16 Great Movie Villains Gru Would Look Up To

Even bad guys need role models.
16 Great Movie Villains Gru Would Look Up To

We all have a variety of mentors and idols in our lives. They can be celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Conan O’Brien. Characters you admire from film or TV like Superman or Conan O’Brien. They can be historical figures like Crispus Attucks or Conan O’Brien. They can even be distant family members like your fifth cousin (who happens to be Conan O’Brien). There are many folks that one can admire and emulate.

But what of Despicable Me’s Gru? As the new Minions: The Rise of Gru film comes out soon, one has to wonder who would be the idols and mentors that a young supervillain such as he would aspire to be? Who would be bad enough? Who would be evil enough? Who would be that despicable?

We at Cracked racked up a roster of baddies that the young megalomaniacal scamp would love to apprentice with. Here are our findings.

Lex Luthor from 'Superman'

Villains Gru would look up to Superman LEX LUTHOR A bald man relying on his intellect to get rich and take over the planet? How is this man not Gru's father? CRACKED.COM

Yzma from 'The Emperor's New Groove'

Villains Gru would look up to The Emperor's New Groove YZMA A power hungry, megalomaniacal genius with a killer evil cackle- everything Gru would look for in a villainous mentor. And her connection to her henchman Gronk isn't unlike Gru's relationship with his Minion pals. CRACKED.COM

Voldemort from 'Harry Potter'

Villains Gru would look up to Harry Potter franchise VOLDEMORT Не Who Shall Not Be Named inspires fear in all who think of him, something the young Gru wants. Also, Gru would probably look up to a fellow villain that is self- conscious about his nose (or lack thereof). CRACKED.COM

Tyler Durder from 'Fight Club'

Villains Gru would look up to Fight Club TYLER DURDEN Sure, he's a random guy's other personality, but Durden inspires others to do his chaotic work for him. That can certainly make Gru take notes on how to manage his Minions. CRACKED.COM

Thanos from the MCU

Villains Gru would look up to Marvel Cinematic Universe THANOS Many villains crave ultimate power over life and death, but how many actually achieve it? A little Gru would be inspired that even a man with a shriveled raisin for a face has potential to conquer reality itself. CRACKED.COM

T-1000 from 'Terminator 2'

Villains Gru would look up to AUSTIN Terminator 2: Judgment Day Т-1000 While Gru could never be a shapeshifting lump of liquid metal, he can still be inspired by the T-1000's determination. Never give up, never give in (unless you've fallen into molten steel). CRACKED.COM

Mr. Potter from 'It's a Wonderful Life'

Villains Gru would look up to It's a Wonderful Life MR. POTTER Rich, selfish, crabby, hates kids. Replace wants to take over Bedford Falls with wants to take over the world, and he's basically Gru at the start of the first Despicable Me movie. CRACKED.COM

Immortan Joe from 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

Villains Gru would look up to Mad Max: Fury Road IMMORTAN JOE A charismatic leader that rules over hundreds of minions with a large, badass vehicle, just like adult Gru. Sure, Gru went with a simpler, sleeker look, but the parallels are undeniable. CRACKED.COM

Emperor Palpatine from 'Star Wars'

Villains Gru would look up to Star Wars EMPEROR PALPATINE Young Gru would not only be inspired by the Emperor's lust for power, but also his reliance on bumbling, uniformed minions (the Stormtroopers). CRACKED.COM

Ma-Ma from 'Dredd'

Villains Gru would look up to Dredd MA-MA Ma-Ma might be seen as small time compared to other villains that Gru would look up to, but her ruthlessness and ability to соах others to her cause are nearly unmatched. CRACKED.COM

Joker from 'Batman' and 'The Dark Knight'

Villains Gru would look up to Batman (1989)/The Dark Knight JOKER Gru would be inspired by the devil-may- care chaos of Heath Ledger's version, combined with Jack Nicholson's massive gadgets, balloons, and loyal henchmen. CRACKED.COM

Hans Gruber from 'Die Hard'

Villains Gru would look up to Die Hard HANS GRUBER Hans' delegation and coordination skills are something Gru could learn from. There's also the Sorta-Kinda- German accent the two of them share. CRACKED.COM

Gordon Gecko from 'Wall Street'

Villains Gru would look up to Wall Street GORDON GEKKO The desire for money and living the high life is intrinsic to Gru's being. If there was one lesson he'd cling onto, it would be that greed is good. CRACKED.COM

Ernst Blofeld from the 'James Bond' franchise

Villains Gru would look up to James Bond franchise ERNST BLOFELD With his bald head, desire for world power, nondescript European accent, and association with a clandestine organization bent on global disarray, Blofeld is essentially the mold that Gru was forged from. CRACKED.COM

Ra's al Ghul from 'Batman Begins'

Villains Gru would look up to Batman Begins RA'S AL GHUL Не has his League of Shadows as minions, an absurd machine that turns water into vapor for a fear gas, and hopes to take over the world in a peaceful image that he'd benefit from. It feels like a plan Gru would come up with. CRACKED.COM

Dr. Evil from 'Austin Powers'

Villains Gru would look up to Austin Powers franchise DR. EVIL Come on, they're the same person. The only real difference is that Dr. Evil's voice is a Lorne Michaels impression gone to full blast, and Gru sounds like Zangief from Street Fighter. CRACKED.COM
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