Marvel rejected Shaquille O'Neal for Avengers: his face is "too bigtime"

Marvel turned down Shaquille O'Neal for an Avengers film because executives consider his face "too bigtime," meaning audiences would recognise him as Shaq rather than the character, O'Neal told Variety on 21 August 2026. He first sought an Avengers role in a 2018 Entertainment Weekly interview. O'Neal played DC hero Steel in 1997.