White Tiger
Attributes
| Eyes: | Brown |
| Features: | Sports a fro and a mustache as Hector. Wears a skin-tight, all white suit as the White Tiger. |
| Hair: | Black |
| Height: | 6' |
| Weight: | 190 lbs. |
Powers
| Abilities: | With the help of his sacred Tiger Amulets, Hector possesses superb abilities in the martial arts. |
| Equipment: | Three jade Tiger Amulets. |
| Limitations: | Separation from his amulets causes Hector to suffer from a form of withdrawal. |
| Strength Level: | Super-human when wearing all three Tiger amulets. |
| Weapons: | None |
Summary
| Citizenship: | American |
| Created By: | |
| Current Occupation: | Deceased |
| Dual Identity: | Publicly Known |
| Education: | Undergraduate at Empire State University. |
| Former Aliases: | White Tiger |
| Former Bases: | New York City |
| Former Groups: | The Defenders |
| Known Allies: | Blackbyrd, Spider-Man, Daredevil |
| Known Confidants: | Holly Gillis |
| Known Relatives: | Nestor Ayala (father), Maria Ayala (mother), Soledad Ayala (wife), Awilda Del Toro (sister), Ava Ayala (sister), Filippo Ayala (brother), Angela Del Toro (niece), Marisol Del Toro (nephew) |
| Major Enemies: | Lightmaster, Carrion, Darter, Dr. Octopus, Gideon Mace |
| Marital Status: | Formally married to Soledad Ayala |
| Place of Birth: | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Real Name: | Hector Ayala |
Background
It was by happenstance that Puerto Rican born Hector Ayala came upon three jade amulets that belonged to the famous martial artists known as the Sons of the Tiger. When the Sons decided to disband, they tossed their powerful amulets into a back alley where a young Ayala came across them. When Hector placed all three amulets around his neck at the same time, he mystically transformed into the super powered hero known as the White Tiger.
”To Claw the Eyes of Night!”
White Tiger came across a robbery and witnessed the teenage crooks shoot a night watchman. Tiger saved the guard but left his finger prints at the scene. The teenage gang had a member named Manuel Lopez, who had been taken in by Hobie Brown, the Prowler. White Tiger was soon fending off the Prowler, who suspected him of shooting the guard. Tiger promised that he was innocent and Prowler partly believed him but was determined to bring him in. The watchman woke from his coma and said he had been shot by the teenagers, not the White Tiger. The police arrived at the scene of the fight and Prowler learned of Tiger’s innocence. (Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #21)
”Like A Tiger In The Night!”
Ayala's adventures as the White Tiger soon intersected with Peter Parker's escapades as Spider-Man after Hector enrolled at Empire State University. Pete and Hector first met during a student protest directed at the university's president. President Dwyer was planning on cancelling ESU's night school program because of a lack of funding. After an interesting turn of events that featured such off-beat characters as Blackbyrd, The Black Hand gang and a White Tiger impersonator, Hector and Spider-Man ended up engaging in an epic brawl. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #9)
”Tiger in a Web!”
After fighting on top of a library, on top of a moving truck and eventually into the Bronx, Spidey realized that the working class crowd that began to gather around them were rooting for his adversary. Eventually, Spider-Man figured out that the White Tiger had been set up and the two super-powered amigos made up and shook hands. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #10)
”Again, the Enforcers!”
Hector took Holly to the Coffee Bean Coffee Shop and ran into Flash Thompson and Sha Shan. The shop was attacked by the Enforcers (Fancy Dan, Ox and Montana) who wanted to draw out Spider-Man. Hector was about to become White Tiger when Holly saw him move and told him it was Spider-Man’s job to get killed, not his. He decided to wait unless Spidey didn’t show up. He did of course and after the diner’s customers were evacuated, Spider-Man took on the Enforcers. Hector stayed behind to watch and Holly ran off. He decided to wait the fight out to see if the webhead needed help.
Meanwhile, the situation was being watched on TV by Lightmaster, who had hired the Enforcers. He believed that Spider-Man must have been one of the college students inside the diner when the Enforcers had already arrived. Spider-Man defeated the Enforcers and left via the skylight (which somehow no one noticed) and Hector was left behind. When the news media arrived, Hector was the only person left over, leaving Lightmaster to think he had learned Spider-Man’s secret. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #19)
”Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?”
Lightmaster kidnapped Hector at ESU in front of Peter, Holly and Flash. Peter managed to get a spider tracer on Hector before Lightmaster flew away with him. Hector’s White Tiger amulets were separated from him during his kidnapping. At Lightmaster’s hideout, Hector was writhing in pain on the floor as his captor demanded that he stand up. Lightmaster had TV cameras all over his hideout, ready to broadcast when he forced Hector to admit that he was Spider-Man. As Lightmaster ranted and raved during the beginning of the broadcast, Spider-Man arrived and got the amulets back to Hector. He changed into the White Tiger on TV, forcing him to reveal himself to New York. They defeated the kidnapper but Holly left Hector. She had seen the broadcast and learned his secret. He had lied to her and she never wanted to see him again. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #20)
”Still Crazy After All These Years!”
Hector saw Holly at school and she refused to talk to him, and he had hoped that having a superhero boyfriend would be exciting for her. She walked away saying that finding out that her boyfriend was in the morgue was not her idea of excitement. As she left, he was mobbed by autograph seekers. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #21)
”By the Light of the Silvery Moon Knight!”
