Happy Father's Day! Why Gru Gets Dad of the Year, Every Year

It's June, so great dads are top of mind for Father's Day. In the annals of cinema, there are score of model paternal examples, from the traditional like Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird all the way down to maybe the less traditional choices, like Gru the reformed supervillain in the Despicable Me franchise. 

Are we nuts? We think not!

On the surface, all four films in the franchise may seem like they're about crazy supervillains and wacky minions. However, the true arc across all of them is watching the once ambitious supervillain, Felonious Gru (Steve Carell), evolve into a dedicated girl dad.

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In the first film, the unexpected role of becoming a father to adopted daughters, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan) is what reveals to Gru that there's a lot more to life than evil. By the fourth film, Despicable Me 4 (out in theaters on July 3, 2024), Gru's got three daughters, a wife in Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and a new baby boy, Gru Jr. so he's committed to the dad patrol.

Still unconvinced? We've put together evidence that will have you believing Gru is a perennial Father of the Year.

Despicable Me - Getting Fluffy

Despicable Me introduces Gru as a committed bachelor married to his work as a supervillain. He only mock adopts Margo, Edith, and Agnes so he can use them as a distraction to get his shrink ray back from his nemesis, Vector (Jason Segel). He plans to dump them at an amusement park, but that is the first crack in his heart happens. In this clip, he pauses to try and win Agnes a fluffy unicorn which he never recovers from.

Despicable Me - Bedtime Stories

As he continues to warm to all three girls, Gru actually gets into the routine of being a dad. As the girls head to bed, he even deigns to read them a bedtime story which does a real number on his feels. 

Despicable Me 2 - Fairy Princess

By Despicable Me 2, Gru's grumpiness of being a girl dad has disappeared. He's throwing his girl's parties and when the fairy princess actor doesn't show up...well, Gru makes it clear that putting on wings and a wig is never beneath him if it brings them joy. 

Despicable Me 2 - Never Get Older

One of the sweetest small moments in Despicable Me 2 is this scene when the bedtime routine is now very much routine. A time to get the girl's settled and share some quality time, Gru proves he's an old softie when it comes to his daughters. 

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Despicable Me 3 - Eating the Poi

In the third film, Despicable Me 3, Gru is now married to Lucy, a fellow agent at the Anti-Villain League. They love their girls and will do anything for them, even partake in their luau poi with gummy bears. Disgusting but Gru shovels it in. 

Despicable Me 4 - Gru's A Boy Dad, Too!

Despicable Me 4 is the latest chapter in observing how Gru handles his work/life balance. This time, the Gru-meister is a daddy for the fourth time as the birth of Gru Jr. has expanded his family. All would be well except that his former nemesis, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (Sophia Vergara) have escaped supervillain jail to exact revenge on Gru and the family he loves. Watching Gru engage super dad protective mode is going to just further cement his status as Most Valuable Dad at the Anti-Villain League.

You can catch up on past movies. Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, and Minions: The Rise of Gru are currently streaming on Peacock.