WHITE TIGER

Real Name: Hector Ayala

Identity/Class: Human magic user;
    identity publicly known;
    citizen of USA with criminal record

Occupation: Unrevealed;
    undertook, but did not complete undergraduate studies at Empire State University

Group Membership: Formerly Defenders for a Day (Black Goliath (Bill Foster), Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Captain Ultra (Griffin Gogol), Havok (Alex Summers), Hercules, Iron Fist (Danny Rand), Jack of Hearts (Jack Hart), Marvel Man (Wendell Vaughn), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Nova (Rich Rider), Paladin, Polaris (Lorna Dane), Prowler (Hobie Brown), Son of Satan (Damian Hellstrom), Tagak, Torpedo (Brock Jones)) -- more specifically, Hercules' group (Black Goliath, Captain Ultra, Havok, Hellcat, Hercules, Iron Fist)

Affiliations: Blackbyrd (Nathaniel Byrd), Lt. Jimmy D'Angelo, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Defenders (Hellcat (Patsy Walker), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond), Valkyrie (Brunnhilde)), Holly Gillis, Human Fly (Rick Rojatt), Foggy Nelson, Savage Skulls, Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Enemies: Carrion (Miles Warren clone), Copperhead (Arthur Reynolds), Darter (Randy Vale), Defenders imposters (Batroc the Leaper (Georges Batroc), Beetle (Abner Jenkins), Blob (Fred Dukes), Electro (Max Dillon), Looter (Norton Fester), Plantman (Sam Smithers), Porcupine (Alex Gentry), Sagittarius, Whirlwind (David Cannon)), District Attorney Delacourt, Dr. Octopus (Otto Octavius), Enforcers (Fancy Dan (Dan Brito), Montana (Jackson Brice), Ox (Ronald Bloch)), Lou Gunther, Lightmaster (Edward Lansky), Gideon Mace, Mikey, Carlos Sanchez, White Tiger imposter (Ramon Vasquez)

Known Relatives: Nestor Ayala (father, deceased), Maria Ayala (mother, deceased), Soledad Ayala (wife), Awilda Ayala (older sister, deceased), Filippo Ayala (younger brother, deceased), Ava Ayala (White Tiger, younger sister), Angela Del Toro (White Tiger, niece), Rey Del Toro (nephew), Marisol Del Toro (niece), Mr. Del Toro (brother-in-law);
    note: Previous entries have noted Hector Ayala to have an "unidentified younger sister (deceased)" - don't know if Aya is meant to be this sister, indicating she apparently only appeared to have died, but survived...or perhaps she is a previously unseen sister who had gone her separate ways and was never mentioned before...?
    it is further unrevealed whether Hector is of any relation to Carlos Ayala, one of the "caterpillar" (children of superhumans) agents of Nick Fury

Aliases: El Tigre Blanco

Place of Birth: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Base of Operations: South Bronx, New York City, New York

First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#19 (December, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: The jade amulets (portions of and/or powered by the Jade Tiger) allowed Hector Ayala to transform himself at will into the White Tiger, a costumed avenger possessing enhanced strength, speed, coordination, agility, durability, healing, and endurance, as well as mastery of the martial arts. Hector's transformation into the White Tiger and vice-versa neutralized toxins present in the other's system, and possibly healed wounds.
    Hector Ayala's persona initially was subliminated when transformed to White Tiger (perhaps dominated by the spirit of the Jade Tiger and/or the personae of previous amulet wearers). Removal of the amulets initially resulted in painful withdrawal symptoms, although these lessened in severity over time.

 

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

 

 

History:
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#31 (fb) - BTS) - Per Filippo, Hector had to be led to collect unemployment.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5 (fb) - BTS) - Hector's fingerprints were on record with the New York Police Department (NYPD).

