The super-awesome storyline, the eccentric characters, and the humorous dialogs, all of have contributed in making the Despicable Me movie series a total success. If you wish to be reminded of the minion-agical experience yet again, this Entertainism article gives you a list of the main Despicable Me characters and their roles.
Did You Know?
Will Arnett, who voiced Mr. Perkins, the President of the Bank of Evil, in the first part of this movie series, gained weight for the role to improve his voice. He believed it would complement the character that was of a large, heavy-set man.
The Despicable Me movie series is a super-cute tale of the transformation of a despicable villain into a doting father when three adorable little girls enter his life. He has an army of these cute creatures―the minions, a ferocious-yet-likable pet monster (whom he refers to as a dog), and a crazy old scientist. This series has turned out to be a super success among all kinds of audiences, kids and adults! And why wouldn’t it be? It has humor, gadgets, scheming, love, evilness, innocence, and most importantly, minions!
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that after being introduced to the characters of this movie series, the word ‘despicable’ has lost its original meaning for all the right reasons. Now it makes you think of a great dad with a funny accent, three adorable girls who are totally happy and cheerful, and our endearing yellow and blue shorties who can totally (mis)handle every task given to them. Enough said, let’s move on to a one-on-one introduction of the main characters of this movie series, and their unforgettable roles.
DESPICABLE ME MOVIES AND THEIR MAIN CHARACTERS
Despicable Me is a two-part movie series: Despicable Me (2010) and Despicable Me 2 (2013). If you’ve seen the movies you’d know that the main characters of this series are that of Gru, the three adopted girls, Dr. Nefario, and the minions. There are additional characters, such as the antagonists, neighbors, and affiliates, who are crucial in bringing about a disruption to Gru’s otherwise content life. It is this disruption that paves way for some exciting storyline and takes the characters to a ride full of fun, drama, and laughter. You will understand what we’re talking about in the list that explains the roles of these different characters below.
A List of Main Characters from Despicable Me: Part 1
The first movie starts with a mean, despicable villain’s intent to prove to the world that he is ‘the best’ among the rest. With an army of minions and a scientist who help him execute his evil plans, he doesn’t care about anyone else but his mission. The story is about his transformation, and with it, we see an all-new adorable side to him. What made this possible? The three girls he adopted!
Voiced by Steve Carell: GRU
Traits: Mean, Insensitive, Loner, Systematic, Indifferent
He is seen as a social loner who wants to prove to the world, especially his mother, that he is ‘the’ most notorious villain in the world. He becomes all the more desperate to do this when a young villain ‘Vector’ steals the Pyramid of Giza. On his credibility being questioned among those in the villain world, Gru plans to steal the Moon to get himself back in the game and adopts three young girls, not out of fondness, but as a part of his Moon-stealing plan. However, these girls transform him through fun, laughter, hugs, and kisses, and give him the love and admiration that he never got from anyone else. He does steal the Moon, but returns it back, and takes in the girls forever in his life, this time, out of true love.
A Habit to Remember: Says, “Lightbulb” when he gets an awesome idea.
Voiced by Julie Andrews: GRU’S MOM
Traits: Mocking, Smart, Old, Strong
Gru’s mom, her actual name is Marlina, as seen in Gru’s family tree, is a strong, difficult to please woman with extraordinary mocking abilities, especially when it comes to Gru. She never encouraged or praised him for his accomplishments or efforts since his childhood, and never missed a chance to verbally convey it to him. It was perhaps because of this that Gru grew up to be more of a loner and lacked the confidence to build relationships. As bad as it may sound in the real world, the character of this old yet kick-ass lady is truly amazing. She somehow reminds us of the old lady in Madagascar, the “I’m old and all but you won’t be alive if you mess with me” type. As mean as she may have been to Gru, she adores him for his fatherly skills.
Her Fad Word: “Eh!”
Voiced by Russell Brand: DR. NEFARIO
Traits: Old, Slow, Workaholic, Did we say slooooow?
