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| “ | Somebody's going to die tonight. | „ |
| ~ El Macho's most famous quote when he finds out that the Anti-Villain League agents invaded his restaurant, even making boss intro in Minion Rush. |
| “ | El Macho: You have not lost your touch, my friend. Gru: Aha! I knew it! You are El Macho! El Macho: That's right! Gru: Nobody believed me! Ho ho, but I knew you weren't dead. El Macho: Of course not. I merely faked my death! But now, it's time for me to make a spectacular return to evil! |
„ |
| ~ El Macho reveals himself to Gru. |
| “ | I have admired your work for years, amigo! Stealing the moon? Are you kidding?! We would be unstoppable. Men like you, men like me. We should be ruling the world! So what do you say? | „ |
| ~ El Macho revealing his true nature to Gru. |
Eduardo Perez, better known by his supervillain name El Macho, is the main antagonist of Illumination's 4th full-length feature film Despicable Me 2 and a minor character in its 2024 sequel Despicable Me 4.
He is a Mexican supervillain who kidnapped Felonious Gru's minions and turned them into feral killing machines with the PX-41 Serum so that they can help him conquer the world.
He was voiced by Benjamin Bratt, who also played El Topo in Snitch, Antonio Pope in Ride Along 2 and Ernesto de la Cruz in Coco. In the Japanese dub, he was voiced by Kiichi Nakai.
Biography[]
Past[]
| “ | Gru: That guy looks exactly like a villain named El Macho... from about 20 years ago. He was ruthless... He was dangerous... And as the name implies... Very macho! He had the reputation of committing heists using only his bare hands! But sadly, like all the greats, El Macho was gone too soon. He died in the most macho way possible - riding a shark with 250 pounds of dynamite strapped to his chest into the mouth of an active volcano! It was glorious! Lucy: Yeah, sounds like El Macho's pretty dead... Gru: They never found the body. Oh no. All that was ever retrieved was a pile of singed chest hair. But... that face. It has got to be El Macho. |
„ |
| ~ El Macho's backstory. |
Twenty years prior to the events of Despicable Me 2, El Macho was a criminal who had a reputation for terrorizing Mexico. One day, El Macho allegedly died by riding a live shark with 250 pounds of dynamite strapped to his chest into an active volcano. No one was ever able to retrieve his body. They only found a lump of chest hair.
Going into hiding, El Macho moved to America, getting married, having a son named Antonio, and opening a very successful Mexican restaurant named "Salsa & Salsa" in the Paradise Shopping Mall.
Despicable Me 2[]
In the present day, a highly powerful mutagen known as PX-41 is stolen along with the secret laboratory where it is being developed by El Macho's magnet-shaped aircraft. The Anti-Villain League recruits the former supervillain Felonious Gru (now a jelly manufacturer) to seek out the culprit along with undercover agent Lucy Wilde. They are assigned to infiltrate the Paradise Shopping Mall and find out who it is.
During their first day on the job, Gru and Lucy meet Eduardo Perez and he tells them about his upcoming Cinco de Mayo party. Just as he is leaving, Gru recognizes him as El Macho and decides to break into his restaurant with Lucy to see if they can find anything suspicious. That night, after breaking in, they are spotted by Eduardo's pet chicken Pollito, who happens to be the restaurant security guard. After Lucy subdues the chicken, they break into the kitchen, but find only a jar of salsa. Eduardo soon returns and they barely manage to escape. Eduardo then looks up at the car flying away with a surprised look on face.
The next day, Eduardo meets up with Gru and his daughters at Salsa y Salsa. Eduardo notices that Margo has developed a crush on his son Antonio and invites the family to the big Cinco de Mayo party at his mansion. At the party, he notices that Gru is quite sad, as Lucy has been relocated to Australia. Eduardo sympathizes with him and tells him that he has also gone through some tough times, reasoning that "there's much more to us than meets the eye." After he leaves, Gru decides to follow him and see what he is really up to.
Gru eventually reaches a secret room hidden deep inside the house and runs into Eduardo dressed in his El Macho regalia, leading him to realize that he was El Macho all along. El Macho announces that he is "making a spectacular return to evil" and brings in Gru's elderly assistant Dr. Nefario, who is now working for him. Dr. Nefario reveals that he has been kidnapping Gru's Minions and using the PX-41 mutation formula to turn them into an army of indestructible killing machines and using his inventions to steal the PX-41. El Macho proclaims that he will use the minions to conquer the world.
He offers Gru a chance to join forces with him, saying that he has admired his work as a villain for years. However, a disgusted Gru turns down the offer and leaves with his daughters. Antonio has also left Margo for another girl, so Gru freezes him with his freeze ray.
