Push Admin

The Actresses Who Took On The Role of Darna’s Ultimate Rival, Valentina

Darna's ultimate nemesis, Valentina, was brought to life by numerous artists in film and television. Here's a look back on the actresses who channeled the iconic su

Article (news)

Janelle Roa Cabrera-Paraiso

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/3eb9c799-45ec-4c12-8e0f-2bcab441f7a4_e717ea8b-c3ce-4987-b142-8a7ede956f4d_viber_image_2021-11-19_13-48-49-804.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Janella Salvador is Valentina"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Janella Salvador is Valentina<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"><em> Photo from ABS-CBN Entertainment / JRB Creative Production  </em></span></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>While everybody is excited for <strong>Darna</strong> (to be played by <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/catching-up-with-darna-the-tv-series-jane-de-leon/31812" target="_blank">Jane de Leon</a>), it is a waste to let a quintessential snake queen loose without her wonders being recognized at best. The superheroine’s archnemesis, as seen on both big and small screens, have fascinated audiences as she feuded with Narda and Darna in various forms and versions throughout the history of television and cinema. An iconic character who also has a right to the spotlight like her superhero rival, Valentina is not our ordinary villain.</p><div><br/></div><p>To commemorate the legendary comic book role and while we wait for the premiere of the ABS-CBN TV series <em>Darna</em>, we&#x27;ve compiled a list of stars who portrayed the unforgettable role, with <a href="https://metro.style/people/celebrities/janella-salvador-is-valentina/31797" target="_blank">Janella Salvador</a> being the latest to breathe life into this serpentine supervillain. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/2874a212-7148-48e6-8d9e-c686a152e65d_298214920_661865398274498_1918913002178743131_n.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Janella Salvador is Valentina"/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Here are 10 actresses who took on the venomous Valentina and slithered on screen as the iconic supervillain. Hiss!</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Check out the gallery below:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/155a2ef5-d029-43ce-a0a5-9fae5294468b_actresses who played valentina landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/8c5a6401-90ba-4ae2-8a4c-3fa72a83f31f_10. cristina aragon - from mars ravelo’s darna the superheroine facebook page.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/9eae029a-e360-4100-91da-50cccca86349_9. celia rodriguez.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/86eeaf4b-433f-49e5-b1da-a75389cde6f5_8. melissa perez rubio - from imdb.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/1726a942-4438-461d-8542-dc28275291db_7. pilar pilapil.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/62254e0a-1e06-418d-933a-f9bd192acf2f_6. pilita corrales.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c0de86e8-9e59-40a0-9dc2-ce676f263894_alessandra de rossi.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/6f2d110b-d008-4abb-bbf0-0f3d0af1c2e1_4. jodi sta. maria - @rbchanco.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/327fed96-4945-453b-9188-047d2f18e152_iwa moto.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/f8c396df-474e-4666-8b1c-f9604a678b46_2. melissa ricks - from dreamscape entertainment.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/926a3be7-d908-43b7-9839-93cde138b65f_janella as valentina.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/de3707af-d630-4425-937d-a430b9646f47_bonus_ cherie gil.jpg" alt="actresses who portrayed the role of valentina" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Cristina Aragon (1951) - In 1951, the very first Valentina villain was showcased on the silver screen through actress Cristina Aragon. She was cast alongside Rosa Del Rosario, who then embodied the titular character.<cite>Mars Ravelo’s Darna the Superheroine Facebook Page</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Celia Rodriguez (1973) - Considered by many fans as the best depiction of Valentina, Celia Rodriguez’s portrayal in the 1973 big screen blockbuster &#x27;Lipad, Darna, Lipad!&#x27; is a path that her successors have strived to follow. In the movie, she gave life to a Reptilian Zoology graduate and is a flawless match to Vilma Santos.