Well, knock me down with a feather. Marvel has decided to un-Israeli its most Israeli character.
In its latest blockbuster, due out next February, Israeli actress Shira Haas plays Sabra, a character who first appeared in a 1980 edition of The Incredible Hulk. Those of us who can remember 1980 (I was a teenager) recall it as a tough but more hopeful time than today for the Middle East. Israel and Egypt had just made peace. The Camp David accords laid out a framework for Palestinian self-governance.
Marvel’s Sabra, real name Ruth Ben Seraph was born near Jerusalem and was brought up on a special kibbutz run by the Israeli government, and worked for the Tel Aviv police. Ruth - nicknamed Sabra - was the first superhuman agent created to serve the Mossad. She wore a blue and white costume. Everything about her was Jewish and Israeli.
Inevitably the decision to introduce Sabra into a Marvel film - Captain America: A Brave New World – caused controversy. People started shouting about a boycott as soon as the film was announced. But now the trailer is out, and a different group of people are shouting. Sabra (though played by Israeli actress Shira Haas) doesn’t work for Mossad and doesn’t seem to be Israeli at all. Instead she is a former Russian operative, now working for the American government.
In fact, Marvel’s decision to drop Sabra’s Israeli identity predates the current war. Back in 2022 they waffled on about times changing and characters like Sabra needing a ‘new approach’. I guess that’s what happens when you make your money through constantly looking back, rather than creating new stuff. You end up rewriting and renewing and erasing the very thing that made a character special in the first place.
Now, the most interesting thing about this is the shallow grasp that Marvel seems to have over current affairs. Israel is out – but Russia is in? But then Sabra is a turncoat Russian, now working for the Americans. Will Haas retain her Israeli accent, or put on a Russian one? The trailer doesn’t let her speak, so we will have to wait for the movie itself to find out.
Just imagine if Marvel had decided to dive into Sabra’s background, rather than obliterate it. Apparently, in the comic books her first public act as Sabra was to fight the Incredible Hulk because she believed he was working with Arab terrorists operating in Israel. She and Hulk subsequently discuss the Arab-Israel conflict - what opportunities that might have given to explain geo-politics to a new generation. You might think that superhero narratives are not the best way of dealing with complex issues. Well – a feature film is a whole lot longer than a social media meme. Marvel have wimped out of a chance here, to show the world that Israelis are not superhuman but human. Not perfect, but worthy of being seen and heard and valued.
In the world of identity politics, Marvel is expecting kudos from its decision to cast a black actor as Captain America. Anthony Mackie waited a long time for this opportunity. How long will Shira Haas be waiting to be allowed to play Sabra as she was first imagined? In the brave new world of 2024, I can’t see it ever happening at all.
