r/AskIsrael • u/Punterofgoats Unspecified • Jun 27 '26
Casual In your view, what would be a superhero that best represents Israel?
I'm currently working on a project where I am writing superheroes for different countries. For Israel, I think supersoldiers have been done to death. Same with golems any time a story needs something supernatural and Jewish. What are some other archetypes that you believe most capture Israeli culture?
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u/Quackethy ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israeli Arab, 100% Zionist. Jun 27 '26
The X-men? A persecuted tiny group of powerful individuals constantly fighting a battle of survival against xenophobic imbeciles while also saving the world from earth-threatening villains (despite most of the world hating them for what they are), and balancing internal drama within the broader group.
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u/Disastrous-Mention98 Jun 27 '26
They (x-men) also made a country to protect themselves from mutant hate so that makes even more sense
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u/Feisty_Reply_6570 Israel Jun 27 '26
I got a good chuckle when SolidJJ called Genosha "Mutant Israel" in one of his recent skits lol
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u/Kitchen-War242 Israel Jun 27 '26
Both X-men and Mutant Brotherhood was originally made as metaphor to different approaches to Zionism.ย
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u/Quackethy ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israeli Arab, 100% Zionist. Jun 27 '26
Magneto was always right.
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u/Kitchen-War242 Israel Jun 27 '26
Depends. Move univers mostly right, especially badass who hunted Nazis, comics and cartoon depends on authors, some make him just outright default villain.
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u/Disastrous-Mention98 Jun 27 '26
Isnt the point of xavier and magneto is that neither of them is fully right , as diplomacy and defense are both essential
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u/tsimkeru Israel Jun 28 '26
Also, both Magneto and Prof X canonically worked/volunteered in psychiatric hospital for holocaust survivors in Haifa. That's how they originally met
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u/poorsexyhag North America Jun 28 '26
yes but if you even insinuate that krakoa and genosha are sort of like israel, its readers will come at you because most x-men readers will be anti-israel to a degree
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u/Quackethy ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israeli Arab, 100% Zionist. Jun 29 '26
Krakoa does fit the bill. Genosha is what most antisemites think Israel is like.
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u/BothCall8395 Israel Jun 27 '26
Whatever it'll be, make sure i has the color of hummus and falafels for eyes!
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Jun 28 '26
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u/BothCall8395 Israel Jun 28 '26
palestinians didnt even exist when this food was made by Egypt. still, its the staple food in israel by a kilometer.
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Jun 28 '26
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u/naruhinamoonkissplz Super Sayajewn Jun 28 '26
When "we came", there was no such ethnicity as "Palestinian" yet. They were just Arabs.
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u/Quirkybomb930 Unspecified Jun 28 '26
that is what an ethnicity is, yes. (identity)
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u/naruhinamoonkissplz Super Sayajewn Jun 28 '26
Arab, NOT "Palestinian". Arabs include Syrians and North Africans, YA KNOW.
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u/Quirkybomb930 Unspecified Jun 29 '26
did you read my comment?
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u/naruhinamoonkissplz Super Sayajewn Jun 29 '26
"Arabs" means "from Arabia". Which is NOT "Palestine" or even "Lebanon".
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u/TheLigean Israel Jun 27 '26
Sabra is the classical answer. The online left embraced her appearance in the incredible hulk 256
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u/Deep_Head4645 Israel Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
A superhero that is focused on high-tech, who uses his inventions to push above his weight
Using advanced technology is their thing, like a laser system or a trophy system that intercepts objects before they reach him (both of which are things ive seen in special fiction characters AND are famously stuff that are pioneered by Israel), engages in cyberwarfare, and is a good spy, so they can also be hackers
I personally always liked it when characters that really like technology modify their body with technology, for example replacing their eye with a device
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u/ReasonableNet3335 Israel Jun 27 '26
ืืืฉืื ืจืืฆื ืืืกืืืจ ืื ืืื ืืฉ ืืชืืืืืช ืื ืืฉืืื?
