Panday (character)

Panday
Publication information
Publisher	Not applicable
First appearance	"Ang Panday", Filipino Komiks (1981)
Created by	Carlo J. Caparas
In-story information
Alter ego	Flavio
Team affiliations	None
Abilities	Possesses a sword which can transform into any other kind of weaponry, superlative swordsmanship skills

The Panday (blacksmith in the Filipino language), whose real name is Flavio, is a fictional Philippine comics character created by Carlo J. Caparas and illustrated by Steve Gan. His adventures were serialized in the series Ang Panday in Filipino Komiks in the Seventies. The character took his place in Philippine pop culture when the comics were adapted to film. The most famous of these films starred Fernando Poe Jr. as Flavio and Max Alvarado as his archenemy Lizardo.

Overview

After a meteorite falls from the sky, Flavio, a noble blacksmith, forges its ore into a dagger (balaraw in Filipino), which magically turns into a sword when he raises it and points to the sky. He uses this sword to fight the evil Lizardo and his supernatural minions, and other evil forces.

Flavio is a normal human and has no special powers or skills, except for his swordsmanship. He uses his magical blade to fight his supernatural enemies. The blade hums when danger is near and can cut through anything without resistance. The film Panday uses a shield on occasion, which is likewise forged from a meteorite.

Besides Flavio's love interest, he has a boy sidekick and an old hermit-like adviser. He wears a red vest and dark pants.

Other incarnations of the character

Films

After four films starring Poe, other Panday films were made, continuing the storyline of the original series. However, they seem to be independent sequels and do not share the same continuity.

• Pandoy — Pandoy, Ang Alalay ng Panday (Pandoy, the Assistant of the Blacksmith) stars the comedy actor Joey de Leon as a follower of Flavio. This parody and homage to the popular Panday films was released in 1993.

The mystical town of Sta. Monica is perennially raided by pirates led by Redentor and Vibora. The womenfolk are kidnapped and sold to a white slavery gang. The town needs a blacksmith with a pure heart for only he can forge the magical sword of justice and wield it against the evil forces hounding the town.

In the absence of the "real Panday", stable boy Pandoy is conscripted to be blacksmith of the gods. He leaves his beloved Cristina to fulfill his mission. But then Pandoy meets beautiful Issa in Sta. Monica. Pandoy succeeds in banishing Redentor and his ilk. In the end, he prefers to go back to being a stable boy in Cristina's hacienda than being a blacksmith with Issa in Sta. Monica.

• Flavio (II) — Dugo ng Panday (Blood of the Blacksmith) starred Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. as a descendant of Flavio who shares his name and Edu Manzano as the villain. This film was released in 1993.

Centuries after the first Flavio's death, his descendant finds the balaraw because of his pure heart, and takes up his mantle as the Panday. Meanwhile, Lizardo's brain has been transplanted to an alien robot body (played by Manzano), while his head (still played by Alvarado) is preserved in a tank. Eventually, the new Panday destroys the robot and kills the head. This Flavio is attired similarly; in addition he has a medallion bearing an image of a meteorite.

• Guiller — Hiwaga ng Panday (Magic/Mystique of the Blacksmith) starred Jinggoy Estrada as Guiller, a gunsmith, and Kris Aquino as Emily, his love interest. This film was released in 1998.

As Flavio, the original Panday (presumably meant to be Poe's character; depicted as fighting the Japanese invaders in World War II) dies, he plants his magic sword in a wall, and only one with a clean heart and noble intentions may pull it out (much like the story of King Arthur). In the present day, Guiller, an expert gunsmith and protector of the poor, meets Emily after both are taken hostage by criminals. Guiller becomes the new Panday after he retrieves the balaraw and fights a kidnap-for-ransom gang. The sword is melted and reforged into a shotgun which fires bullets and stun rays. It turns back to a sword when needed. Guiller wears contemporary casual clothes.

TV series

• Tristan — The Ang Panday TV series, which began airing in 2005, features a young new Panday named Tristan, played by Jericho Rosales, Heart Evangelista as Eden, his love interest, and Victor Neri as Lizardo. Philip Salvador plays a version of Poe's character who appears in the introductory episodes.

In this version Flavio forges his dagger and a church bell for his community from the meteoritic ore, and has a personal grudge against Lizardo, who murders his wife. After beheading his enemy, Flavio plants his weapon into the bell, and is taken up into the heavens. However, Lizardo's brain is still alive, and Tristan, a man from the present time, becomes the Panday in Flavio's stead. Tristan and Salvador's Flavio were both attired similarly to Poe's Flavio.

Portrayals in other media

• Films
  • Ang Panday original series:
    • Ang Panday ("The Blacksmith", 1981)
    • Ang Pagbabalik ng Panday ("The Return of the Blacksmith", 1982)
    • Ang Panday Ikatlong Yugto ("The Blacksmith, Part Three", 1983)
    • Panday IV: Ikaapat na Aklat ("Blacksmith IV: The Fourth Book", 1984)
  • Kung Fu Panda, Ang Alalay ng Panday ("Pandoy, the Assistant of the Blacksmith", 1993) - a parody of Panday
  • Dugo ng Panday ("Blood of the Blacksmith", 1993)
  • Hiwaga ng Panday ("Magic of the Blacksmith" 1998)
  • Ang Panday (2009, upcoming reboot)
• Television
  • Ang Panday (1986) - animated television series by RPN based on Poe's character
  • Ang Panday (2005) - television series by ABS-CBN

External links

• The Panday on the internationalhero website.

See also

• Zuma
• Darna