The new trailer for Captain America: Brave New World has given fans a first glimpse of a rewritten Israeli character following years of controversy.
As the next big Marvel blockbuster, poised for a February 2025 release and starring Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, the latest Captain America film has faced calls to boycott it due to the presence of a figure new to the MCU.
Shira Haas plays Ruth Bat-Seraph, who in the movie has been reimagined as a high-ranking US government official and a former Black Widow, meaning she is well equipped for any combat situations too.
In the trailer, she is seen briefly sitting at a table as well as holding a gun as she makes her way down a corridor with co-star Xosha Roquemore.
Ruth is also an ally to President Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, with Ford stepping into the role in place of the late William Hurt, who is seen pushing for the role of Captain America to become an official military position.
However, in the original Marvel comics, Ruth is an agent for Mossad, the Israeli secret service organisation, and also known by the name of her mutant superhero alter-ego ‘Sabra’.
The character of Sabra was first introduced in the comics back in 1980, appearing in a blue and white outfit featuring a Star of David in an issue of The Incredible Hulk.
Dubbed the first Israeli superheroine, she has nonetheless been considered problematic for years owing to her often being depicted fighting negatively portrayed Arabic characters entangled with terrorist tropes.
Her name has also sparked controversy and anger previously due to its multiple meanings.
As well as referring to a person born in Israel or a tree that bears prickly but sweet fruit, ‘Sabra’ is also the name of a Lebanon refugee camp where thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians were slaughtered in 1982 by a Lebanese militia after Israel invaded the country.
Of course, these events occurred two years after the Marvel heroine was first introduced, but the link has not helped calm any outcry.
Audiences are also especially aware of related portrayals in media now, given the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
When Emmy nominee Haas – who found fame in the Netflix series Unorthodox – was first announced as joining the MCU in 2022, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel slammed the ‘ugly racism and valorisation of Mossad’ in the original comic as ‘sickening’.
Responding to the controversy at the time, Marvel released a statement via The New York Times, which promised a ‘fresh’ reimagining of Sabra.
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‘While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics, they are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago,’ the studio shared.
It has also been reported that the name ‘Sabra’ will not feature in the film.
Haas, 29, is herself an Israeli actress who, while medically exempt from mandatory conscription with the Israel Defence Force, did serve a short period of voluntary service with its performance theatre unit.
Some fans have been calling for Captain America: Brave New World to be boycotted due to the inclusion of Ruth Bat-Seraph while not realising the changes that have been made, as others have denounced the film for making the changes in the first place.
Others have also argued that making the changes doesn’t matter.
Captain America: Brave New World is embracing the genre of a political thriller, with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson – who has officially taken up the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers – finding himself in the middle of an international incident.
The movie also stars Megalopolis actor Giancarlo Esposito, Rosa Salazar, Liv Tyler and Tim Blake Nelson, and is rumoured to include WWE star Seth Rollins.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Marvel for comment.