Marvel drops superhero's Israeli ties in Captain America: Brave New World amid controversy

The character Sabra is now referred to only by her alter ego and has become a 'high-ranking US government official' instead of a Mossad agent

A scene from the movie Captain America: Brave New World featuring Shira Haas. Photo: Marvel Studios

After years of controversy, Marvel has removed all mentions of a character's Israeli roots from its marketing materials for an upcoming film.

The character, named Sabra, was the subject of a backlash in 2022 when it was announced that she would feature in Captain America: Brave New World, the fourth film in the Captain America series. It led to Marvel issuing a statement at the time to say that the character would be reworked, but no further details were given.

The studio recently put out a trailer ahead of the film's February 2025 release. The character does appear, but Marvel has stopped referring to her as Sabra and instead only uses her alter-ego, Ruth Bat-Seraph, played in the film by Israeli actress Shira Haas, while offering a very different biography to the character's historic comic book origin story.

Traditionally, Sabra is a Mossad agent who has served in the Israeli army. Now, the character is referred to in an official Marvel biography as a “high-ranking US government official who has the trust of President Ross”. She is also described as a former Black Widow: a reference to the fictional assassin programme that is a constant fixture of Marvel storytelling.

Marvel previously referred to the film's character as Sabra in 2022, telling Variety: “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.”

The name Sabra is a modern Hebrew term for a person born in Israel and was also the name of the refugee camp in Lebanon that was the site of a tragic incident in 1982 when between 800 and 3,500 Palestinians were killed.

The shift in communication from Marvel surrounding the character and the apparent changes to the film come as studios walk a tightrope of public opinion in the midst of the Israel-Gaza War. Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios, has been under significant public pressure in particular after it donated to humanitarian relief efforts in Israel in October.

The latest changes to the character have already caused a stir in Israel, with the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom writing that Marvel has seemingly “caved to pressure” of the “anti-Semitic backlash” against Sabra. Some who support the Palestinian cause, meanwhile, have called for a boycott of the film because the character appears in the film's trailer.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding, a US-based pro-Palestinian organisation, released a statement criticising depictions of the character for “glorifying the Israeli army and police” in 2022.

The trailer was shared by Marvel on July 12. In the film, Anthony Mackie assumes the role of the titular Captain America having taken the mantle in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in 2021.

The film, which was originally slated for release on May 3 of this year and then later July 26, was moved to February 14, 2025 last November. An extensive 22-day reshoot took place in June, according to the Hollywood Reporter, with at least one major new character added, played by Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito, who features heavily in the film's teaser. It is not known if Haas participated in the reshoots.

The film also stars Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, a character formerly portrayed by William Hurt who passed away in March 2022. The trailer shows that Ford’s character Ross has become the president of the United States and wants the help of Mackie’s Captain America.

The character Sabra was first introduced in The Incredible Hulk issue number 250 in 1980. In the comic books, Sabra possesses superhuman strength, agility and accelerated healing, making her a skilled fighter. She often interacts with other Marvel characters like the Hulk and Captain America.

Captain America: Brave New World is directed by Nigerian American filmmaker Julius Onah, who previously directed Luce and The Cloverfield Paradox. The film also stars Tim Blake Nelson, Liv Tyler and Xosha Roquemore.