Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was a major player in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and though she won’t be in Brave New World, the Black Widow organization has found a way to be included in the story.
As per @cosmic_marvel, the rewrite of the character Ruth Bat-Seraph/Sabra (Shira Haas) has revealed that she is going to be a former Black Widow. The official description reads:
“A former Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official who has the trust of President Ross.“
In the comics, Sabra was a mutant who was hired by the Israeli government to be a super soldier and intelligence agent. Besides the usual invulnerability/strength powers, Sabra was also said to have the ability to transfer her life essence to other people; but doing so, she gets weaker. She’ll have to take the powers back personally to get back to her full potential.
Admittedly, the movie is getting some ire from fans online because of the character of Sabra being a Zionist and the actress being Israeli. It’s no secret that Israel/Palestine conflict has become a very huge issue online, and the inclusion of an Israeli hero has is leading others to boycott the movie until the character is removed.
Hey guys. This account is about showing love and support to Sam Wilson & his projects. But Captain America: Brave New World includes a very problematic & controversial character in Sabra, a Zionist “hero”. She should be nowhere near this film. Boycott Marvel until she’s removed.
— Sam Wilson’s PR Manager (@capsamflyhigh) November 28, 2023
On the other hand, it’s been said that the Sabra character won’t even be called that, and with the origin change, she could very well just be another secret agent type—a Black Widow, but one that’s loyal to Ross.
Ok so here's my thoughts on the character SABRA still being in Captain America: Brave New World. I completely understand why some are upset and want to boycott the movie. But given that most of the team that worked on this film worked on Falcon and the Winter Soldier and did a… pic.twitter.com/dw4WOr8m4b
— Bella 🩷✨🦋 (@BellaLoveNote) July 12, 2024
With Falcon and the Winter Soldier not being shy about addressing real-world politics though, everyone is sure that the inclusion of a character like Sabra is not something Marvel is taking lightly.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see till the film comes out to find out how Sabra is dealt with.
Catch Captain America: Brave New World when it releases in theaters on Feb. 14, 2025.
