Warning: This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.
Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the director ofDaredevil: Born Againepisode 4, has revealed that one scene that didn’t end up in the final cut of the episode would have teased the emergence of the new White Tiger in theMCU. WhileDaredevil: Born Againhas marked the return of several familiar faces from Netflix’s Defenders Saga, the new Phase 5 series has also debuted brand-new MCU characters. One of the most exciting new additions has been the vigilante known asWhite Tiger, originally the late Kamar de los Reyes' Hector Ayala.
Kamar de los Reyes delivered a remarkable performanceas Hector Ayala in the first few episodes ofDaredevil: Born Again, culminating in his acquittal and subsequent murder in episode 3, “The Hollow of His Hand.“Episode 4, “Sic Semper Systema,” dealt directly with Hector Ayala’s death, and saw the White Tiger costume and mystical amulet bagged up, but it seems it might not stay that way for long. Marvel Studios has teased two possible newcandidates to become the next White Tiger, but it’s unclear which hero will emerge inDaredevil: Born Again.
There Are Two New MCU Characters Who Could Become White Tiger After Hector Ayala
Hector Ayala’s Legacy Can Be Continued In Daredevil: Born Again
Hector Ayala is the first character to assume the White Tiger moniker in Marvel Comics, using his mystical amulet to attain cat-like abilities and superhuman powers.While the next two White Tigers didn’t use amulets, and were empowered in other ways, Hector Ayala’s direct successor was his niece, Angela del Toro. Young actor Camila Rodriguez has appeared asAngela del Toro inDaredevil: Born Again, but her Marvel Comics successor as White Tiger, her aunt, Ava Ayala, has also been teased in the MCU.
In Marvel Comics, Angela del Toro is an adult when she inherits her uncle’s amulet and becomes the White Tiger.Her reduced age in the MCU has raised questions about whether the next White Tiger will be the teenager or Ava Ayala, who may be older, given her status as Hector Ayala’s sister. So far, Angela del Toro has had a more central role, and a direct interaction with Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, which suggests she may be the one to adopt the White Tiger moniker. A newly-revealed cut scene fromDaredevil: Born Againcould have confirmed this evolution.
Daredevil: Born Again Episode 4’s Deleted Scene Confirmed Angela Del Toro As The New White Tiger
Angela Del Toro Was Almost Confirmed As The Next White Tiger
While speaking to Brandon Davis on thePhase Heropodcast, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the director ofDaredevil: Born Againepisode 4, revealed that several variations of the episode’s opening scene had been filmed.One of these variations would have seen the White Tiger amulet illuminate when Angela del Toro came close, which would have confirmed a connection between the teenager and the mystical accessory. This would have all but confirmed Angela del Toro as Hector Ayala’s successor, just as she is in Marvel Comics, but this scene wasn’t in the final cut.
I remember shooting that little sequence with the amulet, and I gave them a few different [versions]. That’s one of those cases where, as a director, I did a few different versions, and you send it off to editorial, and they do whatever. I can’t remember which way we did it, but I did one where it lights up in the bag, one where it’s dark… The idea was that it was when [Angela del Toro] comes, it senses her, so it started illuminating. We had a little battery in there, the prop department always makes the coolest stuff… Maybe it didn’t quite work in the final version we did. We did versions like that, too.
Instead, the White Tiger amulet went through no changes when Angela del Toro entered the building hoping to see her uncle’s body, at least none that were seen on-screen. This leaves the door open for either Angela del Toro or Ava Ayala to become the White Tiger, butit seems as though Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Marvel Studios intend Angela to become the new costumed vigilante. Angela del Toro becoming the White Tiger could be huge for the MCU, so there are hopes this transformation will be included inDaredevil: Born Again.
How Angela Del Toro’s White Tiger Could Be Important To The MCU
A New White Tiger Could Have A Huge Role In The MCU’s Street-Level Stories
In Marvel Comics, Angela del Toro was an ex-FBI agent who left the Bureau after inheriting the Jade Tiger amulet from her deceased uncle.She became the White Tiger, and was trained to become a formidable vigilante on the streets of New York City by none other than Matt Murdock’s Daredevil himself. This story could easily unfold inDaredevil: Born Again, with the teenage Angela del Toro acquiring the amulet and becoming Matt Murdock’s protégé, which is even more likely afterMurdock decided to become Daredevil again.
Daredevil: Born Again Just Retconned A 10 Year Old Netflix Series Easter Egg (But It’s For The Best)
By making the future for one new MCU character in Daredevil: Born Again much more exciting, Marvel Studios retconned a Defenders Saga easter egg.
Angela del Toro is significantly younger in the MCU than she is in Marvel Comics, which suggests that, after becoming the White Tiger, she could be a fantastic candidate to join theupcoming Young Avengers team. She would be one of the team’s most powerful members, acting as an allegory of the Black Panther among the Avengers, so this development would be very exciting.Her evolution into the White Tiger could also mark the return of the Hand and tease an adaptation of Marvel ComicsShadowlandeventforDaredevil: Born Again, which could change the landscape of the MCU forever.
