Marvel Studios Says Goodbye to Major Phase 5 Superhero

Marvel Studios killed off one of its key Phase 5 superheroes in the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again is one of the final releases in Marvel Studios' Phase 5 slate (which will mark an end to the MCU's faster-paced film output), and one of the few Marvel projects to lean into a TV-MA rating on Disney+ - that allowance has already led to some brutal deaths in the new Daredevil story.

Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again Kills Off MCU Hero in Episode 3

Daredevil: Born Again's third episode, "The Hollow of His Hand," ended with the brutal murder of Hector Ayala (a posthumous appearance by Kamar de los Reyes), aka the MCU's White Tiger.

While White Tiger's death was not a surprise to some, the manner and timing of which it happened still came as a shock.

Ayala was introduced in the second episode of the season as a well-intentioned bystander who comes across two men, Powell and Shanahan, beating up another man, Nicky Torres, in a subway station.

Ayala's sense of justice leads him to bravely step in to break up the fight, which paints him as the new target for the two men. Unfortunately, Shanahan trips and falls off the platform in front of a moving train and is killed. It's then that Hector learns the two men are police officers and Powell arrests and paints him as a murderer.

This couldn't be further from the truth, however. After Matt Murdock decides to represent Ayala in court, it's soon revealed that Ayala is the vigilante known as White Tiger. 

This becomes a crucial piece of information in Murdock's defense case for Ayala.

Murdock's questioning of Ayala and his responses provide evidence of the character's good nature. The lawyer provides multiple scenarios in which Ayala risked his life to help innocents and asks his client why. Ayala responds each time with "It's the right thing to do." 

The lawyer uses Ayala's well-meaning crimefighting antics and his innate integrity to prove his client is a hero and one who would never be capable of murder:

"Every night, Hector Alaya goes out and risks his life, to keep his neighborhood safe, to protect his community. So ask yourselves, does this sound like the type of man who'd murder a police officer in cold blood?"

This tactic wins the jury over and gains Ayala a not-guilty verdict. Unfortunately, it's short-lived as Ayala's commitment to crimefighting costs him his life.

At the end of the episode, Ayala is seen donning the White Tiger mask again, no doubt feeling elevated by the jury's faith in him, and ventures out on the streets, only to be shot point blank in the head by a mysterious assailant in a Punisher shirt (find out who the real killer might be here).

White Tiger's Legacy in Daredevil: Born Again

The murder of White Tiger in Daredevil: Born Again is a reflection of the deeper message of the series that explores vigilantes vs the law.

Wilson Fisk is one of the primary antagonists in this battle, with the character having built his mayoral campaign based on eradicating the vigilante problem in New York City.

While the murderer of White Tiger is yet to be revealed, it undoubtedly has something to do with Fisk based on his comments at the end of the episode that reveal "the rule of law must prevail:"

"Courts get it wrong, juries get it wrong, I should know. And now a masked vigilante, a murderer, is allowed to roam the streets, and a veteran of the NYPD lies dead. These vigilantes are a threat to any society that's based on the rule of law. A man who wears a mask to cover his face is a coward. These vigilantes they are not heroes. I ran on a promise and the acquittal of Hector Ayalo demands that I keep it. The rule of law must prevail."

The irony of this statement is that Fisk himself is a criminal who has operated outside of the law. He also brings his own bias against vigilantes to the matter, having been defeated by Daredevil in the past. Now, as mayor, the "rule of law" is really referring to whatever Fisk makes it.

Ayalo's acquittal in court was a forward step for vigilantes (of which there are quite a few in the MCU) and one that Matt Murdock achieved without wearing a mask. However, the White Tiger was a symbol that had to be quashed by Fisk, which is why Ayalo had to die.

This action will no doubt invite repercussions and may even be the event that convinces Matt Murdock to put on the Daredevil mask again, as he seeks justice and upholds Ayalo's legacy. 

The Disney+ series is a sequel to the 2015 Daredevil Netflix show, although this time the action takes place properly within the MCU. Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Jon Bernthal are just some of the actors taking their roles from the Netflix era into the Marvel Studios show.