Marvel nixed Shaquille O’Neal for Avengers: Doomsday — yes, really

Right, here we go: Shaquille O'Neal has come out and just said it — Marvel shot him down for an Avengers role, on the grounds that, well, he’s simply Shaq. If you thought oversize egos were a problem in the MCU, try fitting a seven-foot global megastar into a spandex suit and see if anyone notices the character underneath.

Speaking to Variety about being snubbed by Marvel execs, O'Neal recalled: 'I wanted to be in the "Avengers," and they were like, "Shaq, we f---ing love you and we'd love to put you in, but if your face pops up on screen, people are going to go, 'Hey, that's Shaq!'"'

Too Famous for Fiction

The man’s 54, an NBA Hall of Famer who’s managed to cross into everything from rapping to Oscar-winning documentaries, so you can see Marvel’s point. According to Shaq, the studio told him his face was just too distractingly well known. If you’re playing a costumed Avenger, you want people cheering for the hero — not just going, 'Hang on, is that the bloke from the Papa John’s ads?'

To be fair, Shaq took the feedback on the chin and, by his own telling, found it rather amusing, admitting, 'I guess my face is too bigtime.’

He’s hardly new to superhero stuff, by the way. Shaq actually played the lead in that 1997 DC film Steel. Safe to say, that one never really became a pop culture staple — but it means even Marvel’s biggest rivals weren't above giving him the cape.

Shaq’s also pointed out Hollywood’s recurring hangup about casting him in any ordinary role, saying he’s been told, 'I’m too big, and what they mean by that is when I pop up on the screen, everyone will go, "Oh, that's Shaq!" So, if I’m trying to play a doctor or anything, my character won’t be believable.'

No Doomsday Cameo

For anyone still hoping for a last-minute surprise in Avengers: Doomsday — or any MCU project further down the line — Shaquille O’Neal’s now confirmed it’s not happening. At least, not unless Marvel decides they’re making a film about seven-foot-tall, basketball-playing global icons. (Frankly, at this point, who knows what they’ll do next?)

His dreams of fighting Robert Downey Jr. on screen — a gag he floated back in a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly — are apparently dead in the water, and he’s now got a different action hero in his sights. Shaq says he'd love to do something with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, which, if nothing else, would be a truly staggering display of biceps-per-frame.

• Shaq pitched himself for a Marvel role and got rejected for being 'too Shaq.'
• He already starred in DC's Steel (1997) years before chasing the MCU.
• He’d still happily turn up in an action film — but only if his star power isn’t going to pull viewers out of the story.
• No, he’s not appearing in Avengers: Doomsday. It’s official.