Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.
The Marvel universe is full of mysterious artifacts that bestow great power upon their users — including Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, Doctor Strange’s Cloak of Levitation, and the Infinity Stones.Daredevil: Born Againcontinues this trend with its introduction ofHector Ayala, the White Tiger(Kamar de los Reyes),and the mystical amulet that gives him his powers. But since most of Ayala’s screentime is dedicated to being defended by Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) in court, the Amulet of Power he wears is never displayed to its full extent. The Amulet of Power is an artifact with a lengthy history in the Marvel Universe, and its legacy has extended beyond the White Tiger.
The Amulet of Power Grants Its User the Powers of a God
Whoever dons the Amulet of Power isinfused with the abilities of a mysterious “Tiger God,“enhancing their strength and speed to superhuman levels. It also gives the user mystical healing abilities and enhances their senses to be as sharp as a tiger’s. But the true power of the amulet also allows the user tomaster every form of martial arts that ever existed. Therefore, the people who wield an Amulet of Power tend to be some of the best fighters in the world. Years later, even more abilities would be revealed, including the ability to create portals to other planes of existence and camouflage the user from enemies.
Utilizing the Amulet of Power comes with a price,as the user tends to be overwhelmed by the presence of the Tiger God. This frequently happened to Hector Ayala, as he frequently had no memories of his time as the White Tiger until he saw his exploits on the news. Hector also realized that he was slowly becoming addicted to the power the amulet gave him, which caused stress between him and his family. Eventually, Hector decided to retire his amulet after an encounter with criminal mastermind Gideon Mace inPeter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #52byRoger SternandRick Leonardi;the amulet would pass into the hands of his niece Angela del Toro, and then his teenage sister Ava.
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Another Marvel Hero Has Ties To the Amulet of Power
The Amulets of Power definitely live up to their name, but the question remains: where exactly did they come from? Believe it or not, the Amulets used to be part of a statue representing the Tiger God.That statue is located in K’un-L’un, one of the Seven Heavenly Cities that exists in a different dimension than ours.
K’un-L’un may sound familiar to some Marvel fans: that’s becauseit’s where Danny Rand became the Iron Fist. The Amulets of Power were also forged from the Great Emerald Crystal at the heart of K’un-L’un, which allows it to shift into regular reality — explaining why the amulets allow their users to teleport from place to place.
White Tiger Wasn’t The First Hero to use the Amulets of Power
The first martial artists who discovered the Amulets of Power werethe trio known as the “Sons of the Tiger”: martial artists Lin Sun, Abe Brown, and Bob Diamond, who appeared inDeadly Hands of Kung Fu #1byGerry ConwayandDick Giordano. The three friends trained at the Tiger Dojo under their sensei, Master Kee. When Master Kee was killed by a group of ninja, he bequeathed the Amulets of Power to Lin Sun with his dying breath. Lin, Abe, and Bob soon discovered they could tap into the amulets' power by reciting an oath: “When three are called and stand as one, as one they’ll fight, their will be done… For each is born anew, The Tiger’s Son.”
But when the Sons had their final fight with the cult known as the Silent Ones, they freed a girl named Lotus Shinchuko… which eventually led to their dissolution, as a love triangle between Lotus, Lin, and Bob caused tension between the three. They wound up throwing their amulets in an alleyway, andHector Ayala would eventually discover the amulets. Ayala’s co-creatorGeorge Perezsaid that Ayala was based on his Puerto Rican background,based on conversations he hadwith writerBill Mantlo:
“Figuring that we had pretty much dredged the well of ideas for the Tiger Sons, we wanted to go in a different direction and, since he was working with a Puerto Rican artist from the Bronx, Bill suggested creating a character utilizing my experience and background. And, as simply as that, the White Tiger was born.”
Recently, Ava Ayalahad the magic drained from the Amulets of Power, and couldn’t stop them from being destroyed. But she still carries on her brother’s legacy — and in a way, the legacy of anyone who ever wore the amulets.
New episodes ofDaredevil: Born Againair Tuesdays on Disney+.
Daredevil: Born Again
After Charlie Cox’s cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home and supporting role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Daredevil: Born Again gives Matt Murdock his first show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil: Born Again continues the story that started in Netflix’s three-season Daredevil series and sees Wilson Fisk ascend to mayor of New York City.
