As excitement builds for the release of the first trailer for Captain America: Brave New World, Marvel Studios has quietly shared important details about a controversial character from the comics. An official announcement on Marvel.com provided new information about Ruth Bat-Seraph, who was first confirmed to join the MCU in 2022.
Joining the cast is Shira Haas, who portrays Ruth Bat-Seraph. Once a Black Widow, Ruth is now a high-ranking U.S. government official trusted by President Ross. The cast also includes Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Xosha Roquemore.
The new information verifies a few notable deviations from the comics, in which Ruth is an Israeli superhero, a mutant dubbed Sabra, and an agent of Israel’s spy service, Mossad. Due to her affiliation with the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has gained even more significance in light of the current Gaza situation, the character has long been contentious.
Israeli actress Shira Haas, who was originally assigned to the part in 2022, plays Ruth. She previously starred in the Netflix series Bodies as well as the motion pictures Asia and The Zookeeper’s Wife.
“While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics,” a Marvel official said in a statement to Variety when the casting was confirmed back in 2022. The filmmakers are adopting a novel approach with the character Sabra, who was initially presented in the comics more than 40 years ago, and they are always imaginatively innovative for the screen and the contemporary audience.”
Interestingly, the character is specifically referred to as Ruth in the Marvel description rather than Sabra, which has been linked to a 1982 murder of thousands of Palestinian people in a refugee camp in Lebanon, as reported by the New York Times and other outlets. Observing the alteration, a Reddit user questioned, “Why wasn’t an original character used instead of Ruth, since she won’t be Sabra? They would have avoided a great deal of headaches.”
Marvel Studios has been contacted by IGN for comment.
Various noteworthy information, most notably the first appearance of Red Hulk, was disclosed in various places in the Captain America: Brave New World trailer. Additionally, they believe they understand Giancarlo Esposito’s function in the MCU. See all the other Marvel projects slated for 2024 and beyond for additional information.
