Shira Haas in a still from ‘Captain America: Brave New World’
| Photo Credit: YouTube/ Marvel Studios
The newly released trailer for Captain America: Brave New World has ignited controversy due to the inclusion of an Israeli character, prompting calls for a boycott according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film stars Anthony Mackie as Captain America and introduces Harrison Ford as U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, stepping into the role previously played by the late William Hurt. While the trailer has been generally well-received, it has sparked significant backlash over the portrayal of a supporting character.
Emmy nominee Shira Haas, known for her role in Unorthodox, portrays Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli former Black Widow who now holds a high-ranking position within the U.S. government. This character’s inclusion has become a contentious issue, rooted in her original comic book incarnation as Sabra, a Mossad agent.
The backlash is twofold: pro-Israel advocates are displeased with the change in the character’s allegiance from an Israeli agency to a U.S. one, while anti-Israel critics are opposed to the character due to her Israeli origins. Some have assumed the character’s background was altered in response to recent geopolitical events.
Marvel Studios announced the casting of Haas as Sabra at the D23 Expo in 2022, clarifying that her character’s backstory would be updated to fit contemporary narratives. Despite this, the announcement drew criticism from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, condemning the original comic’s portrayal of Mossad.
The studio emphasized that its characters are reimagined for modern audiences, as seen with Benedict Wong’s updated portrayal of Wong in Doctor Strange. In Captain America: Brave New World, the character’s original name, Sabra, will not be used. The original Sabra, introduced in 1980’s The Incredible Hulk comic, has been seen by some as problematic due to her confrontations with Arabic terrorist tropes and the historical associations of her name.
