Tomokazu Morikawa to Voice Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, Honoring Keiji Fujiwara

Downey announces a new Japanese voice for Doom

Tomokazu Morikawa will provide the Japanese voice of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, opening in Japan and the United States on Friday, December 18, 2026. Marvel's November 3 announcement pairs the casting reveal with a Japanese trailer featuring Morikawa's performance and posters for four premium cinema presentations.

Morikawa, who says he has worked as a voice actor for 40 years, takes on the role with a personal connection to the late Keiji Fujiwara. Fujiwara voiced Downey's Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, in the Japanese versions of Marvel films from Iron Man in 2008 through Avengers: Endgame in 2019. He died in April 2020 at 55.

Downey delivered the casting news himself in a video addressed to Japanese fans. In its official casting announcement, Marvel Japan published his message alongside Morikawa's answers to four questions about accepting the part, remembering Fujiwara and meeting audience expectations.

The Japanese production had already announced 29 voice actors, including Yuichi Nakamura returning as Steve Rogers, while keeping Doom's performer undisclosed. The new trailer now lets audiences hear Morikawa alongside members of that previously announced cast.

For Japanese viewers, the change brings two connected developments: Downey is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an enemy rather than Iron Man, and a longtime colleague of his former Japanese voice actor will interpret that new performance. The MCU is the shared fictional world connecting Marvel's films and characters.

A message that remembers Fujiwara

Downey, who plays Doctor Doom on screen, thanked Morikawa and connected the new casting to Fujiwara's work. His message, translated from the Japanese wording published by Marvel, included:

Morikawa, thank you so much. I look forward to bringing your performance to everyone in Japan. Keiji Fujiwara's legacy will be carried on. With that legacy, I'll see you at the cinema in Avengers: Doomsday.

Fujiwara's voice accompanied Downey's performance across the films that established Tony Stark as a central Marvel hero. Endgame was his final MCU appearance, giving the reference to him particular weight as Downey returns seven years after that film.

Morikawa also succeeded Fujiwara as Hiroshi Nohara in the anime Crayon Shin-chan. His connection to Fujiwara therefore extends beyond Marvel and into another familiar role for Japanese audiences.

The new assignment carries that shared professional history into a different character. Morikawa will voice Doom, the antagonist facing the Avengers, while Fujiwara's earlier performances remain associated with the hero who helped save them.

Morikawa brings 40 years to the role

Morikawa said Downey's personal message moved him and exceeded what he had imagined. The veteran voice actor briefly responded with humor before explaining how seriously he regarded the assignment.

Morikawa, speaking about his reaction to the video, joked in comments translated from Japanese:

This isn't AI, is it?

His longer answer placed the casting in the context of four decades of work. Morikawa, the newly announced Japanese voice of Doom, described his goal this way in translation:

I've been a voice actor for 40 years now, and I want to give this performance everything I have as the culmination of those 40 years!

Morikawa also described himself as a fan who had been looking forward to the film. He said he understood how closely audiences had followed the unanswered question of who would voice Doom and wanted to give everything he could to help the production succeed.

His final response to fans focused on the scale of the responsibility. He regarded Doomsday as a major event and a milestone, and said he wanted his performance to meet their expectations.

A colleague's memory shapes the assignment

Morikawa and Fujiwara entered the voice acting industry around the same time. In Marvel's published interview, Morikawa recalled a long period when both were newcomers, giving his comments about Fujiwara the perspective of someone who had shared those early working years.

Morikawa, explaining what it meant to follow Fujiwara in voicing Downey for an MCU film, said in translation:

Fujiwara and I started out at the same time, and we spent a long time together as newcomers in the voice acting industry. I want to make this a work everyone can enjoy while properly reflecting his feelings as well. I also feel very strongly that I don't want to disappoint people!

Japanese dubbing replaces the original spoken dialogue with performances in Japanese. The voice actor interprets the character's emotions while fitting the timing of the screen performance. Here, Morikawa's task is to give Japanese dialogue to Downey's portrayal of a new villain while carrying the personal responsibility he described toward Fujiwara and the audience.

The connection between the two voice actors makes the announcement more than a change of name in the credits. Viewers familiar with Fujiwara's Iron Man will encounter Downey in a new role, voiced by someone who knew Fujiwara from the beginning of their careers.

