Daredevil: Born Again Episode 3’s Shock Death Sets Up a Major MCU Hero

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

Marvel isn’t skimping on the tragedy when it comes to Daredevil: Born Again. Only three episodes into its nine-episode freshman season, the body count is already starting to pile up. Having already waved goodbye to Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson, another major player bowed out early when Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) was gunned down following his trial. The real-life passing of Reyes had fans questioning how Born Again would handle the character’s arc, with many correctly guessing the writers would follow in the footsteps of Hector’s murder on the pages of 2003’s Daredevil Vol. 2 #40.

While some expected the MCU’s live-action Hector Ayala to be killed off in the Born Again‘s finale to potentially make way for the next White Tiger in season 2, episode 3 “The Hollow of His Hand” sees Ayala gunned down by someone masquerading as Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, aka the Punisher. While it’s clear there’s more to his murder, and it seems like an easy way for a vengeful Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) to push his anti-vigilante agenda, don’t expect the MCU to be without a White Tiger for long.

Even though Hector Ayala was Marvel Comics’ first White Tiger, the mantle and his Jade Tiger amulets have changed hands several times over the years. Daredevil: Born Again introduces two potential replacements, with Hector’s sister and niece both appearing at his trial. When grilled on the stand, Hector said he’d been helping get a studio apartment ready for his sister the night he got into a fight with a pair of crooked cops. Saying that he and his wife had been living with his family, the camera pans over to who we assume are Ava Ayala and Angela Del Toro. Despite neither being named in the episode’s credits, Hector’s niece (Angela) and his younger sister (Ava) have been known as the fourth and fifth versions of the White Tiger. Mirroring the events of Born Again, comic book Hector was shot following a trial for a murder he didn’t commit, although that version was accidentally killed by security guards shortly before evidence proving his innocence came to light. 

In the aftermath of Hector Ayala’s death, Angela del Toro became the White Tiger. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and first appearing in 2004’s Daredevil #58, Angela was a former FBI agent who’d be assigned to the Daredevil case and was reluctantly pulled into the life of the White Tiger after inheriting her uncle’s amulets. Considering Bendis is credited as a producer on Born Again, her stepping up as the next White Tiger seems like the most likely option. This wouldn’t be the first time the MCU has acknowledged Angela, as way back in Jessica Jones season 1, Krysten Ritter’s lead promoted her “reasonable” rates and private investigator skills to Luke Cage (Mike Colter). The ages and timelines don’t match up with the young girl seen in Born Again, so this might have to be one of those MCU plot holes we gloss over. 

Elsewhere, “The Hollow of His Hand” could give us our first look at Ava Ayala. A slightly more recent addition to Marvel Comics, Ava Ayala debuted in 2011’s Avengers Academy #20 as a student of the Avengers Academy who’d gone to live with her sister after her parents were murdered by Gideon Mace. Ava was reinvented as Hector’s daughter for the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, and here, she became a fan-favorite addition to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s training program for teenage heroes as she served alongside Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Power Man, and Nova. Going against the idea of Ava being the next White Tiger, the woman shown as Hector’s sister in Born Again looks older than the character’s typical teenage depiction in the comics. Then again, who’s to say Hector doesn’t have more than one sister, meaning the mystery woman seen in the courtroom isn’t Ava Ayala, leaving room for more high-profile casting coming further down the line?

No matter who becomes the inevitable next White Tiger, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) training up a young vigilante to make up for exposing Hector’s identity in open court seems like a logical way to go. The Young Avengers roster is looking a little too packed for Angela del Toro right now, and while Born Again has seemingly debunked the popular theory that Jenna Ortega could be playing Ava Ayala in the MCU (for now), either of these White Tigers could have an important future in season 2 and beyond. The repercussions of Hector’s murder are sure to be felt, with a clip from the season suggesting Castle will be less than happy being accused of pulling the trigger. Even though we didn’t get to see much of White Tiger before his untimely death, something tells us his amulet will soon have a new owner. 

New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again premiere Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.

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