There are times in the Despicable Me movies where over 10,000 Minions are shown on screen at once! And with an ever-growing number of films under their little denim belts, keeping track of who is who has never been harder. What are all the Minions' names? What makes each one special? Whether you are a longtime fan or just getting into the franchise, we have got you covered. We put together character profiles for all the major Minion players across Despicable Me 1-4, Minions, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and the upcoming Minions & Monsters. Let's dive in and see how well you really know your favorite yellow guys!
Stuart the Minion
Stuart is one of the most recognizable Minions in the whole franchise. He has one brown eye and neatly center-combed hair, making him easy to spot in a crowd of thousands. He is one of only three Minions to star as a lead character in the 2015 Minions film, where he plays the role of the group's fun-loving rebel teen.
In the first two Despicable Me films, Stuart gets into plenty of trouble. A few of his greatest hits include flirting with a yellow fire hydrant, getting launched across the room by a fire extinguisher, joyriding Lucy's car through the mall with Dave, and parasailing behind Lucy's vehicle while still strapped into his bibs. In Minions, he gets brainwashed by Scarlet Overkill's hypno-hat... but we think he enjoys it. Stuart is one of the few Minions to appear in every major film in the franchise, making him as close to a main character as any Minion gets.
Kevin the Minion
Here is a fun piece of Minion trivia: there are actually two very different Kevins in this franchise. The Kevin from the first Despicable Me film is short, one-eyed, and looks a lot like Stuart. The Kevin you see starting in Despicable Me 2 and forward is tall with two eyes and sprouted hair. Whether it is the same character with a redesign or two entirely different Minions named Kevin is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Despicable Me universe.
The tall Kevin from Minions is the real star. He is the one who steps up and volunteers to lead the mission to find a new evil master for the tribe. In Despicable Me 2, he is the Minion trying to chip a golf ball off of Jerry's mouth before both of them get kidnapped by Dr. Nefario and turned into one of the dreaded evil purple Minions. Kevin ends up being the only Minion cured by the real PX-41 antidote, which gives him a brief but memorable giant form. He even gets to save the day by growing enormous and fighting Scarlet Overkill head-on in the Minions film. Kevin is the franchise's unsung hero.
Bob the Minion
Bob is easy to love and impossible to forget. He is short, round, bald, and the only Minion in the entire franchise with two differently-colored eyes — one green and one brown. That condition is called heterochromia, and it makes Bob one of a kind in a crowd of 10,000.
In the Minions movie, Bob gets his biggest moment when he accidentally pulls a sword out of a stone, making him the King of England. He takes the crown very seriously, even getting a tiny royal robe and a stuffed bear named Tim as a companion. Eventually, he gives up the throne so the tribe can reunite with Gru... perhaps the most selfless act in the entire Despicable Me franchise. Bob first popped up in the Despicable Me 2 end credits during a hilarious audition scene alongside Kevin and Stuart. He has been a fan favorite ever since.
Dave the Minion
Dave has two brown eyes, combed hair, and a well-earned reputation for being the Minion most likely to end up in the middle of something chaotic. He is one of the franchise's most consistent characters, popping up in all four main Despicable Me films as well as a named presence in the Minions screenplay.
In the first film, Dave fires a bazooka full of other Minions at Vector's fortress. He also helps Stuart steer Lucy's car through the mall. (He handles the wheel while Stuart works the pedals.) He is one of only two Minions not abducted and turned into an evil purple Minion in Despicable Me 2, which Gru tries to use to his advantage before Dave's purple paint starts to smear at the worst possible moment. By Despicable Me 4, Dave gets the ultimate upgrade: he becomes Mega Dave, a massively top-heavy, super-strong version of himself with arms built for serious damage. Chaotic as always, just bigger.
Phil the Minion
Phil is a spiky-haired, two-eyed Minion who may not always get top billing, but always manages to leave an impression. In Despicable Me 2, Phil is the Minion who answers the door dressed in a full French maid outfit while cleaning the house... and promptly gets abducted. It is a brief scene, but one that stuck with fans for years.
Like Kevin, Phil has a bit of a continuity mystery: a one-eyed Minion named Phil also shows up in the first film, dressed as a baby on a mission to get Agnes a replacement unicorn toy. Whether this is a redesign or a separate Phil entirely is left up to the viewer.
By Despicable Me 4, a new Phil steps into a major role as one of the three Pit Crew Minions who stay behind with Gru's family during witness protection. This Phil is short, plump, and very enthusiastic about his job babysitting Gru Jr. He also crashes a tennis match in the most disruptive way possible, blowing his whistle and handing out red cards until Perry Prescott looks absolutely miserable.
