Daredevil: Born Again will soon be hitting the screens with its first season, bringing forward the original fan-favorite cast, and the buzz surrounding it couldn’t be louder than ever. Not only is it expected to deliver some really epic action fight sequences, but even new characters will be debuting in the saga, like the iconic White Tiger from the comics.
At the recently held D23 event, the series’ first trailer brought about that Hector Ayala, the original White Tiger, will be seen in the show. However, Kamar de los Reyes, the actor cast for this role, passed away last year. Does this mean that Ava Ayala, his fifth incarnation, could take on his mantle and finally make her MCU debut?
Daredevil: Born Again: Could Fans Expect to See Ava Ayala?
According to reports by Den of Geek, in the exclusively premiered teaser of Daredevil: Born Again at the D23 event, Kamar de los Reyes’ Hector Ayala was seen locked up in a perfectly comic-accurate suit of the character, verifying that this version of the White Tiger will most certainly be seen in the upcoming 2025 scheduled series.
However, what’s worth noticing is that Reyes passed last year in December 2023 due to cancer, as per reports from @MCUFilmNews on X. That ostensibly means that the only appearance of Reyes as Hector would be seen in this series. This further hints that Marvel will either have to recast the character or just bring about the next one in line.
To be more precise, if another actor doesn’t get cast in the respective role, then Marvel may as well have decided to bring forth Ava Ayala, the fifth incarnation of the character, finally picking up the mantle and debuting in live-action. And although this hasn’t been officially confirmed, there’s a high chance it ends up happening.
Earlier this year, rumors came up along with set images from Born Again claiming that a dirty cop posing as The Punisher shoots the White Tiger in the head, killing him on the spot. This wasn’t confirmed, of course. Nonetheless, if this scene makes its way onto the show, it could mean that some other incarnation will be continuing the character’s legacy.
Needless to say, all of this is pointing toward the fact that the chances for Ava’s debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are more likely now than ever before. At the same time, it is also worth noting that Angela del Toro, Hector’s niece and yet another mantle holder of the character, could also be put first to make her debut before Ava, as happens in the comics.
That said, nothing can be said for sure about the character’s future in the MCU. Nonetheless, fans aren’t giving up on their hopes to see the female incarnations of the Latino superhero soon arriving in the live-action saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—preferably even through the forthcoming Born Again series itself.
Fans are Desperate to See What Gets Made of the White Tiger
Assuming Marvel doesn’t recast Hector Ayala and chooses to leave him for the dead (as per the rumored set images), it would truly be unfortunate for the character. At the same time, it would bring forth opportunities for other incarnations of the character to finally make their live-action debuts as well, setting the bar high for excitement.
To say the least, this turn of events has fans wondering what could truly be made of the character in the near future. While some are expecting Hector to get recast, others are hoping Ava gets brought down to business. All in all, taking to X, here’s how they’re reacting to the same:
With all of this being put out there, the hype surrounding the character is indeed incredibly high. Of course, another viable option is recasting the character as well as bringing about Ava or Angela right by his side to join the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen in his fight against the lurking villains in the dark.
But nothing can be said for sure, so fans might as well not get their hopes up too high.
Daredevil: Born Again currently holds a release window of March 2025.
