The Minions Are Made Here
Technicaly, the Despicable Me timeline starts with the Minion opening sequence, so allowing one to travel back billions of years. As the Minions opening credits make abundantly evident, the Minions' genesis narrative starts with the beginning of all life on Earth. The montage suggests that Minions and Despicable Me movie timeline starts so early because minions-like cells have always been drawn towards creatures that are scarier and more sinister than they are. Still, the early Minion days weren't always clear-cut.
Many of the Minions attempts to assist early bosses, like T. Rexes, Egyptian pharaohs and vampires, clearly shown in the Minions movie introduction, ended with them unintentionally killing those they were intended to be assisting. When the Minions narrative proper starts, this sad behavior leaves them lazy and alone.
Born Scarlet Overkill
Unlike dinosaurs, military dictators, or otherworldly evil, the next major event in the Despicable Me timeline really takes place in the 20th century with the birth of one of the earliest Gru-like supervillains the Minions labor for. Scarlet Overkill seems to bring about a change in the Minions' luck. She was born in 1927, but she truly interacts with the Minions and solidifies her importance in the Minions and Despicable Me film chronology only in the late 60s.
Minions Kevin, Bob, and Stuart first want to be faithful servants for Scarlet. But they unintentionally sabotage her scheme to pilfers the British Crown Jewels, therefore running afoul of the pioneering supervillain. Had it not for this regrettable misinterpretation, the Minions' history with Gru would probably be somewhat different.
The Minions Meet Gru.
Though their connection would not be official until a little later, the Minions movie conclusion also signals the beginning of the henchmen's fascination with Despicable Me lead Felonious Gru. Assuming his date of birth is still canonically 1960 as stated in Despicable Me, Gru first encounters the minions in 1968 when he is roughly 8 years old.
This marks the beginning of the Minions' connection with Gru and directly shapes both the original Despicable Me trilogy and the events in Minions: The Rise of Gru. Scarlet is arrested by a young Gru who freezes her with a homemade ray pistol before fleeing in a rocket-powered bike after she apparently has off with the Imperial State Crown. The Minions are captivated by this diabolical show; they promptly choose Gru as their new commander. This is the beginning of the Minions' connection with Gru and directly sets the stage for both the original Despicable Me trilogy and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Gru Plots Aim To Be A Supervillain
Although Gru's successful crown heist at the end of Minions signals the beginning of his slide into villainy in many respects, the trip starts rightfully in 1976 with the events shown in Minions: The Rise of Gru. Gru teams with his army of Minions in the second Minions film to become part of the supervillain squad known as the Vicious 6. Gru chooses to demonstrate his credentials by pilfering the sought-after Zodiac Stone following a dismal interview. This then drives him to collaborate with former Vicious 6 member Wild Knuckles, who imparts all he knows about villainy and even assists him in leaving with the Mona Lisa. This is in many respects a formative period that shapes most of Gru's personality until the beginning of Despicable Me. It also signals the beginning of his on-again, off-again cooperative relationship with Dr. Nefario voiced by Russell Brand.
Gru Adopts Agnes, Edith, and Margo.
Gru's choice to embrace Margo, Edith, and Agnes is one of the most pivotal ones for his character development after decades of a path of villainy. His conflict with the villain Vector drives him to be creative, first intending to exploit the females to get inside his competitor's lair.
But it's only until he discovers his love for the trio that he is able to conquer his foe and discover the inner serenity he had missed before Despicable Me came about. Had Gru chosen not to adopt the children, he very certainly would have stayed unhappy and gone down an evil route. As it is, he found fresh lease of life with his family and managed to effectively strand Vector on the moon.
Lucy Wilde hires Gru.
Despicable Me 2's 2013 Lucy recruiting Gru incident marks the next major turning point in the Despicable Me chronology. Gru's friendship with Anti-Villain League Agent Lucy Wilde is second only in terms of significance among Margo, Edith, and Agnes. Originally sent to hunt the former supervillain, Lucy and Gru develop a relationship well beyond anything Gru has known before very fast.
Gru at least says that the relationship is initially, essentially professional, but things gradually spiral out of hand and lead to their ultimate marriage at the end of Despicable Me 2. Actually, it is the girls that make Gru realize how important Lucy is; they both yearn for a mother figure and think the two will fall in love. Gru at least claims that the connection is first entirely professional, but things rapidly spiral out of control and finally result in their marriage at the end of Despicable Me 2.
Gru and Lucy Leave the AVL
Though there is only one year between Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, the chronology leaps a few years between the second and third film as Gru and Lucy spend four years working with the AVL before leaving in 2017. One of the only times Gru's more positive character development exhibits uncertainty is when Gru and Lucy are kicked from the AVL at the start of Despicable Me 3.
Not least of all by his brother Dru, who reveals that their father was actually a successful villain in his own right, the former villain is progressively tempted to go back to his old ways after leaving the organization and struggling to find a new line of employment. Not only for the inner conflict the Despicable Me 3 narrative explores, but also for the reality many of the Minions had abandoned Gru to be with his more unsavory sibling by the end of the film.
Where On The Timeline Despicable Me 4fits In
Although Despicable Me 4 hasn't yet hit theaters, the teaser offers some information that, in some sense, allows one to place it in the larger Despicable Me timeline. Despicable Me 4's central storyline revolves on Gru Jr.'s arrival—the infant son of Gru and Lucy. Despicable Me 4 most certainly occurs on the timeline roughly a year after the last one, falling about 2018.
But there are various reasons the Despicable Me and Minions timeline is somewhat slack and challenging to follow at parts; Despicable Me 4 seems to simply complicate matters. For instance, Agnes, Edith, and Margo don't seem to have aged even as Lucy and Gru now have a baby. Though they seem precisely the same as their first appearance, the three girls should have altered drastically in looks by 2018 since 2010's Despicable Me is set in 2012. While some characters age, some do not; the particular year each film is set in is hardly ever, if ever stated.
Explained: The Complete Minions & Despicable Me Movie Timeline
Arranging around 4 billion years from soon after the Earth's formation to the present, the whole Minions and Despicable Me movie chronology is maybe one of the longest in cinematic history. From the Minion entrance in the depths of prehistory until the events of Despicable Me 4, the major heroes of the series have shaped many aspects of the history of this imagined universe. Consequently, learning the important events is not quite easy. Originally concentrating on a modern, if highly styled alternative time period, the Despicable Me series has grown increasingly ambitious in scope.
For instance, the opening to Minions reveals how the titular small yellow critters have been influencing the path of villainy since the era of the dinosaurs. This implies that there is a great range of possibly important events available from any thorough timeline. Still, viewers know of some important masters the banana-obsessed henchmen have had throughout the years owing to the Minions film. The whole Minions and Despicable Me movie chronology thus covers 3,800,000,000 BC to the 2010s.
Despicable Me and Minions: An Animated Universe
From Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, the very popular animated film series The Despicable Me and Minions is Audiences of all ages like the films because of their special mix of humor, action, and touching subjects. Among the spin-offs the franchise produced are the two Minions films, which examine the beginnings of the adored yellow critters. Despicable Me and Minions have become a global phenomenon, captivating audiences worldwide with their charming characters, memorable storylines, and hilarious antics.
With the release of Despicable Me 4, the franchise is set to continue its reign of popularity. The movies have become synonymous with high-quality animation, engaging storytelling, and memorable musical numbers, solidifying their position as a major player in the world of family-friendly animated entertainment. Audiences all around have come to appreciate Despicable Me and Minions since they so vividly captures their emotions.