Dr. Nefario is this really old but awesome scientist who works in Gru’s underground lab and helps him build gadgets, prepare specialized chemicals, and more so that he could successfully execute his villainous plans, be it stealing a fake small Eiffel Tower, or the actual humungous Moon! He intends to help, but due to his old age, ends up doing quite the opposite of what’s been asked. For instance, when Gru asks him to make Cookie Robots, he ends up making ‘Boogie Robots’, or Dart Guns turn out as ‘Fart Guns’! He also uses a super-slow moped for commuting, and it is hilarious to watch him sit on it when he needs to get something done asap! He also acts as someone who helps Gru focus on his aim when he seems to be distracted, especially when the little girls enter his life.
A Quote to Remember: “We have to warn him, and FAST!” [starts driving on his moped very slowly]
Voiced by Will Arnett: MR. PERKINS
Traits: Serious, Hefty, Frowning, Intimidating
Mr. Perkins is this serious, no-nonsense heavy-bodied man, who is the President of the Bank of Evil, the source that funds villains for their criminal plans. He has an unreasonable disliking towards Gru, and considers him to be close to a failure when it comes to making a mark for villainous deeds. When Gru approaches him to apply for a loan, he totally loves his plan, but later on, refuses to help him because he doesn’t like Gru. Perhaps one reason for the same was that he wanted his son, Vector, to be the one who steals the moon using Gru’s plan? Well, it most definitely seemed so!
A Habit to Remember: Always holds an apple in his hand while talking.
Voiced by Jason Segel: VECTOR
Traits: Geeky, Clingy, Overconfident, Techie
Vector is the antagonist of this movie, which makes him the reason behind Gru’s inclination to prove to the world who the real boss is! He is this funny, sloppy looking guy with big black glasses, a lean figure with a protruding paunch. He gains all the attention when he steals the Great Pyramid of Giza, and becomes ‘the’ villain that did it! He seems to have a thing for math, as depicted in his introduction line, “I go by the name of Vector. It’s a mathematical term, represented by an arrow with both direction and magnitude. Vector! That’s me, because I commit crimes with both direction and magnitude. Oh yeah!” He also has a fancy towards sea creatures―He has invented the Piranha Gun and Squid Launcher, and has a pet shark in his house; and cookies―He doesn’t let anybody in his house except for the three girls who sell him cookies. This dude is also quite overconfident, and you will hardly see him sulking or stressed.
His Patent Line: Oh yeaaaaahhh!
Voiced by Miranda Cosgrove: MARGO
Traits: Smart, Responsible, Positive, Caring, Witty
Margo is the eldest of the three girls that Gru adopts from Miss. Hatie’s Girl’s Home. Being the eldest, she is smart, responsible, confident, and caring towards her two younger sisters. She always reassures them that everything will be alright. She isn’t naive and uses her witty brains to analyze what’s happening around. She watches out for her sisters and ensures that she does her best to keep things together the entire time. Being the eldest, she is the most realistic not only among the three, but the entire lot of characters in the movie!
Bet You Didn’t Notice!: Under her jacket, she wears a T-shirt with Dr. Seuss’s Lorax character imprinted on it.
Voiced by Dana Gaier: EDITH
Traits: Rebellious, Hip, Cool, Adventurous, Mischievous
Edith is the middle sister among the three, and has a cool, curious, and rebellious attitude. She can hardly rest at one place and is always hopping from one place to another, touching things she shouldn’t touch, dropping things and saying, “someone broke that!” Although she isn’t very happy when Gru adopts her and her sisters, she totally starts enjoying it after seeing a home filled with villainous elements. She has a fondness for weapons and destructive elements, which clearly highlights her inclination towards dangerous stuff. Nevertheless, she loves her sisters and enjoys doing ballet with them, irrespective of her complete tomboyish nature.
A Unique Thing About Her: She wears the pink and white beanie all the time! She doesn’t even remove it for her ballet performance!
Voiced by Elsie Fisher: AGNES
Traits: Super-cute, Imaginative, Friendly, Affectionate, Did we say Super Duper Cute?
