Marvel fans pay tribute to late actor after devastating ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ death

In just two episodes, Puerto Rican actor Kamar de los Reyes made Marvel fans the world over fall in love with his Daredevil: Born Again character, Hector Ayala aka White Tiger. Sadly, de los Reyes will not get to see just how much praise his performance is getting as he passed away in December 2023, months after wrapping up his scenes in the Disney Plus show.

Hector Ayala’s storyline was crucial in setting up what could be Born Again‘s central storyline — the tension between law enforcement and vigilantism. The United States Armed Forces veteran was arrested after accidentally causing the death of an undercover New York City police officer while attempting to stop him and his partner from beating up a man, later known to be named Nicky Torres. Unaware the two men roughing up the third were cops, Hector stepped in, albeit unmasked.

Killing a police officer is about the worst thing you can do in the eyes of the law and society at large, but Hector was lucky to cross paths with Matt Murdock, whose history as a vigilante inspired his defense. Matt managed to snatch a “not guilty” verdict for Hector, even after the surviving cop tried to paint a false picture of the fateful evening by omitting Nicky’s presence. Hector’s powerful testimony about his commitment to helping out the community “because it’s the right thing to do,” clashed with the district attorney’s view of vigilantism as unchecked interference in a job that is supposed to be done by police officers, whom he called the real heroes — and without masks too.

Though the jury was ultimately more moved by Matt and Hector’s story, and the White Tiger was free to surveil the streets of NYC again, his reign was cut short when he was shot dead by another masked man. That the masked man was wearing a suit bearing The Punisher’s skull is fodder for an entirely different article…

The devastating death of a character that had so quickly become a fan favorite — in big part thanks to de los Reyes’ magnetic performance — marked both an important plot point for the series and an emotional moment for fans, who took the opportunity to mourn a talent they had just met.

“Kamar de los Reyes shined as Hector Ayala and I’m sad he won’t get to see how beloved his character is,” said Marvel fan Jack on X after the third episode of Born Again landed on Disney Plus Tuesday evening. The sentiment was shared by multiple others, including Thomas, who praised the 56-year-old for acting “his entire soul out” in just a few episodes and called his passing a “tragedy.”

Tributes for the character, but especially the actor, kept pouring in on social media. Fans also noted how the Born Again team included sounds of the coquí frog — a species native to Puerto Rico — in the end credits of the episode, as both a nod to Hector and his real life counterpart.

Born Nov. 8, 1967, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, de los Reyes was best recognized for his 14-year stint in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, where he played Antonio Vega. Other notable roles include Ray Ariaz in Valley of the Dolls, Jobe in Sleepy Hollow, and Coach Montes in All American. He lent his voice to the character of Raul Menendez in the Call of Duty games and Barranca in 2024’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, too. The actor died from cancer on Dec. 24, 2023. He was 56.