History ComicBook / Darna

* {{Homage}}: Basically Franchise/{{Wonder Woman}} meets [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]].

Darna has inspired ''Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Comicbook/ZsazsaZaturnnah'' (The Spectacular Adventures of Zsazsa Zaturnnah), a transsexual superhero.

** In the 2022 TV series, the first or at least previous woman to become Darna mentors and trains Narda, her own daughter, to be her successor [[spoiler:until seemingly [[MentorOccupationalHazard being killed off]],]] as revealed in [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil its first trailer]].

* BareYourMidriff: Except for the few movies where her costume is a one-piece suit.

* Bowdlerise: Just like in more recent ABS-CBN teleseryes, the NLEA from the 2022 series is based on the real-life PNP.

* Bowlderise: Just like in more recent ABS-CBN teleseryes, the NLEA from the 2022 series is based on the real-life PNP.

* LiveActionAdaptation: From comic books. It also has numerous films and three television series in the last decade.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Though never outright stated in the original comics, it's probable that "Narda" is likely a nickname for something like "Leonarda" or "Bernarda", just as "Ding" likely is a nickname for "Ricardo" (as in "Cardo" --> "Carding" --> "Ding").

* LiveActionAdaptation: From comic books. It also has numerous films and two television series in the last decade.

** Not counting parodies and [[{{Crossover}} cameo or guest]] appearances, there have been ''12'' Darna theatrical films since 1951 (with the latest planned to come out in the 2020s but currently stuck in DevelopmentHell), with different actresses in the role - many playing the role multiple times in presumably their own continuities, with NegativeContinuity sometimes affecting films starring the same lead actress. As for television, there have been Darna shows in 1977, 2005, 2009 and 2022 on three different networks (the 2005 and 2009 ones being on the same network), with each having a different lead actress as well.

* ClarkKenting: Her real name is Narda, seriously.

** Not counting parodies and [[{{Crossover}} cameo or guest]] appearances, there have been ''12'' Darna theatrical films since 1951 (with the latest planned to come out in the 2020s but currently stuck in DevelopmentHell), with different actresses in the role - many playing the role multiple times in presumably their own continuities, with NegativeContinuity sometimes affecting films starring the same lead actress. As for television, there have been Darna shows in 1977, 2005 and 2009 (with an upcoming one in 2022), all on different networks with each having a different lead actress as well.

* AuthorAvatar: Ding.

* FlyingBrick

* HeadBlast: Darna's [[WeaponizedHeadgear helmet]] can fire laser blasts.

* KidSidekick: Ding.
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority

** In the upcoming 2022 TV series, the first or at least previous woman to become Darna mentors and trains Narda, her own daughter, to be her successor [[spoiler:until seemingly [[MentorOccupationalHazard being killed off]],]] as revealed in [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil its first trailer]].

* MostCommonSuperpower

* ParentalAbandonment
* ParentalSubstitute: Her grandmother.

* {{Stripperific}}
* SuperHeroOrigin

* TagalongKid: Ding.

* UnderwearOfPower:
* WeaponizedHeadgear: Darna's helmet can fire [[EnergyWeapon laser blasts]].

* ActionGirl

* UnderwearOfPower

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Valentina in the original rather melodramatic comics story, which is by far more about her than Darna. She grew up isolated from civilization due to her parents fearing the consequences of people seeing her freak hair, then they're creeped out by her talking to and controlling jungle snakes making her feel that they secretly hate her, then she's manipulated by a [[SnakePeople primordial snake person]] (a serpent with an old hag's head, named Kobra) into killing her parents, hating all humans, and leading snake-kind in wiping out humanity and taking back the world as it was eons before, then she falls in love with a man and he with her, she's mistaken by villagers for ''an angel or the Virgin Mary'' due to her beauty with her snake hair covered, nearly has a change of heart but the villagers [[BurnTheWitch attack her as a monster]] after she reveals her hair, she takes it out on the guy and nearly kills him but can't do it because she loves him, she drags him along while she destroys some villages and he escapes to the house of ''[[LoveTriangle his first love]]'', she chases him down and ultimately gets rejected, and is DrivenToSuicide by jumping off a cliff - despite Darna's pleas after they finally tussle - and her dead body is shown on panel.

