Daredevil: Born Again’s first two episodes introduce us to Hector Ayala, better known as the White Tiger. It wasn’t a secret that this vigilante Marvel character, played by the late Kamar de los Reyes, would make an appearance in this series. But it wasn’t clear how he’d fit into Matt Murdock’s world until now. Here’s what happens with the White Tiger in Daredevil: Born Again.
Episode one reveals via the news that there’s more than one vigilante defending NYC. In addition to Daredevil, the people really love a hero who is called the White Tiger. He’s dressed as, well, a white tiger, and takes down baddies in the city. Outside of that, we don’t really see him in action. The show’s first episode focuses on the aftermath of Foggy Nelson’s death and Wilson Fisk’s mayoral run.
In episode two, we meet a man named Hector Ayala who gets into the worst of situations. He breaks up what appears to be two guys beating another dude up on a subway platform. In the midst of the brawl, one of the bad guys gets flung into a speeding train. Matt Murdock goes to visit him and, after a little check in with Hector’s heart rate, knows that this guy didn’t intentionally kill anyone.
What makes it super bad is that the two assailants are both NYC cops who were out of uniform. The third guy, later IDed as Nicky Torres, is MIA, so there’s no one to help corroborate Ayala’s version of events. That means Hector has the ultimate cards against him in so many ways. The poor guy is suffering from frequent beatings in Rikers Island because he’s a “cop killer.” So, taking on Hector’s case is not going to win Matt points with the police.
He gets Cherry to dig into Hector’s life a bit. It doesn’t take long to connect the dots that Hector is also the White Tiger. The trial gets underway and Matt meets with the judge and his opposition to insist that Hector’s vigilante identity not be a part of the trial to cause more unjust bias. The judge agrees and now Matt can focus on trying to find the one witness that can help this case and get him to safety, which he does with a little brawling in the mix.
In episode three, Matt Murdock is fighting for his life in the courtroom on Hector’s behalf. Poor Hector simply wants to make his way back to his family and perhaps return to his favorite beach from his home country of Puerto Rico. Things don’t look too good when Murdock brings in Nicky Torres, only for him to become afraid in front the officers in the courtroom and lie about what really happened. Instead, Matt breaks protocol and reveals that Hector is the White Tiger.
He uses this to bring in people whom Hector helped as the White Tiger and even brings up statements from police officers about the vigilante’s assistance. Hector isn’t happy about this big swing but ultimately it works. Hector Ayala is found not guilty on all charges and is a free man. Despite Matt telling him that he cannot be the White Tiger anymore for safety reasons, he goes back and dons the suit anyway.
The episode ends with Hector being shot in the head while wearing his White Tiger suit. Scarily, it is a person who is wearing a vest with the Punisher’s symbol on it. We know that is isn’t Frank Castle because, well, he has no reason to punish Hector. It is likely a police office exacting revenge. The death of Hector Ayala in Daredevil: Born Again is exceptionally sad considering the actor’s death shortly after filming from cancer. It is likely that, while filming those scenes longing for joy on the beach, that Kamar de los Reyes was in the midst of his own personal health crisis. He was phenomenal in this role and will be missed.
As far as the White Tiger, Hector’s death doesn’t mean this hero is gone forever. It is possible for another person in his family or from the Puerto Rican community in NYC to take up the mantle. No matter what, Matt will now have to uncover who killed Hector and grapple with this loss.
Originally published on March 4, 2025.
The post DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN Introduces Another Vigilante Into the Mix for a Sad Storyline appeared first on Nerdist.
Source: Kiat Media
0 Comments