Krypto Is Great, But Everyone Forgets Superman’s First Super-Pet

by

Krypto the Superdog is undeniably the cutest and most beloved super-pet of all time, with his roles in James Gunn’s “Superman” and subsequent comic book makeover. Everyone recognizes and cherishes Krypto, but there’s a lesser-known fact: he isn’t Superman’s only super-pet. While Supergirl shares a bond with her pals Streaky and Comet, this discussion centers around the unique Beppo the Super-Monkey. Beppo made his debut in “Superboy” #76 as far back as 1959, four years after Krypto’s introduction, even before either Streaky or Comet arrived on the scene. However, Beppo is often forgotten, which could be justified given that Superboy wasn’t particularly fond of him.

Super-Monkey the Super-Pest

Similar to Krypto, Beppo, initially a typical monkey from Krypton, was utilized in Jor-El’s spaceship experiments to ensure the vessels could support life. Unbeknownst to everyone, Beppo secretly boarded Kal-El’s spaceship as Krypton exploded and journeyed to Earth with the infant of steel. Upon landing, Beppo harnessed his newfound powers, unaware that the sun was the source of Kryptonian power at the time, to break free from the ship and explore the wilderness. He learned to manage the abilities bestowed upon him by Earth’s weaker gravity. Beppo protected other monkeys from aggressive gorillas trying to steal their bananas and took care to use leaves as makeshift gloves to minimize harm. One day, he employed his telescopic vision to locate Clark Kent, who was known as Superbaby during the Silver Age, and decided to make a visit to the flying toddler.

Beppo, the Last Monkey of Krypton, demonstrated the saying ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ by copying everything Superbaby did. In an attempt to resemble him, Beppo took some of his extra clothes and caused confusion among the Kents, who mistook Clark for misbehaving when they saw a red and blue blur acting out. Seeing Clark swim in his pool, Beppo jumped into the bathtub, causing trouble for Pa. He noticed people giving money to a street performer with an organ and a monkey, so he took Ma’s savings and scattered them around. When Superbaby found this mischievous monkey wreaking havoc on his reputation, Beppo destroyed most of Clark’s toys by grabbing them. To escape from the bothersome little monkey, Superbaby pretended to sleep and sneakily lit Pa’s cigar with his x-ray vision. Waking up and following Superbaby, Beppo tried to imitate this action and light the Kent’s Fourth of July fireworks. The loud noises and bright lights frightened Super-Monkey into space, where he believed a comet was chasing him and eventually got lost among the stars while fleeing it.

A Recurring Supplier of Monkey Business

Without a doubt, Beppo was not a character who made a single appearance; instead, he had numerous appearances before the Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot. One of his most memorable roles was becoming a founding member of the Legion of Super-Pets, which occurred when he was guided back to Earth by Supergirl after an unexpected encounter in deep space. Throughout his tenure, Beppo embarked on numerous adventures, each as bizarre as the last.

For instance, in Superboy #142, a teenage Clark Kent found himself affected by Red Kryptonite, a substance known for its unpredictable effects on Superman. This time around, it turned him into whatever he looked at during transformation – an organ grinder’s monkey. Matters escalated when Clark morphed from a regular super-monkey to a colossal King Kong-sized beast, drawing the attention of Beppo who swooped in to confront the monstrous simian antagonist.

Eventually, Beppo was exposed to Red Kryptonite as well, and since he was gazing at the enormous Super-Ape during his transformation, he wound up becoming Clark Kent himself. With the use of super ventriloquism (a genuine power possessed by all Kryptonians) and quick shape-shifting, the duo managed to preserve Clark’s secret identity from Lana Lang until the Red K wore off.

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/superman-obscure-facts-dc-comics/embed/#

Read More

2025-08-04 02:13