White Tiger (Ava Ayala) is a

superheroine A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, t ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Created by

Christos Gage Christos N. Gage is an American screenwriter and comic book writer. He is known for his work on the TV series ''Daredevil (TV series), Daredevil'', ''Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), Hawaii Five-0'', ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''Numbers ...

and

Tom Raney Tom Raney is an American comic book artist known for illustrating titles as '' Annihilation: Conquest'', '' Alpha Flight'', ''Ultimate X-Men'' and ''Uncanny X-Men'' for Marvel Comics, '' DV8'' and '' Stormwatch'' for Image Comics, and '' Outsider ...

, the character

first appeared In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...

in ''

Avengers Academy ''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...

'' issue #20 (December 2011). Ava Ayala is the fifth incarnation of

White Tiger The white tiger (ashy tiger) is a leucistic morph of the tiger, typically the Bengal tiger. It is occasionally reported in the Indian wilderness. It has the typical black stripes of a tiger, but its coat is otherwise white or near-white, and ...

. She is the younger sister of Hector Ayala as well as the aunt of Angela del Toro. The character has also been a member of the

Mighty Avengers ''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of ''New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered s ...

and the

New Avengers The New Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The title has been used for four American comic book series. The first two were written by Brian Michael Bendis and depicted a version of Ma ...

at various points in her history.

Publication history

Ava Ayala debuted in the twentieth issue of the 2010 ''

'' series, and was created by writer

and artist

. She later appeared in the 2013 ''

'', by

Al Ewing Al Ewing ( ; born 12 August 1977) is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press, for '' 2000 AD'', and for Marvel Comics. Career Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page '' Future Shocks'' format for '' ...

. She appeared in the 2015 ''

'' series, by

. She appeared in the 2021 and 2022 ''

Marvel's Voices ''Marvel's Voices'' is a podcast hosted by journalist, producer, and author Angélique Roché. Each episode, Roché interviews and has "deep-diving conversations with storytellers" associated with Marvel Entertainment. The podcast puts on emphas ...

: Comunidades'' anthology series.

Fictional character biography

Ava, the fifth White Tiger, is the sister of Hector Ayala and a student of the

. She inherited the White Tiger amulet from her brother and came to live with her sister Awilda's family after

Gideon Mace Gideon Mace is a fictional villain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Fictional character biography Colonel Gideon Mace led his men on an unauthorized assault against an enemy village, during which a mine destroyed his ...

killed her parents. Upon her introduction, Ava states the White Tiger is a family legacy that she intends to honor. She also criticizes classmate

Reptil Reptil (Humberto Lopez) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is best known as a supporting member on ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' and a member of the Avengers Academy in the comics. ...

for not being more active in the

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

community. During the ''

Infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...

'' storyline, White Tiger and

Heroes for Hire Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appe ...

thwart Plunderer's plan to steal robot parts. When the

Superior Spider-Man Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...

(

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''The Amazin ...

' mind in Spider-Man's body) stops Plunderer and considers the Heroes for Hire team as mercenaries, White Tiger quits the team and joins the

. During the ''

Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...

'' storyline, White Tiger attempts to reconcile with her surviving family members. They are angered that she has chosen a violent lifestyle and threaten to kill her if she does not leave. In the ''

All-New, All-Different Marvel All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched wi ...

'' event, White Tiger joins

Sunspot Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are one of the most recognizable Solar phenomena and despite the fact that they are mostly visible in the solar photosphere they usually aff ...

's incarnation of the

. Ava later battles her niece Angela del Toro in Rome, during which their respective tiger gods and amulets merge. During the New Revengers' attack on the New Avengers at Avengers Base Two, Ava battles Angela again, destroys her amulet, and frees her from the Tiger God's influence. The two later help the New Avengers defeat the New Revengers and a rogue

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...

agent who was hunting A.I.M. After defeating a rogue A.I.M. group, Ava and Angela discuss their future, with Ava wondering who the Tiger God will choose to be the next White Tiger.

Powers and abilities

The White Tiger amulet augments Ava Ayala's physical abilities to superhuman levels. Additionally, she possesses sharp claws and is trained in martial arts.

Reception

Critical response

Adam Barnhardt of ''

ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...

'' called Ava Ayala a "fan-favorite Avengers character," writing, "While mystical at heart, White Tiger has often found herself as one of the street-level characters Marvel fans have long hoped to see in live-action." Evan Lewis of ''

MovieWeb Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal, Quebec. It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry, where it has sought to acquire producers of content in this space. In ...

