In the 1970s, long before he rises to become a master of evil, Gru is simply a twelve-year-old suburban boy who dreams of world domination in his basement. When the notorious gang of villains ‘The Nasty 6’ throw out their leader, Gru applies to be his successor, but soon ends up as the gang's mortal enemy. While Gru has to flee, the Minions learn martial arts to save him, and Gru finds out that even villains can sometimes use a little help from their friends.