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#19/5) - After the Sons of the Tiger (Abe Brown, Bob Diamond, and Lin Sun) broke up and threw their Tiger Amulets into the alley outside the Sons of the Tiger Kung Fu School, they were found by Hector Ayala. Stringing them together into a single necklace and putting it on, Ayala was affected by the Tiger Amulets' energies and empowered and costumed as the White Tiger. Additionally, he had visions of the Sons of the Tiger and knew that his new alias was the White Tiger.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#20/5) - Witnessing the Nomads gang (including Brother Cool, Duke, Eddy, Manuel "Manny"/"Kid" Lopez, and at least 3 others) beating and preparing to kill a South Bronx train yard's security guard, the White Tiger made a dramatic appearance to stop them. He outfought and incapacitated all the older members, but then Lopez whom the older members had been trying to get to shoot the guard, turned the gun on the White Tiger. Hector tried to talk Lopez  down, but when the guard started to get up, Lopez  panicked and fired the gun. The White Tiger dodged sufficiently to avoid being shot in  the chest (receiving a wound to the shoulder instead), and the guard hit Lopez  in the back of the head with his nightstick, inadvertently striking a fatal blow. The guard noted that he had hit harder than he'd meant to due to getting carried away, but the White Tiger punched him down and accused him of murdering a young boy that the Tiger might have guided from the world of violence.
    The White Tiger departed, returning to the same spot he had found the Amulets as morning approached, at which point he suffered a severe headache and returned to his civilian guise in a flash of light. Hector didn't remember what he had done as the White Tiger, though he did recall picking up the Amulets. As he did so again, he was overcome with waves of nausea and ran down the street (leaving behind his radio). He used the fire escape to sneak back into his parents' apartment, then as another wave of nausea and weakness hit him, he removed the amulets. Exhausted, he then fell asleep, dreaming of the Sons of the Tiger and of his finding the Amulets.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#20/5 (fb) - BTS) - While Hector slept, his sister Awilda , having heard his rough entry into the apartment, checked on him and found him asleep on the floor, fully dressed.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5 (fb) - BTS) - NYPD detective  Jimmy D'Angelo and two officers, Price and ??, found Hector's radio near the train yard where "Kid" Lopez had been shot. Noticing the blood on the radio, they dusted it for prints and determined it to be Hector Ayala's.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#20/5) - After Hector woke up, he re-donned the Amulets and buttoned up his shirt to hide them from Awilda, after which he lied about his evenings activities, claiming to have been out on a date with Angela...which Awilda told him she knew was false, since she had been out with Angela last night. Now suspicious about Hector, Awilda nonetheless covered for him with their mother, but then questioned him further, noting that they already had one problem to deal with, their drug addict brother, Filippo, and wondering if he was having the same problem. Just then, NYPD detective  Jimmy D'Angelo and two officers, Price and ??, showed up at the Ayala's door, asking about Hector in regards to a suspect in a gang war killing of Lopez. Hector denied any such activities, but then confessed that he didn't really remember.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5 (fb) - BTS) - Hobie Brown read of the death of Lopez , whom Hobie had taken on as a Big Brother, and -- noting that Hector Ayala and the White Tiger were suspects, resolved to punish whoever was responsible.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5) - After D'Angelo explained how they had found Hector's radio, Awilda tried to cover for him, but Hector admitted that he wasn't home the previous night but that he had no idea where he had been. When D'Angelo announced his intent to bring Hector to the station for questioning, the Tiger Amulets started glowing, and Hector, fearing he might black out again, punched the one cop, threw him into D'Angelo and Price, and jumped through his parent's closed window, ignoring D'Angelo's orders to stop. Waves of energy crashed over Hector, and he was overcome by nausea; unable to remove the Amulets, he transformed into the White Tiger again. When Price and the other officer searched the now vacant alley in which Hector had landed, the White Tiger leapt down from above, and stunned both men with a kick and a punch. When the neighbors seemed excited by the fight, the White Tiger fled, refusing to stand as an example of violence. From above, the Prowler watched.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5 (fb) - BTS) - The White Tiger overheard that the night watchmen was in shock and could not tell the NYPD who had killed Lopez .

