Batman's team of vehicles is back for new adventures with Batwheels. The animated TV show serves as a unique expansion of the iconic DC hero franchise, shifting the focus away from The Dark Knight, voiced by four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, to his and the rest of the Bat-Family's various vehicles, all brought to life by the Batcomputer. Together, they form the Batwheels, a new crime-fighting team led by the Batmobile, who goes by Bam for short.
Batwheels season 2 continues the show's unique blend of lighthearted character development and more direct crime-fighting adventures. Some of the episodes this season see the titular group facing off against the Legion of Zoom as they try to connect to the Batcomputer to become all-powerful, while also still taking time to enjoy things like dressing up for Halloween and helping Duke Thomas' Robin and the adorable Ace the Bat-Hound try and beat Harley Quinn and one of her hyenas in a disguise at a local dog show.
Cobra Kai star Jacob Bertrand returns to lead the ensemble Batwheels cast as Bam alongside Titus Blake as Redbird/Red, Madigan Kacmar as Batgirl's Cycle/Bibi, Noah Bentle as Bat Truck/Buff, Lilimar as The Batwing/Wing, Kimberly D. Brooks as The Batcomputer/BC, Mick Wingert as M.O.E., A.J. Hudson as Robin, Leah Lewis as Cassandra Cain/Batgirl, SungWon Cho as Badcomputer and Tom Kenny as Crash. Keeping the adventures fresh and exciting, the show lays some great groundwork for future seasons to feature more iconic DC characters.
With the latest season back on the air on Cartoon Network and Max, Screen Rant interviewed Jacob Bertrand to discuss Batwheels season 2, how he's grown with Bam between seasons, how his experience on Cobra Kai has influenced his performance as the team leader, the challenges of trying out singing for the show, and diving further into the world of DC Comics as he tries to become better versed in the source material.
Bertrand's Cobra Kai Tenure "100% Did Help" Influence his Performance As Batwheels' Bam
"Bam is so much softer and a better communicator than I would say anyone on Cobra Kai is."
Screen Rant: Jacob, I couldn't help but laugh when this interview came up, because last time we spoke for Part 1 of Cobra Kai, we talked about whether you push Xolo though for a DC role, and here I was forgetting you already had one with Bam. And I love that Batwheels is still going with season 2. How does it feel to be back in the booth for season two already?
Jacob Bertrand: Oh man, it feels like I never left. It feels like it happened so fast, but it's been so much fun. Season 2 is freaking awesome.
I promise not every question will be tied to Cobra Kai, but I am curious, that show is very much about growing up, learning important life lessons and a team mentality, and this show also deals with a lot of those same themes. You obviously came onto this after already being on Cobra Kai for a few years. How much of your time on that show would you say influenced your performance as being the team leader of Bam in this show?
Jacob Bertrand: Yeah, I think Bam, as much as he is team leader, he is kind of this older brother role, which is so much fun to get to play. He is definitely the leader of this group, but yeah, I guess the team building aspect on Cobra Kai 100% did help. Bam is so much softer and a better communicator than I would say anyone on Cobra Kai is.
Bam Is "A Lot More Confident" In Batwheels Season 2 (Including With His New Team)
"That's something that he struggled with a lot in season 1..."
You said you were excited to come back, but how would you say your approach may have changed going into the booth for season 2 in comparison to season 1?
Jacob Bertrand: I think Bam is a lot more confident in himself. That's something that he struggled with a lot in season 1, and was a cool thing to get to explore. But, he's in the big leagues now. He's been a leader for a while, he knows what he's doing. That's been something that's been really fun to see, for Bam to take that leadership role more seriously.
I've really enjoyed seeing him get to interact not just with the main team, but even with Grundy and the Gotham Guardians that he gets to form, that's a nice twist on so many of those characters, especially Solomon Grundy. He's always been sort of a tragic character in the comics, and I'm curious what that's like getting to bring that team to life, one that's mostly original, as far as being based on the comics?
Jacob Bertrand: Yeah, it is cool because that is an original team of sorts. It's just so much fun to get the opportunity to do these sorts of things, to get to film with Solomon Grundy, with Nightwing's bike and Green Arrow's plane. It's so cool to see how they come up with all this stuff, but it makes sense in the world. I love it.
