The following contains spoilers for Despicable Me 4, now playing in theaters
Summary
Despicable Me 4brings back plenty of familar faces for fans of the franchise, but Dru’s abscene from the marketing of the film has audiences wondering if they’ll see Gru’s brother in the film. Played by Steve Carrell (who also stars in the series as Gru), Dru is the long-lost twin brother of Gru who was introduced in the prior mainline film in the series,Despicable Me 3. However, the series shifted gears back to theMinionsspin-off films, and never followed through on Dru’s potential full impact on the franchise.
Is Despicable Me 4 Suitable For Children? Parents Guide For Illumination’s Sequel
Despicable Me 4 is the latest entry in the franchise about a reformed supervillain trying to raise a family, which is likely to appeal to children.
Dru Has A Quick Cameo In Despicable Me 4’s Ending
Dru Only Shows Up Towards The End OfDespicable Me 4
Dru played an important role inDespicable Me 3butdoesn’t appear inDespicable Me 4outside of a brief cameo in the film’s ending. Dru was introduced inDespicable Me 3as Gru’s long-lost brother. Much of that film’s emotional core was driven by his desire to be a true villain like his brother and their deceased father, which complicates Gru’s attempts to leave behind his life of villainy. Their connection was one of the big emotional cores ofDespicable Me 3, and that film’s ending set up a friendly game of cat and mouse between the brothers.
AlthoughDespicable Me 4delves more into the world of villains within theDespicable Mefranchise, there’s very little mention of Dru. Instead,the film introduces new unrelated corners of that world, both from the past (likeWill Ferrell’s villain Maximeor his Gru’s former principal Übelschlecht) and the present (like Poppy, a preteen with ambitions of becoming a villain herself). Dru doesn’t appear until the end of the film, where he appears during a sequence that shows Gru having a party with his loved ones after defeating Maxime.
Why Dru’s Role In Despicable Me 4 Is So Small
Despicable Me 4Explains Why Gru Can’t Call Dru For Help
Dru isn’t the only supporting character from theDespicable Mefranchise who doesn’t really appear in the latest entry. Dr. Nefario and Marlena Gru similarly appear briefly as cameos at the end of the film. These abscenes are given an in-universe, explanation, however. After Gru helps capture Maxime early in the film, the villain vows vengeance against him and his entire family. This forces Gru and the rest of his immediate family to go into hiding.It’s specifically mentioned they can’t speak with any family members, like Gru’s mother or brother.
This explanation works within the story itself, but it’s alsoprobably a good thing on a storytelling level that Dru is absent fromDespicable Me 4. The film’s biggest problem is a deluge of concepts that rarely get developed fully or earn genuine closure. The disjointed nature ofDespicable Me 4would have only been made worse by Dru, who could have unnecessarily complicated the already scattered plot. Instead, Dru’s absence is used to help further isolate the family and highlight the danger they’re in. It’s a clever little trick that also removes Dru from the narrative.
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People had begun to notice a continuity issue with the Despicable Me movies, but the fact that Illumination doesn’t care is why its been successful.
Will Dru Return In A Future Despicable Me Or Minions Movie?
Dru Could Easily Return For A Future Film
Dru presents a fun opportunity for the producers ofDespicable Me, as he’s a fun wildcard that could be deployed into several different places.Dru and Gru’s connection could easily be explored further, especially if the former were able to truly excel as a villain. It could create a fun dynamic, forcing Gru to fully abandon the life of villainy that he briefly revisits inDespicable Me 4alongside Poppy. Dru could also play an important role in a potentialMinionsspin-off, pitting the little yellow creatures alongside (or even against) a peppy version of their boss.
There is currently noDespicable Me 5orMinions 3confirmed to be in production. However, given thatDespicable Meis the highest-grossing animated franchise in cinematic history,it likely won’t be long before the future of the series begins to take shape. Dru remains a fun tool that the series can pull out in future entries, especially after the character was more or less removed fromDespicable Me 3. Gru’s return could even cement a more streamlined approach to a prospectiveDespicable Me 4sequel.
Despicable Me 4
Cast
The infamous (and kind-hearted) not-super villain Gru returns in Despicable Me 4, the fourth entry in the long-running movie series from Illumination Entertainment. The fourth film also sees the return of Gru’s wife, Lucy, portrayed again by Kristin Wiig, and introduces their son.
