The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting its first Israeli superhero, with Shira Haas set to star as Ruth Bat-Seraph aka “Sabra” in the next Captain America movie.
Haas won worldwide fame with her role in the internationally acclaimed Netflix series Shtisel. For Marvel, she will play a former Mossad spy whose special powers include super strength, speed, and the ability to fly at great velocity.
In the comics, Sabra grew up on a government-run kibbutz where she was placed after she began to show her powers and later became Mossad’s first superhero agent. She is also portrayed as losing a son to a terrorist attack and breaking ranks to bring his killers to justice.
Sabra is the colloquial term for Israeli-born Jews, which draws from the name for a spiky desert cactus that is prickly on the outside but soft on the inside.
The MCU already has a Jewish superhero in the form of Marc Spector aka Moon Knight, a former US Marine and mercenary turned avatar of fictional Egyptian god Khonshu, who made his television debut in March played by Oscar Isaac.
Captain America: New World Order is expected to hit cinemas in 2024 with Anthony Mackie making his first movie outing as the eponymous hero.