Amid the hype surrounding the release of the first trailer for Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel Studios has quietly confirmed some key details surrounding the inclusion of a controversial character from the comics.
An official story posted on Marvel.com included the following information about Ruth Bat-Seraph, who was previously confirmed to be included in the MCU in 2022.
Newcomer Shira Haas joins the cast as Ruth Bat-Seraph. Ruth, the former Black Widow, is now a high-ranking official in the U.S. government who is trusted by President Ross. The film also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Zosha Roquemore.
The new information confirms some significant changes from the comics, as Ruth is a mutant named Sabra, an Israeli superheroine and agent for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. The character has long been controversial due to her connection to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a controversy that has recently taken on greater prominence due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israeli actress Shira Haas plays Ruth, who was first cast in the role in 2022. She has previously appeared in films including Asia and The Zookeeper’s Wife, as well as the Netflix series Bodies.
When Marvel confirmed the casting in 2022, one of the actors told her: diverse “While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics, they are always reimagined for today’s screen and audiences, and the filmmakers are taking a fresh approach with a character who first appeared in the comics over 40 years ago,” the statement said.
It’s worth noting that Marvel’s description explicitly refers to the character as Ruth rather than Sabra, which New York Times and others One commenter on Reddit noted that the name was associated with a refugee camp in Lebanon that was the site of a massacre of thousands of Palestinian civilians in 1982. One commenter on Reddit noted the change, asking, “Why did they use Ruth if she wasn’t going to be Sabra instead of just using an original character? That would have saved them a lot of headaches.”
IGN has reached out to Marvel Studios for comment.
Elsewhere, the trailer for Captain America: Brave New World revealed other noteworthy details, most notably the first appearance of the Red Hulk. Fans also believe they’ve discovered Giancarlo Esposito’s role in the MCU. For more, check out the rest of Marvel’s projects slated for 2024 and beyond.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
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