Agnes is the youngest and the most adorable among the three sisters. She does things in a sweet and innocent manner, that may seem annoying, but are actually quite endearing. She is a dreamer and wishes to be adopted by a nice mommy and daddy whose house is made of candies and who have a pet unicorn. When she gets adopted by Gru, she doesn’t complain but gets equally excited and happy. If you think of it, it is her naive and innocent nature that instigates a change in Gru’s heart. Irrespective of how he treats her, she always smiles and expects him to read her bedtime stories and give goodnight kisses. Her innocence not only wins the heart of Gru, but the entire audience as well.
A Unique Thing About Her: She is obsessed, we mean really obsessed with unicorns, especially Fluffy Unicorns!
Voiced by Kristen Wiig: MISS. HATIE
Traits: Mean, Insensitive, Obese, Uncaring, Stern, Snobbish
Miss. Hatie runs the orphanage from where Gru adopts the three girls. She seems to be quite the opposite of a loving and providing caretaker, and is seen bullying, taunting, and ridiculing the girls, forcing them to sell cookies all day. She comes off as a gloomy, emotionless, and uninterested woman, but is quickly flattered when Gru supposedly “compliments” her in Spanish. Perhaps the hardheartedness could be due to lack of a man in her life? Basically she is a sugar-coated exploiter!
Did You Notice?: Her clothes are always in shades of pink, like the character of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series.
Voiced by Chris Renaud: DAVE the Minion
Traits: Accident-prone, Intelligent, Kind, Caring, Affectionate
Dave is a two-eyed softhearted minion who is one of the most trustworthy in Gru’s army. His hair is neatly combed and his demeanor is truly adorable, as is the case with other minions. He loves playing video games with minion Stuart and also enjoys eating ice-cream! He tends to get super-excited with new tasks, for which he often gets into a goof-up. In this part, when Gru becomes this nice and loving father, he is the first from the army of minions who asks Gru for a goodnight kiss.
What’s Unique About Him?: His signature weapon is his Rocket Launcher.
Voiced by Jemaine Clement: JERRY the Minion
Traits: Playful, High-spirited, Cheerful
Jerry loves to have fun. He is a two-eyed cheerful minion with short and spiky hair. It is possible that Gru considers him to be yet another minion he could trust when it comes to keeping an eye on his newly adopted and potentially mischievous girls. He too, just like Stuart, gets into a ride of fun and laughter with the girls and ends up getting caught by Gru.
His Fad Line: When Gru catches him and the girls playing with toilet paper, Edith blames him, and he goes like, “WHHHAAAAA?” This quote has become hugely popular.
Voiced by Pierre Coffin: STUART the Minion
Traits: Sincere, Innocent, Playful, Funny
Stuart is a one-eyed minion with neatly combed hair. He and Dave are often seen together, or to say, given tasks together. Like Dave, he also is a skilled video gamer, and apparently, is the most sincere minion among all the army.
We Remember Him For: His super-excited cheer when Gru asks the girls to go to bed, followed by the moaning when it’s clarified that the instruction doesn’t apply to him.
Voiced by Pierre Coffin: KEVIN the Minion
Traits: Obedient, Mannerly, Adorable
Kevin is a one-eyed minion who was shrunk accidentally by Gru using the Shrink Ray. His appearance too, changes in his before and after avatar. While before being shrunk he had a buzz-cut, after he recovers, he has combed hair. Perhaps a glitch by the makers, or did the Shrink Ray have hairstyle changing powers? Anyway, we see Kevin adorably enjoying his shrunk size with other minions, and see him rejoicing once he returns to his normal size.
Did You Know?: Kevin is the first minion in the movie to be addressed with a name.
Voiced by Pierre Coffin: TIM the Minion
Traits: Funny, Tall, Helpful
He is one of the tall minions in Gru’s army who can be seen in different avatars in the movie series. He is the one who dresses as the dad when he and two other minions are asked to go and get a toy for Agnes. He accompanies Gru in his important tasks, such as the one where he steals the Shrink Ray.
We Remember Him For: His too good expressions when he goes to the mall dressed as a dad and tries the massaging chair.
