Robert Downey Jr. has further fueled speculation that Iron Man and Doctor Doom are intrinsically tied in the MCU. The actor helped unveil the latest cast addition for Avengers: Doomsday, and his comments during the announcement raised eyebrows. Downey was announced as the famous Marvel villain Victor von Doom at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, a reveal that sent shockwaves through the Marvel fandom. Downey portrayed Iron Man in the MCU for over a decade, which meant Tony Stark's face would be the one under Doctor Doom's mask in Avengers: Doomsday. Fans have speculated ever since that the two characters are somehow connected, and Downey just fanned those flames.
Marvel Studios Japan shared a video on November 3 naming veteran voice actor Toshiyuki Morikawa as Doctor Doom's Japanese voice in Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026. Downey appeared in the video himself, sending a message to Japanese fans and welcoming Morikawa to the role.
The reveal ended weeks of guessing, as Marvel had already announced 29 other Japanese dub cast members, including Yuichi Nakamura's return as Steve Rogers, while keeping Doom's voice a secret. Marvel Japan also released a dubbed trailer, offering a first listen to Morikawa's take, a suitably chilling display. In his message, Downey said Morikawa's work will "carry forward" the legacy of Keiji Fujiwara, the late actor who voiced Iron Man in Japanese:
"Hello Japan, today I'm here to share a special announcement. As we begin this new era with Avengers: Doomsday, I'm thrilled to introduce Morikawa-san as the Japanese voice of my character, Doctor Doom. Good stuff. Morikawa-san, thank you for taking on this role with me. I can't wait for Japanese audiences to experience your performance. This new chapter carries forward the incredible work Keiji Fujiwara brought to our past films, whose legacy lives on."
Keiji Fujiwara voiced Iron Man across numerous Marvel projects beginning with 2008's Iron Man, becoming the go-to Japanese voice of Tony Stark. He died of cancer in April 2020 at age 55, and it was classy of Downey to pay tribute while making the Morikawa announcement.
Still, saying Morikawa's work will carry forward Fujiwara's legacy is an interesting choice of words, since it implies the two characters are strongly linked, even though they are supposed to be very different people, at least as far as Marvel has led us to believe. The simpler explanation, though, is that both men have now voiced a character Downey plays, Fujiwara having last done so in the Japanese dub of Avengers: Endgame.
Morikawa previously took over one of Fujiwara's signature anime roles, Hiroshi Nohara in Crayon Shin-chan, in 2016 and will do so again with Doomsday. Reacting to Downey's video, Morikawa noted that the two entered the industry around the same time and spent their early years as newcomers together.
He promised to honor Fujiwara's feelings in his performance, admitting he doesn't want to let anyone down. He also joked that Downey's heartfelt message was surely not AI-generated.
What Are the Chances of Doctor Doom and Iron Man Being Connected?
Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga commenced after Avengers: Endgame, but Avengers: Doomsday is where the studio will properly delve into the saga's multiversal premise, even if Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scratched the surface in 2022.
The multiverse is a spectacular concept, and everything is possible with it at play, including Tony Stark and Doctor Doom being connected. Fans have long speculated that Doom is a Tony Stark variant from the Fantastic Four's Earth-828 universe, a theory that isn't far-fetched in a movie built on the multiverse. The question isn't really whether it makes sense, but whether Marvel is willing to take that route and make it work.
Multiverse of Madness already trotted out variants of Charles Xavier, played by the late Patrick Stewart, Peggy Carter, Reed Richards, and Doctor Strange, among others. Doomsday takes the intricate concept that film introduced and puts it on steroids, so it would be disappointing if we don't get at least one major variant reveal. On a somber note, Doomsday marks Stewart's eighth appearance as Xavier and will now be a posthumous one, following his death on October 28.
The issue with Doom being a Tony Stark variant, though, is that it sort of cheapens Stark's death at the end of Endgame. That film beautifully closed out the character's story, giving him the perfect send-off. Bringing him back as a villain risks tainting his legacy if not done right.
Marvel might skip that route, but it would still need to explain why Doom looks exactly like Tony Stark. The studio could hide Downey behind the Doom mask for the entire film, but that is very unlikely given the unprecedented sum he's reportedly being paid for the role. Keeping him masked would reduce it to a glorified voice-acting gig.
Notably, the MCU has planted seeds for a Tony Stark who turns evil despite his many heroic feats as an Avenger. The character is deeply flawed and prone to overthinking, as shown in Age of Ultron, where he built Ultron in a bid to create a suit of armor around the world. The Russos could build on those seeds and introduce a world where Tony's flaws do get the better of him, and he becomes a tyrant.
The comics make a connection possible, too. In the 2016 series Infamous Iron Man, from writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev, Victor von Doom took up the Iron Man mantle after Civil War II left Tony Stark in a coma. Marvel Comics even reissued the storyline ahead of Doomsday in a new collection pointedly retitled Infamous Iron Man: The Rise of Doom, released July 14 of this year, which only adds fuel to the theory.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
