John takes after his father. He often speaks in a sophisticated way, which his younger brother Michael usually mimics and repeats (albeit in a more simplistic way (i.e. John: "Oh, I should like very much to cross swords with some real buccaneers". Michael: "Yeah, and fight pirates, too!"). He also shows interest in piracy, which may explain why he plays the part of Captain Hook in his nursery games with his younger brother. John is also shown that he is brave and clever; when he and Michael were playing with the Lost Boys, he was the leader. John is very mature but loves his time being very adventurous and playful.
Physical appearance[]
John is a young boy with matching dark brown hair and eyes and fair skin. He wears round spectacles, a white nightshirt, a black top hat, and a pair of black dress shoes, and he carries a black umbrella.
John loves hearing Wendy's stories of Peter Pan and plays the character of Captain Hook while his younger brother Michael plays Peter Pan during their nursery games. He is very brave and very smart.
One night, while their parents go away to a party, Peter visits the Darling kids and teaches them how to fly and takes them to Neverland with them. When they arrive in Neverland, Captain Hook and his pirates shoot at them with their cannon, but Peter orders Tinker Bell to take the children to the island while he takes on Hook. Tinker Bell jealously tries to make Peter's friends, the Lost Boys, take out Wendy, but after Peter tells the Lost Boys that Wendy will be their new mother, they feel bad.
John is ordered by Peter to take the Lost Boys and Michael on a hunt for Indians, but the boys are captured by the Indians themselves and are mistaken for the kidnapping of The Indian Chief's daughter Tiger Lily, and the Chief orders the boys to be burnt at that stake if Tiger Lily doesn't return by sunset. Luckily, Peter saves Tiger Lily from Captain Hook who is the real kidnapper and returns her to the Indian camp, and John and the boys are set free while Peter is made a Flying Eagle by the Chief. During the song, John tries the Chief's pipe, which sickens him and makes his face turn dark green. Also during the song, John dances along with the tribes, wanting to live like savages.
After the party, Wendy tells her brothers that they're going home tomorrow, but John and Michael refuse until Wendy reminds them about their mother, and the boys wish to return home, along with the Lost Boys who wish for a mother, too. John leads the boys out, but they (along with Wendy) are captured by Captain Hook and his pirates who are waiting outside having revealed their hideout by Tinker Bell who was banished earlier for nearly killing Wendy and been captured by Mr. Smee. On the ship, the boys are offered to become pirates to which the boys agree, but Wendy stops them, saying that Peter Pan will save them. However, Captain Hook admits to leaving a present for Peter from Wendy that had a bomb in it that will blow shortly and take Peter with it. But unknown to Wendy, the boys, and Captain Hook, Tinker Bell manages to escape from her prison and warns Peter of the bomb, and Wendy and the boys being captured. Thinking the bomb has killed Peter Pan, Hook has made Wendy walk the plank to drown in the sea, but luckily Peter arrives and saves her from her watery grave and frees the boys, and they fight off Hook and his pirates and the pirates go off their rowboat chasing the crocodile who chases Captain Hook.
In the end, Peter takes Wendy, John, and Michael home to London. After that, John is seen sleeping in his bed and tucked away by Nana the nursemaid dog and John's mother Mary - the whole experience is speculated by some viewers to be a dream, validated by the fact that the word Neverland today appears in English vernacular as "an ideal or imaginary place; a dream world".
John didn't appear in the sequel Return to Never Land and wasn't mentioned by any of the characters, including Wendy. However, he made a couple of shadowy cameos on some starry night clouds that light up by Tinker Bell, to begin with (flying with Wendy and Michael and leading the Lost Boys to the Indian campus).
John appears in the Jake and the Neverland Pirates special, Battle for the Book. In it, Captain Hook has stolen the book containing Peter Pan's adventures, which could lead to the destruction of Never Land. To save it, John and his siblings' team up with Jake and his crew to race though London—and eventually, Never Land itself—to stop Hook. During the adventure, John becomes particularly close to Izzy.
John appears once again in the series finale "Captain Hook's Last Stand", where he and his siblings visit Never Land to take part in Peter Pan's homecoming celebration. When Peter is finally defeated by a magically-equipped Captain Hook, John and the other young heroes work together to save him.
Other appearances[]
John makes a cameo appearance at the end of "This is Your Life, Donald Duck".
In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, John Darling, in a black trenchcoat, can be briefly spotted during the final scene of the film with the other Toons, while the song is finishing, right next to Tweedle Dum.
