Played by Kamar de los Reyes, the character of Hector Ayala became an overnight sensation after appearing in the Daredevil: Born Again premiere. Matt Murdock stepped in to defend the Good Samaritan, not knowing he was secretly the vigilante White Tiger. This seemingly improbable coincidence was born of a history between the two characters in the original Marvel Comics.
Hector Ayala/White Tiger a historic hero
White Tiger first appeared in 1975’s Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist George Pérez, Hector Ayala was originally created to capitalize on the popularity of martial arts at the time. However, he is also notable as Marvel‘s first Hispanic superhero.
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Hector Ayala moved to New York to study at ESU. It was here he stumbled across three magical amulets. Worn together, the amulets transformed Hector into the White Tiger.
Hector Ayala later learned the full history of the amulets, which were forged from the severed head and paws of a mystic jade tiger. Afterwards, the amulets empowered a group called the Sons of the Tiger. It was they who abandoned the amulets, leaving them for Hector Ayala to find.
As the White Tiger, Hector Ayala enjoyed enhanced strength, agility, and healing. The amulets also conferred a mastery of all martial arts. Finally, the amulets allowed Hector to magically manifest his costume.
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Hector fought alongside other street-level heroes in Manhattan, including Daredevil and Spider-Man. He continued to fight crime after his secret identity was exposed, retiring only after realizing he had become addicted to his powers. Unfortunately, he gave in to his addiction and returned to action, only to be wrongly accused of murder and shot while trying to escape prison.
This history seems likely to repeat itself in Daredevil: Born Again. Hector Ayala’s death came about in 2003’s Daredevil #40, as Matt Murdock was acting as his attorney. It remains to be seen, however, if his niece or sister will take on the White Tiger mantle, as in the comics.
Daredevil: Born Again Episodes 1 & 2 are now streaming on Disney+.