Tim the Minion
Tim is a tall, two-eyed Minion with sprouted hair, and he has a very specific energy: pure dad. In the first Despicable Me film, he wears a fake mustache and a dad hat to blend in during a mission, and it works a little too well. He reappears in Despicable Me 2 with an actual beard, though he is mysteriously bald in that scene. Tim has also been spotted attempting to sing "Copacabana" with Phil and Mark, which is both incredible and not at all surprising for a Minion who dresses like a dad on his day off.
Tim gets his biggest power-up in Despicable Me 4. As one of the five Mega Minions created by the Anti-Villain League's super serum, Mega Tim gains the ability to stretch his arms to over a mile long. The stretch is completely uncontrollable, which is very on brand for a Minion.
Carl the Minion
Bee-do! Bee-do! Bee-do! If you know those words, you already know Carl. He is a one-eyed Minion with spiky hair hidden under his signature siren hat, and "bee-do" is basically his entire vocabulary for the first two films. After Gru accidentally sets his phone on fire, Carl charges in through the door yelling "bee-do" on repeat into a megaphone. Stuart (dressed as Lucy) responds by hitting Carl with a fire extinguisher and launching him across the room. It is one of the most purely chaotic moments in the franchise. Carl continues to show up in crowd scenes and group moments throughout the series. He may not have a major plot role, but there is no Minion more quotable.
Jorge the Minion
Short, round, two-eyed, and spiky-haired, Jorge is not the most famous Minion by name... but you definitely know what he did. Jorge is the Minion who photocopied his own butt. "Bottom, bottom. He he he." It is the kind of move that earns you a permanent place in franchise history, and Jorge wears that honor proudly. Jorge also appears as one of the firefighters manning the hose during a chaotic house scene, and he busted straight through one of Gru's walls without hesitating. Subtle is not really Jorge's style... and we're kind of jealous of that freedom!
Mel the Minion
Meet Mel: the Minion who finally said enough is enough. Mel makes his first big appearance in Despicable Me 3 as the self-appointed leader of the Minion rebellion against Gru. He is a short, one-eyed Minion with thick, half-bald combed hair. Fun fact: this was a look that was actually inspired by the hair of Illumination founder Chris Meledandri. Coincidence? Probably not.
When Gru refuses to go back to villainy after getting fired from the Anti-Villain League, Mel is the one who speaks up. The directors described him as "the head of the union." You know, the Minion voice of dissent who gets every other Minion to shout "preach it!" He leads the whole crew into prison (on purpose, as part of a jailbreak plan) and eventually helps take down Balthazar Bratt's giant chewing gum blob in the film's climax. By the time Despicable Me 4 rolls around, Mel has rejoined the team and earned himself an upgrade: as one of the five Mega Minions, he gets a laser built right into his single eye. One eye. One laser. Maximum chaos.
Otto the Minion
If you have seen Minions: The Rise of Gru, you already know Otto: he is the fast-talking, zero-filter Minion who somehow makes everything worse and then fixes it. Otto has two eyes, fat little braces, and a tiny curl of hair on top of his head. He can out-talk any other Minion in the franchise, which is saying something. Young Gru handles him by starting an impromptu game of "the quiet game," at which point Otto immediately passes out from holding his breath too long. Classic.
Otto's big moment comes when Gru trusts him to guard the Zodiac Stone on the way back to the lair. Otto trades it for a pet rock. A. Pet. Rock. The rest of his story in Minions: The Rise of Gru is a cross-country quest to get the stone back and make it right. He pulls it off, which earns him a spot as one of Gru's most trusted (if not most reliable) Minions going forward. Otto actually made a sneaky first appearance before the movie even came out! He showed up in the Illumination logo for Sing 2 about half a year early, which is a fun detail for sharp-eyed fans to track down.
The Mega Minions
Despicable Me 4 does something no film in the franchise has done before: it gives five individual Minions actual superpowers. The Anti-Villain League enlists most of Gru's Minion crew and runs them through a super serum experiment, creating five Mega Minions, each with a unique power shaped by their normal Minion body type.
Mega Dave gets super strength, but the serum makes him massively top-heavy with tiny legs, so he looks like a tiny yellow bodybuilder who skipped leg day forever. Mega Tim gets cartoonishly stretchy in a way that would make Mr. Fantastic jealous. The downside is that he cannot control them at all. Things get knocked over. Many things. Mega Mel gets a heat-vision laser out of his single eye, powerful enough to cut straight through solid ground. He accidentally destroys a coffee mug, a glass window, an igloo, and a satellite during test runs. Mega Jerry transforms into a round, indestructible boulder-shaped body with enormous strength. He is basically a wrecking ball in goggles. Mega Gus gets a cape and an aerodynamic, bullet-shaped head... and the ability to fly. That is the whole power. He flies around looking ridiculous, and it rules. The five Mega Minions play a key role in taking down the film's villain, Maxime Le Mal. Director Chris Renaud cited the Fantastic Four as a creative starting point so that each character's powers would connect back to their existing design. For Minions, that logic leads to some very funny places. And, who is Mega Sam? Sadly, his unicorn powers didn't awaken until the credits, but we still love him, anyway.
