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.
