Did Punisher Kill White Tiger In Daredevil: Born Again? Hector Ayala Twist Explained

Jon Bernthal's Punisher will likely not be too impressed with the major White Tiger twist that ended Daredevil: Born Again Episode 3. 

The latest episode of Disney+'s new super-powered legal drama focused on the plight of one, Hector Ayala, as Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock defended him in court after being framed for the death of a police officer. 

While Ayala got off scot-free, his defense involved revealing he is, in fact, the New York vigilante, the White Tiger. This essentially put a target on his back despite his not guilty verdict. 

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

Why Did a Punisher Figure Kill White Tiger?

Daredevil: Born Again Episode 3 came to a close with a shocking moment, as Kamar de los Reyes' Hector Ayala (aka the White Tiger) was shot dead in the street after being deemed a hero in a New York court thanks to a brilliant defense crafted by Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock. 

Part of the case the show's titular vigilante lawyer put together for Ayala involved revealing the character's true identity and pulling out the White Tiger mask in the middle of the courtroom, where Ayala was being accused of purposefully killing a cop (read more about White Tiger here).

This demonstrated to the jury that Ayala is, at heart, a hero and was likely protecting/saving someone when the police officer he was accused of killing fell in front of a train. 

This defense ultimately worked, but it may have been for naught. The episode ended with Ayala using his newfound freedom to don the White Tiger mask again, finally allowed to serve as one of New York's costumed protectors. 

His crime-stopping career is cut short, though, as a mysterious figure steps out from the shadows and puts a bullet into the side of Ayala's head, leaving his dead body crumpled on the ground—kind of like Foggy Nelson in the show's dramatic series premiere.

The episode closes as White Tiger's killer walks toward the camera with their face shrouded in shadow before audiences glimpse the Punisher's logo splayed across their chest. 

This is the ultimate punishment for Ayala (aka White Tiger), as the sentiment against masked vigilante grows more fervent in a newly elected Mayor Wilson Fisk's New York City.

Who Actually Killed White Tiger?

While it looks like the Punisher himself killed White Tiger at the end of Daredevil: Born Again, that seems highly unlikely.

Frank Castle (aka Punisher) has been known for his brutal tactics both on-screen and in Marvel Comics, but he rarely takes his anger out on the organized crime of New York City, rather than the fellow vigilantes trying to stop it. 

That likely means this was not the Punisher but an imposter hired by someone to eliminate the Big Apple's masked heroes. Who could be behind this plot? 

The Episode 3 White Tiger twist was inter-cut with scenes of Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk (now mayor) as he describes the 'disease' of vigilante justice spreading across New York to local journalist BB Urich. 

That can only mean one thing: Fisk is behind White Tiger's death. He is starting his campaign to clean the streets of these superhero figures. And what better way to do that than employing a crooked cop or hired hand to dress as a vigilante and dote on Fisk's every blood-spattered wish? 

Fans have been teased with the Punisher's iconography being twisted like this earlier in the series, with several dirty cops sporting tattoos of the character's skull logo. 

In the years since the events of the original Daredevil and Punisher series, it seems that members of local law enforcement have adopted the Punisher's mentality of 'justice no matter the cost' and are using it to further their anti-vigilante agenda. 

Is the Real Punisher in Daredevil: Born Again?

Thankfully, this commandeering of the Punisher's branding will likely not go unnoticed for too long. 

Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle has already been confirmed to appear in the new Daredevil series, popping up several times in pre-release marketing. He will almost surely have something to say about his name being used to kill off masked heroes, and he can only wait in the shadows for so long.

If the White Tiger's killer is, in fact, an imposter, then Bernthal's MCU anti-hero will likely want to make it clear to those in power that he is the one and only Punisher on the streets. 

And with Punisher already confirmed to get his own Special Presentation on Disney+, whatever comes of this Fisk-hired Punisher figure has a good chance of bleeding over into the character's next streaming appearance post-Born Again.

What will likely happen going forward in Born Again is that Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock will see what happened to Hector Ayala, decide he can sit on the bench no longer, don the Daredevil mask again, and collaborate with Bernthal's no-holds-barred hero as a part of a plan to bring Wilson Fisk to justice.

Daredevil: Born Again continues with new episodes debuting every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.