Man of Steel Dog Names

For many fans of Man of  Steel, one of the most iconic scenes of the film is a short segment in which Superman reminisces about his childhood; the scene depicts a young Clark Kent running around a field, with a red blanket tied around his shoulders, before he stops and strikes his iconic "hands on hips" pose. Fans of Man of Steel will likely remember that there was a black dog following the young Clark Kent around during this sequence. That dog's name is Hank, the Kent family pet, and we've chosen him to serve as Man of Steel's spotlight dog due to his prevalence in the film. 

While Hank's exact breed isn't precisely known, word has gotten around that the dog was a black coated type of terrier who had been with the Kent family for a very long time. Considering how old Hank appeared to be by the time Superman was just a young boy, it can be inferred that the Kent family had been caring for Hank either slightly longer or just about as long as they'd been caring for Clark. As the Kents were farmers, it's likely that they adopted Hank in order to teach him how to help around the farm by guarding and herding cattle. Incidentally, the young Superman's future job of guarding and guiding people isn't too different from Hank's job, in a manner of speaking, so Hank and Clark's bond could be seen as an allusion to Clark's ultimate role later on in life.

Nevertheless, Hank's most prominent scene in Man of Steel comes in the form of the Tornado scene near the halfway mark of the film. Fans of Man of Steel will remember this scene as being of the movie's most tragic moments as it ends with the untimely demise of Clark's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent. Throughout the duration of the film, Jonathan Kent was always adamant that Clark not use his Kryptonian powers out of the fear that knowledge of his son's existence would incite fear and pandemonium amongst the masses. Pa Kent believed so ardently that Clark should never reveal his powers to the people that when Hank was trapped in a vehicle during a catastrophic Tornado, Jonathan Kent insisted that Clark stay behind while he personally ventured into the storm in order to save the Kent family dog. 

Pa Kent was able to free Hank, allowing the Kent family dog to run back to Clark and Martha, but he was unable to save himself. Jonathan Kent perished in the storm, and his demise haunted Clark for many years to come, but his sacrifice saved Hank and gave Clark a prime example of the sort of tragedies that could happen if he chose not to do anything about them.