Shaquille O’Neal has never made a secret about his fandom for Superman. That was one of his nicknames during his playing career, and he even has a Superman “S” logo tattoo on his arm. Out of all of the hosts on Inside the NBA, that’s why Shaq was the perfect choice to appear in the latest TV ad for Superman, which debuted on TNT over the weekend.
In the commerical, Shaq unknowingly meets the new Superman, David Corenswet, before the pair are formally introduced by director James Gunn. But rather than wish the latest Man of Steel good luck in his upcoming debut as Superman, Shaq is a little salty that he wasn’t chosen to play the role himself. He’s even less pleased to learn that his Inside the NBA co-host, Charles Barkley, was offered a cameo by Gunn.
This is an unusual spot for the film in that it doesn’t feature any footage from the movie. Instead, it relies on Shaq’s star power and his love for the character of Superman. More recent fans may not be aware of Shaq’s acting career, but O’Neal does have another link to the DC Comics hero. In 1997, Shaq starred as the title character in Steel, the first-ever live-action adaptation of the hero who made his debut in the aftermath of the Death of Superman storyline.
Because Steel was released in an era before superhero films regularly had shared universe continuity, the movie doesn’t have any direct connections to Superman. But in the comics, John Henry Irons (O’Neal) was inspired by Superman — and his heroic demise — to build a suit of high-tech armor and become a hero in his own right. So while the joke of the Superman ad is about Shaq’s annoyance that he can’t be the next Man of Steel, he was already a part of the character’s extended cinematic history.
Superman will hit theaters on July 11.