How many Minions does Gru have in Despicable Me? Explained

The Minions originate from Despicable Me, a media franchise that started with the 2010 film of the same name. It follows the story of aspiring supervillain, Felonius Gru, and the various antics he and his associates get up to, in order to make his mark in the world of villainy. Despite this, Gru often shows a softer side and ends up saving the world from those worse than him.

The Minions are a major reason for the film franchise's enduring popularity. They are small yellow henchman that appear from the first film, and are seen all throughout the series. As the franchise has gone on, they have even eclipsed Felonius Gru in popularity and marketability.

During the marketing campaign for Despicable Me 2, it was revealed on the official Facebook page that there are 10,400 Minions commanded by Gru in the film franchise.

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Who are the 3 Minions always with Gru?

In the earlier Despicable Me films, the Minions were treated as interchangeable henchmen with minimal characterization. This changed with the release of 2015's Minions, which focused extensively on them and their backstory.

It also revealed the three Minions who've been with Gru since the beginning, when he was just 4 years old. They are Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. In the backstory shown in the film, they were an evolution of single-celled organisms that specifically evolved to serve the most evil masters they could find.

Due to several mishaps in earlier historical times, they isolated themselves in a cave and lived dreary lives because they had no master to serve. Deciding to change that, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob went on a journey to find a worthy master for themselves.

They attended the 1968 VillainCon, a secret convention for evildoers, where they're hired by Scarlet Overkill, the world's first female supervillain, and her husband, Herb. Scarlet planned to usurp Queen Elizabeth II of England by stealing the Imperial State Crown, and hired them for the heist.

However, they are discovered during their robbery attempt, and Bob pulled out a sword in the stone to defend himself, unknowingly fulfilling the legend and becoming the next king.

The Minions were originally employed by Scarlet Overkill (Image via Universal Pictures)

Scarlet was furious at being upstaged by her own henchmen. Even after Bob abdicated the throne to her, she had Bob, Kevin, and Stuart imprisoned to be tortured by Herb.

They escaped so they could reach Westminister Abbey, and make amends with their master. However, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob unwittingly cause a chandelier to fall on Scarlet, making her think that they were trying to assassinate her, and she ordered their execution.

Stuart and Bob got captured, and Scarlet threatened Kevin to surrender himself to her by dawn. To rescue his friends, Kevin breaks into Scarlet's castle and accidentally triggers one of Herb's devices that turns him into a giant.

Kevin fought back against his evil master by rampaging through the city. Scarlet tried to kill him by firing a large missile, that he swallowed. She desperately escaped, with Herb using her rocket dress— only for Kevin to grab onto them as they get pulled into the sky.

Despite the rest of the Minions fearing for Kevin's life, he turned out to have survived and returned to his normal size. Queen Elizabeth rewarded them for foiling Scarlet's evil plan, even if largely unintentionally.

However, Scarlet also survived and made one last attempt to steal the crown, only to be foiled by a 4-year-old Felonius Gru, who uses a freeze-ray on her. This is how Bob, Stuart, and Kevin first met him and decided that he was the master they'd been looking for all along.

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The Minions and Gru are set to return in theatres with the release of Despicable Me 4, which will be out on July 3, 2024.