* ArchEnemy: Valentina, the [[SnakesAreEvil Queen of Snakes.]] More due to PopCulturalOsmosis through adaptations than the comics, because she died in her first story, which was also the first Darna story.

** Dana's costume being red with yellow/gold details is her most common look by far but this only solidified by the 90s movies. Some earlier costume versions were blue with red details, gold with red details and even red and blue with gold details, making her look all the more similar to you-know-who.

* TragicVillain: Valentina in the original rather melodramatic comics story, which is by far more about her than Darna. She grew up isolated from civilization due to her parents fearing the consequences of people seeing her freak hair, then they're creeped out by her talking to and controlling jungle snakes making her feel that they secretly hate her, then she's manipulated by a [[SnakePeople primordial snake person]] (a serpent with an old hag's head, named Kobra) into killing her parents, hating all humans, and leading snake-kind in wiping out humanity and taking back the world as it was eons before, then she falls in love with a man and he with her, she's mistaken by villagers for ''an angel or the Virgin Mary'' due to her beauty with her snake hair covered, nearly has a change of heart but the villagers [[BurnTheWitch attack her as a monster]] after she reveals her hair, she takes it out on the guy and nearly kills him but can't do it because she loves him, she drags him along while she destroys some villages and he escapes to the house of ''[[LoveTriangle his first love]]'', she chases him down and ultimately gets rejected, and is DrivenToSuicide by jumping off a cliff - despite Darna's pleas after they finally tussle - and her dead body is shown on panel.

* GorgeousGorgon: Valentina has snakes for hair, though she doesn't have the associated stone-vision powers. She was originally a {{Mutant}} through implied supernatural causes, but becomes a RubberForeheadAlien in some later depictions.

* ArchEnemy: Valentina, the [[SnakesAreEvil Queen of Snakes.]]

* GorgeousGorgon: Valentina has snakes for hair. She was originally a {{Mutant}} through implied supernatural causes, but becomes a RubberForeheadAlien in some later depictions.

* OlderAlterEgo: Subverted. Word of God is that Narda and Darna are not the same person. Later incarnations would often have Darna's alter ego be someone closer to age than her.

** Not counting parodies and [[{{Crossover}} cameo or guest]] appearances, there have been ''12'' Darna theatrical films since 1951, with the latest coming in the 2020s, with different actresses in the role - many playing the role multiple times in presumably their own continuities, with NegativeContinuity sometimes affecting films starring the same lead actress. As for television, there have been Darna shows in 1977, 2005 and 2009, all on different networks with each having a different lead actress as well.

* LegacyCharacter: In the 2009 TV series, the first or at least previous woman to become Darna becomes the "Guardian of the Stone" and Narda's SpiritAdvisor of sorts.

* WeaponizedHeadgear: Darna's helmet can fire [[energyWeapon laser blasts]].

* AdaptationExpansion: The Darna movies introduced the [[RetCanon now-standard elements]] of Narda being as old as Darna instead of Narda being a KidHero, Narda actually becoming Darna herself instead of channeling a separate entity (a la the original Captain Marvel, or Franchise/{{Ultraman}} decades later), and the magic stone not staying in Narda's body once she changes back, so she has to swallow and regurgitate it every time.

* AdaptationExpansion: The Darna movies introduced the [[RetCanon now-standard elements]] of Narda being as old as Darna instead of Narda being a KidHero, Narda actually becoming Darna herself instead of channeling or switching places with a separate entity (a la the original Captain Marvel, or Franchise/{{Ultraman}} decades later), and the magic stone not staying in Narda's body once she changes back, so she has to swallow and regurgitate it every time.

* TransformationTrinket: The white stone. In the original comics it remains in her body, but in later versions she regurgitates it every time she changes back to Narda, so Narda has to swallow it to transform to Darna every time.

* DisabledInTheAdaptation: The 2009 TV series has Narda use a crutch, which [[DisabilityNegatingSuperpower she no longer needs as Darna]]. This is akin to one of the comic incarnations of Captain Barbell, also by Mars Ravelo - who in turn is akin to Captain Marvel Jr.

* {{Crossover}}: Sometimes appears in films that aren't mainly about her.

* LegacyCharacter: In the 2009 TV series.