The One Thing About Despicable Me’s Gru That Makes No Sense

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The One Thing About Despicable Me's Gru That Makes No Sense

As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in virtual worlds, I must say, Illumination’s “Despicable Me” franchise is one of those rare exceptions that manage to pull me away from my usual gaming escapades. However, there’s one glaring issue that keeps popping up like a pesky minion in a game of whack-a-mole – the inconsistency surrounding Gru’s age!

It seems Illumination may have underestimated their own intelligence. They probably thought they could slip past us with the numerous plot inconsistencies and oversights in their multi-billion dollar franchise, which are evident in every film. But guess what? They were wrong! Not even a catchy tune from Pharrell can distract from a significant issue concerning the franchise’s main character, Gru (Steve Carell). The problem here is that his age doesn’t add up throughout the Despicable Me series, and it just doesn’t make sense.

Following four movies and two spin-offs, including the critically acclaimed “Despicable Me 4,” a devoted fan of the “Despicable Me” series shared their observations about the series’ unconventional handling of Gru’s character, who is known for his love of turtlenecks. User U/charladoo on r/Movies asserts that Gru’s age has fluctuated significantly since his first appearance in 2010, and the analysis supporting this claim is worth noting (possibly). The findings of this study are worthy of attention.

“In the first ‘Despicable Me’ when Gru is adopting the girls it says that he was born in 1960 which would put his age at 64. In ‘Despicable me 4’ it says he is in the high school class of 1985, assuming he was 17 when he graduated from high school then he would put his age at 57.” The math mix-up doesn’t stop there either. Thanks to a classic ’80s song, we see Gru’s age continue to flit about through the rest of the films.

Karma Chameleon leads to another miscalculation in the Despicable Me franchise

The One Thing About Despicable Me's Gru That Makes No Sense

As a dedicated gamer diving deeper into the enigma of Gru’s age, I, u/Charladoo, uncovered an intriguing twist. The franchise’s leader’s real birth date gets even murkier due to Boy George and his band, Culture Club. They pointed out that in ‘Despicable Me 4’, it was mentioned that Gru stole the crown at age 11 in 1976, making him 59 today. However, in the same movie, it’s stated that when Gru was in 9th grade, he sang ‘Karma Chameleon’ in a talent show. The film then suggests that ‘Karma Chameleon’ was popular around the time of his performance, which implies he likely sang it in the year it was released, 1983. If we assume he was 14 at that time, he would be turning 55 today, presenting another age puzzle for Gru.

In the role of a franchise valued at $5.3 billion, it seems that time will consistently favor Gru, his family, and their motley crew, who made overalls fashionable again through their amusing exploits and humorous, albeit confusing, dialogue. With the last movie focusing on adding another child to the brood, it’s plausible that “Despicable Me 5” will depict Gru finding stability and calculating how many candles to place on his birthday cake before a soft rendition of “Happy” serenades him in the background.

As a die-hard Despicable Me fan, eager to uncover more secrets from this beloved universe, here are some intriguing details (beyond the age of Gru) that adults might catch a glimpse of in Despicable Me 4.

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2024-08-31 17:59