John Darling and the rest of the Darling family appear in the Season 2 episode "Second Star to the Right". He is portrayed by child actor William Ainscough. After a boy named Baelfire was welcomed into their family, he and John overhear Baelfire one night warning Wendy to stay away from a shadow that looms outside the window. Wendy ignores his advice and travels to Never Land with the Shadow. When she returns, she reveals the Shadow wants to take one of her brothers away to Never Land forever. During the next night, Baelfire helps to hide everyone when the Shadow comes, but Michael is nearly caught by the creature. To avoid the splitting up of a family, Baelfire asks to be taken to Never Land instead.
In "Dark Hollow", John and Michael became employed by Pan after the latter kidnapped Wendy sometime after the events of "Second Star to the Right". Now, adults, they arrive in Storybrooke to destroy Pandora's Box, the only thing capable of defeating Pan. While they succeed in capturing the item, they are thwarted by Belle and Ariel in the mines. They reveal Pan is holding Wendy captive in Never Land, so Belle promises she will do what is necessary to save Wendy if they do not destroy the box.
At one point in the 1980s, John was played by an actual young boy in the parks, but child labor laws of the 1990s forced this to end. If asked where he is, his sister says that he and Michael are still in the Nursery.[1]
John has been a rare character at the parks for decades but recently returned to Disneyland Paris for a limited time for meet-and-greet appearances after hours.
John also appeared in Following the Leader with Peter Pan, where he and some of the Lost Boys assist Peter and Wendy, in their regular duties battling pirates.
Return to Never Land:Edward • Jane • Danny • Nana II • Octopus
Locations
London • Bloomsbury • Nursery • Big Ben • The Second Star to the Right • Neverland • Neverland Jungle • The Jolly Roger • Mermaid Lagoon • Skull Rock • Indian Camp • Hangman's Tree
Songs
Peter Pan:The Second Star to the Right • You Can Fly • A Pirate's Life (Is a Wonderful Life) • Following the Leader • What Made the Red Man Red? • Your Mother and Mine • The Elegant Captain Hook • Never Smile at a Crocodile
Return to Never Land:I'll Try • Here We Go Another Plan • So to Be One of Us Deleted:The Pirate Song • The Boatswain Song • I'll Give You One Guess Remake:All Grown Up • Behemooth • Ode to the Falling
Books:Once Upon a Time: Shadow of the Queen • Once Upon a Time: Out of the Past • Once Upon a Time: Red's Untold Tale • Once Upon a Time: Regina Rising
Season One: "Pilot" • "The Thing You Love Most" • "Snow Falls" • "The Price of Gold" • "That Still Small Voice" • "The Shepherd" • "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" • "Desperate Souls" • "True North" • "7:15 A.M." • "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" • "Skin Deep" • "What Happened to Frederick" • "Dreamy" • "Red-Handed" • "Heart of Darkness" • "Hat Trick" • "The Stable Boy" • "The Return" • "The Stranger" • "An Apple Red as Blood" • "A Land Without Magic"
Season Two: "Broken" • "We Are Both" • "Lady of the Lake" • "The Crocodile" • "The Doctor" • "Tallahassee" • "Child of the Moon" • "Into the Deep" • "Queen of Hearts" • "The Cricket Game" • "The Outsider" • "In the Name of the Brother" • "Tiny" • "Manhattan" • "The Queen Is Dead" • "The Miller's Daughter" • "Welcome to Storybrooke" • "Selfless, Brave and True" • "Lacey" • "The Evil Queen" • "Second Star to the Right" • "And Straight On 'Til Morning" Season Three: "The Heart of the Truest Believer" • "Lost Girl" • "Quite a Common Fairy" • "Nasty Habits" • "Good Form" • "Ariel" • "Dark Hollow" • "Think Lovely Thoughts" • "Save Henry" • "The New Neverland" • "Going Home" • "New York City Serenade" • "Witch Hunt" • "The Tower" • "Quiet Minds" • "It's Not Easy Being