Even in a universe of yellow minions and supervillain leagues, there are a few parts of theDespicable Meseries that we find hard to believe. TheDespicable MeandMinionsmovie franchiseis now six installments long. Since the first film in 2010,Despicable Mehas created many villainsand iconic characters that keep the franchise fresh and profitable.
The series focuses on villain-turned-hero Gru, his family, and his henchmen— the infamous minions.Despicable Meis supported by a castfull of comedy actors and iconic voices. The films' topics have ranged from moon heists to giant robots to Zodiac-themed shapeshifters.The movies use cartoon logicto explore the full extent of animated wackiness. Even so, a few details still stand out as rather unbelievable.
Despicable Me & Minions Viewing Order (Release & Chronological)
The best order to watch each of Universal Pictures' animated Despicable Me and Minions movies, in both release order and chronological order.
10Vampires And Yeti Exist In Despicable Me
They Were Both Former Leaders Of The Minions
In the initialMinionsmovie, it is revealed that since the beginning of time, the little yellow creatures have been seeking an evil master. Early exposition from the movie shows them following a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Napoleon. Among their many masters, the montage provesthe minions once served Draculabut lost the position after exposing him to sunlight on his 357th birthday.
Elsewhere in the movie,the minions serve a family of Yetiin an undisclosed ice cave. After impressing the creatures with a musical number and dance, the head Yeti is crushed by a falling ice block that was dislodged from the festivities. Eventually, the minions find Scarlet Overkill. Smarter than some of their former leaders, Scarlet isn’t so easily destroyed by the minions’ antics. She proves herself to be the most evil super villain in the world. That is, at least, until Gru comes along.
How Old Gru Is In Minions 2 (& The Prequel’s Timeline Explained)
Gru is young in Minions: Rise of Gru, but how old is the wanna-be super villain and how does the prequels' timeline fit in with Despicable Me?
9Time Travel Has Already Been Invented
Professor Flux Proved Time Travel Is Possible (And Dangerous)
During a walkthrough of Villain-Con, the convention of villainous people and products, the minions encounter Professor Flux.Flux is an Einstein-esque mad scientistdisplaying one of his inventions. He claims to have invented a time machine and is surrounded by clones of himself that have arrived via time travel. He declines the minions' offer as assistants, saying that his other avatars will be able to help instead.
However, the original professor is shortly killed in an accident, meaning all his future iterations will no longer exist. The fleet of Fluxes vanishes. Even though this is just a short cameo in the movie,Professor Flux proved that time travel does exist in the Despicable Me universe.It may come up in the franchise’s next installment,Minions 3.
8The Creature Of The Black Lagoon Is A Villain
A Gill-Man Lookalike Is Seen At Villain-Con
At Villain-Con, the minions encounter Frankie Fishlips, a semi-aquatic merman. Though iconic, Fishlips is rather uncool, bursting out embarrassing statements at inappropriate times.His look and design are reminiscent of another famous monster,the Gill-Man from the 1954 filmThe Creature Of The Black Lagoon.
While Gill-Man is the antagonist of his film,Minionstakes it a step further.The movie claims that Gill-Man is now a villainwho continues to make evil plans, though he is rather dorky about it. This is an interesting Easter egg to include, considering many young audiences would not understand the reference to the classic film.
A remake ofThe Creature Of The Black Lagoonwill soon bring Gill-Man back to the public eye.
7Bob Became King Of England
The Minion Pulled The Sword From The Stone
Even though the minions are always trying to follow orders, they often end up ruining their masters’ plans. While under Scarlet, the minions are trying to help her steal St. Edwards’s Crown so she could become the Queen of England. Unfortunately for Scarlet, when the henchmen attempt to help, they thwart her.Bob encounters the legendary Sword in the Stoneand pulls out the sword to defend himself. According to lore, the one who is able to remove the sword from the stone is the new King.
Bob’s crown is seen briefly inDespicable Mewhen the minions are offering treasures to help fund Gru’s moon mission.
Much to Scarlet’s outrage,Bob became the King of England without even meaning to.The residents of England have no choice but to accept Bob’s new role as the national leader. Since there are only three minions in London at the moment, a news report refers to the new King as “what appears to be a bald-jaundiced child,” not quite knowing what to call Bob. Soon, Scarlet catches up to Bob, and he does not remain King for long.
