The ever popular Minions return alongside Gru and his growing family in Despicable Me 4. Trailers for the film promised to introduce viewers to a team of Mega Minions which, according to directors Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, were inspired by The Fantastic Four.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Renaud said the idea was the result of wanting to place the Minions in a new comedic situation. "So, when we started, [the Minions] were more part of the story in Mayflower, the nice town, and they were sort of hanging out on yachts, and I think they were in Vegas for part of the time," he said. "They had this kind of well-to-do lifestyle that they were living, but there wasn't really enough comedy in it. So then we started talking about them working at the AVL and having the opportunity for them to go be agents for the AVL, which we thought was fun."

"I know for me, I was definitely thinking about simple powers that are very graphic and easily understood. We talked about a lot of things, but I think knowing the amount of screen time we had, which wasn't much, [we went with] very kind of archetypal powers sort of in the vein and the look of The Fantastic Four," Renaud continued. "So their powers aren't exactly The Fantastic Four, but one thing that I like as a comparison to that group is The Fantastic Four powers are slightly goofy. The Invisible Woman, the fire guy, the rock guy, there's something about it."

The Minions Chanel Their Inner Superheroes

"It works great as a comic, but the visual and graphic sensibility of those powers really lent themselves to the Minions," Renaud added. "In other words, with the Minion who stretches – that's Tim, who's our big tall guy – and so it makes sense [for him]. And of course, Mel, with the laser beam powers, he's a one-eyed guy with a goggle, and then the goggle extends. So it was looking at ways that even some of the design as a normal minion, how that design could lead to what their superpower might be."

The Minions have been a central part of the Despicable Me franchise since the first film was released in 2010. Serving as loyal henchmen to Gru, they are characterized by their wacky antics, silly behavior and Minionese language. Created by Eric Guillon, Pierre Coffin, and Chris Renaud, the Minions have become incredibly popular, serving as the official mascots for Illumination Entertainment. They even appeared in a standalone Minions film in 2015 that earned over $1 billion at the global box office.

Despicable Me 4 is playing in theaters.