Marvel and "Kippahgate"

I started watching Moon Knight. I’m enjoying it, even appreciating the care and sensitivity in addressing Dissociative Identity Disorder. I also like how the show has a Jewish protagonist, something rare in entertainment and practically unheard of in The MCU. I’d like to see more of that in the future.

Unfortunately, this isn’t pleasing everybody. In Episode 5, there’s a moment where Marc Spector has a Yarmulke, or a Kippah, on his head. It’s a nice nod to the character’s roots, and it’s an effective scene, but one particular point has generated some backlash. Without spoiling too much, Marc throws his Kippah on the ground in frustration and smears it on the gravel. Naturally, that became a controversy.

I’ll let you in on a secret. Come closer. A little closer than that. Yeah…now cup your ear. You ready? Here goes:

*Ahem*

Marc tossing his Kippah on the ground isn’t a big deal.

While it might seem like an issue to some outsiders, Kippot aren’t that important to Judaism. They didn’t exist for most of history, as you weren’t expected to cover your head unless you were married. Even then, not all situations warranted it. So while Kippahgate might seem like a big deal (though I hate how all controversies end in “gate” nowadays), it’s really not. Anyone who says otherwise is either ignorant, or lying.

Now, I wear a Kippah constantly, but while the item’s gained symbolic representation via osmosis, it’s not high on the Spiritual Object Hierarchy. A Torah scroll hitting the floor, even if by accident, requires a major fast from everyone present. Tefillin, those straps Jews wear during prayer services, have to be regularly-inspected to make sure the scrolls tucked inside aren’t damaged, and the same could be said of Mezuzot. Even prayer books, arguably the most regularly-abused items ever, must be kissed when dropped and buried when damaged. But a Kippah?

I understand: The MCU hasn’t been great with Jewish representation. Marc Spector being Jewish also feels out-of-place with his connection to an Ancient Egyptian god, given the history between The Hebrews and The Egyptians in Scripture. But getting mad that an item with little religious significance is thrown on the ground is overkill. My Kippot fall on the floor all the time, and I reinforce them with four clips!

You know what bothers me more? Marc Spector isn’t played by a Jewish man. Oscar Isaac is a lovely fellow and a talented actor, and I won’t hold either attribute against him. Yet while he cares about getting the character right, he’s not Jewish. He’s Latino, and he might have Sephardic Jewish ancestry at some point in his lineage, but Isaac’s been open about his Christian faith before. So him getting the role irks me.

This appears to be a common trend with MCU superheroes, too. Wanda Maximoff, for example, is the daughter of a Jewish Holocaust survivor, yet she’s played by Elizabeth Olson. Peter Parker, the most-iconic Jewish character in Marvel history, is currently played by Tom Holland. Even in the greater pantheon, Magneto, a blatantly Jewish man, has been played by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender. None of these actors or actresses are Jewish.

It bugs me because while Hollywood has made strides, albeit overdue, at representation lately, Jews still get the shaft on that front. When they do get roles, however, they’re either cast as stereotypes, or non-Jewish characters. This leaves the actual Jewish characters for the gentiles. And while it might not seem so bad on the outset, it really is. Film roles have an impact on the grander culture, even if only superficially.

If you’re still confused, remember that while the line between Jew and non-Jew has blurred over time, thanks to a grander acceptance by society, Jews are unique culturally and religiously. We have our own customs, or own beliefs and, yes, even our own history. We might look like everyone else, or act like them, but that’s surface-level. And it doesn’t make us less-worthy of respect.

With that in mind, wouldn’t it make sense to accurately portray us? We don’t only exist as quirky nerds or greedy businessmen, we’re quite diverse. And we’re not only rabbis or doctors. I’m Jewish, and I’m a writer! I also suck at personal finances, something stereotypically considered Jewish-centric. So why shove us to the side-lines? Don’t we deserve our power fantasies also?

This goes back to a long-standing complaint I have with how non-Jews think of us. To them, we’re either stereotypes, or “generic white people”. That was the issue I had with Hari Kondabolu and his criticism of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon ala Hank Azaria, as Azaria’s Sephardic Jewish, and it’s one that I have with people’s assumptions of Jews, even bad apples, at large. We deserve better.

Does this mean I now despise Marvel, Moon Knight or Oscar Isaac? Not at all! I like them, and I’ll continue defending them if necessary. But Isaac playing a Jewish man on-screen, especially when he isn’t one himself, is still a problem. Kippahgate might not worth your time, but Jewish erasure’s absolutely worth calling out. And until this is properly addressed, then I’ll continue to do that.