The Marvel character Sabra is what early Zionists called "the new Jew." Raised on a Kibbutz, enlisted by the Mossad, she is emancipated, strong, and unashamed.

Unlike many other female superheroes, she doesn't seem designed for the male gaze. Her uniform—a blue & white affair in the style of the Israeli flag—covers her broad, muscular form from head to toe. Atop her head is an afro (or Jew-fro) of thick, dark Israelite curls. Her cape is a fur mantle rather than a flapping piece of fabric. It is heavy and lends heaviness to its wearer. She is not one to be trifled with.

One wonders what this proud, liberated "new Jew" would think of the upcoming Captain America movie, in which the character of Sabra has been stripped of nearly everything—-her Israeli identity, her hair, and her over-the-top flag ensemble.

Sabra is, of course, still Jewish. To be Jewish is permissible, so long as one atones for the sins of the Zionist entity. One can do this in a number of ways. One can, like director Jonathan Glazer, make speeches claiming that Israel has hijacked Judaism. One can, like anti-Zionist rabbi May Ye, do teshuvah for the "blood on one's hands" that comes with being Jewish. One can carry a sign that says "Not In My Name." One can join Jewish Voice for Peace.

But Israeli Jews aren't in the habit of apologizing for their existence and calling for the destruction of their own homeland, and so Sabra's atonement had to be the erasure of her Israeliness altogether.

It is a cliche these days to say that "representation matters," but to a certain extent, it's true. As a gay kid who loved comic books, a cameo appearance of a gay character in Green Lantern was huge for me. He wasn't the hero. He wasn't even a main character. He was just Green Lantern's assistant at work. Still, the mere fact that a character like me warranted a place in Green Lantern's universe lifted up something inside of me that had been cast down.

Jews right now are similarly cast down. We are witnessing a wave of antisemitism the likes of which we have only read about in history books. We have seen Jewish villages ransacked and burned. We have seen Jewish partygoers slaughtered by marauding terrorists. And we have seen our neighbors cheer the carnage and condemn the victims.

In this age of supervillains, Jews could have really used a hero. Unfortunately, that hero won't be Sabra, but that doesn't mean we have nobody to look up to.

One of the purposes of Zionism was to lift up a generation of Jews like Sabra - Jews who are not victims in need of saving, but heroes capable of saving themselves and others.

In this respect, Zionism has been a resounding success. I never cease being amazed by the strength, goodness and commitment of ordinary Israelis who have leapt into action since October 7th to serve in the IDF, to volunteer, and to advocate for the hostages.

Considering this, we shouldn't spend too much time mourning Marvel's cowardly revisionism. We don't need Sabra. We have enough real heroes to get us through.

The post Marvel's cowardly revisionism of Sabra appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Marvel Studios has made substantial alterations to the character played by Israeli actress Shira Haas in the upcoming "Captain America: Brave New World," seemingly in response to antisemitic criticism. The superhero, originally conceived as an ex-Mossad agent named Sabra, has been rebranded as a former Russian operative with no apparent ties to Israel, marking a significant departure from the character's comic book origins.

On Friday, Marvel Studios launched the first trailer for "Captain America: Brave New World" – the fourth installment in the solo saga of the patriotic superhero, with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) stepping into the Captain's shoes in place of his good friend Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, who retired from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after "Avengers: Endgame").

In addition to the intriguing change of the guard in the lead role of the American homeland defender, the trailer also included a first glimpse of the central female character played by Israeli actress Shira Haas. However, it seems Marvel has decided to recalculate the character's route, dramatically altering her background.

サブラ／ルース・バット・セラフ
(演：シーラ・ハース)
Sabra / Ruth Bat Seraph
(Shira Haas)
Captain America:Brave New World pic.twitter.com/TzDAc5VtTH

— AG_TWIT (@AG_MONO) July 13, 2024

 When Haas's participation in the next Captain America was first announced back in 2022, it was reported that she would play an Israeli woman named Ruth Bat-Seraph – a former Mossad agent who also functions as a Sabra superhero. This relatively veteran character was first introduced in Marvel comics pages as early as 1980.

Over the years, Sabra fought for the interests of the State of Israel and could even be seen in action in the skies of Tel Aviv and against the backdrop of the Western Wall. Among Sabra's special powers, she had superhuman strength, endurance, speed, and the ability to grant others special powers of their own. Add to that the Mossad training program – and you get a lady you don't want to mess with. However, alongside the exciting announcement, which was received long before the war, Marvel faced significant criticism for including an Israeli superhero in the film, especially one played by a "Zionist who served in the IDF."

At this point, it appears Sabra will no longer feature in the film, at least not as originally planned. Although Shira Haas can be seen in several shots in the new trailer, there was no trace of the Israeli superhero, and Haas appeared in scenes as a regular agent. Moreover, a new official synopsis published yesterday on Marvel's website describes Haas's character as follows: "Ruth Bat-Seraph. A former Black Widow, and now a senior American government official who has earned the trust of President Ross (Harrison Ford, who replaced the late William Hurt)." So while the Israeli name remains, it seems Marvel Studios has caved to pressure and changed Ruth's background from an Israeli agent and/or hero to a Black Widow of Russian origin (just like Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh, who previously played similar characters).

In recent months, the production of "Captain America: Brave New World" underwent significant improvements, during which quite a few new scenes were shot for the film and central plot lines were changed – this against the backdrop of reports of very lukewarm reactions in early test screenings. It's likely that the disassociation from Ruth Bat-Seraph's "Israeliness" and her transformation into a Black Widow was a significant part of these reshoots. The film will hit theaters on February 14.

The post Marvel backtracks on Israeli superhero: Shira Haas' character stripped of Mossad ties appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.