Counting the three “Despicable Me” films and the one “Minions” film, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” marks the fifth film starring the yellow Twinkie-shaped henchmen of Gru. In the latest installment, we see how Gru came to be the big bad villain that he now is. Growing up in the 70s gave Gru some great music as well as six role models to look up to — known as the Sinister Six.
He really looked up to the leader of the six in particular, Wild Knuckles. Upon applying to become a member and getting accepted for an interview, Gru ventures to the Six’s headquarters beneath Criminal Records, where Dr. Nefario used to work. When Gru gets separated from the minions, four of them set out to save him, one getting separated from the pack to have an adventure up the coast of California.
Before you see the film, check out our “Minions: The Rise of Gru” cast and character guide.
Gru aka Miniboss (Steve Carrell)
Our favorite bald-headed, long-legged villain returns in this origin story tale. He is smaller and has hair, but the familiar Steve Carrell voice is only at a slightly different pitch than in previous movies. His minions call him mini-boss which he strongly dislikes. Gru has dreamed of being a part of the Sinister Six, the main group of supervillains during his childhood, and the invitation for an interview arrives in the mail, sending him to prove how bad he really is.
Steve Carrell is known for portraying Michael Scott on “The Office,” and his roles in “The 40-Year Old Virgin” and “Anchorman.” More recently he has starred as Mitch Kessler in “The Morning Show” and David Sheff in “Beautiful Boy.”
The Minions (Pierre Coffin)
The trio of Kevin, Stuart and Bob returns to save Gru when he gets sidetracked in his mission to join the Sinister Six. They track him down to San Francisco, where they get chased by a certain villain’s henchmen all the way to China Town. Coffin — who co-directed the previous three “Despicable Me” films — has voiced the cute yellow beings in all of the previous films as well.
Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson)
Belle Bottom rocks the pants for which she is named, and she is kind of like the second in command in the Sinister Six. She wears a gold chain around her waist which she uses to ensnare her victims, and she drives a groovy floating car ship.
Henson is known for portraying Katherine G. Johnson in 2016’s “Hidden Figures,” Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008) and Dre Parker’s mother Sherry in 2010’s “The Karate Kid.” On TV, Henson has played Cookie Lyon on “Empire.”
Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin)
Wild Knuckles leads the Sinister Six. His villainous power comes from his steel-capped knuckles, and he wears a pretty cool belt with his initials on it. It is Wild Knuckles who brings Gru to San Francisco, and after first trying to torture him with way too many hours of disco, Wild Knuckles decides to instruct Gru in the art of villainy. The two form a cute bond, and they work well together as a team.
Arkin is an Oscar and Tony-winning actor with roles ranging from “Catch-22” to “Edward Scissorhands” to “Little Miss Sunshine” to “Argo.” He also voiced J.D Salinger on “BoJack Horseman.”
Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh)
When Wild Knuckles’ henchmen trap the minions in China Town, Master Chow the acupuncturist saves them with her Kung Fu. A significant part of the film is devoted to Chow teaching Kevin, Stuart and Bob all that she knows. She encourages each of them to find their inner peace in order to access the innate power they all have. Her lessons prove very handy in the film’s finale.
Michelle Yeoh has recently starred in 2022’s “Everything, Everywhere All at Once” and 2021’s “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” She is also known for her roles in “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000).
Stronghold (Danny Trejo)
Stronghold is a real buff bad guy who can lift cars and dent anything that he punches. He rocks the disco denim as well as a mustache similar to his voice actor Danny Trejo. Trejo is known for roles in films like 2013’s “Machete Kills,” 2010’s “Machete,” “From Dusk Til Dawn” (1996) and “Heat” (1995).
Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme)
Van Damme contributes a convincing French accent to this one-armed, one-robtic-clawed villain. He wears a fancy top hat and operates a crab-like vehicle with two clawed arms that are quite destructive. Jean-Claude Van Damme is known for films like “JCVD” (2008), “Double Team” (1997), “Double Impact” (1991) and “Kickboxer” (1989).
Svengence (Dolph Lundgren)
Svengeance somehow combines spikes and roller blades in his evil operations. His grace sure comes in handy when he deplous his spiked gloves and spike skates! Dolph Lundgren is known for roles in films like “Johnny Mnemonic” (1995), “Universal Soldier” (1992), “Masters of the Universe” (1987) and “Rocky IV” (1985).
Nunchuk (Lucy Lawless)
Nunchuck brings holy glory to the role of a villain. She wields a cross-shapped version of the weapon her name invokes, and she can float as a form of transportation. Lawless is most known for her role as “Xena the Warrior Princess.” She also played Diane Lewis in “Parks and Recreation” as well as Lucretia in the sequel to “Spartacus” (2010).
Biker aka Motorcycle Guy (RZA)
The fourth minion who joins Kevin, Stuart and Bob in their mission to rescue Gru gets caught up in trying to recover a powerful necklace that he and Gru originally stole from the Sinister Six. In tracking down the necklace, which he traded to a red-headed kid for a pet rock (complete with glued on googly eyes), this minion meets the kid’s uncle who takes a drive up the coast of California to San Francisco on his gleaming motorcycle. Motorcycle guy is voiced by musician RZA, who had a hand in the film’s soundtrack. RZA is known for being a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Marlena Gru aka Gru’s Mother (Julie Andrews)
Gru’s mother appears in the films from time to time, and it looks as if he inherited her nose. Julie Andrews adopts the same accent Steve Carrell does to voice his character’s mom. Andrews has also recently voiced Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s “Bridgerton” series. She also played the 1964 version of Mary Poppins, and is most known for her role as Maria in “The Sound of Music” (1965). She also played the Queen of Genovia in 2001’s “The Princess Diaries.”
Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand)
In the previous minion movies, we��ve seen Dr. Nefario as an older man, resting on the laurels of his many evil inventions. In this latest chapter, we meet him when he is younger and working as a cashier at Criminal Records, the store that hides the underground headquarters of the Sinister Six. Dr. Nefario helps Gru access the headquarters for his interview, and he later helps Gru out in many ways. Russell Brand is a well-known comedian whose films include “Bedtime Stories” (2008), “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008), “Get Him to the Greek” (2010) and “Arthur” (2011).“