- “Do you have any idea of the capital that this bank has invested in you, Gru? With far too few of your sinister plots actually turning a profit. How can I put it, let's say this apple is you. If we don't start getting our money back... [crushes the apple] ... Get the picture?”
- ―Mr. Perkins threatening Gru.
Mr. James Reginald "Jim" Perkins is the overarching antagonist of Universal•Illumination's 2010 animated feature film Despicable Me. He is the father of Victor Perkins and the President of the Bank of Evil, where he supplies loans to villains on their schemes, including his son. He is at first an ally of Felonious Gru, but turns on him due to his constant inefficacy.
Background[]
Personality[]
Mr. Perkins is an even tempered, yet cold-blooded and ruthless man. He has a dislike for Gru for no real reason (though the pittance of profitability in Gru's former criminal activities can be a deciding factor) and stated that he preferred to use younger villains, such as his son, due to their grander and trend-worthy vision. He also compared Gru to an apple and crushed two apples when speaking to him on different occasions. The reason for this is because younger villains are overly ambitious for their own good and eager to make a name for themselves compared to already established career villains like Gru who were extremely successful at their jobs, making the new blood envious as well potentially more dangerous and harder to control.
Perkins has a strong bond with his son Vector. On his desk there is a picture of him giving Vector a piggy-back ride. He praises Vector more than he admonishes him.
Appearances[]
Despicable Me[]
Mr. Perkins first appears in his office when Felonious Gru arrives to apply for a new loan to support his next plan to steal the Moon by shrinking it and giving it to the Bank. Mr. Perkins is impressed by the plan, but states that he will provide the money only if Gru can obtain a shrink ray first. He also warns Gru that the latter will be facing severe consequences if he does not pay back for the previous loans he used for his past schemes; and to prove his point, he crushes an apple with his fist, much to Gru's shock.
However, in secret, Mr. Perkins believes that because his son Vector is now the world's #1 villain after capturing the Great Pyramid of Giza, Gru is incapable of capturing the moon. Even when Gru successfully shows his plan to steal the moon by revealing that he has stolen a shrink ray from an East Asian facility, Mr. Perkins does not tag along and instead closes Gru's accounts, as he still believes that Vector should be the one to get the job done. After calling in Vector to his office, Mr. Perkins tells him about Gru's possession of the shrink ray and encourages him to take action so that they can claim the moon for themselves.
Mr. Perkins then sends Vector to steal the moon. It is unknown what has happened to Mr. Perkins after Vector was defeated by being stranded on the moon's surface afterwards, but it can be possible that he gets bankrupt following his son's defeat, or he simply keeps on running the Bank of Evil.
Minions[]
Mr. Perkins is seen briefly in the crowd during the 1968 Villain Con watching Scarlet Overkill.
Minions: The Rise of Gru[]
Mr. Perkins is presented when Wild Knuckles and Gru make an attempt to steal the Mona Lisa picture from the Bank of Evil.
Despicable Me 4[]
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