Steve Carell is nothing if not consistent as the comedic superstar parodies Marvel into the ground.

The time for debates and dissent around Superhero Fatigue is over and it’s high time the fans admitted that the global symptom is trying to tell us something. Steve Carell’s latest animated dooblydoo, Despicable Me 4 has just shattered the box office expectations of 2024 by a mile and a half, and Marvel is yet to impress its viewers with a half-decent movie worthy of its reputation.

With one section of Marvel Studios invested in bludgeoning our senses to the point of lackluster numbness and the other sections working overtime to bring more than a dozen different series of unique and exotic flavors, it is safe to say that neither film nor streaming is doing anything to help Kevin Feige earn points with the audience right now.

On the other hand, Steve Carell’s villainous Gru and his posse of degenerate minions are well on their way to ringing the billion-dollar bell faster than you can say banana.

Steve Carell Singlehandedly Takes Down the MCU

While no one is proud to have the parallel universe alter ego of Michael Scott aka Gru wreak havoc on his plane of animated existence, the audience is beyond giddy to welcome another chapter of the minions and their adorable, chaotic dysfunctionality in Despicable Me 4.

However, with the arrival of the yellow space aliens also comes the doomsday call of another multiversal empire. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, which had reigned uncontested in Hollywood till 2019, now faces charges of gross misconduct against its incredible selection of IPs (Hulk and Daredevil in She-Hulk) and objectionable storytelling (Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder).

The real blasphemy occurs in Phase Five as fans are forced to sit and witness some of the most abhorrent and distasteful films ever to grace the theaters of this world. Among them are Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Madame Web – which are so exceptionally and ridiculously bad that it’s a wonder how they ever left the factory lineup, let alone score a budget of $326.6 million, $270 million, and $80-100 million respectively.

Despicable Me 4 Signals the End of Marvel’s Reign

Nutty, hilarious, and positively enjoyable – the performance of Despicable Me 4 far outshines simple words of praise and adulation. Steve Carell‘s new film is as funny as it is grounded, with jokes solidly sticking the landing, no part of its subplots going overboard, and no scene overstaying its welcome. With villains as refreshing as they are entertaining, it seems as though the animated film has all the components that the MCU has been lacking these days.

Made on a budget of $100 million, the film has already earned $229.5 million globally in just 5 days since its release [via Variety], trouncing the earlier placeholder, Inside Out 2 from its position as the highest-grossing film every weekend until the Fourth of July when Despicable Me 4 landed in theaters [via Forbes].

However, the more interesting news follows the trajectory of Steve Carell’s summer blockbuster that has outgrossed two Marvel movies in its opening weekend, namely The Marvels and Madame Web – both wielding iconic characters (Captain Marvel and IPs from the Spider-Man universe) and led by industry A-listers (Brie Larson, Sydney Sweeney, and Dakota Johnson).

Now, fans are out for blood and it is getting progressively more humiliating for Marvel out in the real world.

At this rate, the MCU and all its multi-billion dollar properties and sagas will suffer defeat at the hands of the villainous and despicable Gru and his little minion army which, if the parallels are already not obvious enough, is equivalent to the multiverse conquering Kang being taken down by an army of ants. In a word – humiliating.

Despicable Me 4 is currently playing in theaters worldwide.