Shaquille O’Neal Says Marvel Rejected His Attempts To Join ‘Avengers’ Franchise: ‘They Turned Me Down’

Shaq

Shaquille O’Neal Says Marvel Rejected His Attempts To Join ‘Avengers’ Franchise: ‘They Turned Me Down’

Shaquille O’Neal may be one of the biggest names in basketball history, but apparently that wasn’t enough to get him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The NBA legend revealed that he has wanted to join the Avengers franchise for years and even made his interest known to Marvel. Unfortunately, Shaq says the studio wasn’t interested. Speaking with Variety, he recalled trying to make it happen, saying, “They turned me down.”

Shaq’s Marvel ambitions aren’t new. Back in 2018, he publicly shared that he wanted a role in an Avengers movie and even expressed interest in going up against Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. While that opportunity never materialized, the 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer already has some superhero experience under his belt. He starred as DC Comics hero John Henry Irons in the 1997 film Steel, which ultimately struggled at the box office.

Despite Marvel shutting down his Avengers hopes, Shaq has continued building an entertainment career outside of basketball through television, movies, music and his longtime role as an NBA analyst. Meanwhile, Avengers: Doomsday is set to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU — this time as Doctor Doom.