‘Daredevil: Born Again’ might’ve just given us our first look at the MCU’s newest legacy superhero

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 3.

Daredevil: Born Again is mostly preoccupied with resurrecting the past, but it’s also doing its bit to expand the MCU and further the future of the franchise, as well. The show’s two-part premiere introduced yet another New York-based vigilante into the universe, for starters, in the form of Hector Alvarez aka White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes).

Hector’s storyline continues in episode 3, “The Hollow of His Hand,” in which Matt Murdock defends him in court following his arrest in episode 2 for supposedly killing a cop. In a tense bit of courtroom drama, everything goes against Hector and his defense case until Matt goes for broke and outs him as the White Tiger in the middle of the trial. On the back of this, he’s able to convince the jury of Hector’s innocence and honorable nature. Spoilers incoming!

Although Hector is allowed to walk, he finds that he can’t put his alter ego behind him and suits up as White Tiger that very night to fight crime. In a final tragic twist, he is immediately shot in the head by someone wearing the Punisher’s logo (no doubt one of the Frank Castle fanboy cops littered throughout the narrative). That may seem like the end of White Tiger in the MCU, but episode 3 actually already paves the way for Hector’s replacement(s).

Did Daredevil: Born Again just introduce Ava Ayala?

During his interrogation on the witness stand, Hector mentions his home life, telling the court: “My wife and I, we, uh, live with my sister and my niece.” This will immediately prick up the ears of any comic book readers watching as both Hector’s niece and his sister have taken up his mantle of White Tiger in the source material. In fact, they are arguably the much more popular iterations of the hero.

#DaredevilBornAgain references both Angela Del Toro and Ava Ayala: The Fourth and Fifth incarnation of The White Tiger pic.twitter.com/RUOGelb0lz

— The MontyVerse (@TheMontyVerse) March 12, 2025

On the page, Angela Del Toro succeeded her uncle as White Tiger and became the most definitive incarnation of the character for the longest time, even earning her own solo comic series in 2006. Come 2011, her aunt Ava was introduced to take over as the Tiger, with Ava becoming more of a team player, joining the likes of the Mighty Avengers and the New Avengers over the years. She’s also the version most known to TV viewers, thanks to her prominent role in Disney cartoon Ultimate Spider-Man.

Although you might expect it to be the other way around, Angela is actually much closer in age to Hector than his sister, as Ava is typically portrayed as a teenager. Given that, fans are pretty sure that the unnamed young woman depicted with the Ayalas during the trial might be our first glimpse at the MCU’s Ava. Does this mean she’s going to be our next White Tiger instead of Angela?

Looks like we might be getting Ava Ayala as the new White Tiger 👀#DaredevilBornAgain #Daredevil pic.twitter.com/zqjjnL1cSU

— 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵 (@JaceTheDon_) March 12, 2025

Honestly, this is tricky to say. Seeing as Born Again has numerous characters to juggle across both the rest of its first season and its second (which is currently shooting), there may not be room to introduce another White Tiger. The ambiguity over whether this person is Ava or not may also be deliberate, leaving Marvel free to do whatever it likes with the character in the future — maybe even casting Jenna Ortega, as old rumors once alleged was happening.

Either way, White Tiger has a good shot of becoming a legacy hero in the MCU even after just a two-episode appearance. Fans immediately took Hector into their hearts, which is a testament to de los Reyes’ immense talent. With the actor sadly passing away since Born Again wrapped filming, it’s heartening to know that he made an impact on this franchise that may still be felt for years to come.