Factual error: Clark huddles over Krypto to protect him from the blast of the exploding van. He does not cover Krypto's head before the blast of fire hits them yet Krypto shows no sign of damage. At the very least the fire should have singed his fur.
Question: The WB said that Smallville was going to introduce Krypto the dog. What is Krypto's origin and how did he get his powers?
Answer: In the comics, Krypto is a dog from Krypton who was used as the passenger in a test launch by Jor-El, Superman's father, before he launched the actual rocket taking his infant son to Earth. Krypto's capsule was involved in a mishap, sending it out of Kryptonian orbit and eventually found its way to Earth where he linked up with the young Clark Kent. Like any native of Krypton, Krypto has superpowers on Earth. In Smallville, the dog is a standard Earth dog who has been experimentally injected with kryptonite, giving him super-strength for a limited period of time, who escapes and links up with Clark (who suggests the name Krypto, ostensibly because of the dog's cryptic origins). It doesn't take too long for the dog's strength to fade, and the Kents decide to keep him, although they ultimately name him Shelby, after a dog that Martha Kent had in childhood.
