By JJ Ledewitz, Arts and Culture Editor
I was pretty apathetic going into the theater to watch Captain America: Brave New World. Not because I thought the film would be bad (which I did), not because of superhero fatigue (which was present), but because of a supporting character I heard had been changed significantly. This character was not altered for any valid reason, rather it was seemingly changed because of immense pressure from “fans.”
In September 2022, during Disney’s D23 Fan Event, the cast of Captain America: Brave New World was revealed. There were some surprises, mostly actors and characters who hadn’t been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years, but there was one actor and character who raised many eyebrows: Israeli actress Shira Haas, who would be playing Ruth Bat-Seraph, aka Sabra.
Sabra’s first appearance in Marvel comics was in The Incredible Hulk #256 in 1981. The issue follows Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s human form, in Tel Aviv, who helps a small Arab boy escape from his pursuers after stealing from a market. The Arab boy explains the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mentions that he isn’t interested in religion and can’t even read, which makes the whole conflict so much worse for him. Just as they begin to bond, a group of terrorists cause an explosion, killing the boy instantly, shocking and angering Banner, causing him to transform into the Hulk.
The Hulk takes out the terrorists pretty quickly, but Sabra, the state-sponsored Israeli superhero, shows up and, not knowing who the Hulk is, attacks the Hulk, thinking he is helping the terrorists. As she begins to overpower him, the Hulk once again notices the lifeless body of the Arab boy and attacks Sabra with more strength. Finally, the Hulk picks up the boy’s body and runs away, only for Sabra to confront him and accuse him of murdering the kid.
The Hulk denies this with tears in his eyes. Then, seeing that Sabra is more focused on Hulk than the dead boy, the Hulk says in his broken English, “Boy died because of two old books that say his people and yours must fight and kill for land! Now boy is dead – but boy didn’t even read books! Hulk came looking for peace – but there is no peace here!”
He runs away, leaving Sabra alone, surprised, sad and angry. But most importantly, she looks down at the boy’s body, understanding what really happened.
The narrative boxes above Sabra’s head read, “For an instant, Sabra prepares to give chase. She is, after all, an Israeli super-agent… a soldier… a weapon of war. But she is also a woman capable of feeling, capable of caring. It has taken the Hulk to see this dead Arab boy as a human being. It has taken a monster to awaken her sense of humanity.”
Sabra has since appeared in 50 other comics, usually showing up for a few issues to help Spider-Man or the X-Men before leaving to do her own thing off-book. She’s usually bound to show up in comics that take place in Israel, otherwise sticking to just being a cameo.
Which is why it was so interesting when she was announced to be in Captain America: Brave New World.
Of course, there was controversy, since Sabra is Israeli, and that is a huge problem. There was a small group of people calling for the character to be changed. Some said she should have no connections to Israel at all, some said the character should, in the film, denounce the actions of Israel, and some even called for the character to be a villain in the film.
And then October 7 happened.
Out of nowhere, there was a much larger, much louder, and much more obnoxious group of people calling for Sabra to be outright removed. These people also called for a boycott of the film. All of them had the same reason for their outrage: Sabra is Israeli. And the fact that the character was to be played by Israeli actress Shira Haas just added fuel to the fire.
“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.” This statement by Marvel Studios was made in 2022; but ever since October 7, they seemingly realized it would be safe to change the character until she was basically unrecognizable.
In Captain America: Brave New World, Ruth Bat-Seraph is not a costume-wearing, sky-faring, Israel-sponsored superhero named Sabra. She is an ex-Widow (from the 2021 film Black Widow) with no superpowers, whose birthplace is once mentioned to be Israel. She is President Thaddeus Ross’ security advisor. That’s just about it. No real personality, no real connection to Israel, which is surprising in a movie that involves a lot of politics.
Did they plan to change the character from day one? Maybe. But if so, it is a hell of a coincidence. If the plan was to always have a side character who is a great fighter and is the security advisor to the president, why not just adapt a different character? There are hundreds of other characters fans would love to see. Why take a character with ties to Israel, who has gone through moral dilemmas and is, in fact, a superhero, just to turn them into a random side character with barely any lines?
I’m not surprised, sad or angry. I’m disappointed. I’m sure Shira Haas is too. Even in the few comics in which Sabra is a focal character, she goes through changes. She is a real character set amidst a real conflict, one that is closely tied to her. Captain America: Brave New World didn’t do Sabra justice. It caved in to the pressure.