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Robert Downey Jr. Surprises Doctor Doom’s Japanese Voice Actor With a Personal Message, and His Reaction Is Priceless

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Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom is one of the most anticipated moments in the franchise’s history. ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ marks his first MCU appearance in about 7 years since ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and this time he is playing the villain.

In Japan, his return comes with an emotional subplot. For years, Japanese audiences heard Downey Jr.’s characters through the late Keiji Fujiwara, who voiced him in Japanese from ‘Iron Man’ onward and through ‘Endgame’, before he died at the age of 55.

Downey Jr. announced the new voice of Doom in Japan himself. In a special video message to Japanese fans, he revealed that veteran voice actor Tomoyuki Morikawa will voice Doctor Doom in the Japanese dub, calling the choice the best.

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The actor thanked Morikawa, said he was looking forward to Japanese audiences hearing his performance, and said Fujiwara’s legacy would carry on. He also invited fans to see the film in theaters.

Marvel Studios Japan has now shared Morikawa’s reaction after he got an early look at the message. The voice actor joked that it gave him a thrill and asked whether the video was made with AI, adding that the footage he was shown went far beyond what he had imagined.

Morikawa said that getting a personal message from a world-famous actor like Downey Jr. meant a great deal. He noted that he has worked as a voice actor for 40 years and wants to treat the role as the culmination of that career by giving it everything he has.

Asked how he feels about succeeding Fujiwara as Downey Jr.’s voice in the MCU, Morikawa shared a personal connection. He explained that he and Fujiwara started at the same time and spent a long period working side by side as newcomers in the voice acting industry.

He said he wants to carry Fujiwara’s feelings into the performance while making a film everyone can enjoy. Morikawa added that he strongly does not want to let fans down. This isn’t the first time Morikawa has taken over one of Fujiwara’s signature roles. He also succeeded him as the voice of Hiroshi Nohara, Shin-chan’s father, in the long-running anime ‘Crayon Shin-chan’.

Morikawa is also known in Japan as Kagaya Ubuyashiki in ‘Demon Slayer’ and as the regular Japanese voice of Tom Cruise in dubbed films. That track record makes him a natural pick to take on one of Marvel’s most iconic villains. Doom’s voice was the last piece of the Japanese cast to be announced. Disney had already revealed 29 voice actors in October, with Doom’s role kept under wraps until now.

Yuichi Nakamura returns as the voice of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, while Kenta Miyake voices Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. The lineup also includes Maaya Sakamoto as Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, Takeo Koyasu as Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, and Daisuke Hirakawa as Tom Hiddleston’s Loki.

The film opens in Japan on December 18, the same day as its United States release. A Japanese trailer was released alongside Downey Jr.’s video message. Doom is being positioned as the franchise’s biggest threat yet, and his identity and background are still being kept under wraps.

The film will screen in INFINITY VISION, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, SCREENX, and Premium Large Format theaters in Japan. For Japanese fans, hearing Morikawa bring Doom to life while honoring Fujiwara’s memory should make the experience all the more meaningful.

What do you think of Tomoyuki Morikawa taking over as Doctor Doom’s Japanese voice actor?

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