Honestly, if you told me back in 2010 that the guy who tried to steal the moon would eventually be a suburban dad stressing over a diaper change, I’d have laughed. But here we are. Despicable Me 4 Gru isn't just a reformed villain anymore; he’s basically a witness protection survivor trying to figure out why his own infant son, Gru Jr., looks at him like he’s a total amateur.
It’s weird.
The fourth installment of this massive Illumination franchise doesn't just give us more Minions (though, yeah, the Mega Minions are a whole thing). It actually forces Felonious Gru into a corner we haven't seen before. He’s not just fighting a bad guy; he’s fighting for the respect of a baby while pretending to be a solar panel salesman named Chet Cunningham.
The Mid-Life Crisis of a Former Supervillain
The plot kicks off at Gru’s old high school, Lycée Pas Bon. He’s there for a reunion, but he’s actually working a sting for the Anti-Villain League (AVL). He arrests his old rival, Maxime Le Mal, a guy who has spent his entire life being salty because Gru "stole" his talent show act back in the day.
Maxime escapes, obviously.
Because Maxime is obsessed with cockroaches—to the point where he’s literally fused himself with bug parts—Gru and the family have to disappear. They get moved to Mayflower, a fancy town where everyone is slightly too perfect. This is where the Despicable Me 4 Gru arc gets interesting. Most people think Gru has gone soft, and some fans on Reddit even complained that he’s become "pathetic" because he lets a teenage girl blackmail him.
I don’t see it that way.
Gru is dealing with a specific type of pressure: domestic invisibility. He’s used to being the biggest threat in the room, but in Mayflower, he’s just a weird neighbor with a fake accent trying to fit in at a tennis club.
Why Despicable Me 4 Gru and Poppy Prescott Are the Movie's Real Core
While the trailers focused heavily on the Mega Minions—those five super-powered experiments that basically parodied the Fantastic Four—the real heart of the film is Gru’s relationship with Poppy Prescott.
Poppy is the teenage neighbor who sees right through Gru’s "Chet" persona. She’s an aspiring villain herself, and she blackmails him into helping her pull off a heist at his old school.
- The Heist: They break into Lycée Pas Bon to steal a honey badger mascot named Lenny.
- The Dynamic: Gru isn't acting like a boss; he’s acting like a reluctant mentor. It's a callback to the first movie, but instead of using children to get a shrink ray, he’s being used by a kid to reclaim his own villainous street cred.
- The Gear: We see the return of the classic gadgets, but they feel clunky in a suburban setting, which adds to the "fish out of water" vibe.
Some critics argued that the movie felt like three different short films stitched together. You’ve got the AVL/Maxime plot, the Minions-at-the-office subplot, and the family-in-hiding story. It’s a lot. But through all that noise, Despicable Me 4 Gru remains the anchor. Steve Carell still brings that specific brand of "exhausted dad" energy that makes the character relatable, even when he’s fighting a man-sized cockroach on a crashing airship.
The Truth About Gru Jr. and the Ending
The biggest addition to the lore is undoubtedly Gru Jr.
Unlike Margo, Edith, and Agnes, who eventually warmed up to Gru almost immediately, Gru Jr. spent 90% of the movie actively hating his dad. It’s a hilarious, if slightly heartbreaking, running gag. The baby’s rejection is the ultimate insult to a guy who literally saved the world multiple times.
When Maxime Le Mal eventually kidnaps the baby and turns him into a human-cockroach hybrid (yes, the movie gets that weird), the resolution isn't some high-tech gadget. It’s a "Dada" moment. Gru manages to break the brainwashing just by talking to his son. It’s cheesy, sure, but it fits the franchise’s obsession with the idea that "family fixes everything."
The final scene—a massive musical number to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"—features almost every villain from the previous movies, including Vector and Balthazar Bratt. It’s a literal curtain call for the franchise so far. It shows that while Gru is firmly a "good guy" now, he still belongs to that world of theatrical villainy.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Parents
If you're catching up on the series or just finished the movie, here’s how to look at the current state of the franchise:
- Watch for the Easter Eggs: The prison scene at the end is a goldmine for long-time fans. If you blink, you’ll miss cameos from Minions: The Rise of Gru and the earlier sequels.
- Don't skip the "Mini Movies": If you have the 4K or Blu-ray release, the shorts Benny’s Birthday and Game Over and Over actually provide a bit more of that classic Minion slapstick that felt slightly rushed in the main feature.
- The "Chet" Persona: Pay attention to how Gru handles the Prescotts. It’s a masterclass in social anxiety. If you’ve ever felt like an outsider in a new neighborhood, those scenes hit a lot harder.
Despicable Me 4 Gru might not be the moon-stealing mastermind he once was, but he's evolved into something more complex. He’s a guy who can take down a cockroach-mutant with one punch while simultaneously worrying about his daughter’s karate class. That’s a different kind of superpower.
To get the most out of the movie's themes, you might want to rewatch the original 2010 film right after. The contrast between the cold, lonely Gru in his gothic house and the "Chet Cunningham" version in his bright Mayflower safehouse really highlights how much the character has grown over sixteen years of cinema.