Israeli actress to star as Mossad superhero in upcoming ‘Captain America’ film

Israeli actress Shira Haas – who rose to stardom for her role in the Netflix series “Unorthodox” – has been cast to play an Israeli superhero in the upcoming Marvel comics film, “Captain America: New World Order.”

Scheduled for release in 2024, the film will feature Haas as Sabra – the little-known Marvel comics character who first appeared in 1980.

Sabra, also known as Ruth Bat-Seraph, is a former superhuman Mossad agent who occasionally crosses paths with other superhuman characters such as the Hulk and the X-Men. 

The character’s powers include super strength and stamina, while her anti-gravity devices allow her to fly through the air faster than 300 miles per hour. Sabra wears a blue and white outfit with the Star of David. She is said to have been trained by the Israeli military and the Mossad spy agency. 

The character is introduced as being raised near Jerusalem, serving as a police officer in Tel Aviv and having several past run-ins with The Hulk. 

In her debut appearance in Marvel comics more than 40 years ago, Sabra appeared as the Mossad’s first superhuman agent who wrongly suspects The Hulk is assisting Arab terrorists. The action took place in Israel.

Sabra – or in Hebrew, tsabar – is the word for the prickly pear cactus fruit and is the term long used to describe Israeli-born Jews – said to be prickly on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside.

“Captain America: New World Order,” the fourth film in the Captain America series, is expected to feature Anthony Mackie in the title role and Tim Blake Nelson as supervillain, The Leader. 

Recently, Haas landed another leading role in a Netflix film adaptation of the graphic novel, “Bodies,” playing detective DC Maplewood, one of four detectives investigating a murder across four separate periods in London: the 1890s, 1940s, 2010s and a post-apocalyptic 2050.

Haas gained notoriety for playing Ruchami Weiss, a teenage Orthodox Jewish wife, on the hit Israeli series “Shtisel” – which got picked up by Netflix. She won an Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe award for her role as Esther Shapiro in “Unorthodox.”

In 2021 she was no. 9 on the ALL ISRAEL NEWS list of the 21 most powerful, provocative and popular Israelis to watch.

Last year, Haas was chosen for the role of Golda Meir, Israel’s only female prime minister, in Barbara Streisand’s TV series “Lioness.”

Haas is not the first Israeli actor to appear on the big screen as a super-heroine. Israel’s current top actress, Gal Gadot, became synonymous with Wonder Woman in her breakout role several years ago.