I’m confused about why Marvel Studios has already made a huge change to a newCaptain America: Brave New Worldhero in theMCU, ignoring an important part of their history in Marvel Comics.Captain America: Brave New Worldmarks Anthony Mackie’s first appearance as Sam Wilson since we saw him officially become theMCU’s new Captain Americain 2021’sThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While he’s continuing Steve Rogers' legacy as the Star-Spangled-Man, I’m also excited to see Sam Wilson forging his own path and acquiring new allies inBrave New World.
Captain America: Brave New World’simpressive castbrings back age-old MCU characters, such as Samuel Sterns' Leader, Thaddeus Ross' Red Hulk and Betty Ross, alongside some new faces. We also see Danny Ramires' Joaquín Torres officially become the Falcon inBrave New World, while Sam Wilson will also find himself teaming up withShira Haas' Ruth Bat-Seraph, a.k.a. Sabra. In Marvel Comics,Sabra is an Israeli mutant, but her backstory has been completely changed for the MCU, and I don’t understand why Marvel Studios made this choice.
Sabra Will Not Be A Mutant In Captain America 4 & I Don’t Understand Why
Shira Haas' Sabra Connects To Another MCU Franchise
Sabra’s inclusion inCaptain America: Brave New Worldcaused a huge amount of controversy, since the character is a member of the Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service, in Marvel Comics. Marvel Studios stressed early on that the character would be reworked in an effort to avoid promoting harmful stereotypes, andBrave New Worldproducer Nate Moore has now revealed toVarietyexactly how.I was a bit surprised to hear that Sabra is not a mutant in the MCU, however, and is instead a former Black Widow assassin working for the United States government.
She’s Israeli, but she’s not Mossad. Now she works in the US government… We try to take the essence of a character but reinterpret it in a way that we find interesting… She’s no longer a mutant. She’s a part of the Red Room. You want to make the best version of a character – be honest to the roots of the character… We weren’t about to put her in a feather boa and have her throw diamond earrings at people, but we did like [her] attitude… We’d been wanting to work with Shira Haas for a while. She’s so talented, she’s so unique, both in her look and her performance style. We thought this was the perfect marriage.
While I love seeing more characters connected to the mythology of 2021’sBlack Widow, which ended with Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova freeing the Black Widow assassins from Dreykov’s mind control and heading out to free more, I’m unsure about theremoval of Sabra’s mutant identity. This is a huge part of her character in Marvel Comics, and I’m unclear about why she couldn’t have beenbotha mutant and a Black Widow.There’s only one reason I can think of why Marvel would remove Sabra’s mutant-hood, and it spells bad news for her inCaptain America: Brave New World.
Sabra’s Mutant Identity Is Important In Marvel Comics
Sabra Is A Formidable Hero In Marvel Comics
Ruth Bat-Seraph made her Marvel Comics debut in 1980’sThe Incredible Hulk #250as Marvel’s first female Israeli superhero.She has often been the subject of controversy, as she has been negatively regarded by Palestinians and Arabs for valorizing the Mossad. This commentary is incredibly relevant in today’s geopolitical climate regarding the Gaza-Israel conflict. However, this makes Sabra’s live-action debut inCaptain America: Brave New Worlda controversial concept to begin with, but this could have been given greater meaning had she retained her Marvel Comics backstory as a mutant.
Because of her mutant physiology, Sabra has abilities including superhuman strength, stamina, reflexes, speed and agility, while she is also able to transfer her powers and life energy to others. She also heals faster than the average human, and I would have loved to have seen these powers in action in the MCU. In Marvel Comics,Sabra is involved in theOperation: Zero Tolerance, Civil War, Secret InvasionandSecret Empirestorylines, and even fights alongside the X-Men, and I think it’s a shame that Shira Haas' version of Sabra won’t have this opportunity in the MCU.
Captain America 4 Could Have Introduced Mutants To Even More MCU Characters
Mutants Are Still Very Low-Key In The MCU
Marvel Studios gained the rights to integrate mutants into the MCU after the finalization of Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, and, since then, several mutant characters have been seen in the MCU. Not enough, however, as the existence of mutants is still more-or-less unknown, thoughMarvel boss Kevin Feige has promised that this will soon change. By retaining Sabra’s Marvel Comics origin,I reckonCaptain America: Brave New Worldwould have been the perfect place to make mutants public, but I don’t think this will happen now.
Kevin Feige’s X-Men Comments Remind Me Of The Avengers' Early MCU Setup & Now I’m Even More Excited For Phase 6
Kevin Feige has teased the X-Men’s gradual development in the MCU’s upcoming projects, reminding me of Phase 1’s original Avengers set-up.
Sabra working for the United States government as a mutant would have been a huge plot thread to unpack inCaptain America: Brave New World, as it would have suggested that the government trusts these superpowered individuals. With theMCU’sX-Menrebooton the horizon, andonly Ms. Marvel and Namor being confirmed to be mutants in the MCU’s main continuity, it’s high time Marvel started introducing the much-anticipated series into the MCU en masse.Brave New World’sgrounded storyline and debut of adamantium presented the perfect opportunity, but it’s now been missed.
Sabra May Not Survive The Events Of Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel Studios is gearing up to put much more focus on mutants and the X-Men in Phase 6 and after the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion. This makes me think thatSabra could have had a more prominent role in the MCU, had she been kept a mutant. However, the fact that this origin has been changed makes me think that Marvel doesn’t have plans to include her in theMCU’s upcoming mutant-centric storylines, which has me convinced she won’t survive the events ofCaptain America: Brave New World, following in the footsteps of other one-and-done MCU characters.
Captain America: Brave New Worldis projected to have a $94 million Valentine’s weekend opening domestically, $190 million worldwide, which bears resemblance to the opening of 2014’sCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
It’s undeniable that Sabra’s debut inCaptain America: Brave New Worldhas caused controversy and concern. This response to a character’s introduction is surely something that Marvel Studios doesn’t want, particularly when the studio is trying to build back its stellar reputation after severalPhase 4 and 5 projects performed less-than-admirably. I can easily see Shira Haas' Sabra being killed off inCaptain America: Brave New Worldso that Marvel doesn’t need to face this kind of controversy in future MCU projects, which could explain why her mutant identity was also removed.