Still angry about being rejected by Holly, Hector rants that he never asked to be White Tiger. He wanted to give the amulets back. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #22)
”Guess Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb!”
At his parents home, his sister asked what was wrong and he told her she had a big mouth and she knew what the problem was. He stormed off, resenting his sister’s teasing. He didn’t know how to change the world when he can’t keep a girl. Meanwhile, Holly knew she’d regret it but called him anyway. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #23)
”Carrion, My Wayward Son!”
White Tiger was soon taking on a street gang called the Savage Skulls in the South Bronx. He was conflicted about it, as these were his people, street people. He quickly had the gang running and was having words with their teenage leader. They were interrupted by the leader of the local mafia, whose car the Savage Skulls had been trying to steal. He thanked Tiger for saving his car and offered to give him a job. Tiger knocked him down and told him to stay out of the South Bronx. When the mob leader got up, Tiger was gone. (Peter Peter, the Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #25)
”Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory!”
White Tiger crawled through a window to his apartment after studying for an exam and he was greeted by his sister, Awilda. She chastised him for playing hero instead of taking his school and scholarship seriously. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #26)
”Ashes to Ashes!”
Hector was at Peter’s apartment after Carrion tore it apart to intimidate him. The phrase, “the dead walk, Parker” was burned into the wall with red dust. Peter friends were at the apartment, concerned about his absence. When he returned, was greeted by Hector, Mary Jane, Flash and Betty Brant. Hector gave Peter an excuse to go and find out what happened as Spider-Man by saying he could stay with him. He and Hector agreed to meet at the library that evening but when Peter arrived, Hector was unconscious on the floor. The words “Ashes to ashes, Parker” was written across him in red dust. Peter was then attacked by Carrion. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #28)
”...Dust to Dust!”
As Carrion and Peter fought, Holly arrived to apologize to Hector but saw that he was unconscious. Peter jumped and pushed Carrion away, giving Holly a chance to drag Hector to safety. Hector awoke just in time to hear a window break upstairs in the library. Carrion had teleported away as Peter leapt at him. Peter fell through the window and was caught by White Tiger. They took Peter to the ESU medical clinic. After he was released, Peter stayed visible to give Carrion a chance to find him. White Tiger followed him, thinking that he was being foolish. As he watched over Peter, Tiger was attacked by Darter, Carrion’s assistant.
Darter believed that White Tiger was defeated and radioed Carrion that Parker was alone but didn’t realize that Tiger was still conscious. Carrion eventually caught up with Spider-Man and they were both momentarily surprised by Darter and White Tiger crashing through another window. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #29)
“Secret As the Grave!”
White Tiger trapped Darter in the ropes of the university’s gymnasium, acting like a net. Darter broke away from the net with a laser in his costume’s fingers and was back to keeping Tiger from helping Spider-Man. Tiger tossed Darter at Carrion and tried to save his partner from his enemy but he was kicked into an empty pool and knocked out. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #30)
”Till Death Do Us Part!”
After Tiger awoke, he followed the scent of death to the abandoned laboratory of Miles Warren. He found Spider-Man grappling with Carrion and his giant amoeba, with the webhead encased inside the creature. Tiger ordered Carrion to call the creature off and the undead thing batted him across the room. Tiger collided into Carrion's regeneration tank and started a fire. He was cut off from the fight and fled out a window. The police arrived and he told them what was going on. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 1) #31)
Not long after the Carrion ordeal, the despicable acts of a man named Gideon Mace turned Ayala's life upside down. One evening, Hector came home to the unimaginable sight of his parents and older sister murdered. Ayala let the thirst for revenge consume him and, with the help of his private eye friend Blackbyrd, searched the streets for clues so that he could quince it. The White Tiger eventually found Mace in a warehouse in the South Bronx, but failed to realize that his enemy had nearly an entire army at his disposal. After being fooled into trying to climb out of a fake window, Ayala found himself cornered and was gunned down by Mace. Mace then dumped Hector's bloodied body off in front of the Daily Bugle offices to serve as a message to other costumed heroes. A furious Spider-Man sought out and eventually made Mace pay for his crimes, but Ayala's near death experience convinced him to give up his White Tiger persona. Hector gave his amulets to Blackbyrd and, with Holly by his side, moved away from New York.
Death finally did catch up with Hector Ayala though. Years after his initial adventures as the White Tiger, Ayala again came into contact with his Tiger Amulets. One night after fighting with his new wife Soledad, the Tiger was arrested after being wrongly accused of killing a cop. Matt Murdock (who had previously teamed up with the Tiger as Daredevil) served as Ayala's counsel. During his day in court, Ayala lost his cool when being cross-examined by the District Attorney and the jury pronounced him guilty. After the verdict was reached, Hector freaked out, stole a bailiffs' gun and after fleeing the court room, he was shot down on the courthouse steps.
Angela Del Toro
The tiger amulets were inherited by Hector’s niece, FBI agent Angela Del Toro. (Daredevil (vol. 2) #69) She quit the FBI to learn more about the amulets and was trained by Daredevil. (Daredevil (vol. 2) #70) She was killed and resurrected by a ninja cult called the Hand and became their servant. (Daredevil (vol. 2) #113) Angela was healed by the Black Tarantula and again joined Daredevil. (Daredevil #500)
Ava Ayala
Ava was the teenage sister of Hector. She saw being the White Tiger as a family legacy and intended to keep it that way. (Avengers Academy #21) She eventually fought her niece Angela, the other White Tiger. (New Avengers (vol. 4) #7)
Image Gallery