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5) - Later, as the White Tiger hid in the shadows as the NYPD formed a dragnet to try to locate him, some officers saw and fired on him, but he dodged. He was then struck down by a blast from the Prowler who accused him of killing the "Kid." The White Tiger fought back, denying the accusations, and the Prowler began to wonder if he hadn't reacted without thinking; as he made the offer to talk, the Tiger drop-kicked him, having had enough of being chased. Trying to distract the Tiger, the Prowler underestimated the force of a blow against a chimney, and he sent a large chunk of concrete at the Tiger, who shattered it with a single blow. The two fought hand-to-hand, but after the Tiger accidentally knocked the Prowler off the roof, the Prowler caught himself on the wall and then stunned him with a magnesium flare. When the Prowler prepared to press his advantage, the White Tiger proved to have already recovered and then subdued the Prowler with a series of strikes. The Tiger grabbed Prowler in a headlock, and the Prowler stopped struggling, noting he had been convinced of the Tiger's innocence and put his life in the Tiger's hands as a show of confidence. D'Angelo and several other NYPD officers confronted the two vigilantes, but then revealed that the Tiger had been cleared of charges of killing Lopez. When the Tiger and Prowler fled, some nervous cop started firing. The Tiger leapt off a building, slowed his momentum on a fire escape, and landed on some trash cans. He then reverted back to Hector, who didn't remember the Tiger's activities and was again overcome by nausea, as well as feeling that the cops and his own family were now against him.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#22/5 (fb) - BTS) - A photographer for the Daily Globe obtained pictures of the White Tiger battling the Prowler.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#24/5? (fb) - BTS) - Jack of Hearts learned that the men who had killed his father were sent by "The Tiger" in the South Bronx. Jack mistakenly ASSumed the Tiger was the White Tiger. In reality, it was the ship, "El Tigre," on which Corporation agents were based.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#22/5) - White Tiger saw the newspaper article on himself, but then reverted back to Hector Ayala who had no memory of his dual identity. The figure in the newspaper seemed familiar, and then Hector realized that figure wore the same Tiger Amulets he wore, and realized they were the same man. With that realization, Hector had flashbacks to the White Tiger's adventures. Frustrated because he didn't understand what was happening, he crushed a steel pipe in his hand. The White Tiger subsequently appeared to his overworked father, Nestor (who held three jobs), telling him that Hector wished him to know that he was well. This left Nestor more confused than before. Realizing he had bewildered his father and distraught over his various problems, the White Tiger beat his hands bloody against a brick wall, after which he was ambushed by an energy blast by Jack of Hearts. After Jack accused him of killing someone, the White Tiger tried in vain to convince him otherwise, then dodged further attacks. White Tiger got the advantage of Jack by restraining his wrists (from which he released his energy) but let go when Hector's mind briefly forced its way to the fore. White Tiger regained control of himself, but Jack stated his plans to prove his guilt in a trial by fire.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#23/4) - When Jack threatened to attack again, the White Tiger fought back, striking him repeatedly though his hands opened up and began to bleed again (from his recent punching of the bricks). He dodged Jack's first blast, but took a blast to the eyes just as he kicked Jack off the roof. Just as he regained his vision, Jack returned and blasted him repeatedly until he collapsed. Jack then accused the White Tiger of murdering his father, Philip Hart, and recounted the details of his father's death and his own empowerment. Having faked unconsciousness to learn Jack's story, the White Tiger suddenly attacked anew, continuing to voice his innocence until the fight carried them off the roof. Beginning to doubt his own accusations, Jack rolled to take the impact himself and was injured. As the Tiger rose, he was confronted by Awilda Ayala, D'Angelo, and Blackbyrd who wanted to know his connection to Hector Ayala and where he had gotten the former Sons of the Tiger's amulets.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#24/5) - After taking Jack of Hearts to the hospital, the White Tiger revealed to Awilda, D'Angelo, and Blackbyrd that he was Hector Ayala and told them how he had found the Tiger Amulets. They were then interrupted when Jack's body began discharging destructive energy blasts after the doctors had tried to take off his armor. The Tiger dodged the blasts and again contained Jack's power by holding his wrists, ignoring the burning pain until Jack awakened, mostly healed, and regained control of himself. Jack revealed the involvement of "The Tiger" in South Bronx. As Blackbyrd pondered a connection to the South Bronx Tiger-Bar, and Awilda tried to convince the White Tiger to stay out of this, Corporation agents attacked, seeking to finish off Jack of Hearts. The White Tiger attacked them, but the Corporation agents eventually took out Blackbyrd and then threatened to kill Awilda and D'Angelo if the White Tiger did not allow them to kill Jack of Hearts.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#26) - Either recovering or having feigned unconsciousness, Blackbyrd suddenly shot several of the Corporation agents, enabling D'Angelo to catch his own attacker off guard and knock him  out, and then the White Tiger drop-kicked the man holding Awilda. Together, the White Tiger, Blackbyrd, and D'Angelo finished off the Corporation agents, though one of them stunned the White Tiger, who was saved by Jack of Hearts. However, all of the attackers were dead, and thus could give no further information on their employers (they were not known to be Corporation agents). Distraught over her own injuries, the violence, and the deaths of their attackers, Awilda struck the White Tiger, telling him he was not her brother. He stopped her, but she collapsed, dazed and not hearing his efforts to explain things to her, after which she departed. The White Tiger reluctantly agreed to accompany D'Angelo and Blackbyrd to El  Tigre Bar, on Willis Avenue and 141st street; Jack of Hearts was not yet recovered enough to join them.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#27) - En route to El Tigre Bar, the White Tiger encountered 13 year old Marguerita Yvette "Cheeky" Molina who was impressed with and followed the Tiger. Inside El Tigre Bar, Blackbyrd and D'Angelo tried to pressure the inhabitants to yield information on "El Tigre." White Tiger, watching the swiveling television screen, saw the bartender, Whitewash, pull a shotgun out, and he warned Blackbyrd and D'Angelo in time for them to duck and causing Whitewash to hit his friends Willie and the Zip instead. White Tiger disarmed Whitewash and several other gunmen, but when they tried to get information on "El Tigre," Smiler told them that he thought White Tiger/Tigre Blanco was "El Tigre." White Tiger again saved Blackbyrd and D'Angelo, this time from a laser hidden within the TV, which he then shattered, but not before the laser slew Smiler, their only possible information source.
    As White Tiger questioned why and whether he should be doing any of this, he was summoned outside by Cheeky. Having been given a handball by the Corporation agent who fled El Tigre Bar, who had told her the White Tiger wouldn't mind signing it for her, she decided that talking to the Tiger was even better. As Cheeky tossed the handball against the wall and back to herself, it exploded, killing her (instead of the White Tiger, its target). The White Tiger wept for her loss.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#29/4) - Cheeky's death led to a riot in the South Bronx, and before the NYPD back-up could arrive, they attacked those present, considering the White Tiger to be a Caucasian who had killed two Puerto Rican youths. The White Tiger restrained from fighting back until one of the rioters shot him in the arm, at which point he fought back fiercely, taking out most of the crowd by himself and coming close to killing some of them. When the NYPD reinforcements arrived, the rioters fled, but the White Tiger, lost in a mad rage, continued swinging blindly at open air until Blackbyrd put him down.
    Meanwhile, the recovered Jack of Hearts left the hospital to help the White Tiger.
    Meanwhile, Filippo Ayala had returned home, and showed Awilda and his mother that he was carrying opium as well as a bomb placed there by his employers.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#30 (fb)) - The distraught White Tiger walked out on D'Angelo and Blackbyrd.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#30) - Pained by his bullet wound and not wanting to deal with his current situation, the White Tiger lay on the roof of a building, pounding his hands bloody again and seeing various visions of his actions and associates. He was interrupted by a scream when several men attacked Filippo, as well as Awilda for her association with him. As White Tiger took out the men, Awilda kicked the shin of the man holding her, allowing her to get free and enabling Hector to finish off the rest of them. Filippo then revealed the drugs and bomb strapped to his chest, noting that the bomb would go off if he failed to deliver the drugs to "El Tigre."

