Who is Marvel's White Tiger? Daredevil: The Hero Reborn, Explained

The first trailer for Daredevil: Born Again brings Matt “Daredevil” Murdoch (Charlie Cox) and Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) Front and center in the Marvel Cinematic Universe mix after their stints as supporting characters on various Disney+ MCU shows. While the pair have a surprisingly friendly lunchtime chat about the former's retirement as a vigilante and the latter's political ambitions, the trailer makes no attempt to hide their potential return to their classic superhero and villain roles. This effect is further enhanced by brief teases of other costumed characters, including a particularly classic Marvel figure that has yet to appear in the MCU.

At 1:35 in the trailer, we see a man in a white suit and full face mask, clearly preparing for a hard day (or more likely night) of street-level vigilantism. His decorative tiger pendant reveals that we are looking at none other than the White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes).

The White Tiger, or Hector Ayala, made his comic book debut in 1975 and is notable for being Marvel's first Latino superhero. While it remains to be seen how Daredevil: Born Again approaches the character, his publishing history gives him the potential to become one of the most interesting parts of the MCU — which he hopefully will be, given that De los is in the role. Reyes last. The actor died at the end of 2023 at the age of 56.

In the comics, Hector Ayala is a college student who discovers a three-part amulet that grants him the power of an ancient being, the Tiger God. He becomes a superhero, but this career decision costs him anonymity and ultimately his entire family. A recurring theme in his career is that several vigilantes, loved ones, and the authorities think he's a murderer, so he still has to clear his name while fighting both crime and crime fighters. One of the wrong accusations against Ayala sends him on a collision course with Daredevil and ends extremely badly, and this particular arc seems to be one that “Daredevil: Born Again” is likely to adapt. If the MCU chooses to take things in this direction, you can expect the storyline to be one of the most emotionally devastating on the show.

In terms of power, the printed version of the White Tiger is no slouch. The amulet greatly enhances all of his senses and physical attributes and provides him with a reasonably effective healing factor. He's also a decent fighter, making him a serious threat thanks to his abilities. Some versions of the character also depict White Tiger as a superhero persona adopted by different generations of the Ayal family.

Time will tell if his powers will rely on his amulet in “Daredevil: Born Again” or if they will be the same as in the comics — after all, live-action versions of characters like Maya “Echo” Lopez (Alaqua Cox) ) and Kamala “Ms. Marvel's Khan (Iman Vellani) has very different power sets than their comic book counterparts. Expect to hear more about the MCU version of the White Tiger on March 4 when “Daredevil: Born Again” arrives on Disney+.