The Hollywood premiere of Captain America: Brave New World on Tuesday (US time) was met with pro-Palestine demonstrations.
A group of protesters, numbering in the dozens, called for a boycott of the film due to its inclusion of the Israeli superhero Ruth Bat-Seraph, also known as Sabra.
Demonstrators carried signs with messages such as "Sabra has got to go," "Disney supports genocide," and "Boycott Captain America."
A pro-Palestine protest taking place outside of the ‘Captain America Brave New World’ premiere in Hollywood tonight pic.twitter.com/cf81GqIcQp
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) February 12, 2025
Pro-Palestine protestors have gathered at the #CaptainAmerica premiere in Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/8gPyYBDCnS
— Variety (@Variety) February 12, 2025
Protesters chant “Free Palestine” and “Boycott Disney” outside the Chinese Theater at the #CaptainAmerica Brave New World premiere pic.twitter.com/fXtVVnCk6B
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 12, 2025
Marvel had scheduled a live stream of the event at 8:30 ET/5:30 PM PT, but the video feed had yet to begin. The delay may have been linked to the protests. Instead, Marvel streamed the Captain America: Brave New World trailer.
Courtesy: X
Courtesy: X
Courtesy: X
In Marvel Comics, Sabra is portrayed as Jewish, a mutant, and the first superhuman agent of Mossad. In the film, Israeli actress Shira Haas takes on the role, but the character has been altered—she is no longer linked to Mossad or depicted as a mutant. Instead, as producer Nate Moore confirmed, Sabra now works for the U.S. government.
Marvel addressed the controversy in a statement to Variety, saying: “While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics, they are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago.”
The film features a star-studded cast, including Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford.
Captain America: Brave New World is set for release on Feb. 14, with early screenings available on Thursday.
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