of glasses to enhance his eyes. Even Wonder Woman, whom PB idealizes as an independent woman, like her Krypto, asks PB to be herself so she can use her power properly. Krypto also makes Chip feel safe by saying that he just needs to instill confidence in him that whatever bad thing happens, he can face it. This time the team’s super pets get the courage to fight back and defeat the evil kitten in an instant, but the Whiskers still have 8 more births left.
However, Lulu has just arrived at the prison on Stryker Island where Lex Luthor is being held. And with that, comes the team of super pets. When the humans come to stop Lulu, she imprisons the rest of the animals, threatening to kill the powerless Krypto. But like a pet, so is its owner. Just as Lex is freed from the cage, the traitor Luthor imprisons Lulu and escapes with his assistant. But this incident not only desensitizes Lulu but makes her even more vengeful. She informs the super pets that the Justice League has a bomb planted under them which will explode shortly. Lulu escapes with the help of her companion’s ice and fire guinea pigs. Eventually, when green kryptonite’s effect falls off, Krypto gets his powers back. But, for the safety of the other super pets, Krypto runs off to save the Justice League, leaving his team behind.
How Does Krypto Defeat Lulu?
Here comes the bigger face-off. When Krypto appears on Lulu’s way to prevent the bomb blast, Lulu has already switched the button on, and the Justice League has been sent up by a rocket with a bomb planted upon it. When Krypto tries his all-heart efforts to save them, Lulu puts Lois in danger at the right time. But Krypto has now got “friends,” and we see the super pets appear who completely use their power to save the Justice League. Krypto rescues Lois and throws the evil Lulu away, but Lulu is not done yet. She absorbs the broken pieces of kryptonite and turns herself into a giant, which the justice league and super pets are now set to fight together. But not being able to defeat Lulu’s increased power, Krypto thinks it’s time to save his master, as he promised Superman’s parents, so without a second thought, he sacrifices himself to run towards the sun to absorb solar power and beats the monstrous Lulu with a massive solar punch. Lulu’s game is finally over. But is Krypto alive? The answer is yes. While Krypto was using his power, Ace helped him to survive. So Krypto gets back his life again, and this time he will enjoy it with Superman and his fiancé Lois.
‘DC League Of Super-Pets’ Ending Explained: Do Pets Get Their Owners?
Eventually, every super pet fulfills its dream of living life as a superhero pet. Wonder Woman chooses PB as her cuddle buddy, while Green Lantern chooses Chip, and Flash’s favorite is Super Speed Merton. After putting defeated Lulu in a sausage can, her ice and fire guinea pigs realize their mistake and switch teams to Aquaman and Cyborg to become their favorite pets. Batman and Ace both have strikingly similar past lives and personalities, making them a great pairing. At the end of “DC League of Super-Pets,” we see all these super pets now starting to fight against the anarchy of the animal world, which is now a sinister dog that bit the FedEx guy. When Lulu used kryptonite to set the shelter on fire, it is very likely that this dog also possessed superpowers from there who wants to find revenge on that Fed X guy now.
In the post-credit scenes, we see Lex Luthor emerging from his broken robot, and no one is answering his call. But Lulu’s efforts are not in vain; Luthor’s assistant, who escaped at the right time, keeps Lulu as a pet. At the end of the credits of “DC League of Super-Pets,” when we see Krypto playing with his “Squeezy Bruce”, Black Adam’s dog appears at the right place, with Krypto arguing about the hero and anti-hero concept. But Krypto tricks Black Adam’s dog away to get his toy back. Thus, the “DC League of Super-Pets” ends by raising hope of an upcoming sequel.
Final Words: A Touching Story With Hilarious Comedy
“DC League of Super-Pets” is a happy-hormone-inducing animated film with the amazing voice talents of Dwayne Johnson as Krypto, Kevin Hart as Ace, and John Krasinski as Superman. This is a stunning delivery of an enticing story that everyone, from babies to boomers, can enjoy. Although it is still a superhero fiction, the movie paints a beautiful portrayal of unconditional love between animals and humans. It shows how a megalomaniac guinea pig, Lulu, is also betrayed by her owner, but as a lesson, she only acquires vengeful desires because she does not have the quality of love like Krypto and other super pets, which turns out to be the main mantra of the story. “DC League Of Super-Pets” does not disappoint us for a moment with this wonderful storyline and its hilarious dialogue, especially with the incredible humor mixed with it. Well, it is noteworthy that the movie is not only stuck to the DC universe in terms of Easter eggs, but we can hear the names of other superhero universes as well.
When Superman irons his clothes with his laser eyes calling himself Ironman, or when PB gains superpowers and makes a small remark that her uncle doesn’t have to die for it, we cross the boundaries of the universe and get light Marvel references that impress us. Of course, it is impossible that DC movies won’t have DC easter eggs, so enormous comic references, from Bruce Wayne Men’s Wear to S. Kyle, and the Lucky Penguin store, are glimpsed throughout the scenes that leave us with zero complaints about this movie. To be concluded, “DC League of Super-Pets” is a great entertainment package that attracts us to watch it again and again, and we can relish this movie multiple times without any regrets.
“DC League of Super-Pets” is a 2022 Animated Adventure film directed by Jared Stern.