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#31) - White Tiger accompanied Filippo Ayala to the ship "El Tigre," and Filippo told him en route that only Maris could deactivate the bomb on his chest (the Tiger knew from Jack of Heart's story that Maris was already dead). After the White Tiger left Filippo to investigate the ship, Jack of Hearts arrived and informed Filippo of Maris' death, after which they were confronted by Stryke and various other armored Corporation agents. The White Tiger observed the battle and left it up to Jack to fight.
    Aboard El Tigre, White Tiger hurled his amulets on the metal floor to distract a pair of guards holding machine guns, overcoming the addiction-like pain of separation from the amulets long enough to flatten the two guards; however, he was then confronted by Mr. Wender and another group of gun-wielding Corporation agents. Just then, however, Blackbyrd's helicopter, having been shot down by Corporation agents, crashed into El Tigre's anchor chain, jarring the ship and allowing White Tiger to defeat the distracted Corporation agents.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#31 - BTS) - White Tiger observed as Fu Manchu contemptuously refused the present Corporation leaders' request for alliance and support, which led the entire boardroom to commit suicide.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#31) - As Shang-Chi and Iron Fist (brought by Blackbyrd) helped defeat the Corporation agents on El Tigre's deck, Filippo slipped away and joined the White Tiger, only to find that the dead Corporation boardroom.
    White Tiger then revealed that he had figured out Filippo was a high ranking agent of the Corporation, and the one who had ordered both Phillip Hart and the White Tiger's deaths. Filippo pulled his gun on the White Tiger, who catapulted into the air and drop-kicked him to the ground. As Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, and Jack of Hearts arrived, Filippo threatened to set off the bomb on his chest. Filippo activated the previous transmission from Fu Manchu, but was devastated to hear his contemptuous refusal of the Corporation's request. Filippo then activated the bomb and informed Hector he only had 5 minutes before it went off. White Tiger led his allies to escape the ship before the explosions could kill them.

(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#32/4) - While the others discussed the recent battle, White Tiger stared at the burning ship and lamented the death of his brother.
    Later, however, White Tiger joined Blackbyrd in coming to the rescue of Lin Sun and Lotus Shinchuko who were under assault from Harmony Killdragon and others. As the battle progressed, Killdragon, having learned she had been deceived by Bernard Klieg, joined her former targets against the rest of Klieg's men, and Lin dropped Klieg himself. Afterwards, Lotus told the White Tiger to join herself, Lin, and the newly arrived Bob Diamond to learn why the four of them had come together and to await the return of the fifth (Abe Brown) to make the whole once more.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#9 (fb) ) - Lin, Lotus, and Bob set out to find Abe, who was missing in Africa - they asked the Tiger to join them, but he declined.  

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#9) - Newly enrolled at Empire State University's night school, Hector arrived at school to find that ESU President Dwyer had shut down the night school , due to insufficient funds.  Hector joined in a protest against Dwyer's decision, where he met ESU graduate student Peter Parker.  Later that night, Hector saw agents of the Black Hand follow Parker into the ESU library, where the valuable Erskine Manuscripts were kept.  Hector transformed into the Tiger and leapt into battle with the gunmen, but when Peter Parker came rushing at him, believing him to have stolen the manuscript (which Professor Ramon Vasquez had just done while disguised as the Tiger), Hector instinctually backhanded him.  Recognizing Peter, the Tiger was shocked; the gunmen took advantage of the situation and escaped, and the Tiger soon fled as well. The White Tiger tracked the imposter Tiger to Vasquez' office, where he confronted the professor - only to find that he had been tracked there himself, by Spider-Man!

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#10) - Believing that the Tiger was attacking an innocent man, Spider-Man attacked him.  The two battled in the professor's office until the Tiger leapt out the window.  Spider-Man gave chase, and they fought atop the ESU library; the Tiger kicked him off the roof and fled, but Spider-Man wouldn't give up.  They fought across the Upper East Side until they both fell onto a moving truck - which they continued to fight on as it drove across the Triborough Bridge and into the South Bronx.  They fell off the truck on Lincoln Avenue; upon seeing the Tiger, the local residents began to cheer for him.  Spider-Man began to suspect he'd misjudged the White Tiger, but the Tiger refused to relent.  Their battle took them into a handball court; Spider-Man accidentally damaged one of its walls, threatening several bystanders.  As the Tiger tried to shield them, Spider-Man seemingly sacrificed himself by pulling the wall down on himself.  The Tiger briefly mourned him before Spider-Man revealed himself to be alive and well.  Now understanding that the Tiger was framed, Spider-Man accompanied him back to ESU, where they saw Professor Vasquez confess to stealing the manuscript, President Dwyer agree to keep the night school open, and Blackbyrd bringing in the Black Hand gunmen.  The two heroes parted as friends.

