Ed Brubaker, a prolific comic book creator across Marvel and DC, has been sued by a production assistant alongside Amazon MGM for creating a hostile working environment on the set of the show “Criminal.” This includes through sexual and racial harassment in the workplace, according to the complaint.
According to documents reviewed by TheWrap, Ijaaz Noohu, the PA in question, accused Brubaker of “making comments about running his hands through Plaintiff’s hair, rubbing Plaintiff’s back without consent, prying into his private sex life, joking about rape, and, as a cruel prank, deliberately directing Plaintiff to a ‘bikini barista’ establishment where the women serving coffee wore only bathing suits.” Brubaker also allegedly subjected Noohu to “demeaning ethnic stereotypes about curry, ‘Tiger Mom,’ ‘Never Have I Ever,’ and presumed mathematical ability, and repeatedly labeled him ‘Indian’ though he is Sri Lankan American.”
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, also notes that Brubaker “pointed a functional firearm directly at Ijaaz’s face and pulled the trigger” at one point during the production.
The complaint additionally mentions religious harassment discrimination against Noohu, “one of the few Muslim persons on the ‘Criminal’ set,” including an incident that involved “questioning whether he supports Hamas.”
Executive Producer Philipp Barnett is also named in the lawsuit for reportedly enabling the misconduct rather than curbing it. This includes Barnett allegedly informing others to avoid documented complaints about Noohu’s treatment.
The lawsuit alleges that, after Noohu requested a promotion, he saw his exit date moved up and was barred from set in retaliation. Amazon MGM declined TheWrap’s request for comment.
Prime Video ordered a series for “Criminal,” Brubaker’s comic book which won the Eisner Award in 2007 for Best New Series, back in January 2024. Brubaker originally wrote the series, with art by Sean Phillips, at Marvel Comics under the publisher’s Icon imprint before the creator-owned series moved to Image Comics. In 2012, “Criminal: The Last of the Innocent” won the Eisner for Best Limited Series.
Brubaker is a highly influential comic book writer with notable work at both DC and Marvel. The author wrote a foundational run on “Captain America” from 2004 to 2012, penning the iconic “Winter Soldier” storyline that brought the long-dead Bucky Barnes back as a villain. He additionally wrote some significant titles at DC, working on “Batman” and “Catwoman” and writing alongside Greg Rucka on the beloved Gotham City Police Department procedural “Gotham Central” (initially pencilled by Michael Lark).
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