Batwheels

Batwheels
Promotional poster
Genre	Preschool Comedy Superhero
Based on	Batman by Bob Kane Bill Finger
Developed by	Michael G. Stern
Directed by	Antoine Charreyron (season 1)
Voices of	A.J. Hudson Ethan Hawke Jacob Bertrand Jordan Reed Kimberly D. Brooks Leah Lewis Lilimar Madigan Kacmar Mick Wingert Noah Bentley Titus Blake
Theme music composer	Andy Sturmer
Composer	Alex Geringas
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	42
Production
Executive producers	Sam Register Michael G. Stern (2024) Simon J. Smith (2024)
Producers	Steven Fink Caroline Kermel
Running time	10–33 minutes
Production companies	Warner Bros. Animation DC Entertainment Bang Zoom Ltd.
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network
Release	September 17, 2022 (2022-09-17) – present

Batwheels is an American animated superhero children's television series that premiered on September 17, 2022, on HBO Max. It made its linear premiere on October 17, 2022, on Cartoon Network's preschool block Cartoonito. A second season premiered on January 12, 2024.

Plot

The Bat-Family's vehicles are brought to life by the Batcomputer to form the "Batwheels", a team led by the Batmobile or "Bam", to fight crime in Gotham City.

Characters

The Batwheels

• The Batmobile / Bam (voiced by Jacob Bertrand) - The insecure leader of the Batwheels.
• Redbird / Red (voiced by Jordan Reed in season one and Titus Blake in season two) - Robin's car and the youngest of the Batwheels.
• Batgirl Cycle / Bibi (voiced by Madigan Kacmar) - Batgirl's small but impulsive motorcycle.
• Bat Truck / Buff (voiced by Noah Bentley) - A good-hearted monster truck who serves as the Batwheels' muscle.
• The Batwing / Batwing / Wing (voiced by Lilimar) - Batman's sophisticated and confident supersonic jet.
• The Batcomputer / BC (voiced by Kimberly D. Brooks) - The team's trainer, supervisor, dispatcher, and mother figure.
• M.O.E. (voiced by Mick Wingert) - Short for Mobile Operation Expert, M.O.E. is Batman's kindhearted yet sarcastic robot mechanic.

The Bat-Family

• Bruce Wayne / Batman (voiced by Ethan Hawke) - A vigilante operating in Gotham City and father figure to the Batwheels. Hawke previously turned down the role for Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever.
• Duke Thomas / Robin (voiced by A.J. Hudson) - A mystery-loving member of the Bat-Family who wants to prove himself in the eyes of Batman.
• Cassandra Cain / Batgirl (voiced by Leah Lewis) - A daredevil tech-savvy member of the Bat-Family, who serves as a "big sister" figure in the group.
• Oliver Queen / Green Arrow (voiced by MacLeod Andrews) - A vigilante archer from Star City and a friend of Batman's. He operates in Star City.
• Dick Grayson / Nightwing (voiced by Zachary Gordon) - A superhero who used to fight crime with Batman but currently fights crime in different cities.

The Legion of Zoom

• Badcomputer (voiced by SungWon Cho) - An A.I. computer software inside a scoreboard and temporarity in a television who wants to replace the Bat Computer as the most powerful computer on Earth.
• Crash (voiced by Tom Kenny) - Badcomputer's crash-dummy like robot minion.
• Prank (voiced by Griffin Burns) - Joker's funny and pranking van.
• Jestah (voiced by Alexandra Novelle) - Harley Quinn's fun-loving ATV.
• Ducky (voiced by Ariyan Kassam) - Penguin's mischief-causing duck on a boat with wheels vehicle.
• Quizz (voiced by Josey Montana McCoy) - Riddler's quiz-loving helicopter.
• Snowy (voiced by Xolo Maridueña) - Mr. Freeze's bad but gentle snow crawler who is also Buff's friend.

The Rogues' Gallery

• The Joker (voiced by Mick Wingert) - Batman's archenemy and the self-proclaimed "Clown Prince of Crime".
• Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn (voiced by Chandni Parekh) - Joker's partner-in-crime and girlfriend.
• Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin (voiced by Jess Harnell) - An elegant penguin-like criminal.
• Edward Nigma / The Riddler (voiced by SungWon Cho) - A riddle-obsessed criminal.
• Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze (voiced by Regi Davis) - An ice-themed supervillain with a mechanical suit.
• Selina Kyle / Catwoman (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) - A cat-themed burglar.
• Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy (voiced by Kailey Snider) - A plant-themed villain.
• Jack Nimball / The Toyman (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) - A toy-themed villain who is also an enemy of Superman.