Green" • "The Jolly Roger" • "Bleeding Through" • "A Curious Thing" • "Kansas" • "Snow Drifts" • "There's No Place Like Home" Season Four: "A Tale of Two Sisters" • "White Out" • "Rocky Road" • "The Apprentice" • "Breaking Glass" • "Family Business" • "The Snow Queen" • "Smash the Mirror" • "Fall" • "Shattered Sight" • "Heroes and Villains" • "Darkness on the Edge of Town" • "Unforgiven" • "Enter the Dragon" • "Poor Unfortunate Soul" • "Best Laid Plans" • "Heart of Gold" • "Sympathy for the De Vil" • "Lily" • "Mother" • "Operation Mongoose" Season Five: "The Dark Swan" • "The Price" • "Siege Perilous" • "The Broken Kingdom" • "Dreamcatcher" • "The Bear and the Bow" • "Nimue" • "Birth" • "The Bear King" • "Broken Heart" • "Swan Song" • "Souls of the Departed" • "Labor of Love" • "Devil's Due" • "The Brothers Jones" • "Our Decay" • "Her Handsome Hero" • "Ruby Slippers" • "Sisters" • "Firebird" • "Last Rites" • "Only You" • "An Untold Story" Season Six: "The Savior" • "A Bitter Draught" • "The Other Shoe" • "Strange Case" • "Street Rats" • "Dark Waters" • "Heartless" • "I'll Be Your Mirror" • "Changelings" • "Wish You Were Here" • "Tougher Than the Rest" • "Murder Most Foul • "Ill-Boding Patterns" • "Page 23" • "A Wondrous Place" • "Mother's Little Helper" • "Awake" • "Where Bluebirds Fly" • "The Black Fairy" • "The Song in Your Heart" • "The Final Battle" Season Seven: "Hyperion Heights" • "A Pirate's Life"• "The Garden of Forking Paths" • "Beauty" • "Greenbacks" • "Wake Up Call" • "Eloise Gardener" • "Pretty in Blue" • "One Little Tear" • "The Eighth Witch" • "Secret Garden" • "A Taste of the Heights" • "Knightfall" • "The Girl in the Tower" • "Sisterhood" • "Breadcrumbs" • "Chosen" • "The Guardian" • "Flower Child" • "Is This Henry Mills?" • "Homecoming" • "Leaving Storybrooke"
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: "Down the Rabbit Hole" • "Trust Me" • "Forget Me Not" • "The Serpent" • "Heart of Stone" • "Who's Alice?" • "Bad Blood" • "Home" • "Nothing to Fear" • "Dirty Little Secrets" • "Heart of the Matter" • "To Catch a Thief" • "And They Lived..."
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Wonderland Castle • The Mad Hatter's House • White Rabbit's House • Underland • Tulgey Wood Both series:Storybrooke • Maine • Enchanted Forest • Forbidden Fortress • Wonderland • Wonderland Maze • Agrabah • Sherwood Forest • The Sultan's Palace
Objects
Once Upon a Time: Once Upon a Time (Book) • Red Riding Hood • Maleficent's Staff • Magic Wand • Glass Slipper • Poisoned Apple • Spinning Wheel • Magic Lamp • Dark One's Dagger • Chipped Cup • Jefferson's Hat • Magic Beans • Captain Hook's Hooks • Enchanted Candle • Pixie Dust • Dreamshade • Salad Fork • Pandora's Box • Silver Slippers • Sorcerer Hat • Enchanted Broom • Trident • Enchanted Shell • Heroes and Villains (Book) • Merida's Bow • Magical Rose • Excalibur • Olympian Crystal • Cinderella's Dress • Golden Scarab Beetle • Rapunzel's Frying Pan • Magical Golden Flower • Shrinking Potion • Floating Lanterns • Tarot Cards • Maui's Fish Hook
Original Songs:Powerful Magic • The Queen Sings • Love Doesn't Stand a Chance • Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine • Wicked Always Wins • Charmings vs. Evil Queen • Emma's Theme • A Happy Beginning
Jake and the Never Land Pirates (Episode List) • Playing with Skully • Peter Pan Returns • Jake Saves Bucky • Never Land Rescue • Battle for the Book • The Great Never Sea Conquest • The Legion of Pirate Villains • Disney Junior Storybook Collection • Disney Junior Little Golden Book Library • Disney Junior DJ Shuffle • Disney Junior DJ Shuffle 2
Characters