Bertrand's Familiarity With Season 1's Animation Helped In The Vocal Booth
"...almost all of it is just working off of concept art and imagination."
Now, one thing I'm always curious about when it comes to voice animation is that sometimes, the animators will have plenty of material for you to watch while you're recording. Other times, you're just working off animatics or whatnot. For this season, did you get the chance to actually record with proper footage, or were you working primarily off of your own imagination of the script, and maybe some concept art?
Jacob Bertrand: I'd say almost all of it is just working off of concept art and imagination. That's primarily what it's going to be. But that's not abnormal for animation, that's sort of the norm. So, it's not something that I feel like I'm missing out on, but it's normal, so it doesn't feel too bad.
So did you feel then that, having already seen what the show looks like throughout season 1's airing, that that helped your imagination even more vividly when doing season 2's recording?
Jacob Bertrand: Yes, having seen the show, and knowing what it's supposed to look like, and the vibe that they're going for, that definitely really helps.
Returning To Kids-Focused Storytelling Has Been Fun For Bertrand
"...I love how delicate they handle everything."
Obviously, you started as a child actor in younger demographic shows, but the past few years, you've been primarily focused on Cobra Kai. What is it like for season 1 and 2 of this show, coming back to that younger demographic target, especially since this show is especially targeted towards preschoolers, really trying to deliver those messages that the show wants to give in a very entertaining fashion?
Jacob Bertrand: Yeah, I think the writers are so intentional that it's not the biggest challenge. It could be a lot harder if our writers weren't on the ball like they are, but it's cool to get to do. I've done preschool kids' shows in the past. This one is just so much fun, and I love how delicate they handle everything. It feels like they give everything its proper weight.
Bertrand's Favorite Season 2 Adventures have Been Those With The Gotham Guardians (& A Surprise Return)
"...I just see it so vividly in my head."
So, in looking at this season's stories, there are so many fun adventures, whether it's through The Wizard of Oz, whether it's teaming up, like we said, with the Gotham Guardians, or even the dog show. What's been your favorite adventure to have been a part of this season?
Jacob Bertrand: Oh man, this season, I do love the Gotham Guardians. They're such fun, those episodes, I just see it so vividly in my head. I think what's been another really good one — I don't know if I'm allowed to say this — when we go up against Professor Zoom, I loved those episodes. There was just a very distinct lesson for each one, everybody gets highlighted. That's something that I found to be really fun to get to experience.
Batwheels' Musical Sequences Are "Nerve-Wracking" For Bertrand
Don't Expect To See Him In A Proper Musical Anytime Soon
I couldn't help but notice, too, that this season seems to have a lot more musical numbers than I remember in season 1. I'm pretty sure I heard your voice through quite a bit of that. Was that actually you singing some of the songs this season? If so, talk to me about that, what is it like getting to not just perform as an actor, but also get to sing?
Jacob Bertrand: It is me, yeah. It's kind of scary, honestly, it's something that I'm quite 100% used to, and I do have a lot of fun getting to do it. But it's kind of uncharted territory for me, it's something that I haven't gotten to do a ton in my career. I sang a couple times for different things, but I'm getting to learn a new part of this craft, and it's fun. I have a lot of fun doing it.
So, what kind of practice have you done throughout to get ready for those singing moments? It can't be easy to just go right into the booth without some kind of rehearsing or training for that.
Jacob Bertrand: You know, it's funny, but that's exactly what I do. I have not practiced. For some reason, when I get the scripts and I see that I have a song, I'm so nervous about it that I don't want to go take it to someone and help me practice it.
Also, I don't think they would really want me to do that because they give me different tonal notes that they want me to think about, if I drill the song a certain way, that they might be like, "Well, we need you to make this change," only for my muscle memory to have me hitting these notes here or there. I'm so nervous about singing that I am comfortable singing in front of the producers and some of the people on Zoom whenever we record. Adding another person in as a singing coach just sounds daunting. I think, eventually, I will do that, but for right now, our little system is working, so, we'll see.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it! So, what was your favorite song to get to be a part of this season?
