Summary
The firstCaptain America: Brave New Worldtrailer is out now, andMarvelhas confirmed a major change to a controversial character.Unorthodoxstar Shira Haas' casting in theupcoming Captain America sequelwas announced in September 2022, with subsequent details confirming her character to be “Ruth” after speculation that she would be playing Israeli superhero Sabra.
In the wake of that casting, concerns arose around the inclusion of the Marvel mutant, who serves as a Mossad agent in the comics. This followed similar controversy around the character in Marvel Comics. After comments toVarietyin 2022 promising a different take on Sabra’s origin,Marvel.com’s official trailer release announcementconfirms that she has beenreimagined as a former Black Widow:
“New to the cast is Shira Haas, who joins as Ruth Bat-Seraph. A former Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross. Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Xosha Roquemore also star.”
Captain America: Brave New World Cast & Marvel Character Guide
Sam Wilson’s big-screen debut as the MCU’s Captain America will bring back several familiar faces, while also introducing new and exciting characters.
Key Context: Who Is Sabra In Marvel Comics & What’s Changed?
Captain America: Brave New World’s pivot away from Ruth Bat-Seraph’s Marvel Comics backstory fulfills the promise the studio gave to Variety when the controversy first came to light:
“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.”
The ongoing military conflict in Palestine and criticism of Israel’s action in the country after the October 7 attack on the Supernova Sukkot Gathering has led tofan calls online forCaptain America: Brave New Worldto face a boycott.That call once more met the release of theBrave New Worldtrailer, which featured two shots of Haas' new character.
Marvel Defends Captain America 4’s New MCU Hero Amidst Controversy
Marvel Studios defends Captain America 4’s new MCU hero Sabra amidst controversy following her casting, saying she will be reinvented.
Notably,Marvel.com’s description of the character steers clear of calling her Sabra outright. Included in theVarietystory from 2022 is a note from The Times explaining that the name Sabra itself has attracted controversy: “To Israeli Jews, a Sabra can simply be a person born in Israel. But Sabra is also the name of a refugee camp in Lebanon where a Christian militia massacred hundreds of Palestinians while Israeli troops stood by 40 years ago.” In a now-deleted X.com post, The Institute for Middle East Understanding accused the character of “glorifying the Israeli army and police"(which Variety also note).
While pushing for greater diversity in the MCU - and a new Jewish superhero is a stride forward - Marvel has typically avoided overt political commentary.Captain America: Brave New World’s political undertones feel particularly challenging to that stance in general, particularly as the American election run gathers path and its own controversy. Couple that with the inevitable commentary on populist political exploitation inDaredevil: Born Again’s Kingpin storyline, and tides are shifting. This brave new world is one fraught with complexity, to say the least.
Captain America: Brave New World
Cast
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.After meeting President Thaddeus Ross, Sam is caught in a global crisis. He must expose the mastermind behind a sinister plot before the world descends into turmoil. Captain America: Brave New World marks the big-screen debut of Sam Wilson as Captain America, and Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut, replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
