Why Brad From Rick And Morty Sounds So Familiar
Of all of the villains on "Rick and Morty," few got under Morty Smith's (Justin Roiland) skin quite like Brad. If the name doesn't strike too much of a chord, fans will likely remember him as a jock-ish student at Morty's school who briefly dates the love of his life, Jessica (Kari Wahlgren). He is best remembered for beating the top hat off Abrodolf Lincoler at the Smiths' inter-dimensional house party, as well as for the classic one-liner "I throw balls far. You want good words? Date a languager."
Brad is played by Echo Kellum, an actor who is likely best known for playing a fan-favorite DC superhero within the CW's Arrowverse. What these same fans may not realize, though, is that Kellum has a voice-acting career that's notable in its own right, with a resume that contains intriguing projects spanning from an animated children's series to one of the raunchiest, most disgusting video games in recent memory.
Echo Kellum voiced Mr. Terrific on Freedom Fighters: The Ray
In 2015, Echo Kellum began appearing on the hit CW series "Arrow" in a recurring capacity. He played the role of Curtis Holt, a technological genius and Olympic-level decathlete who quickly becomes involved with Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), acting as one of their "guys in the chair." Comic book fans quickly put it together, however, that Curtis would become the superhero Mr. Terrific — an identity he would eventually assume for several seasons as a series regular.
Kellum portrayed Mr. Terrific in several shows across the Arrowverse, including "The Flash," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," and the animated shorts series "Freedom Fighters: The Ray," which originally aired in 12 installments on the CW Seed platform. "The Ray" followed an ordinary fair-housing advocate who is given powers and a mission to thwart the fascist regime on Earth-X. Mr. Terrific offers to train the Ray alongside Green Arrow and The Flash.
"[It's] a dream come true," Kellum said of playing Mr. Terrific at London's MCM Comic Con in 2017. "I feel so fortunate to be even gifted the ability or chance to recur on the show, and for them to think I was doing such a good job, and [for] the fans to feel that way too, and for them to ask me to stick around permanently, I mean ... It's the stuff, you know, you wish you could have in your life, and ... I still pinch myself because I really do love the show."
Kellum left the Arrowverse after Season 7 of "Arrow" in 2019, but returned as a guest star for the series' 8th and final season.
Echo Kellum provided King Joaquin's voice on Disney's Elena of Avalor
In 2016, the Disney Channel began airing an animated Disney Princess series titled "Elena of Avalor," which followed a teenage crown princess who must learn how to best lead her people — despite her tendency to act without thinking of the consequences. The show's titular young royal was voiced by "She-Ra" voice actress Aimee Carrero. It also featured a vast ensemble of voice actors including Jenna Ortega ("Wednesday"), Chris Parnell ("Rick and Morty," "Archer"), Yvette Nicole Brown ("Community"), and Jaime Camil ("Jane The Virgin"). Echo Kellum joined the show during its first season in a recurring capacity, voicing the role of King Joaquín of Cariza.
Kellum can be first heard voicing King Joaquín in Season 1, Episode 8, "Royal Retreat," in which he is one of a number of new royals the young princess must meet. In the midst of a dastardly plot coming from within their own exclusive ranks, Joaquín proves himself both wise and levelheaded, ultimately trusting Elena's perspective and saving the day. Kellum returned to voice the character for several subsequent episodes, including its series finale, "Coronation Day," which aired in August of 2020.
Kellum transitioned to video games with High on Life
In 2022, embattled "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland entered the gaming space with a comedic first-person shooter called "High on Life." The game follows a bizarre storyline involving a talking gun named Kenny (voiced by Roiland himself), a dysfunctional bounty hunter, and an alien cartel that wants to transmutate the entirety of the human race into drugs. It's a bit ... out there, to say the least, even when you compare it to "Rick and Morty."
In any case, Echo Kellum plays Krubis, a crime lord that players face relatively early in their progression through the game's story. Krubis has a very distinct design, armed with three separate drills that he uses to maneuver around the player for various surprise attacks. Upon defeating Krubis, players are rewarded with a new gun named Gus, voiced by "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star J.B. Smoove.