Captain America trailer: Marvel's rebranded Israeli character sparks controversy

Social media users have renewed calls for a boycott of the upcoming Captain America film after the release of a trailer on Friday, accusing Marvel of promoting Israel amid its ongoing war on Gaza. 

The teaser for Captain America: Brave New World, which is due for release in February 2025, depicts newly elected US President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross played by Harrison Ford, offering Anthony Mackie's Captain America an official military position.

The trailer flashes through several action scenes, including a brief clip featuring Israeli actor Shira Haas, who was originally slated to portray Sabra, a mutant serving as an agent to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

In a statement about the upcoming film, however, Marvel said that Sabra will no longer be going by her alter-ego, and will instead remain Ruth Bat-Seraph - a former Black Widow and current "high-ranking US government official who has the trust of President Ross".

The rebranding comes after a years-long call for a boycott of Marvel over the studio's decision to cast a character from Mossad in its film franchise, which many have argued normalises Israel’s violence against Palestinians. 

While a small number of users celebrated the change in Sabra’s backstory as a sign that “boycotting works”, many social media users remained unconvinced.

The upcoming Captain America movie features an Israeli Zionist “superhero”. Definitely boycott this movie, and if you never had a plan to see it, spread the word. https://t.co/erdsTevQWV

— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) July 14, 2024

"They may have rebranded her as a Black Widow, according to their trailer announcement," said one user. "But she still has the same civilian name, and she is still based off a racist, problematic character."

The character Sabra, who debuted in the comics in 1980s, wears a blue-and-white costume featuring a Star of David cape clasp and is widely viewed as a personification of the state of Israel.

Even the character's name has long been a point of contention.

Sabra is a slang term used by some Israelis to describe a Jewish person born in Israel. But more symbolic for many pro-Palestinian advocates is that the name Sabra is synonymous with the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 1982, where up to 3,000 civilians - mostly Palestinians and Lebanese - were killed by an Israeli-backed right-wing Lebanese militia.

Coupled with the character's controversial backstory and various instances of politically charged representations and discourse - which "fall under a broader anti-Arab discourse, in which Arabs are painted as antisemites, misogynists, and as terrorists" according the Middle East Policy Council - Sabra has amassed plenty of criticism.

This is kind of crazy to know.

The new Captain America movie will have an Israeli superhero called Sabra that works for the Mossad (Israel's brutal CIA).

I'm sure that decision has ZERO ulterior motive of whitewashing the ongoing ethnic cleansing and displacement. https://t.co/FgTvqs3Wpd

— Dr. Pierre Kawak بيير قواق (@PolymerPolymath) July 13, 2024

“One of the most racist characters ever created in the comics and they didn't even try to hide her. The most blatant form of Zionist propaganda,” one user wrote.

Other users accused the movie of “whitewashing” Israel, which is facing accusations of war crimes and genocide at the International Court of Justice, amid its ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip.

At least 38,664 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians, have been killed since the start of the war on October, with almost 90,000 injured.

'Israeli erasure'

Meanwhile, pro-Israeli users have labelled the rebranding as “Israeli erasure”, arguing that the studio’s decision to change Sabra’s backstory was stripping the character of her Jewish identity. 

“@MarvelStudios @Disney erased the Israeli Jewish identity of Sabra to appease anti-American modern Nazis. In what world does Marvel think these people were ever coming to a Captain America movie?” one user wrote.

Marvel Studios have stripped a Jewish character of her Israeli identity, giving her ties to Russia instead, in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World

Your “fresh new approach” is indefensibly gross, @Marvel. Plus, it makes zero sense! Idiots.https://t.co/0ruiyuMcdV pic.twitter.com/nXgIylu9vn

— Tali Goldsheft (@TaliGoldsheft) July 15, 2024

"This is appalling. Marvel has given into the angry mob," said another user. "Sabra, an Israeli superhero, is featured in Marvel’s upcoming film, Captain America: Brave New World. But Marvel has erased her Israeli identity."

On the flipside, pro-Palestine users criticised the movie for its inclusion of an Israeli actor. In late 2022, a petition calling for the removal of the actor garnered over 8,000 signatures.

Middle East Eye has reached out to Haas and Marvel studios for comment.

The fourth instalment of the Captain American franchise originally sparked controversy in 2022 when Marvel announced that it would feature Haas as Sabra.

While some Israeli fans celebrated the announcement, many social media users questioned decision to include the character, who did not feature prominently in the comics or films, in the movie, with some slamming the character as "Captain Apartheid".

In November, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for a boycott of "Marvel's apartheid Israel superhero movie".

Similar calls have been made by other organisations over the years, such as the Institute for Middle East Understanding, which released a statement criticising depictions of the character for “glorifying the Israeli army and police” in 2022. 

"By glorifying the Israeli army and police, Marvel is promoting Israel’s violence against Palestinians and enabling the continued oppression of millions of Palestinians living under Israel's authoritarian military rule," the statement read.