Daredevil: Born Again- Is White Tiger Related to Black Panther in the MCU? Hector Ayala’s Superpowers, Explored

Marvel Television’s highly anticipated superhero series, Daredevil: Born Again, created by Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord, stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Kamar de los Reyes, Jon Bernthal, and more. The series is a revival and continuation of Daredevil, which premiered on Netflix from 2015 to 2018.

Daredevil: Born Again premiered on Disney+ with the first two episodes and has received a positive response. The story picks up several years after the events of Daredevil and a year after Matt Murdock stopped his activities as Daredevil. The Born Again series features new heroes and villains, and one of those faces is Hector Ayala, a.k.a. the White Tiger.

Daredevil: Born Again introduces Marvel’s first Latino superhero, Hector Ayala, a.k.a. The White Tiger

Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again premiered with the first two episodes on Disney+ on March 4, 2025. Where the audience seemed to have enjoyed the return of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock after seven long years, critics had a mixed reaction. However, they believe that the following episodes can change their views.

The series introduced Hector Ayala/The White Tiger, who is regarded as Marvel’s first Latino superhero, and is played by the late actor Kamar de los Reyes. The vigilante has enhanced abilities granted by the Jade Tiger amulet, which includes speed, agility, strength, durability, accelerated healing, and inherent mastery of martial arts with no training. This reportedly adds a whole new layer to the street-level heroes connecting to Daredevil’s world.

It is known that the White Tiger is a separate entity that takes over Hector Ayala’s body unknowingly but later combines the two personas, thus becoming a distinguished crime-fighter. It has also been known that the introduction of the White Tiger in Daredevil: Born Again echoes a shift in how the MCU handles street-level heroes compared to Netflix’s Daredevil, which reportedly downplayed the supernatural elements in favor of more grounded, realistic interpretations.

Characters with mystical backgrounds often had their origins reimagined with pseudo-scientific explanations or had their powers toned down. In Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock takes over the case of Hector Ayala after he was wrongfully accused of killing a cop who tripped and fell in the subway. Charlie Cox shared with NBC News,

Kamar did such a beautiful job. There was so much humanity in his performance. He brought so much of his culture to the character, as well. I really wish he had the chance to watch his performance in it because I think it’s going to be iconic.

It should be noted that the White Tiger has different incarnations: Kasper Cole, Angela Del Toro, and Ava Ayala, including Hector Ayala. Talking about White Tiger’s connection with Black Panther, according to Features First, Kasper Cole, who debuted in Black Panther Vol. 3 #50 in 2002, was the White Tiger only by name, as he impersonated Black Panther with no powers. He ended up receiving the heart-shaped herb, after which he became the White Tiger.

Cole did not have any amulet, which makes him different from other White Tiger incarnations. Erik Killmonger gives the heart-shaped herb to Cole, which gives him the power, unlike other incarnations who receive them because of the amulet.

Charlie Cox was keen on bringing White Tiger’s story to Daredevil: Born Again

In speaking further with NBC, Charlie Cox, who portrays Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil on-screen, shared that he was keen on bringing Hector Ayala’s story to the screen. He said,

When I first got this role in 2014 and I started reading Daredevil comics for the first time, one of the storylines that I really responded to early on was the trial of the White Tiger. It’s so fascinating to witness a character like Matt Murdock, a lawyer and also a superhero, defend another superhero.

Author and comic book scholar Frederick Luis Aldama shared with NBC News that the introduction of White Tiger was a shift in Marvel’s showcasing Latino characters. He added that the White Tiger was not a stereotypical character, he had complexity, and it went on to naturalize the way Latinos speak.

Cox shared with Blavity that the trial of the White Tiger is such an iconic piece of Daredevil comics, and he has always loved that storyline. He noted that he was so excited that they were finally going to bring that storyline to reality. The actor went on to praise the late actor Kamar de los Reyes, noting that he is just wonderful in the role.

Kamar de los Reyes passed away in 2023 after filming the series, which makes Hector Ayala his last. Cox continued that the storyline is close to him because it is going to portray Matt Murdock defending a man who did something or was involved in something as a vigilante that he himself has experienced. That persona took the most important things in Murdock’s life, so it’s a complicated circumstance.

Daredevil: Born Again is streaming on Disney+.