(Human Fly#8 (fb) - BTS) - Per his own memories, Hector "was a failure at school."

(Human Fly#8 (fb) - BTS) - When he lost his free tuition, he was hard pressed to pay his tuition. His mother wanted him to finish school and make something of himself, but he considered focusing on being the pride of his race.

(Human Fly#8) - Hector Ayala attended an inner city festival in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Human Fly performed stunts. Hector was impressed, noting that he wanted to give his people something to cheer for as well. Pondering his future, he toured the museum and happened upon the corpse of curator Wylie, recently slain by the criminal Copperhead. As he examined the dart in Wylie, a pair of guards walked in and mistook him to be the killer. Feeling if he was arrested he'd never be able to track the real killer, Hector fled, turned into the White Tiger while out of sight, and then leapt over the guards heads. Tracking Copperhead's scent of death, the White Tiger confronted him just as the Human Fly arrived as well. Copperhead activated a sinking platform, dropping a tour group into the basement, then attacked both heroes. The Human Fly went to rescue the tour group while White Tiger fought Copperhead, delivering a kick before being punched back by Copperhead's armored form. As Copperhead activated a mechanism to flood the tourists, White Tiger knocked him to the ground, but Copperhead then shot him in the chest with a dart, dropping him.

(Human Fly#9) - As museum guards assaulted Copperhead, Human Fly helped the tourists get to safety, and the White Tiger's enhanced metabolism enabled him to crawl away and transform back into Hector, the transformation somehow neutralizing the poison within him. Hector then attacked Copperhead, tackling him over the balcony and into the shaft into which Copperhead had dropped Human Fly and the others. Transforming back into White Tiger as they fell, he attacked Copperhead anew, though he kept Copperhead's armored form from sinking in the flooding waters. Around the Central Park zoo, Copperhead held White Tiger underwater then kicked him away, but White Tiger quickly recovered and ambushed Copperhead when he attempted to kill Human Fly and the tourists. Copperhead's armored power enabled him to stun both attackers, but both men waited for the right time, and then Human Fly knocked Copperhead off balance with his baton, and White Tiger kicked him back into the waters where he sank, though his body was not found when the waters were drained. White Tiger was amused when curator Margarita Mercado gratefully kissed Human Fly for his help.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#18) - Hector snagged an errant Frisbee before it could hit oblivious lovebirds Flash Thompson and Sha Shan.  Having missed his morning class anyway, Hector decided to join in the game himself - and was particularly pleased to have met the Frisbee's thrower, art student Holly Gillis.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#19) - Hector and Holly went to the Coffee Bean, where they spotted Flash and Sha again.  Before they could make themselves comfortable, the Enforcers, hoping to draw out Spider-Man, took the coffee shop's patrons hostage.  Hector nearly sprang into action before Holly insisted that he sit down.  Spider-Man arrived, as expected, and made short work of the Enforcers.  Hector introduced himself to the web-slinger, who suggested that he go outside to inform the police that the crisis was over.  He did so, in full view of a nearby TV crew - unaware that the Enforcers' employer, Lightmaster, had been watching the broadcast, and had concluded that Hector Ayala is Spider-Man!

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#20) - Having befriended Flash and Sha Shan, Hector and Holly met Flash's friend Peter Parker - both remembered meeting the other at the night school protest.  Hector wasn't pleased with Holly's obvious attraction to Parker, but he had no time to ponder it before the Lightmaster appeared and imprisoned him within a light cage, then blasted him, knocking his amulets off.  Lightmaster flew off to his lair with the unconscious Hector in tow.  At his factory base in Long Island City, the Lightmaster hijacked TV broadcasts across the city to trumpet his capture of Spider-Man - all the while, Hector writhed at his feet, suffering from withdrawal symptoms without the amulets.  Before long, however, Spider-Man arrived, bearing the amulets.  With the amulets returned to him, Hector transformed, and boasted that "Hector Ayala is not Spider-Man!  He is...the White Tiger!"  As the Lightmaster trapped Spider-Man inside a giant light bulb, the Tiger leapt into the fray.  At that very moment, however, the Lightmaster overloaded the city's power grid and triggered a blackout - and without enough ambient light to draw on, he faded into nothingness.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#21) - Hector tried to talk to Holly, but she felt betrayed, as he had hidden his identity from her.  As he tried to explain, he was besieged by autograph-seekers and well-wishers.  As Holly left, he yelled at them to leave him alone.  They dispersed, and a downtrodden Hector said a quick hello to Peter.