Minor

• Kitty (voiced by Kinza Khan) - Catwoman's playful cat car who likes to have fun.
• Goldie (voiced by Chandni Parekh) - Green Arrow's arrowplane who is Batwing's flying friend.
• A.D.A.M (voiced by Adam West with archived dialogue) - Batman's early Batmobile.
• Nightbike (voiced by Nick Fisher) - Nightwing's motorcycle.

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	37		September 17, 2022 (2022-09-17)	September 16, 2023 (2023-09-16)
2	TBA		January 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)	TBA

Season 1 (2022–23)

All episodes were directed by Antoine Charreyron.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	Max release date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Secret Origin of the Batwheels"	Michael G. Stern	October 15, 2022 (2022-10-15)	September 17, 2022	101	0.10
After Batman, Robin, and Batgirl foil a group villain robbery effort, the three heroes are taken away in a limousine. Unfortunately, this leaves them unavailable to deal with a break-in at the Batcave forcing M.O.E. and the Batcomputer to take drastic measures.
2	2	"Stop That Ducky"	Michael G. Stern	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	102	N/A
A disastrous attempt at stopping Ducky leads to the Batwheels nominating Bam as team leader, but his failed attempts to use Batman's leadership style make him realize that some things only work when done in a more personalized method.
3	3	"Buff's BFF"	Craig Fernandez	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	103	N/A
A mission to catch Mr. Freeze results in Buff befriending the villain's vehicle, Snowy, and the pair quickly hit it off. However, the other Batwheels are skeptical about the Zoomer's good side, and the Bat Truck has to teach his teammates that even criminals can be good at heart.
4	4	"Up in the Air"	Patrick Rieger	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	104	N/A
The Penguin hijacks every television channel to broadcast his own show, but a bad decision resulting in Wing crash-landing and Batman getting captured causes Bam to lose confidence in himself.
5	5	"Bibi's Do-Over"	Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	105	N/A
After a slip-up during a mission to catch Toyman, Bibi becomes dead set on perfecting her jump, but she eventually learns that it doesn't matter if she looks bad as long as the mission at hand is accomplished.
6	6	"Sidekicked to the Curb"	Michael G. Stern	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	106	N/A
Disappointed in being left behind, Redbird tails Bam as he takes Batman and Robin to apprehend the Joker and Prank, with both learning that even great heroes need a partner at their side.
7	7	"Keep Calm and Roll On"	Michael G. Stern	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	107	N/A
Bibi's temper gets the better of her when Jestah and Harley mock her capabilities, causing her to lose control. With the help of the others, she learns that the best thing to do is to keep calm and take a deep breath under stress.
8	8	"Bam's Upgrade"	Michael G. Stern	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	108	N/A
Fed up with being overshadowed by the others on mission outings, Bam has himself upgraded to convince Batman to take him out, but the upgrades prove to hamper their mission of catching Toyman.
9	9	"Redbird's Bogus Beach Day"	Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg	November 7, 2022 (2022-11-07)	November 8, 2022	109	N/A
A trip to the beach gets interrupted when the Joker sets out to turn off the lighthouse light and crash a ship, forcing Batman, Robin, Bam, and Redbird to take action.
10	10	"Cave Sweet Cave"	Craig Fernandez	November 7, 2022 (2022-11-07)	November 8, 2022	110	N/A
