As Despicable Me 4 dominates the box office, it’s easy to forget that the original film in the franchise suggested a very different origin story for the Minions — one that was eventually retconned by 2015’s Minions. In addition to garnering a whopping $1.159 billion and cementing the Minions’ place in pop culture, the 2015 movie reshaped the Despicable Me franchise’s overall narrative. In the original Despicable Me, viewers follow the misadventures of the supervillain, Gru (Steve Carell), and his yellow-colored, ever-loyal henchmen, the Minions, as they attempt to steal the Moon.

The original film suggests that Gru, a longtime villain, somehow created the Minions. Although Gru is an incredibly conniving and sharp-witted character, later films in the Despicable Me franchise confirm that Gru actually had nothing to do with the Minions’ creation. Now six films into the franchise — and its spinoff series, Minions — Despicable Me has proven that the Minions’ origins are just as intriguing as their over-the-top antics and bizarre charm. Still, Despicable Me 4‘s cast of characters and plot suggest that the Minions’ original origin story might have been a more fitting thread.

2015’s Minions Revealed The Origin Of The Minions

The Minions Existed Long Before Seving Gru

The strange, Tic Tac-shaped henchmen that wind up serving Gru in the Despicable Me and Minions movies actually have a very elaborate origin story. As chronicled in 2015’s Minions, the titular creatures have existed since the beginning of time — though they weren’t always the pill-shaped, big-eyed characters audiences know and love. The Minions evolved from single-celled organisms into beings driven by one purpose: to serve history’s most evil people. However, from allowing a T. rex to roll into a volcano to crushing a Pharaoh with a pyramid, the all-male Minions always inadvertently kill their villainous master.

After exposing Dracula to sunlight, the Minions find themselves serving Napoleon — at least for a little while. A misfired cannon gets them axed from Napoleon’s crew, so the Minions start a new life inside a cave somewhere in Russia. Dormant and unmotivated, the Minions went into a kind of hibernation for decades until three of them — Kevin, Stuart, and Bob — leave their abode to find a new master to serve. Soon enough, the Minions emerge in 1960s New York City, where they meet Scarlet Overkill — the world’s first female supervillain. Eventually, the Minions wind up with Gru, as seen in Despicable Me.

The Original Despicable Me Suggested Gru Created The Minions

Before The Minions Became A Craze, Their Origin Story Was Simpler

In the first Despicable Me film, a small moment teases that the Minions have a vastly different origin story from the one portrayed in the 2015 movie. A scene in the first film features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it diagram of the Minions in Gru’s daughters’ bedroom. The diagram of the pill-shaped characters is labeled in such a way that suggests the Minions in their current form is their “final design” (via PBS). This hidden visual detail more than suggests that Gru created the Minions, hinting at a Dr. Frankenstein-style relationship between the Minions and their creator. Of course, Minions retcons that minor detail.

Why Despicable Me Retconned The Minions’ Origin Story

The Minions New Backstory Allows Them To Have Solo Adventures

It’s not clear why the Despicable Me franchise retconned the Minions original backstory. It’s possible the diagram in Gru’s house was more of a random background detail than something intended to reveal more about the Minions and Despicable Me timeline. At the same time, Illumination probably didn’t realize just how much of a massive hit the franchise would be — and, in particular, how the little yellow henchmen would take the world by storm. That said, giving the Minions an origin story that predates Gru allows Illumination to tell stories about the henchmen on their own, apart from the former supervillain. Given how widely marketable the Minions are, it was a sound decision to give them solo outings.

The Original Minions Origin Story Was Better

The Minions’ Connection To Gru Made For A More Compelling Story

In many ways, the seemingly original plan for the Minions’ origin story might have been the stronger narrative thread. For starters, if Gru created the Minions, the act would only further underscore his supervillain genius. On an emotional level, it would serve to strengthen his relationship with the cast of Minions characters. While the bond between Gru and his henchmen is still a crucial part of the Despicable Me franchise, the original backstory for the Minions’ creation goes a step further. Not to mention, the focus on family in the latest franchise film could have tied in nicely with Gru’s creation of the Minions — these mischievous creatures who become both children and coworkers.

Despicable Me 4 is now playing in theaters.