(Daredevil II#69 (fb) ) - Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the White Tiger foiled a jewelry store robbery by Dr. Octopus and his men, with the Tiger himself landing the knockout blow on Octavius.  Afterwards, Spider-Man introduced Daredevil to the Tiger, who politely excused himself.

(Defenders I#62) - In response to a documentary by Dollar Bill, White Tiger was one of a group of heroes who appeared at the Richmond Riding Academy in an effort to join the team. White Tiger, along with Marvel Man (Wendell Vaughn, later Quasar), Nova (Rich Rider), and Prowler (Hobie Brown) decided to try to ride one of the horses. Leaping atop a horse bareback, White Tiger felt like a noble caballero. An overhead skirmish between Nighthawk and Falcon spooked the horses, but the heroes regrouped, and they soon rode between and broke up an imminent fight between Jack of Hearts and Captain Ultra.

(Defenders I#63) - White Tiger was drafted (along with Black Goliath, Captain Ultra, Havok, Hellcat, and Iron Fist) into a group of Defenders (part of the larger, short-term "Defenders for a Day") serving under Hercules. Most of the team, including the Tiger, rode aboard Hellcat's "Hellcatmobile," in search off villains masquerading as Defenders within New York City. Within Manhattan, Hercules' Defenders encountered a group of these false Defenders, Batroc the Leaper, Blob (Fred Dukes), Beetle (Abner Jenkins), Porcupine (Alexander Gentry), the Life Model Decoy Zodiac's Sagitarrius, and Whirlwind (Dave Cannon), who were looting the Diamond District (on West 47th street, between 5th and 6th Avenue). White Tiger dropped Batroc with a drop-kick to the chest and then leapt after the Beetle and others, but then the police arrived. As both groups claimed to be the "real" Defenders, the confused policemen decided to arrest them all.

(Defenders I#64) - Hercules defused the police's confusion by presenting his Avengers ID card; when the villains fled, the Defenders gave chase into Grand Central Station.  With his knowledge of New York's subway system, the White Tiger led the way, taking on Batroc. Unfortunately, the ersatz Defenders fled on an Electro-supercharged subway train, forcing the Defenders to give chase from aboveground; while Captain Ultra followed them in the air, White Tiger and the others piled into the Hellcatmobile.  They soon caught up with the speeding train, and took on the super-criminals; in the course of the battle, Havok defended the Tiger from Plantman's sneak attack, allowing him to attack the Beetle.  Meanwhile, however, the Blob began strangling Hellcat, forcing her to unleash her psychic powers, which felled both friend and foe, including the Tiger.

(Defenders I#65 - BTS) - Hercules' Defenders team split up, each heading their separate ways.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#22) - In the South Bronx, the White Tiger cursed his powers for costing him Holly.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#23) - At the Ayala family home, Hector sat down to dinner, where his sister Awilda teased him and his father ignored him.  He stormed off to his room.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#25 (fb)) - Hector promised Awilda that he would never become the White Tiger again. 

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#25) - Breaking his promise, Hector became the Tiger and attacked a group of Savage Skulls gang members, who he thought were stealing a car.  Once he'd roughed them up, however, they explained that the car belonged to a drug dealer they were trying to scare out of the neighborhood. When the pusher came by to thank him, the Tiger knocked him down and left.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#26) - The Tiger returned home to find a furious and disappointed Awilda waiting for him.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#28) - After Peter's apartment was trashed by the undead clone Carrion, Hector offered to let him stay at his place.  Peter agreed, and they decided to meet at the ESU library after Hector's last class.  At the library that night, however, Hector was ambushed by Carrion, who knocked him out and left ASHES TO ASHES PARKER scrawled in red dust across his chest.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#29) - Holly Gillis dragged Hector to safety as Peter fought Carrion.  Once he regained consciousness, he became the Tiger and rushed to aid Peter.  He arrived in time to find Peter injured and Carrion gone.  Later, he visited Peter in the ESU infirmary, and when he was discharged, privately decided to keep an eye on him as the White Tiger.  While he watched Peter from the campus rooftops, however, he was ambushed by Carrion's henchman Darter.  Darter shot him with his stun-blaster, but he surprised Darter when he recovered faster than he'd expected.  The resulting fight took both combatants into the school gymnasium, where Spider-Man and Carrion were also fighting.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#30) - Leaping into the air, the Tiger entangled Darter in the gym's climbing ropes.  Darter freed himself with his finger-lasers, and fired on the Tiger with his stun-gun; the Tiger used a gym mat as a shield, but when it proved vulnerable to Darter's weaponry, he threw it on Darter instead, knocking him to the ground.  The dazed Darter shook it off, then leapt at the Tiger - who ducked, sending Darter plowing into Carrion.  Before the Tiger could aid Spider-Man, however, Carrion knocked the Tiger into the empty swimming pool, concussing him. Carrion left the White Tiger in the pool as he took Spider-Man to his lair.  As the Tiger awoke, he saw Darter (who mistakenly thought Carrion had killed the Tiger) depart, and followed him.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#31) - The Tiger located Carrion's laboratory, and found Spider-Man battling Carrion and his Spider-Amoeba.  The Tiger challenged Carrion, but the undead clone knocked him across the lab, knocking over some equipment that started a fire.  Cut off from Spider-Man and Carrion by the resulting debris, the Tiger rushed outside, where he found Lt. D'Angelo and the police had been alerted to the fire.  

