After the death of her uncle, the former White Tiger, Angela del Toro takes his place just as evil forces—Sano Orii, a shadow organization, and Omega Red—emerge in her hometown.
Tropes:
- Acquitted Too Late: Daredevil was only able to prove poor Hector's innocence after he was killed.
- Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: How the White Tiger gets their power, though Ava regards it as an Amulet of Concentrated Evil.
- Asshole Victim: When Gideon Mace is eventually killed by a psychopathic Beyonder, Ava isn't exactly upset, even if she is briefly considered a suspect.
- Badass Family:
- Angela considers a family backyard barbecue with what looks like fifty or so people to be a "small gathering," and a lot of the kids are studying kung fu under Daniel Rand. Several of them also happen to be cops. That's going to be a very safe neighborhood in a few years.
- And that's just the Del Toro side of her family. Hector and Ava show that the Ayala family can be just as badass.
- Battle Couple: Ava and Victor Alvarez, the second Power Man. Even before they hooked up, they were landing one-two punches that could drop gods. This didn't last long, and they broke up in the eight-month Time Skip after Secret Wars (2015).
- Break the Cutie: One day, little Ava came home to find thugs had broken into her house and killed her parents. Then their leader shot her in the chest before fleeing.
- Broken Bird: Implied. Soledad Ayala intended to file for divorce immediately after her husband White Tiger (Hector Ayala) was wrongfully arrested for murder, because Hector had promised her he'd give up being a superhero. Matt Murdock convinces her to hold off divorcing him until after the trial because if she divorces him right now that would just send the message that he's guilty. She agrees to hold off the divorce, admitting both that she knows he's not guilty and that she still loves Hector. But during the trial, when the prosecuter questions their marriage, she can't stand the pressure and leaves the courthouse. Soon after, Hector is convicted despite the efforts of his lawyer, Murdock. Hector is shot dead trying to escape, shortly before evidence emerges that belatedly proves his innocence. In Soledad's last appearance in White Tiger #6, according to Hector's sister Awilda, Ayala hasn't been right in the head ever since Hector's death, implying that the death and the guilt she has for leaving the trial has destroyed her. She takes the appearance of someone as a new White Tiger as a sign from God that Hector forgives her.
- Brought Down to Badass: Ava destroyed the amulet during her time with A.I.M., but it didn't stop her and Angela going out to beat up bad guys anyway.
- Canon Immigrant: Ava Ayala was created for Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. At the same time, Ava it is also a case of Early-Bird Cameo, because Christos Gage
agreed to include her much earlier in the comics because he loved Hector Ayala. - Color Animal Codename: The white tiger.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him:
- Hector hadn't appeared in the comics at all for something like twenty years before reappearing in Bendis and Maleev's Daredevil. He dies six issues later.
- Angela got a miniseries all to herself, then just dropped off the face of the Earth, only reappearing to be murdered by Lady Bullseye.
- Emotion Bomb: One of the powers the Tiger Amulet grants is the ability to induce fear in others, owing to the Tiger God's status as Primal Fear personified.
- Everyone Has Standards: When White Tiger (Hector Ayala) was wrongfully arrested for murder, his wife Soledad intended to file for divorce immediately because Hector had promised her he'd give up being a superhero. Matt Murdock convinces her to hold off divorcing him until after the trial because if she divorced him right away that would just send the message that he's guilty. Realizing this, Soledad admits that she knows he's not guilty and still loves him, and agrees to hold off the divorce until the trial is over and support him.
- Face–Heel Turn: After her assassination and resurrection, Angela went from a well-meaning rookie superhero to a ruthless agent of the Hand.
- Heel–Face Turn: New Avengers (2015) has Angela's mind restored to normal by Ava.
- Fair Cop: Angela.
- Good Wears White: All of them are heroes and all have worn white.
- Great White Feline:
- Hector, Angela and Ava's Animal Motif is based on a white tiger.
- The second character to use the White Tiger name was an actual white Bengal tigress evolved into a woman of East Indian descent by the High Evolutionary. She was part of the short-lived Heroes for Hire revival in the 1990s.
- The Tiger God that resides within the Tiger Amulets has occasionally taken the form of a white tiger though it has also been depicted as green.
- Healing Factor: The amulets give their wearer superhuman resilience and recuperative ability. While she has the amulets, Angela heals from a broken arm in ten days, sleeps maybe three hours a night, and minor injuries are gone in less than a day.
- Hero-Worshipper: Ava has a lot of respect for Spider-Man, since he's the one who stopped Gideon Mace after the man killed her family.
- Instant Expert: Put on all three parts of the necklace, gain the equivalent of twenty years studying mystic kung fu.
- It's Personal: Gideon Mace murdered Ava's family, nearly killed her brother and sent him on the run. Yes, it's damn personal for her, so much so she almost lets the Tiger God rip him to shreds.
