The White Tiger is a new masked vigilante that has made waves in New York City since Matt Murdock took time off as Daredevil. The vigilante encounters Murdock but perhaps not in the way either of them were expecting. As always, this recap will contain spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.
We meet a new character descending a set of stairs at the 168th Street subway station named Hector Ayala. Ayala, a local figure in the city, witnesses a man being roughed up by some dirty cops and approaches them to break it up. In the midst of a brief fight, one of the cops falls off the platform and into an oncoming train.
A New Hero Joins the Fray
The surviving officer reveals his badge and takes Ayala into custody, accusing him of intentionally killing his partner. Matt encounters Hector and offers to take his case pro bono, believing he is innocent. Ayala is played by late actor Kamar De Los Reyes in one of his final roles. He died in December 2023 from cancer.
Matt, now co-partners with ex-Assistant District Attorney Kirsten McDuffie, turns to her and regards New York detective Cherry to find out more information on Hector Ayala prior to his arraignment. Matt’s attempts to lessen his sentencing are moot; he even mentions his past service in the army and in the community to no avail as the judge denies his bail.
Just as Wilson Fisk has his wife, Vanessa, love finds Murdock as well when he meets noted author and therapist Heather Glenn due to McDuffie setting the two up for a blind date. And as luck would have it, the two begin to hit it off spectacularly. Unbeknownst to Matt, she soon encounters Fisk and his wife as new clients attempting to rekindle the spark in their relationship.
McDuffie and Cherry pay a visit to Ayala’s home and start talking with his wife, Soledad. She remarks how different Hector has become from the man she married. While looking for decent clothes, Hector can wear for his trial, he encounters the White Tiger’s costume and golden amulet.
Daredevil Saves the Day Without His Supersuit
Matt confronts Hector with the news that he’s in fact the White Tiger. The two start to develop a deeper understanding given Matt’s own vigilante past. After securing the safety of the witness on the platform, he plays up appearances initially without the dirty cops before his anger gets the better of him. In a matter of minutes, Matt sheds his public persona and is breaking arms and bashing heads in as a primal force of nature.
The third episode primarily covers Ayala’s heated legal battle against members of New York’s finest. Leading up to his trial, Hector chats with Matt about his Puerto Rican culture. He’s cloaked in a wonderful light that enriches his words. He talks about a species of frog, the coqui, on its sounds have such a moving sound that are motivating him more than any dish he’d be subject to in prison.
It felt strikingly similar to Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War as we got a small facet of the character’s culture just through their description and expressions alone. Reyes’ delivery really painted a picture on how beautiful his life was up until now. A quick, adeptly edited cat and mouse game involving officer Powell- one of the lead dirty cops Matt’s fought- ramps up the tension.
Fortunately, Matt’s team evades Powell’s attempt but when the witness, criminal informant Nicky Torres, gets spooked by the cops in the courtroom and lies that he was never present when the cop was killed, Murdock’s team is out of options and time for Ayala. Matt, in a last-ditch effort, launches a hail mary and begins questioning Ayala on his service.
All Good Things Come to An End
McDuffie appears to catch on to Matt’s game as he outs Ayala’s identity as the White Tiger. The jury, not to mention the judge and opposing counsel, lost it as he initially wanted to avoid any mention of Ayala’s background in superhero when he found out.
Soon after, Matt questions jury members on how the White Tiger saved them at one time or another- painting Ayala as a hero who’s being wronged but unintentionally putting a target on his and his family’s backs. The jury finally reaches a verdict based on all that’s been discussed, and they find Ayala not guilty. Hector and Ayala embrace one another, and his family is overjoyed. As both of the Daredevil series have proven, though, all good times come to an end at one point or another.
Viewers see Hector don his iconic outfit, and he runs out into the streets and hears a woman in distress. Just as the audience believes we’ll see him save the day, the rug gets pulled out from under them as he’s shot point blank by an unseen assailant. As the attacker moves toward the frame, we see them down a vest with the Punisher’s logo.
The logo pops up multiple times leading up to this episode, all on men in law enforcement. This may prove to be a small circle of officers either working with Frank Castle or working toward using Castle’s iconography to besmirch his status among New Yorkers.
Final Verdict
Kamar De Los Reyes’ portrayal of Hector Ayala felt like he was on the verge of a great character arc within the series. His heart-wrenching sorrow as he saw the odds stacked against him was visceral. As much as viewers weren’t able to fully see Ayala dispense his brand of physical justice up close, Reyes’ performance shows his emotional resolve in spades. Charlie Cox and the supporting cast all bring their A-game as Cox’s one-on-one chats with Hector reflect his internal turmoil of abandoning his double life and starting something new. The stakes of this show continue to be raised.
