Let’s talk about that 2010 kids comedy where a super villain played by a middle aged comedic actor who loses his purpose as an antagonist then ends up saving the world. Of course, I’m talking about “Despicable Me,” with Steve Carell. Oh, and also “Megamind,” with Will Ferrell.

This is more common than you think, and there’s even a name for it: twin films. Multiple studios catch wind of developing projects from screenwriters and directors, or sometimes the rights to a book becomes available and the race to cash in for the newest summer blockbuster begins.

Without further ado, let us pit our twin movies against each other, and find out which of these two villain-led movies is truly better: “Despicable Me” or “Megamind”?

Here is the main difference between our two films. “Despicable Me” introduces us to Gru, a supervillain who is planning to steal the moon with the help of his tiny, yellow henchmen dubbed “minions”. 

In the midst of his scheme, three orphan girls want to make him their dad, which he originally declines. An opposing super villain named Vector hijacks his plans and endangers the girls in the process, leading to Gru rescuing them, thwarting the moon theft, and saving the day. 

“Megamind” however, starts with a thwarted supervillain finding success after his arch-nemesis (Metro Man) suddenly disappears. After realizing he has no purpose without his foe, Megamind creates his own hero (Tighten), who rejects the hero’s life and turns on the city.

Our protagonist defeats his creation and saves the world, leading to him dropping his villain persona and devoting himself to saving others. Meanwhile, we find out that Metro Man is alive, and just wanted to let go of his label as a hero.

Now, let’s talk about financial success. “Despicable Me” spawned three more sequels and even two prequels, which focus on the commercial merchandising hit: Minions. All six movies have grossed a whopping $4.4 billion dollars, completely demolishing “Megamind’s” $322 million profit. First round goes to “Despicable Me.”

But how do the actors fare, side by side? When we compare the casts, we are at an even draw. Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Julie Andrews, and Miranda Cosgrove are an impressive set of voices, but “Megamind” more than impresses with Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and J.K. Simmons.

But what about the films’ long-term impact? The general consensus among fans is that “Megamind” is even more prescient after the past decade of superhero movies, and comments on the genre far more effectively than “Despicable Me.” This is largely due to better, more cohesive writing and story.

Megamind’s strength is that he is a more richly-written character, and his movie has more to say about a person’s role in the world, and what really motivates a hero. “Despicable Me” seems to only have more to say in regard to catchphrases and selling toys.

“Megamind” feels like more than just a kids movie; more time was spent on his backstory and he was given a more compelling childhood to explain why he became bad in the first place. Gru switched to “good guy” almost immediately.

So who wins the duel?

The winner is “Megamind”! In part, because minions characters have taken years off of my life, and the sheer saturation of the yellow ghouls has haunted me for over a decade, as well as invaded every meme on my parents’ Facebook feed. 

Most importantly, “Megamind” had a more compelling story and more fleshed-out characters. Even though “Despicable Me” is a bigger financial success, “Megamind” did it right the first time, so no sequels were necessary. You can call that a “Gru-some defeat”.

Stay tuned for next week’s Movie Duel, “Upgrade” vs. “Venom,” where we see two look-alike actors both accept a second consciousness into their body, then struggle with the dark intentions that follow. Who will win? If you guess correctly, you get a free subscription to the Thunderword!