OH YEAH! 7 Unforgettable Facts About Vector (Victor Perkins) And His Shocking Return In Despicable Me 4

Vector Perkins, or Victor Perkins, as his father knows him, remains one of the most quotable and surprisingly enduring villains in modern animation history. Despite being the primary antagonist of the original 2010 film, his unique blend of genius-level intellect and socially awkward immaturity—all wrapped up in an infamous orange tracksuit—made him an instant fan favorite and the perfect foil to Felonious Gru's own brand of villainy. As of today, Thursday, December 18, 2025, new information has solidified his place in the franchise, confirming his shocking survival and return to the main storyline in recent projects, including the 2023 short film Mooned and a cameo in the 2024 sequel, Despicable Me 4.

This deep dive explores the full biography of the man who commits crimes with both direction and magnitude, detailing his iconic inventions, his bizarre journey through space, and the definitive, up-to-date status of the character, whose story is far from over in the ever-expanding Despicable Me universe.

Vector Perkins: The Complete Supervillain Biography

Vector Perkins, whose real name is Victor Perkins, made his debut as the primary antagonist of Illumination’s first feature film, Despicable Me. He is the privileged, only son of Mr. Perkins, the imposing President of the notorious Bank of Evil, an institution that provides loans to fund supervillainous schemes.

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• Full Name: Victor Perkins
• Alias/Supervillain Name: Vector, Vector Perkins
• Voiced By: Jason Segel (Film & 2023 Short)
• Father: Mr. Perkins (President of the Bank of Evil)
• Key Appearances: Despicable Me (2010), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022, photo cameo), Mooned (2023 short film), Despicable Me 4 (2024, minor character/cameo)
• Occupation: Supervillain, Inventor (formerly); AVL Prisoner (currently)
• Defining Crime: Stealing the Great Pyramid of Giza and replacing it with an inflatable replica.
• Catchphrase: "I'm committing crimes with both direction and magnitude! Oh, yeah!"
• Iconic Attire: Orange and white tracksuit (which he insists are "not pajamas!")
• Status: Imprisoned in the Anti-Villain League’s maximum security prison.

Despite his adult age, Vector possesses a distinctly juvenile and arrogant personality, often boasting about his achievements and reveling in his own brilliance. His initial affable nature toward Gru quickly turned into a bitter archrivalry after Gru froze his head, a petty act that fueled Vector's desire for revenge and led to him stealing Gru’s Shrink Ray.

The Genius and Goofball: Vector’s High-Tech Arsenal

Vector is not merely a rich kid playing dress-up; he is a certified technological genius and master inventor whose skills genuinely rival, and in some ways surpass, those of Gru. His villainous persona is a perfect blend of high-tech competence and comical ineptitude, making him a unique threat.

The Piranha Gun and Squid Launcher

Vector’s most memorable weapons are his aquatic-themed guns, a detail that hints at his childhood fascination with sharks. The Piranha Gun fires live piranhas, while the Squid Launcher shoots squids, both of which are used in his attempts to thwart Gru. This creative, yet utterly ridiculous, arsenal perfectly captures his dual nature as a brilliant inventor and a childish show-off.

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His lair, a modern fortress, is a testament to his technological prowess, equipped with a sophisticated security system, including laser grids, missiles, and even a trained pet shark. This entire complex was a significant obstacle for Gru when he attempted to steal back the Shrink Ray, demonstrating Vector's strategic mind when it comes to defense.

The Orange Tracksuit: Not Pajamas!

Perhaps the most iconic aspect of Vector’s character is his bright orange and white tracksuit. This outfit, which Agnes famously mistook for pajamas, is actually a highly advanced piece of villainous tech. It can convert into a flight suit, allowing him to fly, and a fully functional spacesuit, which ultimately saved his life when he was stranded in space. The line "THEY ARE NOT PAJAMAS!" has become one of the most popular and meme-worthy quotes from the entire franchise, highlighting his sensitive and easily annoyed ego.

From the Moon to Mars: Vector’s Bizarre Space Odyssey

Vector's ultimate defeat in the first Despicable Me film was not death, but a hilarious banishment to the moon. After double-crossing Gru by keeping the adopted girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—even after receiving the shrunken moon, Vector's ego led him to disregard the girls' warnings about the moon rapidly growing back to its original size.

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The resulting explosion of his spacecraft left him stranded on the lunar surface, a fate he accepted with his final, resigned line: "Oh, poop." For years, fan speculation persisted about his survival, with a 2017 Blu-Ray feature mentioning that he was still visible through telescopes as a "roaming orange dot."

The 2023 Short Film: Mooned

The question of Vector's fate was definitively answered in the 2023 theatrical short film, Mooned, which premiered before the movie Migration. This short chronicles Vector's misadventures on the moon, where he eventually builds a makeshift rocket in an attempt to get back to Earth. In a classic comedic twist, a Minion attempts to help him, but Vector, too focused on his own plan and unable to understand the Minion's language, accidentally collides with the Minion's ship.

The collision sends him even further away, crash-landing him on Mars. The short ends with Vector stranded on the red planet, once again saying, "Oh poop," confirming his survival but escalating his cosmic predicament to a new level.

The Shocking Return: Vector as an AVL Prisoner in Despicable Me 4 (2024)

The latest and most significant update to Vector's story came with the release of Despicable Me 4 in 2024. After his stranding on Mars in the 2023 short, the film confirms that Vector somehow made it back to Earth.

However, his return was not a triumphant one. Vector is revealed to be an AVL Prisoner, locked up in the Anti-Villain League’s maximum security prison alongside his father, Mr. Perkins. This makes Vector the first main antagonist from the series to be arrested by the AVL, a fate his successors, like El Macho and Balthazar Bratt, also faced.

In his brief but memorable cameo, Vector is seen wearing a prison uniform that humorously resembles his signature orange tracksuit. He is present during a concert performed by Gru and the new villain, Maxime Le Mal, where he is shown happily dancing with his father and other past franchise villains, including El Macho and Balthazar Bratt. This scene suggests that while he is imprisoned, Vector may have let go of his intense, petty grudge against Gru, choosing instead to enjoy his life as a wealthy, albeit incarcerated, super-genius.

Vector’s journey—from stealing the Great Pyramid of Giza, to being stranded on the moon, then Mars, and finally ending up in an AVL prison—is one of the most winding and entertaining character arcs in the franchise. His continued presence in the films and shorts, even in a minor capacity, is a nod to his enduring popularity and his foundational role in Gru’s transformation from a heartless villain to a loving father and hero.