Voiced by Pierre Coffin: BOB the Minion
Traits: Plump, Bald, Attention-seeker
Bob is a bald, chubby, and cute minion who can do absolutely anything to become the center of attention. He is the one who was made to drink the anti-gravity serum by Dr. Nefario, because of which he reaches outer space, and is probably orbiting the Earth right now!
We Remember Him For: His relaxed demeanor when he is floating into the sky.
Voiced by Pierre Coffin: MARK the Minion
Traits: Singer, Caring, Funny, Experimental
His looks resemble that of Dave and Mike. He is two-eyed with neatly combed hair. Mark is the one who often dresses as the mom, like how Tim becomes the dad. He is the one who finds karaoke in the mall and starts singing the super-cute song ‘Copacabana’.
Did You Know?: He is also known as the Mom Minion.
Voiced by Pierre Coffin: PHIL the Minion
Traits: Creative, Funny, Affectionate, Caring
Phil is a short, one-eyed minion with combed hair. He resembles Stuart. He becomes the baby when he, Mark, and Tim are asked to get Agnes a toy. As they are unable to find one, he makes a toy using a toilet brush and gives it to Agnes. Oh, the way he blushes when Agnes kisses him on the forehead! Adorable!
We Remember Him For: His super-cute look when he dresses as a baby with diapers.
There are additional characters in this part, the neighbor Fred with a dog, the Talk Show host, and of course, the additional minions! Did you know that the makers of this film specially created a language for the minions, called ‘Minionese’? The gibberish words that they say, actually have a meaning.
A List of Main Characters from Despicable Me: Part 2
While part 1 ends with Gru stealing the Moon and replacing it, and finally accepting the three girls as his daughters, giving up his evil ways of living, part 2 begins by showing him as a caring dad who now, along with Dr. Nefario and the minions, has become a jelly manufacturer. He is summoned, or to say, kidnapped and summoned by the Anti-Villain League (AVL) to help them find the evil mind behind the theft of a deadly mutagen known as PX-41. Gru refuses initially but after learning that Dr. Nefario misses being evil and wants to leave him for a new job, allows him to do as he pleases, and becomes a part of the AVL mission.
Most of the characters of part 1 appear in this sequel; however, some now have a different role. For instance, Gru isn’t interested in becoming a villain but wants to be a good father, making a living the right way, Dr. Nefario leaves Gru’s job, the girls now want Gru to start dating and find a woman for himself. On the other hand, Margo actually starts liking a guy, which is does not go down well with Gru. The following list comprises the new characters that are introduced in this sequel.
Voiced by Kristen Wiig: LUCY
Traits: Sleek, Alert, Perky, Enthusiastic
Kristen Wiig returns to the series, although this time, in a different character! She is an AVL agent who is assigned the task to get Gru to their office. However, on Gru’s refusal, she uses her Lipstick Taser on him, and in a way, kidnaps him. Later, she is appointed as Gru’s partner to find out the mind behind the crime. Her character is happy, cheerful, and skilled in combat. She adores Gru for his work as a villain and eventually, both of them fall for each other. Also, the minions Stuart, Dave, and Tom end up having a crush on her.
A Line to Remember: I’m your new partner! YAY!
Voiced by Steve Coogan: SILAS RAMSBOTTOM
Traits: Serious, Obese, Arrogant
Silas Ramsbottom is the director of the Anti-Villain League. A large, somewhat obese man who acts quite prissy in his demeanor. He wants Gru to help him find the bad guy behind the theft of the PX-41. Although he needs Gru’s assistance desperately, the way he speaks to him somehow portrays his dislike towards him, probably because he was an ex-villain? Basically, he is Lucy’s boss, and someone who has a funny last name.
We Remember Him For: His last name of course! Ramsbottom … Sheepsbottom … Bottom!
