Shaquille O’Neal was rejected from ‘Avengers’ for this reason: ‘I’m too big and...’
Shaquille O’Neal may have played a superhero before, but his dream of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) never turned into a reality. The NBA legend has revealed he spent years hoping to land a role in an ‘Avengers’ movie, only to be told that he was simply too recognizable to disappear into a fictional character. Speaking to Variety, O’Neal explained that his size was not the only issue. According to him, Hollywood executives believed audiences would immediately see him on screen and think, “That’s Shaq,” making it difficult for viewers to accept him as anyone else. “I would love to do more action roles but we were told by top Hollywood executives that I’m too big,” he said. O’Neal explained that the concern was less about his physical frame and more about his larger-than-life public identity. “If I’m trying to play a doctor or anything, my character won’t be believable,” he added.
That same issue reportedly ended his hopes of appearing alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. O’Neal had previously spoken about wanting to join an ‘Avengers’ movie as far back as 2018, but the answer he received from the studio was surprisingly direct. He recalled being told that Marvel would love to include him, but his appearance would immediately pull audiences out of the story. Rather than seeing a new character, viewers would recognize one of basketball’s most famous faces. For O’Neal, the rejection was apparently easier to accept once it was explained that way. He joked that perhaps his face was “too bigtime” for the MCU.
Ironically, superhero movies are not completely unfamiliar territory for the former NBA star. In 1997, O’Neal played the title character in DC’s ‘Steel’, becoming one of the few professional basketball players to headline a comic-book adaptation. The film followed a genius engineer who creates a powerful armored suit inspired by Superman. His Hollywood ambitions have not disappeared, however. O’Neal recently made a cameo in the latest ‘Scary Movie’ and is also set to appear in ‘Grown Ups 3’. And while an ‘Avengers’ appearance may no longer be on the cards, he already has another action-movie idea in mind. O’Neal said he wants to make a film with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, mainly so he can beat him up on screen. When asked whether he could actually take down Johnson, O’Neal had a simple response: “Oh, easy! Barbecue chicken.”
