Shira Haas. Photo: Zohar Jacobson via Wikimedia Commons.

Marvel Studios announced this weekend that it would take a “new approachto Israeli superhero Sabra, after being criticized by anti-Israel pundits and social media warriors, who objected to the inclusion of a proud Israeli superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) .

As originally announced last week, Marvel announced at the Walt Disney D23 Expo that the highly anticipated fourth installment in the Captain America film series, titled “Captain America: New World Orderwill feature Israeli actress Shira Haas as Sabra, an Israeli superhero who first appeared in the pages of The Incredible Hulk in 1980.

Haas, the first Israeli to be appointed for an Emmy Award, is known in Israel and around the world for her roles in the Netflix series “Shtisel” and “Unorthodox”.

In Marvel comics, Sabra is the pseudonym of Ruth Bat-Seraph, an Israeli mutant who is a member of the Israeli police and also secretly works for the Mossad, Israel’s notorious spy agency.

Usually adorned with an outfit adorned with a Star of David, Sabra’s superpowers include superhuman strength, agility, endurance, and the ability to revive people by transferring her life energy to them.

Over the past 40 years, Sabra has battled the Hulk – whom she originally suspected of cooperating with Arab terrorists – and Captain Britain, while teaming up with the X-Men and Spiderman.

Shortly after Marvel’s announcement, the entertainment industry and Israel-linked journalism world were buzzing with news that the next installment in the Captain America franchise wouldn’t just feature Marvel’s first born superhero. in Israel, but that the role would be played by a famous Israeli actress.

Initially, Marvel’s announcement was only picked up by Israeli media and entertainment, comic book and celebrity news sites.

Some sites, like Variety, Screen crashand Deadline, published neutral accounts of Marvel’s announcement, while the entertainment news site nerd wiki gave a fairly positive review, writing that “While we don’t yet know how Sabra will be involved in Captain America: New World Ordershe will certainly be a great addition.

Meanwhile, a notable review of Marvel’s announcement came from Benny Stein in a article he wrote for an entertainment site The Direct. After quoting Marvel fans who object to Sabra’s inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stein claimed that “Sabra has an extremely disturbing history. Past portrayals of the character show clear biases that distort the issue into favor of racist and arbitrary attitudes…”

Further, Stein jokes that “Sabra’s ties to the Israeli government in the comics effectively sanction a whole host of sinister behavior.”

Towards the end of his article, he comments: “Furthermore, this type of representation is also complicated for those who share Sabra’s Jewish identity. Intrinsically tying perhaps the most prominent example of Judaism in the MCU… to the Israeli government can solidify beliefs about Judaism and Zionism that have proven difficult to disentangle.

Days after Israeli news and entertainment sites picked up the story, mainstream media around the world also began focusing on Sabra’s addition to the MCU.

Rather than focusing on the diversity that Sabra and Shira Haas will bring to Marvel, the two CNN and The Independent focused on the negative reaction of some anti-Israel commentators.

In both articles, the authors focus on the claim that the inclusion of Sabra (who fights for Israel’s existence against external enemies) could lead to negative stereotypes about Arabs and Palestinians.

Additionally, CNN quoted an analyst who said Sabra’s addition is “shameful,” while The Independent called it “a provocative gesture”.

The Independent even went so far as to write that “If Marvel wanted to be truly politically balanced, they would tell the story of a Palestinian superhero protecting Arab children from Israeli rockets hitting a Palestinian school or hospital alongside the heroic tales of Sabra. . Of course, the idea seems far-fetched. Far from fiction, any Palestinian trying to defend themselves, even non-violently, is often branded a terrorist.

New York Times tweets reveal anti-Jewish bias:

2013 – celebrates “Marvel’s newest superhero is a… Muslim teenager…”

2017- “Marvel Comics might have a drop in sales. But don’t blame its various heroes.

2022- Marvel plans to bring the Israeli hero to the screen “at their own risk”. pic.twitter.com/YUghjoxirY

— Faith Quintero (@FaithQuintero7) September 18, 2022

While it’s still unclear what Sabra’s role will be in the next Captain America movie, which isn’t slated to hit theaters until 2024, or if she’ll appear in other Marvel films, it’s encouraging to see such a major film franchise welcome the first Israeli-born superhero – starring an Israeli actress – to their ranks.

Hopefully, Marvel’s “new approach” to Sabra will embrace this character diversity and not drastically transform the character in order to appease the loud voices of anti-Israel pundits and keyboard warriors.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog that focuses on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias – where a version of this article first appearance.