Who Owns Darna? And What Happens When She’s Finally Free?

Darna turns 75 this year — and still, she hasn’t aged a day in the minds of many Filipinos.

She’s a symbol of power, resilience, and transformation. A barrio girl turned superhero. A myth for the masses. But if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice something strange: we haven’t had a new Darna komiks story in years.

Sure, she’s shown up in TV shows, reboots, marketing campaigns, and memes. But the one place she truly belongs — the page — has been silent.

Why?

The answer isn’t creative fatigue. It’s corporate control.

The IP Cage

In 2013, ABS-CBN secured the rights to 13 Mars Ravelo characters, including Darna. It was a smart business move: build a local superhero universe, ride the Marvel wave, and anchor their content pipeline in legacy IP.

But in locking down the rights, they also locked out the culture.

Since then, Darna’s been more brand than character — more franchise than folk tale. No new stories from emerging komikeros. No fresh visual styles. No alternative timelines or radical reimaginings. Just sanctioned versions tied to TV and film slates.

This is the danger of centralized IP: it kills evolution. It fossilizes icons.

When Will Darna Be Free?

Here’s where it gets interesting. Mars Ravelo, Darna’s creator, died in 1988. Under current Philippine copyright law (Republic Act No. 8293), his works are protected for his lifetime plus 50 years — meaning the original Darna will enter the public domain on January 1, 2039.

In 2039, anyone — not just ABS — can legally tell their own Darna story, as long as they don’t infringe on copyrighted elements created later by ABS-CBN (like specific designs, scripts, or new characters they introduced).

Think of it as a creative unshackling. Darna becomes a cultural commons.

It opens the door for zines, webcomics, animation, indie films, and more — all untethered from the monopoly of broadcast media. Imagine a queer Darna, a climate-justice Darna, a Darna in diaspora. Suddenly, she's not just a superhero — she's a canvas.

The Real Legacy

Darna’s future doesn’t belong to a network. It belongs to the people.

And the question we should be asking now isn’t just: When can we use Darna?

It’s: What kind of Darna do we need?

Because 2039 isn’t that far away. And if we truly believe in Filipino creativity, we should be planning for a post-copyright renaissance — not clinging to old models of control.

Let her fly again. And this time, let the people draw her wings.

Hot Tropiks is the leading distributor of Filipino komiks, children’s lit, and culturally inspired merch in the USA—bringing stories from the Tropiks to the world.