- Legacy Character
- Light Is Good: All White Tigers are superheroes who have worn white.
- Lightning Bruiser: A White Tiger fully empowered by the Tiger God is capable of putting She-Hulk through a wall, and scratching Luke Cage's skin. Y'know, Luke Cage's unbreakable skin.
- Logical Weakness: The Tiger God was the first thing humanity feared, which means the Tiger Amulet's aura of fear doesn't work on things that aren't human, like Atlanteans.
- Mistaken Identity: There's a running gag in Pierce's series that Angela's constantly mistaken for other superheroes. First it's Emma Frost, then Deadpool jumps her because he thinks she's the Black Cat.
- My Suit Is Also Super: Angela's costume was made for her by a tailor at Black Widow's request. It's stain-proof, bulletproof, and doesn't wrinkle or tear.
- Mystical Jade: The jade amulets used by all three White Tigers are made of Jade, and grant greatly enhanced physical prowess, sharpened senses, and the ability to blend into the wearers surroundings.
- Pet the Dog: Ayala allowed her sister-in-law Soledad in her house, and it is implied that she is supporting her throughout her depression after her brother's death. Despite the fact that Soledad intended to file for divorce immediately after her husband White Tiger (Hector Ayala) was wrongfully arrested for murder, because Hector had promised her he'd give up being a superhero. And part of the reason Hector had a break down after he was convicted was because during the trial, when the prosecutor questioned their marriage, she couldn't stand the pressure and left the courthouse. Despite all that, Ayala does not hold that against Soledad and still helps her. When Ayala's son Rey protests allowing Soledad in their house after how she treated Hector during his trial, she states that Soledad is Hector's widow, she's family, and she has not been well since Hector's death.
- Primal Fear: The Tiger spirit channeled by the amulet is the god of this, being representative of the first thing humanity feared.
- Put on a Bus: Angela was quietly shuffled offstage so Ava could take the spotlight, due to Ava's supporting role in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon. Years later, Angela returned in New Avengers, where she was in high-security prison at "The Cellar," the latest in a series of super-villain prisons, and was still Brainwashed and Crazy. Thankfully, Ava manages to break the brainwashing, but at the cost of the amulets that grant their White Tiger powers. Brought Down to Normal, Angela becomes an 11th-Hour Ranger to the New Avengers.
- Remember the New Guy?: As a member of Hector's family, Angela is retconned as having known Luke Cage and Danny Rand for long enough that she considers them honorary uncles.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Gideon Mace and his paramilitary organization were recurring foes for Luke Cage in the 1970s. His single battle against White Tiger remains his most memorable and effective appearance to date, to the point where it overshadows any other appearance he ever made. Mighty Avengers goes as far as to show that Gideon Mace's return sends Ava on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
- Spicy Latina:
- One of the first things Ava does in Avengers Academy is go after Reptil for not representing the Latino community. Averted in her appearances in Mighty Avengers, where Ava is incredibly restrained almost all the time.
- Angela, on the other hand, is almost always even-tempered, at least before she's resurrected as a murderous ninja.
- Token Minority: Hector Ayala is very much a product of 1970s Marvel, complete with an origin that ties heavily into the then-new mystic kung-fu side of the universe, and the writers went out of their way to make sure he spoke a lot of Spanish. Angela and Ava don't tend to do the same, as Latino superheroes are much more visible in 2000s Marvel.
- Took a Level in Badass:
- In Mighty Avengers, Ava stares down the spirit of the White Tiger within the necklace and wins, giving her almost total access to its power. She is now a conduit for one of the oldest, most frightening gods in the Marvel Universe, which means she's fast and strong enough to give Thor a hard time.
- As of 2016's New Avengers, Angela has been equipped with a copy of the necklace from another dimension, complete with its own conduit to that dimension's Tiger God. When she fought Ava, both Tiger Gods decided they liked Angela better and merged, giving Angela twice the power and leaving Ava powerless.
- Undignified Death: When White Tiger (Hector Ayala) was wrongfully arrested for murder, during the trial despite his lawyer Matt Murdock's best efforts he was convicted. Hector had a breakdown and tried to escape the courtroom, but was shot down by guards. The only good thing that happened was that Matt was able to find evidence that proves his innocence after his death. And it is clear that Hector's friends and family love and miss him, and they respect his memory.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: For most of his Spectacular Spider-Man appearances, Hector was in a steady relationship with Holly Gillis. When he flees New York in 1981, Holly flees with him. When he re-appeared in 2002, Hector was married to someone called Soledad. Whatever happened to Holly?
- You Can't Go Home Again: Ava's family kicked her out on account of taking up the same lifestyle that killed her big brother and her niece.