Israeli heroine sparks controversy in “Captain America 4”

The announcement that “Captain America: New World Order” will mark the debut of Sabra, the Israeli heroine of Marvel, is causing controversy between Palestinians and Israelis. The character, who will be played by Israeli Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”), has a complicated past in comics that many would rather not see on screen.

One of the protests that attracted attention took place in the United States itself. The Institute for Middle East Understanding, a pro-Palestinian organization based in California, criticized the inclusion of heroin in the film as “glorifying the Israeli military and police.”

But an Israeli cartoonist, Uri Fink, also warned the actress who will play her in an interview this week on the Ynet website.

“I don’t expect your Marvel performance to be positive on waking days like these,” he said. “Those who work at Marvel today are all progressive. I have nothing against them, but we will not have the most accurate description of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” She added, “I suggest Shira read carefully [o roteiro]so that the character is not portrayed in a very problematic way “.

Israeli producer Avi Arad, co-founder and former head of Marvel Studios, also said in 2012 that he never expected to see Sabra in a studio movie.

In light of the repercussions of the casting, announced during D23 Expo last week, Marvel Studios released a statement, stating that Sabra will be reinvented for the film, with the aim of avoiding its major controversy.

“Although our characters and stories are inspired by comics, they are always reinvented for today’s screen and audience, and directors are taking a fresh approach with the character Sabra, who was introduced to comics over 40 years ago.” he claims. study note.

Sabra first appeared in the early 1980s in the “Incredible Hulk” comics. Created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, she is a super strong and super fast mutant who works with the Mossad (Israeli secret service) and her introduction has brought Marvel publications to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the 1981 story that presented her, Sabra shows no feelings for the death of a Palestinian boy. In the comics, the Hulk mistakenly ends up in Tel Aviv, where he befriends the boy who is killed in an attack by terrorists, identified as Arabs. Sabra – real name Ruth Bat-Seraph – witnesses the attack and assumes the Hulk is in league with the terrorists, starting a fight without worrying about the boy, until the Hulk teaches him human values.

To complicate matters, the character’s enemies represented the most offensive Arab stereotypes.

The very name of the heroine is a subject of controversy. Sabra can simply mean a person born in Israel. But it was also the name of a refugee camp in Lebanon, where a far-right militia massacred hundreds of Palestinians in the 1980s, while Israeli troops guarding the site pretended not to see. An Israeli investigation found that Ariel Sharon, as defense minister, had a “personal responsibility” for failing to take steps to prevent the massacre.

Marvel Studios have already proven their ability to handle controversial characters. One of the greatest examples happened in the movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. In the comics, Shang-Chi’s evil father was a stereotypical racist named Fu Manchu, but in the film the character was mistaken for Xu Wenwu the Mandarin, who thanks to Tony Leung’s performance was widely celebrated as one of the best dynamic villains. of the MCU. Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Shira Haas will star in “Captain America: New World Order” alongside Anthony Mackie as the protagonist.

A curiosity of the production is that he will not be the only Hulk comic book character to appear in the plot. The villain will be none other than The Leader, the main antagonist of the Hulk at the beginning of his publications, who will once again be played by Tim Blake Nelson (“Watchmen”), 14 years old who appears in the cinematic origin of the character in the film “L Incredible Hulk “.

It’s worth noting that while Sabra is Marvel Studios’ first Israeli heroine, the MCU already has a Jewish hero: Moon Knight, which debuted in March on Disney +.

The fourth film “Captain America” ​​will premiere on May 2, 2024 in Brazil, one day before its US release.

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Source: Terra

Emily

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.