How to watch the “Despicable Me” movies in order

Get ready for "Despicable Me 4" by watching all of the franchise's films, starting with 2015's "Minions."

European-accented supervillain-turned-superspy Gru (Steve Carell) and his army of adorable yellow Minion henchmen have been conquering Hollywood for 12 years now. Illumination’s Despicable Me film series has become one of the most beloved animated franchises to have come out of the 2010s. The series also gives Disney a run for its money; for one, the Minions (2015) prequel was the first non-Disney animated movie to make a billion dollars at the box office.

The Despicable Me franchise unites young kids who can’t get enough of the series' shenanigans with Gen-Z’ers who grew up with it and created TikTok trends like the #gentleminions in which young men dress up in suits to see the films in theaters.

The franchise has spanned six films to date, with four mainline movies, including Despicable Me 4 arriving on July 3, and two Minions spin-offs. But where did Gru and his Minions’ villainous escapades begin? And in what order should you watch the films ahead of Despicable Me 4? Here's what you need to know about the timeline of the Despicable Me franchise.

Minions (2015)

Universal 'Minions'

You can’t have a Despicable Me without those yellow goggle-wearing corn pops in overalls, the Minions. Starring in their own movie, the prequel establishes the gibberish-speaking agents of chaos as one of the earliest living species in history. Their entire existence is meant to serve the world’s biggest baddie. Oftentimes, they are the outright cause of the demise of whatever leader they serve.

During the 20th century, the Minions were living in the Antarctic with no boss. But in 1968, three minions — Kevin, Bob, and Stuart — venture to Orlando for “Villain Con,” a convention for supervillains. The three minions land a job working for the worst supervillain, Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), and her inventor husband, Herb (Jon Hamm). Her big scheme is to steal Queen Elizabeth’s (Jennifer Saunders) crown. In their quest, they inadvertently get on Scarlet's bad side as Bob becomes king, leaving Scarlet in the dust.

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Illumination 'Minions: The Rise of Gru'

By the end of Minions, the little living McNuggets found a new villain to stan in preteen Gru, who stole Elizabeth’s crown from Scarlet and Herb using his freeze ray. Now, they are under Gru’s management.

Set in 1976, Gru is (somehow) still 11 and wants to take his small-scale villainous act to the next level. He auditions for The Vicious Six, a Legion of Doom–like villain ensemble in need of a new member after they betrayed their leader Wild Knuckles (the late Alan Arkin) after a heist involving an ancient stone. Gru steals their stone and gives it to a brace-faced minion named Otto to take home. But on the way back, Otto trades the stone for a pet rock at a kid’s birthday party, leading Gru to fire the Minions.

Shortly after, Gru is kidnapped by Wild Knuckles’ new goons. So it’s up to Kevin, Bob, and Stuart to travel to San Francisco and learn how to become kung-fu warriors under the wing of an acupuncturist and karate expert (Michelle Yeoh) in order to rescue Gru.

Despicable Me (2010) 

Universal/courtesy Everett 'Despicable Me'

It’s decades later, and Gru has made a largely successful career for himself as a supervillain. So much so that his exploits land him Wild Knuckles’ house and getting the inventor he meets in Minions: the Rise of Gru, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), to work for him. When a young, up-and-coming, orange-tracksuit-wearing villain named Vector (Jason Segel) steals the Great Pyramid of Giza, Gru’s reputation is hindered.

Gru has own plans to steal the moon, with the help of his Minions. All he needs is to rob a shrink ray from China. Unfortunately for him, it lands in Vector’s hands and his lavish Apple Store–styled fortress is impenetrable. But after he sees three orphan sisters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) easily access Vector’s place due to his cravings for Girl Scout Cookies, he adopts them to help carry out his heist. Gru learns that fatherhood might be a more difficult challenge than stealing the moon. But soon, Gru learns to love the girls as his own.

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Illumination Entertainment 'Despicable Me 2'

Gru has put his life of villainy behind him and embraced his role as a single father to Margo, Edith, and Agnes. He has also become a manufacturer of jams and jellies (they’re bad). Nefario, longing to make new villain gadgetry again, resigns and gets employment elsewhere.

All that is upended when Gru is enlisted by the director of a super-secret spy organization called the Anti-Villain League, Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), to assist in capturing a new supervillain who stole a formula that turns anything adorable into indestructible monsters. He’s paired with their newest recruit Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) as his partner on the case. Together, they go undercover at a local shopping mall, which becomes a playground for romance to blossom between them. Gru suspects that a Mexican restaurant owner named Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt) is behind the plot, as he recognizes him as presumed-dead villain El Macho. As the story progresses, some of the Minions are kidnapped and transformed into purple monsters called “evil Minions.”

Despicable Me 3 (2017) 

Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures 'Despicable Me 3'

After the events of Despicable Me 2, Gru has become a full-fledged AVL agent, paired with his new wife Lucy, to stop various supervillains. This entry sees them making chase to Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a former ’80s child actor who grows up to become the villain he used to play on television. Gru and Lucy are fired from the AVL when they fail the mission by letting Bratt escape. While Gru is down in the dumps, a man named Fritz (Coogan) visits the Gru residence and informs him that he has a twin brother named Dru (Carell), a sillier, blonder version of him.

Dru invites Gru, Lucy, and the girls to his lavish mansion in Freedonia. There they learn that Gru’s ancestry on his dad’s side was rooted in villainy. Gru reluctantly teaches Dru to how to become a supervillain; the Minions, meanwhile, are tired of this domesticated Gru and resign to search for a new villain to serve.

Despicable Me 4 (2024)

Illumination and Universal Pictures 'Despicable Me 4'

It’s been some time since Despicable Me 3, and Gru has become a father. He and Lucy got busy and now have Gru Jr., who sports his daddy’s nose and momma’s hair. At his high school villain reunion, Gru apprehends his former archnemesis Maxime le Mal (Will Ferrell). But once Le Mal escapes from prison, he’s on the hunt for Gru and his family. Silas puts the Gru family into the AVL’s protection program, sending them to an upscale neighborhood called Mayflower. The family has a hard time adjusting to their new surroundings, and Gru can’t seem to get his infant son to stop tormenting him. When his next door neighbor’s daughter, Poppy Prescott (Joey King), recognizes Gru as the former villain he was, she blackmails him to help her with a heist so she can get into the school he attended as a kid.

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