20 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Minions
15. Gru Banks With Lehman Brothers
The Bank of Evil is a major plot point in the first movie: Gru needs, or thinks he needs, its approval to carry out his dream project. Like everything in the community of supervillains, the Bank of Evil drips with exaggerated, campy villainy, including the statues that seem to show terrified victims in death traps. Its owner, Mr. Perkins, seems to be a combination of the Pointy-Haired Boss from Dilbert comic strips and the Kingpin from Marvel Comics.
In 2010, memories of the global recession of 2008 and Lehman Brothers' role in it were fresh in everyone's minds, so when we first see the logo for the Bank of Evil, the camera lingers long enough to make sure we get the joke.