What the trailer reveals about Doom

Doctor Doom is being presented by Marvel as an exceptionally powerful opponent for the Avengers. The official announcement describes him stopping a full force attack from Thor with two fingers, a simple visual way to show how dangerous he is to a team that includes the thunder god.

The Japanese trailer features Morikawa's Doom voice as well as performances from the previously announced Japanese cast. Its release puts the new voice and the villain's physical power together, allowing audiences to hear the casting in the context of the film's action.

Downey previously played Tony Stark, whose Iron Man identity placed him among the Avengers' central heroes. Doomsday brings the same actor back on the opposing side. Marvel has kept the details of Doom's identity and his place in this story under wraps.

Anthony and Joe Russo direct the film. The brothers also directed Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019, linking the new production to the filmmakers behind the previous Avengers team's major confrontation.

The Japanese cast spans several Marvel teams

Morikawa joins a Japanese ensemble whose earlier announcement covered 29 performers. Nakamura voices Steve Rogers, played on screen by Chris Evans, while Kenta Miyake voices Chris Hemsworth's Thor. Junpei Mizobata provides the voice of Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, the Captain America named in the cast list.

The credits also bring together characters from the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Maaya Sakamoto voices Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm, or Invisible Woman, and Takehito Koyasu voices Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards, or Mister Fantastic. Those roles sit alongside Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops and other X-Men characters.

Other Japanese performers include Daisuke Hirakawa as Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Yoshimasa Hosoya as Simu Liu's Shang-Chi and Rie Takahashi as Kathryn Newton's Cassie Lang. The breadth of the cast gives concrete shape to the film's promise of bringing heroes from several parts of Marvel's screen world together.

For the Japanese edition, Doom's casting completes the previously withheld central villain role within that ensemble. Morikawa's announcement arrives with a trailer that places his performance alongside those returning and newly assembled voices.

Four posters put Doom at the center

Marvel also announced presentations in INFINITY VISION, Dolby Cinema, 4DX and SCREENX, accompanied by a different Doom poster for each. The artwork focuses on his appearance, strength and the figures surrounding him.

The INFINITY VISION poster presents Doom through a stained glass design, arranging his image in a way that suggests reverence. Disney describes INFINITY VISION as a certification for theaters meeting standards it considers suited to watching Avengers: Doomsday.

The Dolby Cinema artwork focuses on Doom's power, with the promotional description referring to his ability to send Thor flying. The 4DX poster instead draws attention to the villain's silver mask, green cloak and thick armor.

The SCREENX poster surrounds Doom with figures wearing green, purple and yellow cloaks. Together, the four designs give audiences different views of the same central threat: a masked, armored figure with enough strength to overpower one of the Avengers' most formidable members.

The announcement confirms the cinema presentations without giving a theater list or booking dates. Walt Disney Japan is distributing the film in Japan.

From Iron Man to the December release

Doomsday is scheduled to arrive seven years after Endgame, with its Japanese and United States releases set for the same day. The November 3 casting reveal comes 45 days before the December 18 opening.

The main dates connect the new announcement to the history behind Morikawa's comments:

• 2008: Iron Man introduces Downey's Tony Stark, with Fujiwara providing his Japanese voice.
• 2019: Avengers: Endgame becomes Fujiwara's final MCU film.
• April 2020: Fujiwara dies at the age of 55.
• November 3, 2026: Morikawa's Doom casting is announced alongside Downey's video message, the Japanese trailer and format posters.
• December 18, 2026: Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to open in Japan and the United States.

The next scheduled milestone is the theatrical release. For audiences choosing the Japanese dub, the film will bring Downey's return together with Morikawa's interpretation of Doom and the memory of Fujiwara that both actors explicitly acknowledged.

Key Points

• Tomokazu Morikawa will voice Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in the Japanese dub of Avengers: Doomsday.
• Downey announced the casting in a video message that honored the late Keiji Fujiwara.
• Morikawa said he wants the role to be the culmination of 40 years as a voice actor.
• A Japanese trailer and posters for INFINITY VISION, Dolby Cinema, 4DX and SCREENX were released.
• Anthony and Joe Russo direct the film, scheduled for release in Japan and the United States on December 18, 2026.