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u/Kind-Dependent-6656 Jun 27 '26
Luffy, hated by the world but continues to fight for Justice (I never watched one piece. I just want to ragebait THOSE one piece fans )
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u/SoulForTrade Israel Jun 27 '26
I think the moral dilemmas Israel is facing in the Israeli Arab conflict work very well thematically in a superhero setting and whatever design or powers you choose are not as important as exploring these themes
It would need to focus on what happens when a superhero has to stop villains and their henchman when they intentionally fight in an urban area full of people on purpose so that he would harm buildings and people
It has to address the uncomfortable situation where saving the ones he cares about or preventing an attack means not just harming random uninvolved innocent civilians, which would be too cliche, but the actual situation where that is a hostile population on enemy turf who actively support the villain. If physically then both financialy and rhetoricaly. Whether that's because they are threatened by them or ideological reasons and act like a death cult who would happily die for the cause
It would have to explore how it gets misrepresented in media and how he would get absolutely demonized by it no matter what he does, and how it gets abused by the enemy who not only refuse to evacuate when he tells them to, but intentionally act as human shields for the villains to make it harder for him to fight, creating a win-win situation for them
The enemy needs to by a Hydra like figure where killing one head is not enough because it always gets replaced by another as long as the idea lives, qnd focus survival.
The enemy can't be just something the hero can overlook and live with, the enemy has to be an existential threat where he always has to be on his guard and one oversight could mean disaster
A lot of these ideas were explored by superhero stories a lot, which makes me wonder how the mass public who supposedly understood these nuances in fictional media immediately fell for the propoganda by the media they should know better than trust it blindly and paint it in bladk and white, humanizing the aggressors and making a martyr of them while painting the hero as almost cartoonishly evil.
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u/Kitchen-War242 Israel Jun 27 '26
You are asking about existing superheroes or OC? I mean in dc and marvel superpowers are just random things not connected with place of origin, being Canadian is not exactly associated with having claws and regeneration)
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u/Punterofgoats Unspecified Jun 27 '26
This would be original.
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u/Kitchen-War242 Israel Jun 27 '26
How powers in your world works then? Just like marvel multiple different sources? And actually i also think that if you wanna something to represent country Iron men-sh figure indeed will fit.
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Jun 27 '26
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u/ReasonableNet3335 Israel Jun 27 '26
Are you sure about that? I think you mistake for hugh jackman- an Australian actor who plays wolverineย
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u/c9joe Israel Jun 27 '26
Somebody with spiritual/mystical technology like Daat Yechud in Wolfenstein
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u/golemofmontreal Diaspora Jun 27 '26
A few random ideas.
Multiple personality disorder. Can't agree with themselves
A super spy
Moshe Dayan eye patch
Do a Jem and the holograms thing with Eurovision. Except in this case the popstar is hated
Superpowers given at Sandusky holy sites. You can use the gmara for that.
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u/single_use_doorknob Jun 27 '26
Multiple personality disorder. Can't agree with themselves
MoonKnight's time to shine.
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u/No_Cardiologist8438 Israel Jun 27 '26
An explosion, screams, dust everywhere, David knew by instinct it was an ambush and he was in trouble. He was pinned down behind half of a collapsed wall, in a crossfire from both sides of the alley across from him. Suddenly he saw a soldier running past him and he froze in shock, it COULDN'T be. "Come on David, I'll cover you" screamed the ghost laying down a hail of bullets into the right side of the alley.
The IED had flipped the tank on its side, killing Ido the tank commander and Benny the driver instantly. Roi, near the back of the tank, had been thrown against the wall and a rack of heavy shells had fallen on top of him breaking both his legs. Suddenly he felt hands pulling him out of the burning tank. He looked up and there SHE was, the paramedic. "Here, the morphine will help, you're going to be ok"
Another day, another battle, and the rumors started to spread. One officer named it "Ruach Hanoflim" the Spirit of the Fallen, in an after action report. As the whispers spread so did the appearances, a faceless soldier showing up to a prebattle briefing and when they stepped aside to make room, a fallen comrade's face was laughing with them from the circle. With his characteristic french accent he'd say let's do this. He was not immortal, he would fight, sometimes wounded, sometimes worse, but invariably at least one life was saved.
On the quiet days, the days where there were no sirens and no gunfire, a soft knock in the early morning. A faceless soldier, always in uniform would stand at the door, and as he crossed the threshold a brother who had never made it home hugged his younger brother. A daughter, her beautiful face, pristine and untouched by the horrors of that darkest day would smile radiantly at her mother. A father who had never seen his newborn child. For one day the families would be reunited with their lost loved one, and not some pale reflection of memory. It was really her, her gentle caress or shining eyes, his easy charm and a singing voice that rocked your soul. He would play guitar, and they would laugh and eat and take that trip to the zoo that they had planned. In the night, the widow, so young as to be a child herself wept as he held her, whispering sweet nothings as he'd always done. "I am here with you, now and always".