Voiced by Benjamin Bratt: EL MACHO/ EDUARDO PEREZ
Traits: Dangerous, Scheming, Ruthless, Obese, Deceiving
The character of Eduardo Perez is the owner of the Mexican restaurant Salsa & Salsa in the Paradise Mall, where Lucy and Gru are trying to find their criminal, disguised as cupcake shop owners. He is extremely friendly and as lively, jolly, cheerful, and welcoming as a Mexican could be. However, Gru identifies him as the legendary villain, ‘El Macho’. A villain who, in the words of Gru, was “ruthless, dangerous, and as the name [El Macho] implies, very macho”. Eduardo’s perfect disguise as this Mexican restauranteur fools everybody, including the AVL, only to find out later that he has stolen the mutagen and Gru’s minions, and is secretly trying to create an army of evil minions who are indestructible, mindless, and bloodthirsty killing machines! Oh, by the way, he also turns out to be Dr. Nefario’s new employer! Anyway, as Dr. Nefario’s allegiance always lies with Gru, El Macho is defeated in the end by Gru and his family, only made possible due to our old funny scientist.
We Remember Him For: His Mexican flag tattoo on the chest with a lot, we mean a lot of chest hair! And his cute but evil pet chicken, El Pollito.
Voiced by Moises Arias: ANTONIO PEREZ
Traits: Handsome, Arrogant, Flirtatious, Charming
Antonio is the only son of Eduardo, and thanks to his awesome hair and seductive charms, Margo has an inevitable crush on him. He saves her from falling in the wishing fountain and invites her for a cookie. He is not in the good books of Gru, and he takes him to be deviously charming. Eventually, Margo realizes that he is just a flirtatious guy when she sees him dancing with another girl at the Cinco de Mayo party.
We Remember Him For: The hair … definitely the hair and that attitude! Totally charming!
Voiced by Ken Jeong: FLOYD EAGLESAN
Traits: Short, Proper, Obsessed with hair
Like Kristen Wiig, Ken Jeong returns in a different character. While in the first part, he lent his voice as the Talk Show host, here he is voicing the character of a wig store owner who is obsessed with hair and wigs, probably as much as our little Agnes is with unicorns! He also has a pet eagle, maybe that’s why the surname, “Eaglesan?” He is suspected by the AVL to be the man behind the crime, and gets arrested when traces of the PX-41 are found in his shop. Nonetheless, before the arrest, he does gift Gru a wig, which he wears on his date with Shannon, a character discussed further in this list.
A Line of His to Remember: “When someone moves into the mall that is folically challenged, I make it my business to know all about them.”
Voiced by Nasim Pedrad: JILLIAN
Traits: Annoying, Clingy, Irritating
Jillian is Gru’s neighbor who is desperate to hook him up with someone! Despite being clearly avoided by Gru and firmly being told that he is not interested, she never gives up and continues to bug him by setting him up with single women. She is the one who sets him up with Shannon, the next character on the list.
A Habit to Remember: Her annoyance! You can’t forget it even if you try to.
Voiced by Kristen Schaal: SHANNON
Traits: Rude, Arrogant, Skinny, Fitness Freak, Nonchalant
Blonde hair, skinny figure, comparatively large behind, and fully made up with makeup, Shannon is a character that has actually nothing much to like about. She is Jillian’s friend who loves to exercise. She even starts doing push-ups and crunches in the restaurant where she and Gru go for a date. She totally hates “phonies” and upon realizing that Gru is wearing a wig, threatens to expose him publicly, and that is when Lucy steps in and tranquilizes her. Although her role isn’t big, we think it was crucial in making Lucy and Gru realize that they like each other.
A Habit to Remember: Her constant chewing of gum, tooooo annoying!
The Gru family is a bunch of unlikely characters indeed! With madness, adventure, fun, frolic, and laughter, this family keeps on moving together to a happy future filled with sunshine! The first part filled the somewhat-lonely Gru’s life with children, the second part paved way for a wife, what’s more to it? Well, all secrets will be revealed when the third part of this series releases in 2017. Till then, we can only hope there will be some pleasant additions in this happy family. To conclude, let’s quote a line of the most amazing song from the last part of this movie series, Happy, by Pharrell Williams: “Clap along if you know what happiness is to you”! Poopaye! Note: Poopaye is Goodbye in minionese, the language of the minions..
Note: Poopaye is Goodbye in minionese, the language of the minions..
