At Disney’s D23 convention last weekend, Marvel Studios revealed that the upcoming “Captain America: New World Order” film will introduce Shira Haas as Israeli superhero Sabra.
In the comics, Sabra is a mutant cop turned Mossad agent. The reveal has stirred up some controversy and a backlash, causing enough of a stir that Marvel Studios has responded by issuing a statement to The New York Times.
In the statement, they sat the character will be “taking a new approach” and reimagined for “today’s audience” and thus will likely try to avoid a connection to real-world politics:
“While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics. They are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago.”
Marvel may not be able to avoid controversy though as even the character’s name has very different connotations for those on either side of the century-old Israel/Palestine conflict.
The film serves as a follow-up to “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and is said to be a paranoia thriller blockbuster. “Captain America: New World Order” arrives in cinemas in 2024.
Read the article by Garth Franklin on Dark Horizons.