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#32) - Hector and Holly were recruited to set up a mobile ESU college in the South Bronx.  They happily gave Peter Parker the news, and promised to keep in touch.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#49/2 (fb) ) - Hector was happy and successful with the mobile college.  One day, however, he came home from work to find his mother and father murdered.  Awilda was still alive, barely, and perished in his arms.  

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#49/2) - The White Tiger pounced on underworld informant Lou Gunther, and brutally assaulted him while trying to interrogate him about his family's killers.  Blackbyrd got him to stop before he could kill Gunther, and swore to him that he'd help him find the killers.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#50/2) - Gunther told the Tiger that his family's killers were out-of-towners, holed up in one of two locations in the South Bronx.  Despite Blackbyrd's protests, the Tiger set off on his own.  In the first location, a burned-out candy store, the Tiger only found a homeless squatter, who he nearly attacked before coming to his senses.  In the second, an abandoned storefront, he found the mastermind behind the killings - militaristic megalomaniac Gideon Mace!  However, Mace had been expecting him, and set his goons on the Tiger.  They brought him down, and Mace prepared to strike the death blow with his mace-hand as he told Hector that he would only be the first of New York's super heroes to die by his hand...

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#51/2) - The Tiger broke free of Mace's goons and evaded the death blow.  Mace sent wave after wave of henchmen after him, but the Tiger, lost in fury, took them all on.  He found it difficult to fight in the crowded confines of the building, however, and tried to escape out a window - only to find that the window was a fake.  He turned around to face Mace, who gunned him down.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#52) - Mace dumped the half-dead Tiger outside the Daily Bugle offices, before Peter Parker's horrified eyes.  Peter tended to him, and called for an ambulance.  Peter accompanied Hector in the ambulance.  Hector briefly regained consciousness and explained what had happened before going under again.  Once he was wheeled into the operating room at Bellevue Hospital, he was prepared for surgery; the medics almost removed his amulets before Blackbyrd stopped them, reasoning that removing them at this stage would probably kill him. The amulets kept him alive as the surgeons removed twelve bullets from his body.  A week later, when his wounds had nearly healed, Hector decided to remove the amulets and renounce the White Tiger identity, as they had brought him nothing but pain.  Three weeks after that, Hector and Holly departed New York City by bus, hoping to find somewhere where nobody knew of the White Tiger.  Before leaving, Hector gave Blackbyrd the amulets, to return to the Sons of the Tiger.

(Daredevil II#39 (fb) ) - At some point, Hector's relationship with Holly ended, and he romanced and married Soledad.  She convinced him to keep his White Tiger identity retired.

(Daredevil II#38/Daredevil II#39 (fb) ) - One night, Hector and Soledad had a fight over their financial situation.  To blow off some steam, Hector donned the amulets (which he had somehow reacquired) and the Tiger stumbled across Carlos Sanchez and Mikey, who had just killed a police officer Scott Perkins while robbing Uncle's Pawn Shop in the Bronx.  One of them threw a stolen TV at him as they escaped.  The Tiger caught it, just in time for the police to find him standing over a dead cop while holding stolen merchandise.  Sent to Ryker's Island, he was met by Matt Murdock, who Luke Cage and Danny Rand had convinced to act as his lawyer, accompanied by his partner Foggy Nelson, where he explained that he did not commit the crime.

(Daredevil II#39) - Hector's trial began, with opening statements by District Attorney Delacourt and Murdock.  Murdock poked some holes in the prosecution's forensics evidence, but Hector was convinced that it had gone badly, and was worried about his wife.  Murdock assured him that it had gone well.  Murdock called a succession of witnesses, including Reed Richards, Stephen Strange, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, Jessica Jones, and Bob Diamond before calling Hector himself.  His cross-examination with Murdock went well, but when Delacourt began picking apart the fight Hector had had with Soledad, and his financial problems, Hector began to break down, and angrily accused the people of not knowing how much he'd sacrificed for them.

 

 

 

 

(Daredevil II#40) - Delacourt and Murdock made their closing statements.  The jury deliberated quickly, and came back with a guilty verdict.  Hector lost it and blamed Murdock before knocking aside two baliffs and stealing a gun from one of them.  He fled the courtroom to the courthouse steps; the police ordered him to drop the gun, but he refused, and was shot multiple times, dying in Murdock's arms.  Murdock later cleared Hector's name by convincing one of the real killers (the other one having since died of a drug overdose) to confess.

 

 

 

 

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo, George Perez, and Jack Able.

    The amulets were passed on to his niece, FBI agent Angela Del Toro, who used them to become the new White Tiger; when she fell under the malign influence of the Hand, she passed the amulets on to her aunt, Hector's younger sister Ava, who used them to become the even newer White Tiger.

    The White Tiger was, I believe, Marvel's first Hispanic super hero.  Roger Stern and Brian Michael Bendis are both great writers, and they both wrote really good stories with the White Tiger, but it's kind of a shame that Marvel's first (and only, I think, at the time of Stern's story) Hispanic hero met his end twice in an ignominious manner.