Jacob Bertrand: Oh, man, I'm trying to think, because we record so many now, all of them are out of my brain. We had one that was kind of a rock song. I know, in the past, one of my all-time favorites was "Serious Fun." That's one that I love doing with the little kitty. I got to do a little bit of a growl in there. When season 2 comes out, I think I'll be able to figure out which one was the song I liked most.
So, you've talked though about how nervous it can be to sing, but you also seem open to the idea of more. Have you had any thoughts about bringing singing to live-action, especially since there are so many movie musicals still coming out these days?
Jacob Bertrand: Yeah, I think it'd be more likely for me to release music with some friends over being in a musical. I haven't done a ton of plays, that's something that I think is more nerve-wracking, oddly enough.
Bertrand Hopes To One Day Record With His Batwheels Family & Improv
"...getting in the booth with everyone would be so much fun."
Obviously, with animation and the major star power that's on the show, you don't really get the chance to record with anybody else. But as far as the main Batwheels family, who is someone you really wish you'd be able to get in the booth with, whether it's in person or over Zoom to record alongside for the show?
Jacob Bertrand: I mean, Ethan Hawke would just be a blast to get to film with. But I don't know, just all of them. I haven't got to film with Noah at all, the kid who plays Buff. I think that would be really cool. Just getting in the booth with everyone would be so much fun.
Do you think you would take that opportunity to try and improvise, or do you think, because it's a younger audience, you would try and stick to the script with everybody?
Jacob Bertrand: You know, I think improvising would be fun. I definitely would mess around just with my other cast members, just to throw them off a little bit and improvise. But yeah, I think I would improvise. Still stay in the kids/junior realm, but have a little fun.
So do you improvise at all when you're solo recording for this show? Or do you find that you stick to the script pretty closely?
Jacob Bertrand: I would say I improvise a decent amount. They let me improvise a little bit, but not like an egregious amount or anything.
The Future Of Batwheels Looks Very Bright In Bertrand's Mind
"...there's just so much they can do."
So this show seems like it could go on forever. Even if they don't pull from the comics, there's still so much material to mine here. What do you think the future looks like for this show?
Jacob Bertrand: I think for the future of this show, there's just so much they can do. And I know, just from talking with Michael, that they have so much that they want to keep doing. Yeah, the future for this show is great, and I'm just lucky that I get to be a part of it.
What is something you would like to see from the future of the show? I know when we talked last time you said that you still weren't fully versed in the wider world of comics, but is there something you would love to see from this show, be it comics or original?
Jacob Bertrand: So, I just found out about Red Hood. It would be cool to see something with Red Hood. I think having The Flash make an appearance could be cool. I love Martian Manhunter. That would be cool.
So, as we all age, our voices change, and Bam is someone who is not a kid, per se, especially since he's a car, but he is a younger character. With your own growing up and your voice changing, how has that impacted your performance in the booth?
Jacob Bertrand: Yeah, my performance in the booth hasn't changed too much, specifically, for Bam. But yeah, in the past, when I was younger, there were shows that I was on that I had to leave, because you age out of stuff. That's just a part of being an actor and growing up in a lot of those scenarios. It's hard, and it's a bummer, but now I'm in the position where I'm on a show where I'm playing a "boy", you know, this car — I don't know if you can really give him a specific age, he's kind of just car sounding.
I hope my voice doesn't change again. I guess it would sound pretty cool if my voice changed again, and I just sounded like Sam Elliott. But I don't think my voice is changing anytime soon, so getting the opportunity to do this role, I'm just so grateful for it.
Bertrand Has Been Diving More Into The Comics (Including 1 Character Who "Scares The Crap Out Of Me")
Bertrand Is Quickly Becoming Well-Versed
So, it sounds like you have actually been doing some more comic book diving since we last talked?
Jacob Bertrand: You know, a little bit! I get to cover some on my YouTube shorts.
Who else have you learned about recently that has really captured your interest?
Jacob Bertrand: Oh, you know what I just learned about is The Bat Who Laughs. Yeah, that dude, The Bat Who Laughs, scares the crap out of me. That dude seems so scary.
About Batwheels Season 2
Led by the brave and optimistic Bam (Jacob Bertrand), Batwheels follows the team of DC’s heroic vehicles as they defend Gotham against its notorious criminals, including The Penguin and Harley Quinn.
Batwheels season 2 is available to stream on Max .
