Could Daredevil’s long-awaited return to leading his own streaming series eventually give us the MCU comeback of a mega-superstar not seen in the franchise for well over a decade? That’s now become the dearest hope of Jenna Ortega fans following renewed rumors that the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney Plus series could kickstart a brand-new interconnected network of shows based around street-level Marvel heroes. And, no, you’re not the only one feeling serious Defenders Saga déjà vu right now.
As Born Again continues shooting on the streets of New York, the latest word on those streets is that Marvel is quietly already in development on a spinoff. This is just an uncorroborated rumor for now, so don’t get too excited just yet, but according to the online gossip mill a TV series for White Tiger is in the works behind the scenes at Marvel Studios. The show will have a female lead playing the titular superhero, whereas Born Again will allegedly feature a male version of White Tiger.
For Jenna Ortega groupies with their ears to the grapevine, this may all sound very familiar…
White Tiger would be the perfect addition to the MCU’s Marvel Spotlight brand
Again, while this is unconfirmed at this time, it makes total sense for White Tiger to be the next hero to, um, earn their stripes in the MCU. The first Latin-American costumed crimefighter in Marvel Comics history, Hector Ayala was the original White Tiger, with various other vigilantes taking up his mantle over the decades. Notable including his younger sister, Ava. OK, so this is all well and good but what’s this got to do with Jenna Ortega?
Back in December 2022, shortly following the breakout success of Netflix’s Wednesday, it was reported that Ortega was the top choice to play White Tiger, possibly in Born Again. October 2023 then brought further rumors that multiple incarnations of White Tiger would appear in the show, something that this latest bit of scuttlebutt seems to corroborate. To be clear, Ortega has not been overtly linked with the role for a long while now, but after that seed was planted the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress became the fandom’s favorite choice for the character.
With everyone anticipating the casting, there is no better way for Ortega to return to the MCU. Although it’s easy to forget, she has already made her Marvel debut in 2013’s Iron Man 3, in which Ortega had a small role as the President’s daughter. With recasting actors in new roles becoming the norm nowadays — see Mahershala Ali as Blade, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing etc. — nothing is stopping Jenna Ortega from becoming White Tiger and, theoretically, leading her own Disney Plus series as part of the standalone Marvel Spotlight brand that began with Echo. She’d be born again, you might say.