BODY: Toshiyuki Morikawa has been announced as the Japanese voice of Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., in Avengers: Doomsday, Eiga Natalie reports.
The film is directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, who also directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Downey Jr., who led the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Iron Man, Tony Stark, returns to the MCU as Doom, wearing a shimmering silver mask, and the Avengers face the threat of Doom's overwhelming power.
Downey Jr.'s Japanese dubbing voice in the Iron Man and Avengers series had been the voice actor Keiji Fujiwara, who died in April 2020 at the age of 55. Endgame was his last MCU appearance. Morikawa was chosen to carry on in that role. He said Fujiwara was in the same cohort as him, that they spent a long time as newcomers in the voice acting industry, and that he wants to reflect Fujiwara's feelings and not let people down.
A YouTube video with a special video message from Downey Jr. and a Japanese trailer has been released. In it, Downey Jr. thanks Morikawa and says he looks forward to bringing his performance to Japanese audiences, adding that Fujiwara's wishes will be carried on with that legacy. Morikawa said the message moved him and joked that it was not AI. He said he has been a voice actor for 40 years and wants to perform as the culmination of those 40 years.
Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, simultaneously in Japan and the United States. Screenings are also planned in INFINITY VISION, Dolby Cinema, 4DX and ScreenX.
Originally reported by Eiga Natalie (Japanese).