“Captain America: Brave New World” will introduce the first Israeli superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Feb. 14. 

Israeli actress Shira Haas will portray Ruth Bat-Seraph, the Mossad agent who becomes Sabra, Israel’s primary superhero, in comics.

29-year-old Haas broke out in the 2020 Netflix series “Unorthodox,” which followed a young woman defecting from her Hasidic community. She received nominations from the Emmys, Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards for her performance as the show’s lead Etsy Shapiro. This film will be her first since the 2020 Israeli film “Asia.”

Comic history

Sabra is Marvel Comics’ third Israeli hero. The two previous characters had limited time in comics, with three combined appearances before Sabra’s debut. She first appeared in “The Incredible Hulk,” issue 250, in 1980 and made her full debut in “The Incredible Hulk,” issue 256.

Readers first meet the character after the Hulk, fresh off a fight with Thor, stows away on a boat en route to Israel. Chaos ensues when he arrives in Tel Aviv and Sabra flies into action.

The Hulk escapes and speaks to a young boy with a watermelon to learn about Israeli-Arab relations. The boy is subsequently blown up by anti-Israel terrorists and another rampage begins.

Sabra assumes the Hulk killed the boy and faces him alone. The fight reveals Sabra’s powers of flight, super strength and energy quills, which she fires from her cape. She lets the Hulk leave when it becomes clear he did not kill the boy.

In following appearances, Sabra often took a background role and worked with the X-Men after being revealed as a mutant. She clashed frequently with the Arabian Knight in a reflection of political dynamics.

Controversy and what to expect in Captain America: Brave New World

The war in Gaza shook up Marvel’s plans for the character after backlash emerged from pro-Palestine supporters. Threats of boycotts spiraled into Marvel reworking the story to remove connections to the Israeli government, a core aspect of Sabra’s character. 

Insider reports disagree over the backstory Disney plans to give Sabra. In the newest Chinese poster for the film, Sabra has a superhero suit, albeit without her signature quill cape. 

A July 2024 report claims the character’s Israeli heritage is intact, but her role as a Mossad agent has been removed. The film is expected to introduce her as an ex-Black Widow operative, similar to Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh’s characters. Any potential superpowers or mutant genetics are still unknown.

Sabra’s debut on Feb. 14 continues a positive trend of increased Jewish representation in Marvel films. Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight show on Disney+ broke the ice in 2022 and more characters are expected to follow in future films. This summer’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” will return Jewish hero Ben Grimm, also known as the Thing, to the big screen.