White Tiger is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of White Tiger, Hector Ayala, first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19 (December 1975). The second incarnation, an actual white Bengal tigress, debuted in Heroes for Hire #1 (July 1997). The third incarnation, Kevin Cole, made his first appearance in Black Panther (vol. 3) #50 (October 2002). The fourth incarnation, Angela del Toro, made her debut in Daredevil vol. 2 #58 (November 2003). The fifth incarnation, Ava Ayala, was first featured in Avengers Academy #20 (December 2011).
Fictional character biography
Hector Ayala
The first White Tiger (Hector Ayala) was created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist George Pérez.
The character was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He could transform into the superhuman White Tiger through the power of the Jade Tiger amulets. In his alter-ego, Ayala fought foes such as the Corporation crime cartel and teamed with heroes including Daredevil and Spider-Man. After many years of fighting crime and nearly being killed, having his secret identity publicly exposed by the villainous Lightmaster and becoming psychologically and physically addicted to the tiger amulets, Ayala retired. But after a while, the call to don the amulets and fight evil became too strong and Hector once again became the White Tiger. Soon after, Hector was wrongly accused of murder and convicted despite the efforts of his lawyer, Matt Murdock (Daredevil). Ayala was shot and killed trying to escape, shortly before evidence emerged that belatedly proved his innocence.
White Tiger (Heroes for Hire)
The second White Tiger (an actual white Bengal tigress evolved into a woman of East Indian descent) was created by writer Roger Stern and artist Pascual Ferry.
The character was created by the High Evolutionary to hunt down an evil evolved wolf he had created, called the Man-Beast. White Tiger's bestial origins gave her cat-like speed and reflexes, and she was highly skilled in martial arts. White Tiger met Iron Fist, and intrigued by him, joined Heroes for Hire. White Tiger tried to keep her origins a secret, but during a training session with Iron Fist, she lost control and reverted to her tiger form. She was a valued member of the team, but she found that human emotions were more complex than her tiger mind could handle. She found herself growing more and more attracted to Iron Fist. White Tiger attacked Misty Knight when she felt that Iron Fist was attracted to Misty, trying to display dominance to the encroaching female, just as a tigress would do in the wild. When White Tiger finally captured the rogue Man-Beast, she begged the High Evolutionary to remove her human persona, unable to bear the heartbreak of not being able to be with the man she loved. He conceded and turned her back into a white Bengal tiger, promising Iron Fist that he would return her to the rainforests where he found her.
Kasper Cole
The third White Tiger was Kevin "Kasper" Cole, created by writer Christopher Priest and artist Dan Fraga.
The character is a police officer of mixed Jewish/African-American heritage who impersonated Black Panther when he found T'Challa's costume. Advised by the Falcon that he needed to be more than just a man in a cat suit to achieve his goals, Kasper sought permission to eat the heart-shaped herb and gain enhanced powers like T'Challa by undertaking the Rite of Ascension. The villainous Erik Killmonger, offered him another option: a synthetic version of the heart-shaped herb and help finding Sal's son, in return for Kasper dropping the Black Panther identity, becoming a White Tiger of the Panther Cult, and doing a favor for Killmonger in the future. Kasper accepted, but then tracked down the boy using his newly enhanced senses and help from Queen Divine Justice and Everett Ross, thus lessening his debt to Killmonger. Afterwards, Kasper took on the identity of the White Tiger. He continues to chase promotion, allied with The Crew (a team of inner city superheroes) against 66 Bridges and Triage.
The White Tiger wears a Vibranium-weave bulletproof costume. It can be cut only along the grain of the webbing, but cannot be punctured conventionally by blunt force. The boots have special Vibranium soles that absorb sound and impact, enabling him to leap off buildings up to 8 stories tall and land without injury. He can also run up the sides of buildings and walk on water. The suit's claws are retractable, and contain a new composite of the experimental "anti-metal" Vibranium, that can break down other metal alloys.