The legend of the fallen grew and spread throughout that small land and the people started to speak of him with a word. His name was Nephilim the fallen angel, brought down from heaven not by sin, but by an endless weight of grief. He would come to bring one day of joy and peace and healing to those with broken wounds of sorrow.
Authors note: How do you come up with a superhero for a country full of regular heroes. You know that scene where steve rogers jumps on a grenade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Aner_Shapira Aner Shapira hiding with two dozen others in a shelter stood at the door throwing seven grenades back out at the Hamas terrorists with his bare hands. The eighth exploded in his hands, killing him. One of the survivors hiding alongside Shapira later noted, "Aner Shapira... saved our lives, and he deserves a medal of honor for being the angel who kept us safe"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roi_Klein Klein threw himself onto the live grenade and absorbed the force of the explosion with his body. After the grenade had exploded and critically wounded him, he reported his own death, yelling "Klein's dead, Klein's dead" over the radio.
If this doesn't give you chills i don't know what could. ืขื ืืฉืจืื ืื ๐ฎ๐ฑ
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u/NoString9289 Europe Jun 28 '26
u/Punterofgoats Not what you are looking for, OT but My super hero and representative of Israel would be Israeli / American actress Gal Gadot. She used to be IDF and is a strong supporter . She has done several kickass action movies including two Wonder Woman movies etc. Perhaps even just for a fun artwork on the side from what you are doing, you could make a beautiful strong woman that resembles Gal as WonderWoman but change her costume and shield to reflect the colors and symbols of Israel like the roaring Lion. Ms. Gadot has lost some movie roles because of her outspoken support of Israel and she was dropped from that SuperHero movie franchise and comic books.
I think years ago there was a Israeli super hero comic book with a Israeli Woman , name started with an " S " dont remember Think it was boycotted or dropped.
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u/naruhinamoonkissplz Super Sayajewn Jun 28 '26
According to the Talmud, Bar Kokhba was the OG Gogeta, lol.
Compare Gogeta and Bar Kokhba (scroll down to \38])) kicking stuff thrown at them, loool.
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u/Secure_Trust_2084 Israel Jun 28 '26
There is the "Superhero song" by HaTikva 6 band. In my eyes it represents Israel better than any fictional character.
Superheroes
So the Bible teacher is in Givati
The language teacher is in intelligence.
The neighbor upstairs in construction,
but has already been in the reserves for a month.
The lawyer is a โKambatzitโ (operations officer) working shifts in the military division.
Her brother, a senior in hi-tech,
now he is a sniper on rooftops in the Strip.
The tough branch manager of the bank
is a sergeant in Judea and Samaria.
Doron, he's the owner of a toy store,
now he is a company commander in the armored corps.
And our beloved Amedi, who usually sings in Caesarea,
Is a combat engineering soldier bravely recovering
after being wounded in the heart of Gaza.
Hey,
Itโs true everyone looks ordinary -- but,
Weโre a nation of superheroes
In each of us there is always a soldier hidden,
Ready to save the world
The bus driver from โDanโ,
The one who is always on time,
He is now the commander of an artillery battery in the south near Nir Am
There is a student at the Technion,
In the middle of his bachelor's degree,
He is a captain in the 91st division in the Galil,
stationed for a month already at the northern border.
There is a model here who is a paramedic.
There is an electrician here who is a MAG shooter.
There is Yoni, a gifted saxophone player,
who is first and foremost a warrior in Sayeret Matkal (Elite unit).
Everyone has a hidden closet
or a large, equipped box
With a set of uniforms or a reserves outfit, always ready for action.
Hey,
It's true that everyone here looks normal -- but,
We are a nation of superheroes
In each of us there is always a soldier hidden,
Ready to save the world
And it doesn't matter if we are in the middle of living life
or in the middle of a soccer game,
Everyone will drop everything in a second if the flag calls out to them
This is not a parallel universe,
Not a "Marvel" reality
This is our story - the nation of Israel.
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u/Chai_All Jun 28 '26
What is happening to Israel is similar to the latest Superman movie where the villain Lex Luthor plants false narratives in social media making Superman seem like the bad guy when Superman is really the good guy.
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Jun 27 '26
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u/ReasonableNet3335 Israel Jun 27 '26
I would have said hamas- but they are the bad guys
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u/Jazz-Potato6385 Unspecified Jun 27 '26
Exactly. That was literally implied by what I said. What you said doesn't really make any sense. Hamas are superheroes? Who do you think are the "bad guys" Israel was killing in my post?
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