Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Shaquille O'Neal - who also dabbles in acting and rapping (if you want to call it that) - is campaigning for a role in one of Marvel's Avengers movies. It's unclear who he would want to play in the films, but speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the outspoken superstar made one goal very clear: he wants to square off against Iron Man.
“I would love to be in one of the Avengers movies,” O’Neal told EW. “I would like to kick Robert Downey Jr.’s ass.”
Shaq is no stranger to superhero flicks, having starred in the 1997's Steel, a movie adaptation based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It was a dud with critics and viewers, but it could be considered notable for being one of the first films to have a black superhero in the lead.
“It was an awesome opportunity,” O’Neal recalled. “However, I’d like to redo it and get some of these 2018 special effects.”
With both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 having already wrapped production, it's obvioulsy unlikely we'll see Shaq face off with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. But, there's always a chance we can see him appear in one of the Avengers films in a future phase.
And who knows, if Marvel doesn't give him a chance to shine in one of their movies, there's always hope a studio will give him a shot at Kazaam 2. "If one of the studios begs me, then I'll do it," he said.