The first trailer for “Daredevil: Born Again” brings Matt “Daredevil” Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) front and center in the Marvel Cinematic Universe mix after their stints as supporting characters in various Disney+ MCU shows. While the pair is seen having a surprisingly amicable diner conversation about the former’s retirement as a vigilante and the latter’s political ambitions, the trailer makes no attempt of hiding their eventual returns to their classic superhero and villain roles. Further enhancing this effect are the brief teases of other costumed characters, including a particularly classic Marvel figure who’s yet to make an appearance in the MCU.

At 1:35 in the trailer, we see a man in a white costume and a full face mask, clearly preparing for a hard day (or, more likely, night) of street-level vigilante action. His ornamental tiger pendant reveals that we’re looking at none other than the White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes).

White Tiger, aka Hector Ayala, made his comic book debut in 1975 and is notable for being Marvel’s first Latino superhero. While it remains to be seen how “Daredevil: Born Again” approaches the character, his publication history gives him the potential for being one of the more interesting presences in the MCU — which we hope is the case, seeing as the role is De los Reyes’ final one. The actor passed away in late 2023 at age 56.

In the comics, Hector Ayala is a college student who discovers a three-part amulet that grants him the power of an ancient being, the Tiger God. He becomes a superhero, but this career decision costs him his anonymity and, ultimately, his entire family. A recurring theme in his career is that multiple vigilantes, loved ones, and authorities keep thinking that he’s a murderer, so he keeps having to clear his name while fighting both crime and crime-fighters. One of the wrongful accusations against Ayala sends him on a collision course with Daredevil and ends extremely badly, and this particular arc seems like the one “Daredevil: Born Again” will most likely adapt. If the MCU opts to take things in that direction, you can expect the storyline to be one of the most emotionally devastating on the show.

Power-wise, the print version of the White Tiger is no pushover. The amulet greatly enhances all of his senses and physical attributes, and provides him with a reasonably effective healing factor. He’s also a decent hand-to-hand combatant, which makes him a serious threat thanks to his powers. Some versions of the character also depict the White Tiger moniker as a superhero persona that’s adopted by various generations of the Ayala family. 

Time will tell whether his powers will rely on his amulet on “Daredevil: Born Again” or if they’re the same as they are in the comics — after all, live-action versions of characters like Maya “Echo” Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan (Iman Vellani) have very different power sets than their comic book counterparts. Expect to find out more about the MCU version of White Tiger on March 4, when “Daredevil: Born Again” arrives on Disney+.