Paramount Accuses Marvel Star Mark Ruffalo of Using Anti-Semitic Imagery Over Warner Bros. Deal
Paramount Pictures has publicly accused Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo of employing anti-Semitic imagery after he linked the Warner Bros. acquisition to Oracle's ties with Israel and the Israeli military. The $111 billion deal, one of Hollywood's largest media transactions, has sparked widespread controversy, including legal battles, union mobilization, and political involvement. Ruffalo, known for playing Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the Avengers films, has been a vocal opponent of the merger, expanding his criticism to include his views on Israel and the Gaza conflict.
Ruffalo shared a video of Zafra Katz, an Israeli-American and senior Oracle executive, who spoke at an Israeli-American Council event about Oracle's technological support to the Israeli military following Hamas attacks. He accused Katz of boasting about what he described as "genocide" enabled by Oracle's technology, alleging it supports an apartheid system of oppression. Larry Ellison, Oracle's billionaire founder and father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, is a key financial backer of the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger. Ruffalo labeled Ellison a "classic oligarch" who consolidates wealth and power, warning the deal would grant immense control over media content reaching hundreds of millions.
Paramount responded strongly, condemning Ruffalo's language as anti-Semitic and inappropriate for a corporate transaction. The studio stated that terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" diminish the real suffering those words represent and suggested that some opposition to the deal is motivated by political agendas rather than business concerns. Paramount emphasized its commitment to diverse storytelling without blacklists, indirectly referencing Ruffalo's claim that he was blacklisted for opposing the Ellison family.
Ruffalo has a history of criticizing Israeli policies, previously describing Israeli-Palestinian relations as a form of apartheid and calling for sanctions against Israel during the 2021 Gaza conflict. Although he retracted his use of "genocide" at that time, since October 7, 2026, he has become a prominent pro-Palestinian voice in Hollywood, participating in campaigns for ceasefire and arms transfer restrictions. Last year, he joined other actors in pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions accused of complicity in apartheid and genocide, a boycott Paramount opposed.
Ruffalo's opposition to the Warner Bros. merger is primarily based on concerns about job losses, reduced competition, and concentration of creative and economic power. He testified before the Senate and signed letters warning the merger could eliminate approximately 4,500 direct jobs in Los Angeles' film and TV industry, along with thousands of indirect positions.
