Marvel Rewrites Captain America 4 Character Due To Political Controversy
Marvel, at least under Disney, has become known for its rewrites of certain characters and narratives to better reflect modern political and cultural norms. The Mandarin from Iron Man 3 and Wenwu from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings are both good examples—the latter being a more respectful representation of Chinese culture. With that said, the latest rewrite is associated with the upcoming Captain America movie due to ongoing political controversy surrounding Sabra, the character in question.
Rewrites In The Face Of Controversy
The trailer for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World gave fans a first glimpse into what’s supposed to be Shira Hass’ Ruth Bat-Seraph—also known as Sabra—a mutant agent for Mossad, the Israeli secret service organization. However, due to the Captain America controversy that spurred right after the character was announced, Marvel rewrote the character, and Ruth is now a high-ranking US official close to the President and a former Black Widow. This means that the character is still a highly skilled combatant, so we can expect plenty of action on the screen.
Not A New Controversy
This might come as news to some, but the Captain America controversy actually began in 2022, when Marvel first announced that Ruth Bat-Seraph’s Sabra would make an appearance in the MCU, and admittedly, the reason behind the collective fandom uproar isn’t unfounded.
The character was first introduced in comics in the 1980s, sporting a blue and white outfit with a Star of David on her chest. While she’s commonly referred to as the first Israeli super-heroine, she’s also considered quite problematic for a whole range of reasons—like her association with crimes against humanity.
Ambiguity Caused Alarm
Since her inception, Sabra has been depicted fighting negatively portrayed Arabic characters often associated with terrorism. Likewise, her name also sparked uproar and anger due to its ambiguity. The term Sabra refers to a person born in Israel, but it also refers to a tree that bears sweet fruit.
While there’s no harm done there, Sabra was also the name of a refugee camp in Lebanon, where thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were slaughtered by Lebanese militia after Israeli forces invaded the country in 1982. But that’s only a part of the Captain America controversy.
Marvel Delivers On Their Promises
Audiences aren’t the only ones who are vocal about the use of Sabra in the upcoming Captain America movie; the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel slammed the character’s association with Mossad calling it an “ugly racism and valorisation” of the secret organization. Naturally, Marvel responded to the Captain America controversy by promising a rewritten version of the character, and the media company has now delivered.
Brave New World Coming Early Next Year
Of course, there’s the other side of this coin, which responded to the Captain America controversy by denouncing the upcoming movie due to the changes made to Sabra—whose name won’t be used in the film—because, apparently, the changes strip the original character of her identity.
Then there are those who just like superhero action and don’t really care about changes made to B- or C-list superheroes. Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled for release on February 12, 2025, and the movie features a rather big red surprise.
Source: Variety