After a large Joker water balloon ends up flooding the Batcave, the Batwheels are forced to temporarily stay at a parking garage until it dries out, a situation which none of them are happy with.
11	11	"Scaredy-Bat"	Andrew Guastaferro	November 14, 2022 (2022-11-14)	November 8, 2022	111	N/A
Bam has to learn to take the high road after Prank continues goading him into reckless actions, before things take a turn for the worse.
12	12	"Riddle Me This"	Ryan Toyama	November 14, 2022 (2022-11-14)	November 8, 2022	112	N/A
With Quiz up to no good, the other Batwheels have to find him and stop his plan, but Redbird's inability to speak up for himself ends up putting the entire mission at risk.
13	13	"Zoomsday"	Ryan Toyama	November 21, 2022 (2022-11-21)	November 22, 2022	113	N/A
Having had enough of losing to the Batwheels, the Legion of Zoom decides to try the one tactic that leaves the Batwheels victorious every time: teamwork.
14	14	"Rev and Let Rev"	Janae Hall	November 21, 2022 (2022-11-21)	November 22, 2022	114	N/A
Feeling left out that he can't rev his engine as loud as the others, Redbird asks for the removal of his stealth tech, but his new noisy engine ends up foiling Robin's efforts to catch Catwoman.
15	15	"Batcomputer for a Day"	Patrick Rieger	November 28, 2022 (2022-11-28)	November 29, 2022	115	N/A
While the Batcomputer recharges, the other Batwheels find that operating the Batcave is much harder than she makes it look, which becomes problematic when they have to help Batman catch Harley Quinn.
16	16	"Grass Is Greener"	Patrick Rieger	November 28, 2022 (2022-11-28)	November 29, 2022	116	N/A
When Bam brings M.O.E. out on his night patrol, the pair find themselves dealing with Poison Ivy's rampaging plants, and M.O.E. finds fieldwork to be far out of his league.
17	17	"Holidays on Ice"	Scott Gray	December 5, 2022 (2022-12-05)	December 6, 2022	117	N/A
Frustrated with the other Batwheels getting distracted by the holidays, Batwing decides to go solo to catch Mr. Freeze, but quickly comes to miss the companionship of the others.
18	18	"Bam's Clawful Mistake"	Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)	May 2, 2023	118	0.06
Wanting to even out the teams for his newly invented ball game, Bam convinces M.O.E. to bring Catwoman's car to life. Unfortunately, the newcomer quickly becomes a handful.
19	19	"Harley Did It"	Scott Gray	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)	May 2, 2023	119	0.07
A robbery with Harley Quinn as the main suspect comes under scrutiny when Bibi and Redbird find clues that don't correlate to her at all, and the pair set out to find the real culprit of the crime.
20	20	"Buff in a China Shop"	Craig Carlisle	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)	May 2, 2023	120	0.07
Self-conscious about his tendency to accidentally break everything, Buff begins taking measures to improve his gracefulness so he can help Batman stop the Riddler.
21	21	"A Tale of Two Bibis"	Craig Fernandez	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)	May 2, 2023	121	N/A
Bibi ends up in a tight spot due to her impulsive nature and has to think things through when Jestah disguises herself as her to infiltrate the Batcave and steal the Batcomputer's Bat-Motherboard.
22	22	"Batty Race"	Andrew Guastaferro	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)	May 2, 2023	122	0.07
The Gotham Grand Prix ends up having both the Batwheels and the Legion of Zoom as participants after the latter sabotage the original racers, but their cheating ways prove to be difficult obstacles to overcome.
23	23	"When You're a Jet"	Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg	July 3, 2023 (2023-07-03)	July 4, 2023	123	N/A
Green Arrow visits Gotham and Batwing, ecstatic to have another jet as a friend, brings it to life, but the new best friends have to face the reality that the newcomer has to return with Green Arrow to Star City.
