Darna
Go, Girl, Fly!

Yes, she’s fictional.

And yes, she seems to mimic Wonder Woman in many ways (though, here’s a trivia, she was actually modelled more after Superman and Captain America, among her creator’s favourites – even if she was said to represent his mother, with him as Darna’s brother/sidekick Ding).

But yes, too, she’s long become a symbol for, let’s see, power of good over evil, women empowerment, strength of the weak, help for the needy, beauty and brains, personification of a Filipina, and, yes, changing of an ugly duckling (from Narda, her human persona) to a beautiful swan (Amazonian Darna), among others.  No wonder the identification with her of the GLBTQI community.

Created for Filipino Komiks by Mars Ravelo, the character (even if the premise was the same – i.e. that of a warrior woman from outer space, which manifested herself on Earth through a girl named Narda) was actually originally drawn for Bulaklak Magazine in 1947, as Varga.  Ravelo’s fight with Bulaklak Magazine’s editors forced him to move and relaunch the character (Filipino Komiks) in 1950 as Darna (anagram of Narda’s name, already established by then).

Though her story has been told many times already, Darna’s main story remains the same: A girl named Narda finds a small white stone (actually a meteorite, a bulalakaw, from outer space, bearing the word “DARNA” on it), which, when she swallows, at the same time shouts Darna!, turns her into the warrior woman, whose powers include flight, super strength, super speed, and near-invulnerability.   Oh, and she’s one voluptuous mama, too.  When Darna’s done what she has to do – usually save the world – she can turn back to being Narda by shouting, well, Narda.  The stone out of her mouth, she’s human again.

Interestingly, the stone swallowing and stone spitting, even if arguably the most common trait of Narda/Darna, much like Diana Prince’s spinning to become Wonder Woman, it wasn’t in the comic serial – she only swallowed it once, and only turned Amazonian or human by saying the names.

The movies actually helped define Darna as she is now known.  The original Darna, for example, was not the same as Narda – they were two different people, one a grown woman, the other a young girl.  Darna just channels herself through Narda.  By the time Vilma Santos portrayed her in films (1970s), Darna and Narda became the same person – and yes, the stone swallowing/spitting was started.

Among others, those who player her included Rosa del Rosario in Darna (1951) and Darna at ang Babaing Lawin (1952); Liza Moreno in Si Darna at ang Impakta (1963) and Isputnik vs. Darna (1963); Eva Montes in Darna at ang Babaing Tuod (1965); Gina Pareno in Darna at ang Planetman (1969); Vilma Santos in Lipad, Darna, Lipad! (1973), Darna and the Giants (1973), Darna vs. The Planet Women (1973), and Darna and Ding (1980); Chiquito in Terribol Dobol (1974, the first male Darna); Lorna Tolentino in Darna (1977 TV Series); Brenda del Rio in Darna Kuno? (1979); Dolphy in Darna Kuno? (1979, the second male Darna); Rio Locsin in Bira, Darna, Bira! (1979); Nanette Medved in Darna (1991); and Anjanette Abayari in Darna Ang Pagbabalik (1994) and Ang Pagbabalik ni Pedro Penduko (1994).

The story of Darna, however, also made household names of supporting characters in her comics, particularly Valentina, Darna's most famous and greatest foe.

The gay community actually already spoofed Darna in Carlo Vergara’s Zsazsa Zsaturnnah – but for as long as every Filipino knows of “Ding, ang bato!”, this character isn’t going anywhere but deep into the Filipino psyche.