'' ranked Ava Ayala 6th in their "10 Female Characters the MCU Should Introduce in Future Phases" list, saying, "She would be refreshing and bring something new to the table." Megan Nicole O'Brien of ''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' ranked Ava Ayala 8th in their "Every Member Of The Daughters Of Liberty" list, Daniel Kurland while ranked her 15th in their "15 Obscure Marvel Characters Who Deserve Their Own Movie" list. Jack Walters of ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'' called Ava Ayala the "White Tiger that most Marvel fans know and love from the comics."

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Ava Ayala from Earth-11080 appears in ''Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers''. This version is one of the last surviving students of the Avengers Academy following a virus outbreak. After she, Mettle,

Veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...

, and Striker are infected, they begin wearing Doomstones to prevent it from taking over them before Ava is killed by an infected

Red Hulk The Red Hulk is an alias that is used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics: Thunderbolt Ross and Robert Maverick as well as other equivalents in specific Marvel timelines. The character has a ...

In other media

Television

* Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears in ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

'', voiced by

Caitlyn Taylor Love Caitlyn Taylor Love (born June 16, 1994) is a former American actress and musician. She co-starred in the Disney XD sitcom '' I'm in the Band''. She was the voice of White Tiger/Ava Ayala in the Disney XD animated series ''Ultimate Spider-Man' ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a member of

's training program for teenage superheroes along with

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

, Iron Fist,

Power Man Power Man may refer to: * Luke Cage, a Marvel Comics superhero, originally called Power Man * Erik Josten, a Marvel supervillain later known as Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas * Victor Alvarez, the current Power Man introduced in the mini-series ''Sh ...

, and

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

. Additionally, she has history with

Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, th ...

, who killed her grandfather and

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

, both previous White Tigers, for their familial amulet, which she inherited. However, her powers also have the risk of making her more aggressive and cat-like, which she constantly works to suppress. In the third season, she joins the

New Warriors The New Warriors are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics) ...

. ** A vampiric alternate universe variant of Ava appears in the episode "Return to the Spider-Verse", voiced by

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

. *Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears in ''

Spidey and His Amazing Friends ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'' (also known as ''Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends'') is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Studios Animation (formerly Marvel Animation) and animated by Atomic Cartoons (who als ...

'', voiced by

Kylie Cantrall Kylie Lorena Cantrall (born June 25, 2005) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, dancer, and social media personality. She played the lead role as Gabby Duran in the television series ''Gabby Duran & the Unsittables'' (2019–2021), a recu ...

. This version can communicate with animals.

Video games

* Ava Ayala / White Tiger, based on the ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' incarnation, appears in ''

Disney Infinity 2.0 ''Disney Infinity 2.0'' (also known as ''Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes'') is a 2014 toys-to-life action-adventure game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios. It is the sequel to '' Disney Infinity'' ( ...

'' and '' Disney Infinity 3.0'', voiced by

Courtnee Draper Courtnee Alyssa Draper (born April 24, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Morgan Hudson in ''The Jersey'', Sam in '' The Thirteenth Year'', Megan Larson in '' Stepsister from Planet Weird'', Elizabeth in ''BioShock ...

. * Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears in ''Marvel: War of Heroes''. * Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears as a playable character in ''

Lego Marvel's Avengers ''Lego Marvel's Avengers'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows, ...

'', voiced again by Caitlyn Taylor Love. * Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears as a playable character in ''

Marvel Future Fight ''Marvel: Future Fight'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed and published by Netmarble. Gameplay Players assemble a team of iconic Marvel heroes and villains to engage in thrilling battles. The gameplay revolves around completing mi ...

''. * Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears in '' Marvel: Avengers Alliance''. * Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears as a playable character in ''

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 14 November 2017 and ...

'', voiced by Skye Bennett. * Ava Ayala / White Tiger appears in ''

Marvel Snap ''Marvel Snap'' is a digital collectible card game developed by Second Dinner and published by Nuverse for Android, iOS, and Windows. The game features a collection of different characters from the Marvel Universe. The game was released on Oct ...

''.

References

External links

White Tiger (Ava Ayala) White Tiger (Ava Ayala) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Christos Gage and Tom Raney, the character first appeared in ''Avengers Academy'' issue #20 (December 2011). Ava Ayala is the fifth ...

at Marvel Wiki
White Tiger (Ava Ayala)
at Comic Vine {{Avengers characters White Tiger (comics) Avengers (comics) characters Characters created by Christos Gage Comics characters introduced in 2011 Latin American superheroes Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman senses Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics female superheroes Marvel Comics martial artists S.H.I.E.L.D. agents