<cite>Mars Ravelo&#x27;s Darna Chronicles | Felix Mariano Fausto Jr FB</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Melissa Perez Rubio (1989) - Melissa Perez Rubio’s Valentina is likened to the mythological winged monster Medusa, as she wields the power of turning people into stones. Interestingly, in this 1989 film &#x27;Valentina,&#x27; the focus is on the life of a woman who hides a swarm of snakes on her head.<cite>IMDb</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Pilar Pilapil (1991) - In the 1991 rendition of Darna where Nanette Medved is the leading lady, Valentina’s role is illustrated as a fashion icon who donned fashion-forward dresses and colored clothes. Pilar Pilapil’s take on the character is traditional but with an interesting twist to her identity.<cite>Viva Film&#x27;s Darna 1991</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Pilita Corrales (1994) - Seasoned actress and singer Pilita Corrales personified Valentina in the past in 1994’s &#x27;Darna: Ang Pagbabalik,&#x27; which starred sexy star Anjanette Abayari as Darna. Also with Pilita was actress and veteran film villain Cherie Gil, who depicted Valentina’s daughter, Valentine. <cite>Darna Ang Pagbabalik | @pilitacorrales</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Alessandra De Rossi (2005) - Darna’s archnemesis Valentina first appeared on television through versatile actress Alessandra De Rossi’s version. Here, she harnesses the superpower of shapeshifting. She served as the serpentine antagonist to Angel Locsin’s alter-figure Narda and superhero form Darna. In the series, the two started out as cousins, but the truth cracked and it turns out that they are twins. <cite>@msderossi</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Jodi Sta. Maria (2006) - Another strain of Valentina is symbolized by actress Jodi Sta. Maria in the fantasy fiction &#x27;Komiks Presents: Valentina.&#x27; She embodied a good Valentina in the episode of the comics compilation series, which follows the story of a woman who weathered many storms in life. She is marked by her snake-laden head as usual, and her hereditary ability to snake-speak with the animal and control and command them.<cite>@rbchanco</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Iwa Moto (2009) - In another small screen adaptation of Darna, Iwa Moto fared as Narda’s (portrayed by Marian Rivera) childhood friend but turned out to be Darna’s traditional aggressor as an adult. In this TV series, some of her superpowers are hinged on self-healing, superhuman strength, and manipulation of poisonous material. She is notoriously named as the “Babaeng Ahas.”<cite>@iam_iwa</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Melissa Ricks (2010) - In the fantasy anthology &#x27;Wansapanataym,&#x27; another familiar face portrayed the persona of a friendly and good-natured Valentina. Melissa Ricks, who graced the screen to retell the story of a cursed lady. As a child, her existence was sustained in secret, but was eventually outed as she grew older.<cite>Dreamscape Entertainment</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Janella Salvador (2022) - As the previous Valentina players shed their skin to make room for a modern one, Janella Salvador snagged the opportunity of being the next snake goddess. Blessed is the new human snake as she takes on the time-appropriate character of Attorney Regina Vanguardia. The vlogger version of Valentina, she is set to stylize the supervillain in this modern age’s television adaptation of Darna. <cite>@superjanella | ABS-CBN Entertainment</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>BONUS: Cherie Gil as Valentine (1994) - While our well-loved supervillain lady aka &#x27;La Primera Contravida&#x27; was not tapped to portray the timeless role of Darna’s lifetime rival Valentina, Cherie Gil was named as Valentine in the 1994 movie &#x27;Darna: Ang Pagbabalik.&#x27; She had a semblance to her mother Valentina (portrayed by Pilita Corrales), as they both had serpents on their head. <cite>Mars Ravelo&#x27;s Darna website</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos from <strong>@superjanella</strong>, <strong>Mars Ravelo&#x27;s Darna Chronicles</strong>, and <strong>Pexels</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/celebrities/darna-jane-de-leon-ravishing-in-red-photo-shoot/33462" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">&#x27;Darna&#x27; Jane De Leon Looks Ravishing In Red</a></div><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/celebrities/darna-the-tv-series-red-carpet-press-conference/33504" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">We&#x27;re Still Not Over the Red Carpet of Darna The TV Series</a></div>

Darna's ultimate nemesis, Valentina, was brought to life by numerous artists in film and television. Here's a look back on the actresses who channeled the iconic supervillain