Although he was a member of the Sons in the original pilot, Emilio Rivera is best recognized for playing the commander of the Mayans MC in Sons of Anarchy.
Here’s what transpired when Emilio Rivera was initially cast as a member of the Sons of Anarchy, despite the fact that Marcus Alvarez, the leader of the Mayans, was both an opponent and an ally of the Sons. Sons of Anarchy, which Kurt Sutter created, began airing on FX in 2008 and ended there in 2014 after seven seasons. The main character’s arc ended with the series, but it paved the way for a spin-off called Mayans M.C., which focused on the rival club of the same name. The series was extremely well-received and lauded during its entire run for its plot, tone, and performances by the primary characters.
The television series Sons of Anarchy centers on Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the vice president of the fictional Californian motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy. The series’ events begin when Jax discovers a manifesto written by his late father, John Teller, who was one of the club’s original members. This discovery causes Jax to reflect on the club’s goals and direction as well as his relationships, family, and even himself.
The Mayans club, lead by Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera), was the club that the club made the most enemies along the road, but they eventually learnt to cooperate to prevent Charming from becoming into a gang war zone. But viewers might not be aware that Rivera was initially chosen for the Sons of Anarchy.
Before becoming the episode that fans of the series are familiar with, the Sons of Anarchy pilot episode underwent a few revisions, one of which was recasting some of the club’s members. For instance, Ron Perlman, who played the club’s president after the initial pilot was shot, wasn’t the original Clay. His portions were reshot, but there is a scene near the end where the original actor can be seen among the cast. Another Sons member, Hawk, played by Emilio Rivera, can be seen in that scene but does not appear in later episodes.

Details about Hawk are unknown because he was a minor character and was never formally a part of Sons of Anarchy; he only made an appearance in the original pilot, and his inclusion in the final one was merely an editing error. However, according to Rivera (via Collider), the character was changed and became Tig, played by Kim Coates, while he was recast as the leader of the Mayans.
Tig went on to become one of the most significant and well-liked characters in Sons of Anarchy since he underwent a thorough trip and necessary development while also experiencing personal catastrophes. Marcus and his club had a lot of issues with the Sons, both personally and in terms of commerce and control of their various areas, but by the end of the series, they had teamed up and even become partners.
The Sons of Anarchy production team made a wise choice by recasting Emilio Rivera and giving him the role of Marcus Alvarez, as not only did changing Hawk result in one of the best characters of the show, but it also allowed Rivera to stay in the Sons of Anarchy world for a little while longer and in a more intimate way thanks to Mayans M.C., which has been well-received thus far by critics and viewers and has a promising future