Did the Minions Really Serve Hitler? The Franchise Finally Breaks Its Silence

‘Minions & Monsters’ has arrived in theaters as the latest chapter in the Despicable Me universe, and it is already making waves well beyond the box office. The film currently holds a 89% Tomatometer score from 51 reviews, placing it above every previous entry in the Despicable Me universe on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Pierre Coffin has helmed the first three Despicable Me movies, the first Minions spinoff film, and now this week’s sequel.

Part of what makes the new film stand out is how it expands the mythology of the Minions themselves. The 2015 movie ‘Minions’ tried to avoid one particular controversy by explaining that the main group of Minions disappeared into a cave after accidentally causing problems for their previous bosses, remaining there from 1812 until 1968, meaning they were not around during World War II. That timeline conveniently sidestepped a question fans have joked about for years.

That question resurfaced hard once ‘Minions & Monsters’ hit screens. The new film changes the conversation by introducing the idea that there are multiple Minion tribes around the world, opening the door to questions about what other groups of Minions were doing throughout history. Naturally, a reporter finally put the question directly to Coffin, who both directs the film and voices the Minions.

Speaking to Polygon, Coffin was asked whether the new Minions introduced in the film had worked for Hitler, given that the creatures have always sought out the most evil boss in history. His first instinct was to laugh the question off entirely. “I think they were in that cave,” he told the outlet, referring to the original group of Minions from the 2015 film.

The follow up question is where things got interesting. When it was pointed out that ‘Minions & Monsters’ introduces different tribes entirely, Coffin acknowledged the answer was more complicated, admitting “I was trying to avoid the answer.” He then clarified further, saying “So the Minions that we know from Minions 1 were stuck in the cave. These ones, I don’t know where they were, but they were not part of the Big History.”

So the official answer, as murky as it may be, is that no known Minion tribe has been tied to the Nazi regime. The Express Tribune reported that Coffin ultimately confirmed none of the known Minion tribes worked for Hitler or participated in the events of the Second World War, while noting the new tribes were simply not part of the “Big History.” Whether that fully satisfies the internet’s decade long fixation on this theory remains to be seen.

The timing of Coffin’s comments lines up with a strong critical moment for the franchise. Minions & Monsters takes place 48 years before the 2015 movie, following the Minions as they try to make a monster movie in Old Hollywood, and the film is not only the highest rated in the Despicable Me franchise but also Illumination’s best rated project in its 16 year history. Industry projections had the film earning a five day opening of at least 65 million dollars over the Fourth of July frame.

Coffin did not stop at Hitler either. He also revealed that an early concept for Minion origins involved tiny yellow organisms spreading across planets after the Big Bang, an idea that was ultimately abandoned, and confirmed that Minions are effectively immortal and cannot die despite the countless explosions depicted throughout the series.

It’s a strange kind of canon to nail down for a franchise built on pratfalls and gibberish, but that has not stopped fans from treating it seriously for years. With ‘Minions & Monsters’ now expanding the lore even further, do you think this is really the last word on the Minions and their darkest hypothetical boss, or is Illumination just setting up the next fan theory to argue about for another decade?