    Yeah, the guard could have restrained himself more against the kid he killed in DHoKF#21, but he'd just gotten knocked out from behind with a stick to the head, then as he got up, he was dropped kicked to the ground with a foot to the chin, after which the gang members were going to kill him (and the kid held the gun). The kid fired the gun upon seeing the guard get up (and shooting the guard's savior in the shoulder - the bullet would have hit him in the heart had he not dodged), and the guard hit the gun wielder with his nightstick to stop him from firing again. The guard was likely concussed and dazed and acting to save his life. I guess he should have given the kid a chance to shoot again and maybe kill either himself or the White Tiger. But no, the message was about the big, bad "police."

    Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5 talks about the Kid being shot, but he died on panel from a nightstick blow to his head...unless the cop shot him afterwards to make it appear like someone else had killed him.

    Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#25 and #28 to not have any Sons of the Tiger, White Tiger, Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, or any other new Earth-616 stories in them. I know b/c I wasted my money confirming this.

    Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#27 notes that Awilda is the oldest of three siblings, though a childhood picture doesn't make her look more than a couple years older than Hector.

    Daredevil's wearing his yellow and brown costume in the flashback in Daredevil #69, which really doesn't fit anywhere in Hector's timeline - I'm gonna No-Prize it by saying that Matt put on the wrong costume that day.  I mean, how's he gonna know what color it is?

    Hector has profiles in the OHotMU Deluixe Edition (as part of the Sons of the Tiger entry), the OHotMU Master Edition, and in All-New OHotMU HC volume 13.

Profile by Snood and Minor Irritant.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Hector Ayala, the White Tiger, should not be confused with his successors...

...but has no known connections to: 

images: (without ads)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#19/5, last page - first transformation, with cool Tiger head looming behind him
    #22 cover - by Ken Barr
    #27, story page#14, panel 1 - unmasked Hector
    Daredevil II#38, page 10, panel 7 - modern Hector headshot
    Daredevil II#40, page 18, panel 1  - Hector's death

Appearances:
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#19/5 (December, 1975) - Bill Mantlo (writer), George Perez (penciler), Jack Able (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#20/5 (January, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), George Perez (penciler), Jack Able (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#21/5 (February, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), George Perez (penciler), Jack Able (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#22/5 (March, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Keith Giffen (penciler), Rico Rival (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#23/4 (April, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gil Kane (penciler), Rico Rival (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#24/5 (May, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Keith Giffen (penciler), the Tribe (inkers), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#26 (July, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Sherman (penciler), the Tribe (inkers), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#27 (August, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Ron Wilson (penciler), the Tribe (inkers), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#29/4 (October, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Ron Wilson (penciler), Rudy Mesina (inker), Sonny Trinidad (art p42), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#30 (November, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), George Perez  (penciler), Sonny Trinidad (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#31 (December, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Joe Staton (penciler), Sonny Trinidad (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu#32/4 (January, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Joe Staton (penciler), Sonny Trinidad (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#9 (August, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#10 (September, 1977) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Mike Esposito & Frank Giacoia (inkers), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Human Fly#8 (April, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Frank Robbins (artist), New York Tribe (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Human Fly#9 (May, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Frank Robbins (artist), Mike Esposito (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#18 (May, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Dave Hunt (inker), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#19-20 (June-July, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Jim Shooter (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#21 (August, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Mooney (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Jim Shooter (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#22 (September, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike Zeck (penciler), Bruce D. Patterson (inker), Bob Hall (editor))
Defenders I#62-63 (August-September, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Jim Mooney (inker), Bob Hall (editor)
Defenders I#64 (October, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Don Perlin (inker), Bob Hall (editor)
Defenders I#65 (November, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Bruce D. Patterson (inker), Bob Hall (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#23 (October, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Mooney (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Bob Hall (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#25 (December, 1978) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Mooney (penciler), Frank Springer (inker), Bob Hall (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#26 (January, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Mooney (penciler), Frank Springer (inker), Jo Duffy (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#28 (March, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Frank Miller (penciler), Frank Springer (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#29-32 (April-July, 1979) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Jim Mooney (penciler), Frank Springer (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#49/2 (December, 1980) - Roger Stern (writer), Denys Cowan (penciler), Jim Mooney (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#50/2 (January, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Denys Cowan (penciler), Dave Humphrys & Josef Rubinstein (inkers), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#51/2 (February, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Denys Cowan (penciler), Dave Humphrys (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#52 (March, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Rick Leonardi (penciler), Jim Mooney (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Daredevil II#38 (January, 2002) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Manuel Gutierrez (artist), Stuart Moore (editor)
Daredevil II#39 (February, 2002) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Manuel Gutierrez (artist), Nanci Dakesian (editor)
Daredevil II#40 (March, 2002) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Stuart Moore & Joe Quesada (editors)
Daredevil II#69 (March, 2005) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (artist), Jennifer Lee (editor)

First Posted: 02/01/2013
Last updated: 02/01/2013

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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