After they leave, Lucy arrives at the party because she has developed feelings for Gru. Upon entering, she is ambushed by El Pollito who gets a hold of her purse and shows it to El Macho, revealing that they both work for the Anti-Villain League. As a result, he grabs Lucy and holds her captive. Seeing this, Dr. Nefario changes his mind about working with El Macho and sides back with Gru, as he had never agreed to harm him and his family. He quickly contacts Gru that he took Lucy, which provokes Gru to go back to save her.
At Gru's house, Dr. Nefario creates an antidote for the PX-41 formula and puts it into the jelly they were making earlier. They later return to El Macho's lair and restore all the Minions back to normal by firing the antidote at them. After changing all the Minions back, Gru confronts El Macho on the top balcony and demands to know where Lucy is. He shows Lucy tied to an enormous missile and tells Gru that he intends to send the rocket straight into the same volcano where he faked his death.
Just as El Macho is about to launch the missile, one of Gru's minions steals the remote control. As a last resort, El Macho drinks the tube of the PX-41 formula, mutating him into a giant, purple hairy monster. El Macho then starts to attack Gru, but it wasn't until he uses the lipstick taser that Lucy gave to him to zap El Macho, causing him to lay on the ground. At the same time when he wakes up to speak, he is pointed by Dr. Nefario's fart gun, rendering him unconscious with the Minions and Nefario taking a selfie with him as a celebration to his defeat.
Despicable Me 4[]
It was revealed that El Macho was reverted back to a human and arrested by the AVL, he is seen in the maximum security prison at the end of the film, enjoying Gru and Maxime Le Mal's concert, singing "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and dancing alongside Vector Perkins, Mr. Perkins, Balthazar Bratt and the other villains (such as Scarlet Overkill and Herb Overkill, Villain Con Villains and Vicious 6).
Appearance[]
Eduardo is a short, overweight middle-aged man with long black hair that reaches his shoulders, and a thick black mustache and beard. His legs and arms are very stubby. He has light brown skin with brown eyes. According to Gru's flashbacks, twenty years ago, Eduardo was taller and more muscular than he is in the present day, and had longer black hair. In the present day, Eduardo is 5'4", just below Gru's shoulder height. He also has a lot of chest hair and stomach hair, as seen when he displays the Mexican flag tattoo on his chest. Additionally, he has a lot of hair on his arms, legs, and armpits, especially when he wears his villain outfit. Sometimes you might see him flexing his Heavyweight Champion Belt.
After being mutated after drinking the the PX-41 serum. Eduardo remains having its facal features, but he became hairy, his skin becomes purple, he also seen to point a underbite.
Personality[]
Despite being one of the greediest, most ruthless and most dangerous villains in his prime, after faking his own death and retiring from a life of crime El Macho has become a more friendlier, acquiescent, and good-natured personality. He remains a very sociable, gregarious, and interactive owner of Salsa y Salsa and has shown a degree of love for both his son Antonio and pet chicken, Pollito. Behind his complaisant and polite facade, El Macho is in possession of a deadly and destructive ambition and is more than willing to do whatever it takes to return to his lost fame.
However, underneath his confidence and calamity, El Macho also carried something of a sad and despondent side. Presumably having been forced to retire from his villainy, he had a very straightforward and genuine conversation with Gru claiming he knew the "look of the broken heart" and contemplated that he had once attempted to "drown his sorrows in guacamole", while at the same time. He did not seem to be aware of Antonio being frozen by Gru, as he was not seen later in the film.
He also has a degree of patriotism for his home country, Mexico. He reveals that he has a tattoo of the Mexican flag across his chest and while exploring his lair, it is decorated very Aztec-like. El Macho's dress style is also very reminiscent of that of a Mexican super wrestler.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Superhuman Physical Attributes: In his prime, El Macho had formidable physical power, earning him a fearsome reputation. However, after retiring from villainy, El Macho appears to have permanently lost his superhuman powers.
- Superhuman Strength: El Macho was capable of instantly smash a brick wall with his shoulder and puncture an armored bank truck and even lifting the vehicle over his head.
- Superhuman Durability: El Macho used his head to smash the grille of the armored truck without the slightest damage.
- Superhuman Metabolism: El Macho drank an alcohol made from scorpion venom combined with snake venom without it having any consequences on him.
- PX-41 Mutation: Through his mutation to PX-41, El Macho regained his former power, also becoming even bigger than in his youth with a body of purple fur.