Jake • Izzy • Cubby • Skully • Marina • Captain Hook • Mr. Smee • Sharky and Bones • Tick-Tock the Crocodile • Pirate Princess • Bucky • Winger • Wise Old Parrot • Mama Hook • Captain Flynn • Peter Pan • Never Bird • Octopus • Lucille the Seal • Red Jessica • Sandy • Monkey • Patch the Pirate Pup • Peter's Shadow • Stormy • The Sea Witch • Percy the Penguin • Misty the Wonderful Witch • Blinky • Brightly the Firefly • Cecilia • Purple Octopus • Snappy the Hermit Crab • The Seahorses • Camille • Gilly the Goldfish • Dragon • Sasha • Rosie • Ice Ogre • Slippery Serpent • Slink • Slink's Mother • Beatrice Le Beak • Fast Claw • Pip the Pirate Genie • The Sing-Songbird • Mermaids • Cornica • Flow the Dolphin • Golden Crocodile • Golden Squid • Harry • Tinker Bell • Queen Coralie • Bouncing Bumble Queen • Pirate Mummy • Captain Gizmo • King Crab • First-Mate Mollie • Brewster the Beast Trapper • The Singing Stones • Nanny Nell • Sand Serpent • Ogre Princess • Captain Treasure Tooth • Peg-Leg Peg • Wendy Darling • John Darling • Michael Darling • Nana • Finn the Mer-Boy • Electric Storm Eel • ShiverJack • Captain Buzzard Bones • Pearl the Penguin • Zongo the Pirate Monkey King • Lord Fathom • Strake • Top Bird • Swifty • Eagle-Eye • Talon • Grim Buccaneer • The Groogar • Captain Wraith • Dr. Undergear • Captain Chen • Chief Molta • Captain Colossus • Wildfire
Locations
Pirate Island • Crocodile Creek • Neverland • The Jolly Roger • Mermaid Lagoon • Skull Rock • Tiki Forest • Crimson Isle • Island of Bell • Seahorse Shallows • Doubloon Lagoon • Pirate Princess Island • Chi-Chi-Chilly Canyon • Sailor's Swamp • Stink Pot Swamp • Skybird Island • Ha-Ha Hedges • Cattail Chasm • Pirate Putt-Putt Course • Batwing Bog • Windy Cove • Have a Banana Grove • Cranberry Bog • Butterfly Bluff • Coral Cove • Pirate's Plunge • Skull and Bones Rock • Sandbar Straits • The Pirate Pumpkin Patch • Blue Whale Way • Big Tree Forest • City of Gold • Never Land Desert • Fountain of Forever • Buccaneer's Bluff • Birdbath Bluff • Shipwreck Rock • Pirate Rock • Hidden Cove • Basketball court • Crystal Tunnel • Shipwreck Beach • Never Land Jungle • Never Peak • Belch Mountain • Valley of Shadows • Pirate Pyramid • Never Sea Twin Tunnel • Never Falls • Big Bug Valley • Rainbow Falls • Forever Tree • Buccaneer Bird Bluff • King Crab Island • Neptune City • Fa-La-La Falls • Pegleg Pond • Tiptoe Pass • London • Bloomsbury, England, UK • Big Ben • Nursery • Hangman's Tree • The Second Star to the Right
Songs
Yo Ho, Let's Go! • Yo Ho Mateys, Away • Well Done Crew • Aw Coconuts • Never Land Pirate Band • Captain Hook is a Cranky Crook • Castaway On Pirate Island • Hot Lava • Pirate Password • Bucky's Shanty • Roll Up the Map • What's Cookin' Smee? • Never Sky • Tick Tock Croc • Shipwreck Shuffle • Talk Like A Pirate • Trick or Treasure • Peter's Pirate Team • Blast You Peter Pan • I Can't Fly • Here We Go Yo Ho • I Can Fly • A Friend in Never Land • Belay • Hook's Hooks • Gold Doubloons • Work to Get Bucky • Our Ship Be Better • Hook on Ice! • Mama Hook • Pirate Rock Recipe • The Codfish Reel • Jolly Roger • Me Pirate Mom • Rattle Yer Bones • Hook's Hookity-Hook! • Spyglass • Putt Putt • The Legend of the Golden Smee • Where the Rainbow Lands • Pirate Island Hideout • Sea Legs • Swamp Stomp • Tiki Tree Limbo • Blue as the Deep Blue Sea • Fetch that Pirate Pup • Hammock Song • King Crab • Sneaky Le Beak • Down in the Bubbly Blue • Lead the Way Jake • What Be Your Treasure Wish • What Be Your Treasure Wish (Reprise) • Runaway Kitty • Sneezy Genie • X • Starfish Serenade • London Ahoy • Never Land Ahoy • Little Lobster Girl • Walkin' the Plank • Golden Tree • I'm a Pirate Princess • Destroy the Book • Bucky Will Be Mine • The Legendary Captain Flynn • What Makes a Hero • Hail to the Legion of Pirate Villains • Once Upon a Time
Other
The Forever Sword • Pixie Dust • Team Treasure Chest • Fairy Rock • Rainbow Wand • Captain Hook's Hooks • Sword of Destiny • Never Sands of Time • Mega-Mecha Sword • The Golden Smee • Heart of Coldness • Crocodile Crown