1. Darna

The most portrayed superheroine on Television is Mars Ravelo’s Darna. Everyone knows her! Her appearance makes her almost look like Wonder Woman, but Darna’s alter ego, Narda, is as normal as can be, with a brother named Ding and a grandmother named Lola Asay. Narda finds and swallows a magical stone and shouts ‘Darna’ to transform and help people in need.

If she were part of a Pinoy elite team of superheroes, she will no doubt be one of the leaders. She will naturally take charge of all the plans and be the one leading the others to save the country. You go girl!

2. Captain Barbell

Like Darna, Captain Barbell has an alter ego, a scrawny kid named Tengteng. Whatever Tengteng lacks physically, Captain Barbell makes up for and exceeds. Tall, lean, and muscular, Captain Barbell is super strong and invulnerable to any man-made weapon, this Mars Ravelo creation is our very own version of Superman, or Shazam. Tengteng transforms by holding a magical barbell (that only he can lift) and shouting “Captain Barbell!”

If there’s a friendly feud between Captain America and Iron Man in the Avengers, there will most likely be a same feud with Darna and Captain Barbell. Putting two headstrong superheroes in one team results in arguments and disagreements. But one thing’s for certain, they’ll always agree on a decision that’s best for the safety of everyone.

3. Lastikman

Another superhero created by Mars Ravelo (our very own Stan Lee, you might reckon) is Lastikman. With ‘lastik’ coming from the word ‘elastic,’ Lastikman can stretch and transform into any form and shape he pleases with his checkered costume. Lastikman has been portrayed by Vhong Navarro and Vic Sotto, both making the character funny and playful.

Lastikman can provide the jokes and the fun in the team. Just imagine him pranking everyone and doing tricks with his malleable body!

4. Pedro Penduko

Pedro Penduko, created by Francisco Coching, is a young Filipino with a brave heart who fights off evil forces with just the help of a magical amulet. He doesn’t possess super powers of his own, but he is resourceful and quick-witted. Penduko’s enemies are Filipino mythical creatures: manananggal, kapre, aswang, etc. He was famously portrayed by Janno Gibbs (movies) and Matt Evans (television).

Pedro can bring to the table his iron will to help other people; he might not have superpowers but he does have a heart, and look where that got Iron Man. You can just imagine him being the one the team comes to for sound advice when the superheroes fight internally, he’ll be the one willing to initiate reconciliation and will also encourage others to do so.

5. Panday

Panday (in Tagalog means blacksmith) is named Flavio in real life, a skilled and noble blacksmith who finds a meteorite that fell from the sky. He forges the ore into a dagger which magically turns into a sword when he raises it to the sky; it is able to cut through anything and hums when in danger. Flavio uses the sword to defend his hometown from evil forces, occasionally also using a shield made from the same meteorite. Panday is created by Carlo J. Caparas and Steve Gan.

Panday sounds like your average tough superhero. With his simple costume of a red vest and pants, he doesn’t need anything else to intimidate his enemies, his sword and his muscles can do the job. But he’s also essential to the team, imagine him creating weapons for the team!

6. Zsazsa Zaturnnah

Zsazsa Zaturnnah is a powerful superheroine with flaming red hair and a muscular physique, a character created by Carlo Vergara. She resembles Wonder Woman and Darna, but the difference is that Zaturnnah’s alter ego is a homosexual male named Ada. Ada’s father disapproves of his being a homosexual and tried to punish him for it. Eventually his parents pass away and he moves to another town. Here he discovers a magical stone with the word ‘Zaturnnah’ etched on it, after that, whenever he swallows the stone and shouts the word, he transforms into the superheroine Zsazsa Zaturnnah.

Zaturnnah would be an icon among today’s generation, her gender identity would definitely win Filipinos over!

7. Volta

Perla is your ordinary woman, she takes care of her siblings and works as a dressmaker, but after being hit by lightning three times, she develops powers. She can now generate heat and electricity with her hands and can fire lightning flashes from her hands too. Volta’s main objective is to prevent Celphora, an ambitious engineer, from spreading evil in the country.

Portrayed by Ai Ai Delas Alas, Volta is a comedic superheroine guaranteed to leave you in stitches. She might not look much, but she uses her wit to defeat her enemies. If put in a band of serious superheroes, she will singlehandedly provide comedic relief. Paired with Lastikman, and you’ll definitely have a hoot!

8. Gagambino

Spider-Man’s Pinoy cousin Gagambino was created by Carlo J. Caparas and tells the story of a young man named Gambino (first name not Childish), and his adventures with his giant spider friend who helps him fight crime in the grimy streets of re-imagined Manila. Bino, played by Dennis Trillo in the GMA series, also possesses insect-like superpowers unlike the original average joe Bino who only relied on his spider for help.

In modern times, as part of an elite team of Pinoy superheroes, Gagambino will definitely be warmly welcomed by fellow Pinoys, although he would have to assure us that his giant spider won’t hurt our beloved doggos and cats in the streets.

Bonus! (Because we can’t resist them!)

9. Super Twins

I remember watching the 2007 television show of Super Twins and chanting with the twins before they transformed into superheroines. The two girls, Sha-Sha and Tin-Tin transform by kissing their rings, afterwards they become Super S and Super T respectively. Together they defeat evil and save people’s lives.

The twins are one of a kind, an unbeatable pair, as part of the superhero team, they could probably destroy all the enemies. Think twice the power!

Which superhero is your favorite? Share it with us!