With Kamar de los Reyes donning the mask of White Tiger in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1, the character is put in the spotlight. White Tiger isn’t the most famous character on Marvel’s roster, but he is a cult hero that stands heavily against injustice. He is a historically significant figure for multiple reasons, a tragic figure, and a representative of an enormous, multi-generational legacy. Here’s everything you need to know about White Tiger.
Who is the White Tiger?
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Hector Ayala, aka White Tiger, was first seen in Deadly Hands Of Kung-Fu #19, created by Bill Mantlo, Yvette Perez and George Perez. Appearing in the final pages, a conflict between the Sons of the Tiger team of fighters led to one of their White Tiger amulets being tossed aside. Empire State University student Hector came across the Amulet and picked it up, suddenly gaining the powers it bestowed. He now possessed enhanced speed, strength, and senses. Ayala wasn’t a trained fighter, but the Amulet allowed him to take on common criminals easily.
When Hetor donned the White Tiger costume, he became Marvel’s first Latino superhero. Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu is not the most culturally sensitive series, but it attempted a level of diversity. That diversity and those characters were primarily built from cliches and stereotypes. Hector appeared in the second story of Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu until the book ended. And in it, a recurring theme started to appear. Ayala was often mistaken and misjudged. Two heroes, Prowler and Jack of Hearts, believed he was a murderer of two separate victims. Of course, these misunderstandings were soon rectified and led to team-ups, but that notion of not trusting the hero and casting aspersions about him would have many issues in the future.
What were the White Tiger’s most famous storylines?
White Tiger bounced between appearing in individual series until he appeared in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man. Again, he found himself mistaken for a criminal. A fascinating part of White Tiger’s emergence in that series, starting with Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #9, is how the racial issues became more aware and less insulting, flipping to being supportive and protective.
Spider-Man stumbles on a college riot, where marginalized students lose programs that help them study while the administration protects valuable artifacts for vanity reasons. All of a sudden, the arguments resonated decades later with terrifying accuracy. It’s the first time White Tiger is seen as a figure of protest and rebellion.
Ayala becomes a recurring character in that particular series, being put through immense trials and tribulations that ultimately take their toll. Hector’s identity is revealed on live television, blowing his cover and ruining relationships. And then his whole family is brutally murdered. After this, Hector gives up the entire career, abandoning the identity, crime fighting, and disappears for years. Decades even.
How did the White Tiger die?
When White Tiger resurfaces, it is only for a brief and devastating period. Putting on the costume once more in Daredevil #38 (2002), Hector tries to stop a robbery and gets framed for the murder of a police officer. Even with Daredevil’s help and a fierce defense in his trial, Ayala is found guilty. In a fit of rage and moment of madness, a distraught Hector tries to escape and is shot at the top of the court steps. It’s an incredibly bleak and tragic end to a hero who seemed always to spend his time getting caught up in the wrong thing and accused of being something he wasn’t.
Is the White Tiger one of a kind?
That wasn’t the last of the White Tiger identity. The White Tiger Amulet got passed down to two different family members. Angela Del Toro was first in line, inheriting the Amulet from her uncle. Angela became quite an important figure in street-level storylines. She was the first to get a White Tiger series of her own, and later became a villain after being corrupted by the Hand.
Hector’s sister, Ava Ayala, has also appeared in multiple animated shows and video games. She was in the Avengers Academy and part of Luke Cage’s Mighty Avengers. In recent years, she has become the most notable version of the White Tiger.
What does the White Tiger Amulet do?
The effects of Amulet on its users have evolved over the years to reflect the era. Hector was all about martial arts, created in the 70s in a kung-fu comic. He was stronger and faster, making him a formidable fighter. Ayala wasn’t trained like Shang-Chi and Iron Fist but relied on how the Amulet changed him. But later stories focused on the Amulet’s magical and spiritual side for Angela, especially Ava. The tiger became much more important, with the God that imbues it with power then able to possess its wearer.
White Tiger is a fascinating superhero because the legacy has outlasted the original character. Hector is now seen as an inspirational figure, someone who was mistreated by the system whilst serving as an icon for Latino heroes who followed his example. But his actual appearance numbers aren’t massive. However, the quality and Hector’s actions were more important. His family continued that legacy and changed much of the mythos.
Even the design of White Tiger in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 takes inspiration from later costumes than the original. Hector’s costume was white, while the new version has black stripes that only appeared in later representations of his family’s outfits. It will be interesting to see how White Tiger is adapted further.
Daredevil: Born Again airs Tuesday nights at 9 pm ET on Disney+.
