The excitement of Captain America: Brave New World has been tainted. The film was going to include the character Sabra, an Israeli superhero that was seen by many as a symbol of propaganda. Now, new information seems to give the character as a completely different origin story.
Sabra’s real name is Ruth Bat-Seraph, the same name as Shira Haas’ character in Brave New World. But the trailer release today confirmed that her backstory is different from the controversial origin of Sabra. The official Marvel account gave insight into Ruth, writing, “New to the cast is Shira Haas, who joins as Ruth Bat-Seraph. A former Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross.”
The announcement of Ruth Bat-Seraph in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sparked controversy for what the character represents. Sabra has a couple of different meanings, including one that insinuates that Jewish people are stronger and happier while in Israel. The name Sabra is offensive to many, as our Julia Glassman wrote: “As hurtful as Sabra’s name is to many Diaspora Jews, though, the character is infinitely more offensive to Palestinians.”
When news broke originally about the inclusion of Ruth, Marvel said they were going to make changes to the character: “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.”
It doesn’t completely erase the calls to boycott the film. Haas is still starring in it, and it has been reported that Haas, who had a medical exemption, still voluntarily enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). But the change in Ruth is at least Marvel listening to fans.
The change is a step in the right direction
Many fans and those calling to boycott the movie were hoping that the pushback would result in Sabra/Ruth being cut from the film entirely. Reports claim that she is a lead in the film, and yet she is featured only in two quick shots in the trailer. While they did seemingly change her origin, her name is the same, and Haas herself has shown support for the IDF. So it still change how many feel about the film.
Despite the changes we do know about, we don’t know how different Ruth is going to be from Sabra, and the BDS movement is still pushing Marvel and Disney to cut Haas completely from Captain America: Brave New World.
Time will tell what Marvel has decided to do with Ruth Bat-Seraph as a character, but the fact remains that Haas is in the film and has been a vocal supporter of Israel and the IDF during this time of horrific attacks on the Palestinian people.
Published: Jul 12, 2024 05:37 pm