24	24	"Ride Along"	Ryan Toyama	July 10, 2023 (2023-07-10)	July 11, 2023	TBA	N/A
After Kitty saves him, Bam has her join him on his night patrol to recruit her potentially, but the playful car is too easily distracted to pay any notice.
25	25	"Wheels Just Want to Have Fun"	Jennifer Heftler	July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17)	July 18, 2023	TBA	N/A
Bibi learns the hard way that rules are for safety after Jestah keeps tempting her to have fun by doing so.
26	26	"Tough Buff Blues"	Andrew Guastaferro	July 24, 2023 (2023-07-24)	July 25, 2023	TBA	N/A
After stalling the Riddler on his latest mission, Buff finds himself uncomfortable after the other Batwheels saddle him with the nickname "Tough Buff", leading him to sit out of the next mission.
27	27	"Wheel Side Story"	Andrew Guastaferro	July 31, 2023 (2023-07-31)	August 1, 2023	TBA	N/A
A hit from Ducky's latest device leaves all of the Batwheels only able to sing instead of speak, complicating their ways of communicating.
28	28	"Ace in the Hole"	Andrew Guastaferro	September 11, 2023 (2023-09-11)	September 16, 2023	128	0.04
Buff brings a group of stray dogs into the Batcave to protect them from Catwoman, who wants to lead all of the dogs in Gotham out of the city.
29	29	"Mechanic Panic"	Jennifer Heftler	September 12, 2023 (2023-09-12)	September 16, 2023	129	N/A
Bibi has to help Jestah overcome her fear of mechanics after the Zoomer breaks a wheel while preparing for a tournament.
30	30	"Improvise My Ride"	Sarah Eisenberg & Becky Wangberg	September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)	September 16, 2023	130	0.06
A nighttime trip to play fetch leads Ace, Bam, and Buff on a mission to stop Poison Ivy from building her own vehicle, but her antics force Buff to improvise after she steals much of his equipment.
31	31	"Dynamic Du-Oh-No"	Andrew Guastaferro	September 14, 2023 (2023-09-14)	September 16, 2023	131	0.07
Thinking herself to be more than capable of going solo, Wing leaves Buff behind when the two are partnered together to stop Jestah and Snowy, which proves to be a disastrous mistake.
32	32	"To the Batmobile!"	Craig Fernandez	September 15, 2023 (2023-09-15)	September 16, 2023	132	0.06
Bam is forced to rely on A.D.A.M., Batman's first Batmobile, to help rescue the other Batwheels from the Legion of Zoom, and both Batmobiles learn that each of their methods have their own merits.
33	33	"The Dark Night"	Ryan Toyama	November 6, 2023 (2023-11-06)	September 16, 2023	133	N/A
A city-wide blackout caused by Poison Ivy forces Bam to face his fear of the dark, hampering his efforts in helping Batman.
34	34	"License to Joke"	Craig Fernandez	November 7, 2023 (2023-11-07)	September 16, 2023	134	N/A
On his first solo patrol, Redbird goes undercover to find the man behind several scooters becoming able to drive on their own, but has to learn that going solo doesn't always mean being alone all the time.
35	35	"Bibi's Bad Day"	Scott Gray	November 8, 2023 (2023-11-08)	September 16, 2023	135	0.06
Several mishaps while trying to catch the Joker cause Bibi to lose her motivation, forcing Batgirl to go solo.
36	36	"A Jet Out of Water"	Ryan Toyama	November 9, 2023 (2023-11-09)	September 16, 2023	136	0.06
The Penguin captures Batman and holds him hostage underwater, and Wing is upgraded so that she can dive under and rescue him. However, her decision to not practice before using her upgrades ends up biting her in the back.
37	37	"Batty Body Swap"	Ryan Toyama	November 10, 2023 (2023-11-10)	September 16, 2023	137	0.07
The Batwheels swap bodies with each other to prove that they can use each other's specialties, though they quickly find out that they can't, hampering their efforts to stop the Legion of Zoom.

