The Trouble with Sabra
Newsweek Europe|November 17, 2023
An Israeli superhero set for an upcoming Marvel movie poses a dilemma for Disney
SOPHIE LLOYD
The Trouble with Sabra

AT LAST YEAR'S D23 EXPO, DISNEY announced a new character would be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe-Israeli superhero Sabra.

Debuting onscreen in 2024's Captain America: New World Order alongside Anthony Mackie, Sabra's inclusion was immeditely controversial. However, the war between Israel and Hamas has intensified the issue and created more potential pitfalls for the studio.

On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, which subsequently launched airstrikes on Gaza. At least 1,400 people had been killed in Israel as of November 3, while more than 9,000 had been killed in Gaza, according to the Associated Press.

"The Sabra character, when juxtaposed with Captain America, unavoidably amplifies nationalist and political ideologies and convictions and could inadvertently exacerbate tensions in the Middle East," Deepak Sarma, professor at the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, tells Newsweek.

Can the character be portrayed in a way that doesn't ruffle feathers?

Born in Israel

Sabra first popped up in an issue of The Incredible Hulk in 1980. A mutant with enhanced strength and speed, she is also an agent for Mossad, the real-life Israeli secret service. The character's real name is Ruth Bat-Seraph, while her code name Sabra means "a person born in Israel."

In Captain America: New World Order, Sabra will be played by Shira Haas. The 28-year-old Israeli actress is best known for starring in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox.

Denne historien er fra November 17, 2023-utgaven av Newsweek Europe.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 17, 2023-utgaven av Newsweek Europe.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA NEWSWEEK EUROPESe alt
Falling for Romance
Newsweek Europe

Falling for Romance

A new book, Nora Ephron at the Movies, celebrates the writer/director best known for her iconic rom-coms and strong female characters

time-read
5 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Cracking the Norse Code
Newsweek Europe

Cracking the Norse Code

Walrus DNA has shown that Vikings were likely the first to have encountered Indigenous North Americans

time-read
4 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Monumental Shift
Newsweek Europe

Monumental Shift

The discovery of 165-million-year-old crystals Easter Island has upended the longheld notion of how the Earth's \"conveyor belt\" moves

time-read
6 mins  |
November 15, 2024
'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'
Newsweek Europe

'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'

It is a well-known fact across the globe that the North Korean regime is irrational and unpredictable, but we have been consistent in strengthening our defense posture against the threat from North Korea since the Korean War, and I believe that their conventional capability is much inferior to that of the Korean military.

time-read
10 mins  |
November 15, 2024
'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'
Newsweek Europe

'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'

Like Paris Hilton, Natasia Pelowski claims she was subjected to abuse at a teenage therapy program

time-read
3 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout'
Newsweek Europe

Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout'

Vladimir Putin admits difficulties” as the country’s key interest rate reaches a historic high

time-read
3 mins  |
November 15, 2024
China's 'Silent Chemical War'
Newsweek Europe

China's 'Silent Chemical War'

The U.S. must investigate Beijing's role in the manufacturing of fentanyl that is killing Americans, says one mom whose daughter died after accidentally taking the illicit substance

time-read
5 mins  |
November 15, 2024
HARSH HEADWINDS
Newsweek Europe

HARSH HEADWINDS

President Yoon Suk Yeol's BATTLE to reform a South Korea beset with structural problems under the specter of an increasingly aggressive neighbor to THE NORTH

time-read
7 mins  |
November 15, 2024
Bridget Everett
Newsweek Europe

Bridget Everett

BRIDGET EVERETT NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE THE LEAD OF A TV SHOW. \"I come from the downtown world in New York, a cabaret singer, and these things just don't happen, you don't find yourself with three seasons of HBO.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 08, 2024
Amber Ruffin
Newsweek Europe

Amber Ruffin

A LATE-NIGHT COMEDY SHOW ON CNN? YES, and it's a game show, too.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 08, 2024