A white Bengal tiger from an Asian rainforest was once captured for experimental purposes by the High Evolutionary. Mutating her into an intelligent warrior beast who could assume female form, the Evolutionary genetically programmed this White Tiger to hunt and destroy the evil Man-Beast, a rogue member of his humanoid New Men.

The self-proclaimed Master of the World and his minions, the U-Foes, offered to reveal the Man-Beast's whereabouts in exchange for the Tiger obtaining a particular item the Master required. Not trusting the Master, White Tiger obtained the item as requested but secretly booby-trapped it so that the Master could not use it. The Master told her the Man-Beast was imprisoned in the government's Vault super-prison, and the Tiger departed just before the Master discovered his new acquisition was useless. Retaliating, the Master had his U-Foes stage a mass breakout at the Vault, during which the Man-Beast escaped. Seeking allies in her quest, White Tiger came to New York City, where she tried to locate Luke Cage and instead encountered his sometime-partner, Iron Fist (Danny Rand). After teaming with Iron Fist, Hercules, and the Hulk to rescue a group of scientists from the U-Foes at the United Nations, White Tiger agreed to join Iron Fist's newly reorganized Heroes for Hire. Battling foes such as Nitro, Whiplash and Ghaur alongside her new teammates, White Tiger fought to control her innate animal savagery, sometimes reverting to her original tiger form. She also struggled to come to terms with her growing capacity for human emotion, especially her fascination with Iron Fist.

While helping Thena and the Eternals seek sanctuary at the High Evolutionary's Mount Wundagore citadel, White Tiger discovered that the Evolutionary and his New Men had been driven out by the Exodus and his Acolytes. After helping the Heroes for Hire defeat the Master of the World, White Tiger combined her life force with that of Luke Cage, Colleen Wing and Misty Knight so that the Brother Voodoo could use their combined energies to revive Iron Fist, who had nearly died saving Cage from the Master. Shaken by Iron Fist's near-demise and jealous of Knight, Iron Fist's former girlfriend, White Tiger challenged Knight to a death duel, naively believing that killing Knight would automatically make the Tiger Iron Fist's new lover. Convinced by Knight that this approach would not win Iron Fist's affections regardless of the outcome, the confused Tiger retreated. Shortly thereafter, Iron Fist firmly rejected the Tiger's romantic interest in him.

White Tiger and the Heroes for Hire helped the High Evolutionary and his Knights of Wundagore retake their citadel despite resistance from Exodus and the Acolytes. During the conflict, White Tiger discovered the Knights' "Lord Anon" was actually a disguised Man-Beast and helped defeat him, also battling Iron Fist when he came between them. The beaten Man-Beast was turned back into an ordinary wolf, and a heartsick White Tiger asked the Evolutionary to give her the same treatment, no longer able to cope with the pain and confusion of human emotions. The Evolutionary honored her wishes, using his Isotope E to make her an ordinary tiger again and promising to return her to her native rainforest.