Darna, the iconic superhero created by Mars Ravelo and illustrated by Nestor Redondo, has long been dismissed by critics as a copycat of Western comic book heroes like Wonder Woman. But a deeper analysis of the nature of Darna鈥檚 powers鈥攑articularly their connection to the legendary bato (stone)鈥攔eveals a character deeply rooted in Filipino folklore and culture, according to a 天美视频 Diliman (UPD) professor.
More significantly, Darna can also be read as a subversion of traditional Western concepts of power, which remain largely male-centric and individualistic in the superhero genre, said Associate Professor Cherish Aileen Brillon of the UP College of Media and Communication.
Brillon presented these ideas in a paper published in the July鈥揇ecember 2023 issue of Humanities Diliman. In the article, she conducted a close reading of four Darna komiks released between 1950 and 2003, as well as three Darna films and selected episodes from the 2005 television series. Drawing from Australian theorist Helen Tiffin鈥檚 concept of 鈥渃anonical counter-discourse,鈥� Brillon argued that while Darna draws from the Western superhero tradition, she also allows her creators to expose and challenge the genre鈥檚 implicit assumptions 鈥渇or postcolonial purposes.鈥�
To understand how creators like Ravelo infused Darna鈥檚 powers with Filipino cultural elements, Brillon first examined how superpowers are typically defined in the Western canon. In that framework, she explained, superpowers are often innate鈥攁s in the case of Superman鈥攁cquired through accidents, like Spider-Man鈥檚 radioactive spider bite, or made possible through wealth and technology, as with Batman.
Uniquely Filipino
Brillon compared these Western characterizations of superpowers with three indigenous Filipino concepts that play a central role in the Darna narrative: anting-anting, sapi, and loob.
While the anting-anting often takes the form of an amulet, Brillon describes it more broadly as 鈥渁 general term for how power in Filipino folk culture is materialized and made tangible.鈥� Its use, she noted, stems from a 鈥渄esire to control the environment and master the forces of nature,鈥� and it eventually became a vital symbol in the struggle against colonial rule.
Building on this idea, Brillon argues that Darna鈥檚 powers are both acquired and innate. They come from the bato, a tangible source akin to a subo鈥攁 type of anting-anting that is tattooed on or absorbed into the body. Over time, the power becomes part of her very being. She also highlighted Ravelo鈥檚 original depiction of Darna鈥檚 abilities as kisig (elegance or stature) and alindog (charm or beauty)鈥攖raits rarely associated with Western superheroes but common among Filipino folk heroes.
Brillon also explored the concept of sapi, or spirit possession, which often has negative connotations. However, some interpretations in Philippine literature recognize possession by benevolent or neutral spirits. This, she said, better reflects the earlier versions of Darna before Vilma Santos鈥� portrayal鈥攏ot simply a costume or alter ego assumed by Narda, her host, but a distinct being: an alien warrior from the planet Marte cohabiting Narda鈥檚 body.
Finally, loob鈥攖he inner self or purity of heart鈥攊s what Brillon believes gives local heroes 鈥渁 more moral and spiritual component not present in Western superhero texts.鈥� To have mabuting kalooban, she explained, is to possess 鈥渘o ulterior motive except鈥� kindness and inherent graciousness.鈥�
Brillon cited Filipino scholar Katrin de Guia鈥檚 definitions of lakas ng loob (inner strength) and tatag ng kalooban (endurance of spirit) to emphasize that loob is essential to becoming a true hero in the Darna universe. 鈥淥ne needs to have physical and moral strength, fortitude, and unconditional love鈥攊n short, mabuting kalooban,鈥� Brillon wrote. In many versions of the story, it is Narda鈥檚 mabuting kalooban that makes her a worthy bearer of the bato.
A subversive superhero
Brillon argues that the presence of these Filipino cultural elements in the various incarnations of Darna not only makes her a distinctly local superhero, but one that actively subverts many of the dominant tropes and assumptions of the superhero genre.
One such example is the adaptation choice in Vilma Santos鈥� portrayal of Darna, in which she spits out the stone to return to being Narda鈥攁 dramatic flourish not present in the original komiks. This detail, Brillon said, challenges typical Western depictions where superpowers are permanently fused with their wielders.
In contrast, Darna鈥檚 bato is transferable. It can be passed on to another deemed 鈥渨orthy鈥� by virtue of their loob, and is even sought after by others for the power it grants.
鈥淭his is not the case for Western superheroes because their powers are theirs alone. Superman and Wonder Woman cannot pass on their abilities; Bruce Wayne will always be Batman and Tony Stark will always be Iron Man since no one can be as rich as they are; and Peter Parker cannot pass on his spider-like abilities to others,鈥� Brillon wrote.
Darna also upends the 鈥渘egative, hysterical, and often exoticizing鈥� portrayals of sapi in mass media by embodying a benevolent spirit who needs a body not to torment, but to do good. Narda, far from being a helpless vessel, is portrayed as a willing and conscious host鈥攁ware of her role and the responsibilities it entails.
Because Filipinos are accustomed to living between the spiritual and material worlds, Brillon said this duality allows Darna to avoid the internal conflict often seen in Western superheroes who struggle to reconcile their public and private personas. In Darna鈥檚 world, questions such as 鈥淲hat does it mean to be a hero?鈥� or 鈥淲hy is it so hard to be one?鈥� rarely arise鈥攖hey are answered through action, not angst.
Finally, Brillon points out that while wielders of the anting-anting or agimat in Philippine literature are typically men, Darna鈥檚 possession of her own bato marks a radical shift. By giving a woman the power to wield and command this sacred object, Ravelo and the writers who followed created more than just a superhero鈥攖hey gave Filipinos a modern myth.
鈥淎 woman who can wield the agimat is a woman who claims space, power, and purpose,鈥� Brillon wrote 鈥斺�渁nd Darna has done just that for generations.鈥�
Read Prof. Brillon鈥檚 article from Humanities Diliman here:
