Moviemaking behemoth Marvel has repeatedly taken risks to show audiences a diverse pantheon of superheroes. Now in a cowardly way it has landed on the side of erasure
July 16, 2024 11:20
The short film starts innocently enough. A group of teenagers jostle and joke, arms around each others’ shoulders. But soon we see a French teen realising his Jewish friends have to hide every visible aspect of their identities, from their Star of David necklaces to their last names, to the mezuzah on their door. He protests as they draw the blinds to light Shabbat candles, but the family insists. It is just too dangerous to be publicly Jewish right now.
The film, which aired in France on Bastille Day ahead of the Euro Championship Final, went viral, as it touched on a question many Jews are navigating in our day-to-day lives: Is our safety worth the price of erasure?
Just a few days later, Marvel, a moviemaking behemoth that has repeatedly taken risks to show audiences a diverse pantheon of superheroes, cowardly landed on the side of erasure.
Sabra, an Israeli Jewish superhero who has battled the Hulk and terrorists since she entered the canon in 1980, will have her backstory changed and her identity erased to become a Russian spy, in the upcoming Captain America, sure to be a blockbuster. Yes, Marvel’s leadership holds that a superhero from Russia, a country that started an aggressive expansionist war against Ukraine, is preferable to Israel, which is fighting a defensive war to release its hostages.
Her name will oddly remain Sabra, a term used to describe Israelis born in the country. It is also the name of a native cactus, whose prickly exterior and soft, sweet interior serve as a metaphor for the seeming contradictions of the Israeli disposition.
The decision could not have come at a worse time.
In every single diaspora community, Jews are increasingly under attack, especially when we show our identities. An Iranian-American Orthodox Jewish man was attacked in broad daylight in Washington, DC days ago, leaving his face bruised and his confidence in wearing a kippah in his neighbourhood shattered. A woman and a child were attacked in two horrifying antisemitic rape cases in France, and two Jewish men were murdered in separate cases in California.
Statistically, antisemitic hate crimes are skyrocketing the world over. The ADL estimates that antisemitic hate incidents have surged 361 percent since October 7th in the United States. In the United Kingdom, antisemitism has broken all records since 1984, when record-keeping began. Incidents quadrupled in France, where members of the tiny Jewish population, per capita, are three times more likely to experience antisemitism than even their counterparts in the United States.
The erasure of Sabra’s Jewish identity is also a slap in the face to the American Jews who literally invented the comic book superhero genre. Superman, the first superhero, was invented by two Jewish American kids during the Great Depression. Superman’s original name, Kal-El, means “all is God” in Hebrew. Famously, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster weren’t recognised for their contribution for decades, but eventually gained the credit they were due.
Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the entire Avengers franchise and the X-Men — all of these characters, and arguably the superhero genre itself, were pioneered by Jews as a way to inspire kids that good will prevail over evil.
Back in the 1930s, American Jews learned in horror of the fate of their European brethren but could do little to help as the United States staunchly refused to allow Jewish refugees until years after the Holocaust. Facing a rising tide of xenophobia and antisemitism at home, they also faced the terrible choice of assimilating for their safety. Many changed their names, forgot Yiddish, and became less observant due to these pressures.
The pantheon of superheroes they created knew no such criticisms, yet they still led double lives. Like the Jews who wrote their stories, the heroes gave the appearance of being unthreatening in their day-to-day lives, careful never to draw too much attention to themselves. The moment trouble struck, however, they shed their meek disguises and saved the world.
You might argue that now that Jews have a state, we have less need to invent fictional protectors. But Jews are currently engaged in a fight for the survival of Israel, after the worst attack it has ever suffered. At the same time, we are fighting for our right to be publicly Jewish in the diaspora, a right that is already, in many places, tragically fading.
Reportedly, Marvel’s decision came following a test screening of the new movie, a surprise to nobody who is paying attention; Israelis and Jews are not liked by the populist movement.
And herein lies the core of the plot; superheroes exist not to cave to the same pressures afflicting their human counterparts, but to do what is right even when the world doesn’t see it. Luckily, we have no shortage of Jewish and Israeli heroes, including the hundreds who have given their lives defending Israel since October 7, and the returned hostages who continue to advocate tirelessly for the release of the 120 still suffering in Hamas captivity.
Still, what we need right now are more proudly Israeli, proudly Jewish characters represented on screen. We certainly cannot afford to erase the identities of the few heroes we do have. The fate of the world depends on it.