Ron the Minion
Ron is one of three Minions who stay behind with Gru's family during witness protection in Despicable Me 4, alongside Phil and Ralph. He is a medium-height Minion with two eyes and a thick buzz-cut full of hair. Ron got name-checked by Edith in the first Despicable Me 4 trailer, which officially put him on fans' radar.
Ron and Phil spend the better part of the film pulling pranks on Ralph, who is trapped inside a vending machine from nearly the moment the family arrives at their safehouse. Ron also shows up in the end credits with a shrink ray from the original Despicable Me, which he uses to even a score with Mega Jerry. It is a chaotic little button on his story, and it fits him perfectly.
Ralph the Minion
Ralph might be the unluckiest Minion in the entire franchise. From the moment Gru's family arrives at their witness protection safehouse in Despicable Me 4, Ralph gets stuck inside the vending machine in the hallway. He stays there for basically the whole film while Ron and Phil use him as a target for pranks instead of helping him get out.
At the very end of the movie, Ralph finally breaks free... only for the vending machine to tip over, hit the emergency lockdown button, and sink the entire safehouse underground, trapping him all over again. Ralph's whole arc is one long cosmic joke, and it might be the most committed running gag in any Despicable Me film. Somehow, he still shows up wearing a big smile. The guy is a survivor.
Minions & Monsters
It's time for the next chapter in the Minions' story with the upcoming Minions & Monsters, set for release on July 1, 2026. Unlike the Minions you already know, our new cast of yellow guys belong to a completely different tribe of Minions living in 1920s Hollywood... a separate crew who have their own wild chapter of history to tell. The minions crash a Hollywood film set, accidentally become movie stars, throw lavish parties in mansions, and inspire early audiences to wear overalls and goggles everywhere. Their 15 minutes of fame come to a hard stop when sound comes to cinema, though, since Minionese is not exactly a scripted language. Time to cause new trouble and make an epic movie for Minions fans!
James the Minion
James is a short, one-eyed Minion with perhaps the most unique hairstyle of them all: three curly little hairs. His one eye provides him a keen directorial vision, no doubt. But, when words come to their movie-making career, and James and his crew find themselves broke and purposeless, James breaks away from the larger tribe with Henry and Ed to hunt real monsters for a monster movie. Things go sideways fast. James is already confirmed as one of the two main face characters fans can meet at Universal Studios Florida ahead of the film's release, so expect him to be a major fan favorite.
Henry the Minion
Henry is the co-lead of Minions & Monsters alongside James, and the two of them are being promoted as the faces of the film. Like James, Henry is part of the 1920s Hollywood Minion tribe and makes the same wild journey from silent film star to monster hunter. Henry joins James at Universal Studios Florida's Illumination Theater, making them the first new Minion characters to get the full meet-and-greet treatment ahead of a film's release. That kind of rollout does not happen for side characters, so these two are the real deal. (Plus, Henry can do magic?)
Ed the Minion
Ed rounds out the lead trio in Minions & Monsters. Alongside James and Henry, Ed is part of the breakaway squad that ditches the larger tribe to chase monster stardom. Their plan is simple: find real monsters, cast them in a movie, and become Hollywood legends all over again. The execution is, predictably, a disaster of the most entertaining kind. The trio accidentally unleashes actual monsters on Hollywood and then has to scramble to fix everything before the whole city gets destroyed. Ed has not had as much pre-release spotlight as James and Henry, but as the third lead of the film's central trio, he is set to be a major presence when Minions & Monsters hits theaters July 1, 2026.
Minion Costumes
Before you go, why not check out some of our favorite Minion costumes? We are HalloweenCostumes.com, after all! We've got Minion costumes for adults and kids, inflatables, jumpsuits, and accessories to help make the transformation quick, easy, and fun as can be. Grab a colorful or spiffy-looking tuxedo to bring your own GentleMinions costume to life! Expand the story even further with our Despicable Me costumes, featuring exclusive takes on Lucy Wilde, Dr. Nefario, Vector, Gru... and even a few bananas or a fluffy unicorn.
ALL of these 10,000+ little guys are so cute, we just can’t get enough! It is so much fun to watch them wear silly costumes with their overalls! What are your favorite Despicable Me characters? Do you have a favorite Despicable Me Minion? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to pick up your favorite Minion costume so you're prepared for the new Minions cartoon film release!
*All Minions imagery taken or adapted from Illumination, IMDB, and Fandom.
