| “ | I'm the beast that hunts in the darkness now. I'm the monster who even monsters fear. I'm the White Tiger. | „ |
| ~ Ava Ayala. |
| “ | Your time is done. I'm the beast that hunts in the darkness now. I'm the monster who even monsters fear. I'm the White Tiger. You want a deal? This is your deal: Give me everything you have. Now. Or crawl away and die and I'll do it without you. | „ |
| ~ White Tiger. |
White Tiger (real name Ava Ayala) is a fictional character and superheroine from Marvel Comics. Ava is the fifth character to assume the mantle of White Tiger and is the younger sister of the first White Tiger, Hector Ayala as well as the aunt of Angela del Toro.
She was created by Christos Gage and Tom Raney, and first appeared in Avengers Academy #20 in December of 2011.
Overview[]
After graduating from the Academy, Ava took a job working for Luke Cage as part of his Heroes for Hire. During their first outing, during the Infinity crossover, Ava used her amulets as a mystic link to an ancient spirit called the Tiger, which represented the "First Enemy" of humanity: the predator in the shadows that early humans quickly learned to fear. The Tiger used Ava as an avatar, but soon came to regret it. Ava engaged the Tiger in a contest of wills and won, pointing out that the Tiger was no longer as frightening to humanity as it once had been, and thus gaining greater access to its power. She served as a member of Cage's volunteer-led, street-level Avengers team before the 2015 Secret Wars crossover.
She then served as a member of Sunspot's "Avengers Idea Mechanics" field team. After an adventure where she successfully managed to purge Angela of the remnants of her Hand brainwashing, Ava opted to retire and destroyed the original White Tiger amulet.
Biography[]
Background[]
Ava Ayala was born in New York City, New York to Nestor and Maria Ayala, and is the sister to Hector, Filippo and Awilda Ayala. Her niece, Angela Del Toro, was the previous wielder of the White Tiger amulet, which gave the user enhanced abilities and animal-like senses. After the death of her family by the terrorist Gideon Mace, Ava inherited the amulet and became the new White Tiger.
Heroics[]
Becoming a superhero, Ava decided to join the Avengers Academy in California as the group's first full-time student, and attended many training sessions to improve her fighting skills. Later on, White Tiger joined the Heroes for Hire alongside Luke Cage and Víctor Álvarez, whom she developed a bond with. The trio soon believed they were meant for something greater, and formed the Mighty Avengers. During her tenure on the team, Ayala became determined to hunt down and kill Mace for the death of her family, and the White Tiger pursued her need for vengeance. She was stopped by her teammates, and taken to a laboratory to watched by Blue Marvel.
She was then confronted by the White Tiger god for failing to kill Mace, but she convinced the deity that if she did kill Gideon, her teammates would have destroyed the amulet. After explaining the deity's options, the White Tiger god decided to submit to Ayala to prevent itself from being destroyed. Following the Mighty Avengers' disbandment, White Tiger and Power Man joined the New Avengers under the leadership of Sunspot. While in Rome, she encountered her niece Angela, and during the fight, the deity abandoned Aya when it learned there was a potential avatar. The New Avengers then fought against Maker's New Revengers, and Ayala managed to save her niece from the White Tiger's possession.
After stopping the New Revengers, Ava decided to retire from being White Tiger, and told Angela that she should do the same. She later returned to the title of White Tiger to help Luke Cage deal with Diamondback, but she didn't possess the amulet. At some point, Ayala joined the Daughters of Liberty alongside Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter, Toni Ho, Mockingbird, and Spider-Woman.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
As the inheritor of her family's magical Amulets of Power (Tiger Totem), Ava Ayala's endurance, speed, agility, and dexterity have been enhanced to abnormal levels for a human being. Utilizing her heightened cat-like reflexes and over-all mobility, Ava has become a formidable acrobat, allowing her to evade assault from enemies. The Tiger Totem's mystical properties can sometimes become vastly overwhelming, augmenting Ava's strength and causing her to become highly volatile or feral.
Abilities[]
As the understudy of Tigra, Ava possesses an exceptional combat prowess, complimented by claws built into the gloves of her costume.
Portrayals[]
Television[]
- In the 2017-to-2017 animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man, she was voiced by Caitlyn Taylor Love.
- Love later reprised her voice-role for the character in Lego Marvel's Avengers.
Video Games[]
- In Disney Infinity, she was voiced by Courtnee Draper, who also voiced Elizabeth in BioShock and Sarah Whitaker in Days Gone.
- In Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, she was voiced by Skye Bennett.
Trivia[]
- She was considered her to be a Gamma Level Threat by Tony Stark and Sam Wilson.
