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Very little is revealed about Puppy. Most of what follows is straight from the comics, so draw your own conclusions. Most likely he is the Lockjaw of the "Heroes Reborn" pocket universe, who found his way back into our universe.
This is his first appearance, from Fantastic Four volume 3 issue 9. Torch and Spidey are beneath an abandoned tower block in New York city. They meet Kraven the Hunter, who has been hired to remove Puppy. Who hired him? We are not told. Clearly, somebody thinks that Puppy is dangerous. Or perhaps he is an embarrassment? To whom? To the Inhumans?
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Spidey realizes that Puppy is not a danger to them, so they rescue him.
Is Puppy "just" a dog?
Puppy looks and acts like a young relative of Lockjaw. He looks (and often acts) like a dog, so he is called a dog. He often acts like a pet, so he is called a pet. It is plain that Puppy is very young. He is messy, playful, and needs guidance, but this does not mean he is inferior, just that he is an infant. Infants do these things. Even human infants do these things. The most important fact is that, from the Fantastic Four's point of view, Puppy can save Franklin from the greatest dangers in the galaxy.
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The next issue summary makes it clear:
Puppy is, first and foremost, Franklin's guardian
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Where does Puppy come from?
Puppy looks like Lockjaw, but even Reed Richards does not know more than that. We do not even know Puppy's real name - this fact is mentioned several times in the comic. Franklin is a little kid, and calls him "Puppy," but he may have a more serious name where he came from.
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(By the way, did you notice how the artist saved time by using the same pic of Puppy twice?)
Puppy has pandimensional powers
Puppy is still learning how to control his powers...
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...but his powers are essential and invaluable.
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Puppy saves the day!
Just like Lockjaw, Puppy can save his friends' lives from the greatest dangers. During the time he was with Franklin, one danger was greater than all the others, and it means that Reed and Sue had to send Franklin away to safety. The danger was a reality-warping storm. Who spotted the danger first? Puppy. He tried to get the family to the one place that might save them - the dimension warping warehouse on Pier 4 (the one that is bigger inside than outside, remember?)
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And when Franklin was sent to safety, only two people went with him (because Valeria stayed home) - Puppy is mentioned first, then Caledonia. Clearly, Reed and Sue see Puppy as more than just a dog.
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And that is the last anyone saw of Puppy, in FF volume 3 issue 24.
One day the story will continue.
...
I hope
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Puppy as Chuckie: the Dark Side
This is an edited version of a post I left on the FF message board, in response to the question "should Puppy return?"
Remember how Wolverine started? He seemed like a two dimensional character, a space filler for the Hulk to defeat and move on. But he had three things going for him that nobody else had: a MYSTERIOUS ORIGIN, a RADICALLY DIFFERENT ATTITUDE, and he could lose his humanity to his ANIMAL SIDE. Result: huge sales. Also, he was linked to two different teams: Alpha Flight and the X-Men.
Thirty years later, Wolverine is so mainstream he's boring. Yaw, yawn, been there, done that. We need a new Wolverine, with a MORE mysterious origin, a MORE unique and conflicting attitude, one who is capable of being MORE animal-like. But also tied to at least two super-teams. Enter: Puppy! Puppy is Wolverine on steroids.
Consider: Puppy has a mysterious origin. When he first appeared, he had a huge ROAR, and Kraven had been hired to kill him, and Kraven considered him to be powerful enough to kill the Torch and Spidey together. Let's look at Puppy's dark side - his real past.
Note that Puppy's dimension powers are just as useful as Wolverine's healing powers, and allow the writer to blur the boundaries between alternate worlds. "Oh, but he's just a kid's puppy" you say? How many horror films have begun with some kid's toys, kids, or cute animals? Puppy has all the markings of the ultimate horror character, but so far we have only seen the opening act.
I say that Kraven was no fool. Somehow Puppy's real nature was repressed, but if it turns out that the Inhumans really were experimenting on their own people (hence Lockjaw), well the potential for cool stories is unlimited.
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