Relationships[]
Relatives[]
- Antonio Perez - Son
- El Pollito - Pet
Allies[]
- Felonious Gru
- Lucy Wilde
- Dr. Nefario (all formerly)
- Purple Minions - Henchmen
- Vector Perkins
- Mr. Perkins
- Balthazar Bratt
- Scarlet Overkill
- Herb Overkill
- Vicious 6
- Maxime Le Mal
- Valentina
- Principal Übelschlecht
Enemies[]
- Felonious Gru - Arch-nemesis
- Lucy Wilde - Attempted victim and target
- Margo Gru
- Edith Gru
- Agnes Gru
- Dr. Nefario - Former assistant and defeater
- Normal Minions
- Silas Ramsbottom
- AVL
- Floyd Eaglesan - Blame taker
- Russian citizens - Abducted victims
Quotes[]
| “ | Hello! | „ |
| ~ El Macho's first words. |
| “ | Buenos días, my friends! I am Eduardo Perez. Owner of Salsa & Salsa restaurant across the mall. Now, open for breakfast. And you are? | „ |
| ~ El Macho presenting himself to Gru and Lucy. |
| “ | Oh.. This is just gonna take a momento. I am throwing a big Cinco de Mayo party. And I am going to need 200 of your best cupcakes! Decorated with the Mexico flag. It looks something likes this... NYAAAA!!! What do you think? | „ |
| ~ El Macho talking to Lucy and Gru about a party on his restaurant. |
| “ | Anyway, I have to go. It's all settled. I pick 'em up next week. Have a good day. Come by if you get a chance, okay? | „ |
| ~ El Macho before he leaves the bakery. |
| “ | And welcome to the mall family... | „ |
| ~ El Macho before Gru finds out his true identity. |
| “ | What did you do? What are they doing? Pollito, can you hear me? Who would do this to such a sweet little chicken? (hears something) What? Who's there?! [Lucy and Gru gasp] You're coming out or am I gonna go in? | „ |
| ~ El Macho finding his chicken and noticing somebody in his restaurant. |
| “ | Huh? Stop it! Augh... My eyes! | „ |
| ~ El Macho trying to stop Lucy, before being blinded by her. |
| “ | I HAVE YOU NOW!!! | „ |
| ~ El Macho before he gets rammed by Dave & Stuart. |
| “ | No, he's not Kevin anymore. Now he is an indestructible, mindless killing machine! | „ |
| ~ El Macho showing Gru a mutated Kevin. |
| “ | You know what? I am not so convinced that he is in. | „ |
| ~ El Macho realizing Gru's true intentions. |
| “ | One push of this button, and I send that rocket straight into the same volcano where I faked my death! Only this time, it's for real... | „ |
| ~ El Macho taunting Gru, as he's revealing his plan to kill Lucy. |
| “ | That is a pity. | „ |
| ~ El Macho |
| “ | We could have ruled the world together, Gru. But now, you're gonna die! | „ |
| ~ El Macho before drinking the PX-41 serum. |
| “ | I am not afraid of your jelly guns. | „ |
| ~ El Macho's last words before being tranquilized by Dr. Nefario's fart gun. |
Trivia[]
- Eduardo was originally supposed to be voiced by Al Pacino, who is known for the roles of Tony Montana from Scarface, Michael Corleone from The Godfather trilogy, and Willy Bank from Ocean's Thirteen. This somewhat explains Eduardo's physical similarities with Pacino. However, Pacino was dropped out during last-minute changes for an unknown reason and replaced with Benjamin Bratt. Pacino's name still appears on some of the trailers.
- It might've been be a reason why El Macho was voiced by the actor Vladimir Eremin in Russian dub who is best know as the Russian voice of Al Pacino.
- El Macho's home and lair has a lot of Aztec style decorations, almost sort of a motif for his splendorous extravagance.
- The only known way to get into El Macho's lair is by dance-stepping on musical tile buttons a la' Dance Dance Revolution and Simon Says sounding the musical notes of the iconic Mexican song La Cucaracha. If the wrong button is stepped on, Indiana Jones-esque booby traps are set off to kill intruders of any sort.
- El Macho also appears as a boss in the IOS game Despicable Me: Minion Rush.
- El Macho is the only character affected by PX-41 to retain his sentience while mutated, although he is the only human to consume it.
- El Macho was originally the only villain in the main Despicable Me series that didn't abduct any of Gru's children. However, he does abduct Lucy. But that changed as of Despicable Me 4. That film's antagonist Maxime Le Mal abducted Gru's son: Gru Jr.
- El Macho as Eduardo Perez has a Mexican flag tattoo on his chest, but when he reveals himself to Gru as El Macho, his tattoo is gone. This possibly indicates that his tattoo is fake and simply part of his disguise.
- His voice actor, Benjamin Bratt, could possibly have inspired the name for the main antagonist of Despicable Me 3, Balthazar Bratt.
External Links[]
- El Macho on the Despicable Me Wiki
- El Macho on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki
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 Villains
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Gru's Family and Servants Villain Con Villains Vicious 6 Bank of Evil El Macho's Lair Balthazar Bratt's Lair Lycee Pas Bon School of Villainy Others | ||