Season 2 (2024)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Max release date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
38	1	"Nightbike"	Michael Berardini	Ryan Toyama	February 12, 2024 (2024-02-12)	January 12, 2024	201	0.05
39	2	"Bat-Light Blow-Out"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	February 13, 2024 (2024-02-13)	January 12, 2024	202	N/A
40	3	"Kitty's Sleepover"	Lila Martinez	Ryan Toyama	February 14, 2024 (2024-02-14)	January 12, 2024	203	N/A
41	4	"Mission: Stuffed Animal"	Michael Berardini	Patrick Rieger	February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)	January 12, 2024	204	N/A
42	5	"Follow the Bouncing Bam"	Vaughn Ross	Eva Konstantopoulos	February 16, 2024 (2024-02-16)	January 12, 2024	205	0.09

Shorts

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Max release date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Meet the Batwheels"	Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron	Michael G. Stern	September 5, 2022 (2022-09-05)	October 18, 2022	MTB101	N/A
2	"Calling All Batwheels"	Michael Berardini	Michael G. Stern	September 12, 2022 (2022-09-12)	October 18, 2022	MTB102	N/A
3	"Bam!"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	September 19, 2022 (2022-09-19)	October 18, 2022	MTB103	N/A
4	"Buff Tuff"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	September 26, 2022 (2022-09-26)	October 18, 2022	MTB104	N/A
5	"Faster"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	October 3, 2022 (2022-10-03)	October 18, 2022	MTB105	N/A
6	"Fly"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	October 10, 2022 (2022-10-10)	October 18, 2022	MTB106	N/A
7	"Spooky Batcave"	Michael Berardini	Michael G. Stern	October 17, 2022 (2022-10-17)	October 18, 2022	MTB108	N/A
8	"Robin's Ride"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	October 24, 2022 (2022-10-24)	October 18, 2022	MTB107	N/A
9	"Bam's Bubble Trouble"	Michael Berardini	Michael G. Stern	October 31, 2022 (2022-10-31)	October 18, 2022	MTB109	N/A
10	"Wheelin' and Dealin'"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	November 21, 2022 (2022-11-21)	October 18, 2022	MTB110	N/A
11	"Interview with a Crime Fighter"	Michael Berardini	Michael G. Stern	December 5, 2022 (2022-12-05)	October 18, 2022	MTB111	N/A
12	"The Best Present in the World"	Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron	Andy Sturmer	December 12, 2022 (2022-12-12)	December 13, 2022	112	0.06
13	"Silly Stowaway"	Michael Berardini	Michael G. Stern	January 9, 2023 (2023-01-09)	June 16, 2023	113	N/A
14	"The Knight Shift"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	February 13, 2023 (2023-02-13)	June 16, 2023	114	N/A
15	"Rockin' Robin"	Michael Berardini	Michael G. Stern	March 6, 2023 (2023-03-06)	June 16, 2023	115	N/A
16	"Bibi Bops"	Michael Berardini	Jennifer Heftler	April 10, 2023 (2023-04-10)	June 16, 2023	116	N/A
17	"Batwingin' It"	Michael Berardini	Jennifer Heftler	May 15, 2023 (2023-05-15)	June 16, 2023	117	0.06
18	"Bad to the Chrome"	Michael Berardini	N/A	June 5, 2023 (2023-06-05)	June 16, 2023	118	N/A
19	"A Joking Matter"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	July 3, 2023 (2023-07-03)	December 1, 2023	119	N/A
20	"Parking Problems"	Michael Berardini	Andrew Guastaferro	August 7, 2023 (2023-08-07)	December 1, 2023	120	N/A
21	"Bat-Surfing"	Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron	N/A	August 28, 2023 (2023-08-28)	December 1, 2023	121	N/A
22	"Bad Day"	Michael Berardini and Antoine Charreyron	N/A	November 27, 2023 (2023-11-27)	December 1, 2023	124	N/A
23	"Jet Set"	Antoine Charreyron	N/A	November 28, 2023 (2023-11-28)	December 1, 2023	123	N/A
24	"I'll Be Your Shelter"	Antoine Charreyron	N/A	December 5, 2023 (2023-12-05)	December 1, 2023	122	N/A

Production

Development

In October 2020, it was announced that an animated preschool series centered around the Batmobile was in development at Warner Bros. Animation, set to premiere on Cartoon Network's then-upcoming preschool block Cartoonito and HBO Max. According to Tom Ascheim, president of the now-defunct Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, the series was greenlit due to its concept being fit for the studio's focus on preschool projects. Michael G. Stern serves as developer and co-executive producer, with Simon J. Smith as supervising producer, and Steven Fink and Caroline Karmel producing. Stern was brought into the project early in development, as WB explored ideas for preschool-oriented DC shows, while Smith was brought after Stern wrote the first scripts for the series. In December 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, with Stern and Smith being promoted to executive producers.

Writing

While writing the series, Stern wanted to avoid "kiddifying" the characters, as he felt children should be introduced to the characters through faithful portrayals and was also requested to respect the characters. For Batman, he wrote the character to stay faithful to most interpretations, with only his violence being toned down. He also wrote the villains with "a lane" that stayed faithful to their classical portrayals while still fitting the target audience, such as portraying Harley Quinn as a fun-loving prankster.

When creating the Batwheels, the writers wanted them to be perceived as "lovable" and "fun" characters for the audience, in order to avoid the children only watching the show for Batman. In order to accomplish this, they tested the personalities for each character with a test group, who received the characters positively. The writers also wanted to avoid portraying the Legion of Zoom as mere copies of their owners, to which they gave each vehicle their own characteristics, such as portraying Prank, the Joker's van, as "a surfer dude".

Music

The series' score was composed by Alex Geringas, while the theme song was performed and produced by Andy Sturmer, who previously composed the themes for the series The Batman and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Sturmer also co-wrote the theme alongside Stern.

Awards and nominations

The show was nominated for Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children for the episode "To the Batmobile!" at the 51st Annie Awards.

External links

• Official website
• Official website (Meet the Batwheels)
• Batwheels at IMDb
• Meet the Batwheels at IMDb