Gru

Gru is a fictional character in Illumination’s Despicable Me film series. His full name is Felonious Gru. He is introduced as a calculating supervillain who pursues ambitious schemes, most notably in the 2010 film Despicable Me, where he aims to steal the Moon using a shrink ray built by his rival Vector. He is voiced by Steve Carell in English-language releases.

During Despicable Me, Gru adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—partly as a means to advance his plan but also to test his capacity for family responsibility. Over time, he forms strong bonds with them and with his army of Minions, and his villainous ambitions gradually give way to protective, fatherly instincts.

In Despicable Me 2, Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to stop a new threat while continuing to raise the girls. He develops a romantic relationship with Lucy Wilde, an AVL agent, and the two characters are depicted as a couple in later installments. Despicable Me 3 introduces Gru’s long-lost twin brother, Dru, further expanding his family dynamics; Gru remains central to the franchise along with the Minions.

Rise of Gru (2022) is a prequel that traces Gru’s early life in the 1970s, detailing his youthful aspirations to join the Vicious 6 and his early association with the Minions. The character has become a defining figure in contemporary animated cinema, known for his distinctive accent, wit, and gradual transition from villainy to family-centered heroism.