At D23, amidst the star-studded lineup, Marvel Studios discussed the new Captain America movie, Captain America: New World Order, which will follow Sam Wilson’s stint as the new Cap in the MCU. Besides Anthony Mackie’s Wilson, Kevin Feige also announced the introduction of a new superheroine to the tab. Shira Haas is to take on the role of Sabra, an intelligence agent with superhuman strength and exceptional combat skills that serve her in her missions for Mossad.
But the revelation soon stirred a controversy driven by the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Palestine, as well as the tarnished relations between the two nations. Several fans showed their extreme views and even resented the inclusion of Sabra into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Several points concerning Sabra’s connection to the Israel-Palestine conflict as depicted in the comics (though the comics don’t mention Palestine specifically) were raised, leading New World Order to open up to some bad light.
However, Marvel Studios has stated (via Variety) discussing the studios’ planned approach to Sabra and how it intends to bring her to life with Shira Haas.
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.
This means that the writers and filmmakers will give Sabra a different backstory and personality. And now that the fans have already shown their stance against Sabra’s original comic book origins, Marvel Studios will ensure to avoid any issues and dodge all the controversial content surrounding Sabra and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
It Isn’t New for Marvel to Rework Characters
The statement clarifies that Marvel will reimagine the character for her MCU debut per the ongoing events and their contexts in the franchise. That has been the case with almost every character and story that Marvel Studios has adapted for shared continuity. Recently, Marvel Studios changed the origin story of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, which both critics and fans well received.
In another movie, Tony Leung’s Wenwu was also a rework of Fu Manchu’s character from the comics. Marvel specifically did so to avoid controversies of racism and profiling surrounding the character. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Wenwu was reimagined as Mandarin. Similarly, Black Panther avoided calling Winston Duke’s M’Baku by the name of Man-Ape, while also vastly revitalizing the character.
That would be the case with Sabra as well. Sabra has not been an integral part of the comics and has played a small role in her limited appearances. This alone allows the studio significant creative freedom to lay out a new backdrop for Sabra in the MCU. How Shira Haas’s Sabra will factor into the story is unclear for now, but it would be a fresh experience for viewers to see a new Captain America interacting with this new set of characters from the comics.
Captain America: New World Order will release on May 3, 2024, as part of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five.