Calls resurface to boycott Marvel film with superhero played by ex-Israeli army actor
Dozens of pro-Palestine demonstrators protested against the Hollywood premiere of the new Marvel blockbuster, Captain America: Brave New World, to denounce the inclusion of an Israeli superhero as well as the actor Shira Haas playing the role, as she was formerly in the Israeli army.
Protestors stationed themselves near the red carpet in Los Angeles on Tuesday, holding up signs that read "Sabra has got to go", "Disney supports genocide", and "#Pray4Jasmine", according to Variety. They also chanted, 'Free, free, free Palestine' and 'Disney, Disney, you can't hide.'
The film is due to be released on 14 February.
Pro-Palestine protestors have gathered at the #CaptainAmerica premiere in Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/8gPyYBDCnS — Variety (@Variety) February 12, 2025
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This has resurfaced calls to boycott the film, which originally date back to 2022, when Marvel announced that Ruth Bat-Seraph, or Sabra - a Mossad agent in the comic books from the 1980s - would be introduced in its live-action film universe. The pressure to boycott the film increased after Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 48,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
In the comics, the character Sabra 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.
Sabra is also a slang term some Israelis use 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 a Lebanese militia, accompanied by their allied Israeli soldiers.
They're protesting this film in particular because it features an Israeli superhero by the name of 'Sabra', a Mossad agent. https://t.co/m5gcCvsIXj pic.twitter.com/jDWiKVxRFa — Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) February 12, 2025
Many have argued that including this character normalises Israel's violence against Palestinians, leading the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement to place Disney, the parent company of Marvel, onto its 'pressure' list.
"Cancel or don't sign up for Disney+ subscriptions!" a BDS guide reads.
"For Captain America, Marvel and Disney are reviving the racist character of Ruth Bat-Seraph, whose decades-old backstory includes working for Mossad. Disney+ is therefore clearly implicated in enabling Israel's genocide by dehumanizing Palestinians."
In response to the backlash, Marvel stated that they changed the backstory of Ruth's character and that she was no longer a Mossad agent.
"She's first-generation Israeli, but she's not Mossad," producer Nate Moore recently told The National. "Now she works in the US government."
The production did not, however, listen to calls to drop the actor, Haas, from the film. Haas reportedly volunteered to serve in the Israeli army even after being medically exempt from her mandatory service as an Israeli citizen.
This has led many to continue to boycott the film despite Marvel's efforts.
The actress playing her is Israeli and served in the IDF even when she didn't have to. Pressure BDS on Marvel has been happening for months. They did extensive reshoots, but not to get rid of this character/actress. So it's full BDS — LS🍉 (@Lasirois77) February 12, 2025
Others have also said that Marvel's decision to keep Ruth in the movie, despite changing her character so much that she does not have the same purpose as she does in the comics, is confusing.
"If they're not even making her mutant, then what was the point?" one Reddit account wrote in a thread discussing the recent protests at the LA premiere. "Were they forced to use this character? Why go through the hassle for a character that will most likely never show up again?"
"The decision to include her is just so odd, all they've done now is just piss off both sides by having her there to begin with and nerfing all connections to her original character, including Israeli ones," another Reddit user wrote.
Others were angered that Sabra was kept in the film but not Eli Bradley - a Black character introduced in the last Captain America film, and who, in the comics, becomes a part of the Young Avengers.
So you don't have room for an ACTUAL character who can show the impact Sam has as a black Captain America but you have room for the IOF soldier and her propaganda? https://t.co/fFnM61D8hJ — Ash 🪲 (@H3YD4V3) February 10, 2025
Pro-Palestine social media users are attempting to steer film-goers away from watching it once it's released later this week.
"Listen to the call from Palestinian civil society and boycott Captain America: Brave New World," a man says in a video that is circulating on both TikTok and X. "Help spread the word about Marvel's complicity in whitewashing occupation, apartheid and genocide".
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