6It’s Actually Possible To Steal The Moon
Gru Shrinks The Moon, Though Not Forever
ThroughoutDespicable Me,Gru plans to steal the moon.Earlier in the film, Vector proves it is possible to steal large objects like the Pyramids of Giza using a shrink-ray. Though the pyramids are large, they are nowhere near the size of the moon, which Gru plans to steal to show up Vector.
While taking such a massive object out of the sky seems impossible, Gru proves it can be done. The consequences of the moon’s disappearance are immediate, with clips showing disrupted tides and werewolf transformations. After a change in ownership, the moon begins to regrow in size,proving that the moon can be stolen, but not forever.Vector endsDespicable Mestuck on the moon, paying for his crimes.
5Physical Transformations Are Much More Common Than We Think
There Are Many Mutations In The Franchise
The animation style allows for the characters to do lots of fun transformations. Some of the most memorable minion transformations are inDespicable Me 2when El Macho uses thePX-41 serum to turn the minions into vicious, fluffy purple monsters.The Anti-Villain League also turns some minions intoMega Minions inDespicable Me 4, giving them superpowers.
Humans have also made significant magical transformations in films. InMinions: The Rise of Gru,the Vicious 6 turn into animal versions of themselvesat a Chinese New Year festival. Bell Bottom becomes a dragon, Jean Clawed is a baboon, Nunchuck is a cobra, Svengeance is a tiger, and Stronghold is a bull. The animals are based on the Zodiac, and their transformations are caused by a magic stone. The movies definitely suspend reality and take advantage of their artistic potential.
4Minions Are Naturally Occurring Creatures
Their Evolution Is Shown On Film
Minions are millions of years oldand date back to single-cell organisms. The introduction of the Minions film shows how the Minions came to be,starting as just amoeba.With an instinct to serve, their first official leader was the T. Rex, which existed over 65 million years ago.
Until the minion origin story was told,it seemed as though Gru created the minions,since they serve him in the films. Once it is revealed that they serve the most despicable masters, it adds to Gru’s credentials as a villain. Since Gru was a child, the minions remained loyal to him. Despite complaining, they even become good guys with Gru, proving he is their favorite leader.
How Many Minions Gru Has In The Despicable Me Movies
Minions serve Gru in the Despicable Me franchise. It may be tough to count them, but we are trying to find out how many Minions there are in total.
3Super Villains Have Leagues And Conferences
There Are Enough Super Villains That A Secret Conference Is Needed
TheDespicable Meuniverse is filled with lots of villains. Not only are there bad guys, but these antagonists are comically evil.There are wicked families, creatures, and famous villains.Scarlet Overkill’s presentation is packed with people eager to become her next henchman.
The criminal market is full enough to warrant the existence of conventions like Villain-Con. There is also a team of crime fighters, in the form of the Anti-Villain League, who are dedicated to stopping these criminals. Interestingly,this world is full of super villains, but not typical superheroes.
2Almost Every Villain Has A Spacecraft
There Are Many Rocket-Powered Flying Vehicles
TheDespicable MeandMinionsfilms are rather casual about using rocket-powered vehicles.Most villains have a personal flying spacecraft,whether to take them into the clouds or just high above the city. Villains such as Vector, Maxime, and Scarlet have all proved they have easy access to aircraft technology.
In Minions, Scarlet even launches into the sky in a rocket-powered dress. Not only is this incredibly dangerous to her and the people below, but the invention goes mostly unmentioned.Even Gru himself has the same technology.Not only does Gru’s iconic and massive metallic car have a rocket engine on the back to make it go faster on the ground, but it can also turn into a spaceship.
1Gru Stole The Mona Lisa And Starry Night
The Paintings Are Hung In Gru’s Home
At the end ofDespicable Me, Gru transforms his home to make it more comfortable and appropriate for his daughters. In the background of their room,both the Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Van Gogh’s Starry Night are briefly shown. Since Gru is a former villain, there is almost no doubt that he stole the actual paintings.
Gru’s theft is further explained inMinions: The Rise of Gru. After a fake injury scam, Wild Knuckles and Gru reveal they took the Mona Lisa from the Bank of Evil.Where he got Starry Night is still undisclosed.Many questions about theDespicable Meuniverse are left unanswered, but that mystery may add to the series' charm.
Despicable Me
Gru, a villain with ambitions to steal the moon, adopts three orphaned girls to aid his scheme. Unexpectedly, he finds himself growing attached to them, which complicates his plans. As Gru grapples with newfound fatherhood and his villainous aspirations, he discovers that love and family can change even the most hardened hearts.
