By Joshua Yudkin
Echoing comic book author Alan Moore, “In our world, superheroes represent hope, stand against the darkness and corruption and symbolize the belief that good will ultimately triumph over evil.” For children of all ages (yes, including adults), superheroes are archetypes for self-actualization and leaving the world a better place than they found it. Perhaps equally important, before (social) justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging became contemporary social movements and corporate activities, Marvel Entertainment was a thought leader in celebrating the true diversity and mosaic of identity — in terms of religion, ability, nationality, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and sexuality (to name just a few).
Since 2008, Marvel Studios has continued to present these radically inclusive and hopeful narratives on screen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps most striking, Marvel Studios has given a superhero to the communities who need them the most when they need them the most. During this recent renewed focus on racial reckoning, Marvel Studios has provided — and plans to continue to provide — multiple texts highlighting a superhero and cast from the Black community within the “Black Panther” franchise. In recent times, when crimes rose against the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, Marvel Studios released a film highlighting a superhero from the AAPI community, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of 10 Rings.” From Black Widow to Captain Marvel, to Ms. Marvel, to Shuri, Marvel Studios has been intentional to celebrate female leads of diverse identities throughout their efforts.
Perhaps unintentionally, Marvel Studios has taken a different approach when presenting Jewish superheroes — Moon Knight and now Sabra in the upcoming film “Captain America: Brave New World.” Most notably, the Jewish identity of Moon Knight was neither fully nor accurately developed in alignment with the original comic. Specifically, the erasure of the antisemitism and multigenerational trauma he experienced mirrors common tropes and tactics of modern-day antisemitism or Jew hatred. Finally, Moon Knight’s Jewish identity was reduced to glimpses of Judaism through the sole lens of a religion.
However, echoing historical Jewish thought leaders like Moses Hess and Asher Ginsberg or contemporary thought leaders like Rabbi Avram Infeld, Judaism is not only a religion; Judaism is a peoplehood. From scholars like Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan to think tanks like the Reut Institute, the concept of Jewish peoplehood has been developed to emphasize the shared identity, values and sense of belonging among Jews worldwide. Marvel Studios’ upcoming release of Sabra in “Captain America: New World Order” later this year is a timely opportunity to present Jewish peoplehood with the same celebratory and affirming love as they do for other superheroes.
Unfortunately, based on recent communications, it seems that Marvel Studios is doubling down on their erasure of Jewish identity in Sabra’s character. While maintaining the superhero’s original Hebrew name, it has been reported that the MCU will go against the original Marvel comic and erase parts of her Jewish Israeli identity and present her as a Black Widow rather than a Mossad agent. Ironically, her name is a nickname used for Israelis born in Israel. While recent reports assert that Sabra will speak with an Israeli accent, this exoticizing theatric does not replace the richness of her Jewish identity and Israeli society. Like many Israelis — both Jewish and non-Jewish — who serve in the Israel Defense Forces and security forces, Sabra archetypes the impossible choices modern moral armies must make regularly — balancing survival and sacrifice; safety and morality; nationalism and the global village. Steeped in her Jewish identity, Sabra explores questions of justice, ethics and responsibility in the original text.
Briefly, in Jewish tradition, there is nothing more important than pikuah nefesh, or saving a life. Guided by this belief, it is for that reason that leading U.S. expert on modern urban warfare, West Point’s John Spencer, reports, “Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history — above and beyond what international law requires and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Spencer explains that Israel has redefined modern warfare in its current defensive war by reducing the expected civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio by at least threefold of what is seen in any other setting. Similar sentiments were shared last month by Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander. Marvel Studios’ erasure of parts of Sabra’s Jewish Israeli background reduces her character and the richness of the narrative.
The good news is that these are simply reports about what the entertainment giant may do. Marvel Studios and, by extension, The Walt Disney Company, still have an opportunity to embrace nuance in narrative and Marvel’s original commitment to a radically inclusive (and progressive!) list of superheroes and aligned with Stan Lee’s original for authenticity and humanity. Here are three reflections for Marvel Studios to consider as they develop Sabra’s character in “Captain America: New World Order”:
1. There is power in narrative. There is agency in storytelling. It is a disservice to your brand, your viewers and Marvel’s legacy to reduce your narrative and characters.
2. Mahatma Gandhi shared, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Continue Sabra’s Jewish journey of self-discovery and actualization in her pursuit of serving others.
3. Jewish peoplehood and the story of the modern State of Israel is a powerful and evolving narrative of how intergenerational trauma has been transformed into intergenerational resilience. Lean into Sabra’s Jewish intergenerational resilience.
Brené Brown shared, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” In a time where antisemitic rhetoric and crimes are at an all-time high, will Marvel Studios continue their legacy of giving a superhero to the communities who need it the most when they need it the most?
Dr. Joshua Yudkin currently serves as an executive committee member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas’ Community Relations and Public Affairs Department and works at the intersection of community building and public health.