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Here's everything you need to know about the Hispanic superhero legacy of the White Tiger for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hector Ayala
First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19
Death Appearance: Daredevil v2 40
The first White Tiger--Hector Ayala was born and raised
in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He later came to New York
City and attended college at Empire State University in
New York City. It was at ESU where he found the tiger
amulets that had been discarded by the Sons of the
Tiger. By wearing all three of the Jade Tiger amulets,
Ayala discovered that he could transform into the
superhuman White Tiger In this form, Ayala possessed
enhanced strength and almost superhuman ability in
martial arts. The beginnings of his superhero career
were difficult. He first became a suspect in the death
of young Manuel Lopez and was attacked by the Prowler
who wanted to avenge his death, and next by Jack of
Hearts, who believed him to be responsible for his
father's murder. When he was confronted by Detective
Sergeant D'Angelo, Blackbyrd, and his sister Awilda about
her brother's disappearance, he revealed his identity to
them. After fighting off an attack by mercenaries trying
to kidnap Jack of Hearts, White Tiger assisted D'Angelo
and Blackbyrd in bringing down the corporation (secretly led by his own brother Filippo) which was behind the murder of scientist Phillip Hart. During the final battle, they received assistance from Iron Fist and Shang-Chi who had been contacted by Blackbyrd. After returning to the White Tiger identity for one night, Hector found himself wrongly accused but ultimately convicted of murder. He panicked and was shot dead by security while trying to flee the courthouse. Somehow, Hector's Tiger amulets were delivered to Angela, leading her to assume she was meant to be the next White Tiger.
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That's everything you need to know about all the White Tigers. Check out our Top 10 Latino Superheroes. For more geek-related content follow Geekpin Entertainment on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Threads. Thanks for reading, stay geeky.
First Appearance: Daredevil v2 58
The second White Tiger--Angela Del Toro was born and raised in the Bronx, New York City. She is the niece of Hector Ayala, the first hero to assume the name "White Tiger". Hector retired after a man named Gideon Mace murdered most of his family. Angela grew up with her Uncle Hector and his friends, including "Uncle Danny", aka Iron Fist. She went on to be an officer of the NYPD for four years, gaining a bachelor's in political science and a master's in criminology before attending Quantico and graduating in the top percent of her class to become an F.B.I. agent. Somehow, Hector's Tiger amulets were delivered to Angela, leading her to assume she was meant to be the next White Tiger. An overwhelmed Angela asked Matt Murdock, Hector's attorney, and the recently-outed "Daredevil" to help her decide what to do with them. Murdock reluctantly gave her some instruction as a fledgling superheroine. However, she was corrupted by the Hand and fell from grace in the hero community.
Ava Ayala
First Appearance: Avengers Academy #20
The current White Tiger--Hector's youngest sister, Ava Ayala, adopted the role of White Tiger after her. When Jeremy Briggs sought to depower the world with his Clean Slate nanotechnology, he disabled the students of Avengers Academy by stealing their magical artifacts, giving the Amulets of Power to Coat of Arms. However, thanks to her relationship with the Tiger God, Ayala was able to bring their power back to her.
Hispanic Superhero Spotlight:
White Tiger
Before we get started let's talk about the Amulets of Power, the source of the White Tiger's powers.
First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1
The Amulets of Power are power-granting artifacts used by avatars of the Tiger God. The three amulets originated in the hidden city of K'un-Lun as the head and front paws of an enchanted Jade Tiger statue, created from the same magical elements as the Great Emerald Crystal that allows the city to periodically appear in other dimensions. After their removal, the claws and head were replaced with copies.
-Divine Empowerment: Wearers of the amulet are imbued with the power of the ancient Tiger God, imbuing them with master-level knowledge and experience of martial arts, among other powers. When worn separately, by joining hands and reciting the incantation, "When three are called and stand as one, as one they'll fight, their will be done... For each is born anew, The Tiger's Son", Abe Brown, Bob Diamond, and Lin Sun were able to mystically channel their martial arts prowess through one another, increasing each other's strength and prowess.
Hector Ayala and subsequent White Tigers used all three amulets in unison, greatly increasing the amount of power wielded by a single host.
Each possessed Enhanced Strength, Speed,
Durability, Agility, Stamina, Acceleration
Recuperation, Heightened Animal-like Senses,
Camouflage, Threat Detection & Psychic
Resistance.
-Divine Possession: During extraneous
circumstances, the wearer of the Amulets can
have their body taken over entirely by the Tiger
God, increasing their ferocity in battle.
-Life Imitation: When combined with the body
of the original enchanted statue, the Amulets
can grow and change to become part of a
lifelike copy of the Tiger God itself.
Portal Creation: Being made from the
same crystal that allows the residents of
K'un-Lun to observe and traverse the dimensions, in its living form the Jade Tiger is able
to open portals to K'un-Lun with a roar.
Teleportation: The living Jade Tiger can turn itself and its rider into a mist, disappearing
from one area to appear in another.
WARNING: Anyone who uses the Amulets for an extended period of time can find themselves physically addicted to its power.
Angela Del Toro