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For all the wild and outlandish things we have seen on Amazon's The Boys, one person has made us believe in more than what we see on screen, Hughie. Superheroes are supposed to give us hope, they open our minds to the possibilities of what we could accomplish if we were given superpowers. But what if those heroes started to use those powers for evil? Though its story is told through several superhuman perspectives, The Boys is perhaps most powerful when seen through the eyes of someone just like us. If it weren't for Hughie, The Boys may not have made it very far into their vengeful mission, and the audience wouldn't be along for the ride.
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What's she like
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She good ? Superheroes are supposed to give us hope
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that the world can still be saved. They open our minds to the possibilities
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of what we could accomplish with the power of flight, strength, or skills
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But what would life be like if superheroes did exist, and you simply weren't one of them
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What if their powers weren't always used for good? What kind of person would you have to become to stop them
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These are the questions The Boys presents to audiences in ultra-violent and often hilarious fashion
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Though its story is told through several superhuman perspectives, The Boys is perhaps
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most powerful when seen through the eyes of someone just like us, a guy called Huey
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Something wrong, Huey? No. No, I'm totally comfortable. Why would you ask that
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When The Boys premiered on Amazon Prime in 2019, readers of the original comic book were
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skeptical. Garth Ennis's 72-issue run is a notoriously off-color series filled with shocking
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gore and hard-to-love antiheroes. Adapting such gratuitous material was a tall order that left
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many wondering, how could this extreme superhero comic possibly succeed in a televised format
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Those fears were quickly put to rest in the first episode when audiences were treated to
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a faithful reenactment of one of the boy's most merciless moments. Hi, I'd like to make an appointment for you to come over and
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lay some cable. In the scene, Huey Campbell is introduced as a struggling salesman
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on an impromptu date with the love of his life. It's easy to fall for this ill-fated romance
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but this beautiful moment is quickly and quite literally shattered by the appearance of the boy's fastest soup
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When A-Train comes barreling through this delicate moment between two lovers, you could almost get lost in the gory spectacle
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It's a wild sequence, unlike anything we've ever seen in a superhero story
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However, it's the realistic, harrowing reaction of Huey Campbell that truly keeps you glued to your seat Robin In the aftermath of an unbelievable tragedy Huey does what any of us would and grieves for the loss of his partner The weight of what could be a macabre moment of gallows humor
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is instead given the emotional impact it deserves. Though the boys revels in satirical action
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Huey gives us a reason to care. None of these sentimental highlights
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would be as effective without a performer up to the task. Fortunately, producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
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found their jittery everyman in Jack Quaid. Though he was certainly no stranger to action franchises
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Quaid was still perhaps a surprising choice. His breakout role in The Hunger Games gave little indication
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as to what charms the actor had up his sleeve. As Huey suffered the brutal death of his girlfriend
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keen-eyed fans of the Boys comic were treated to a surprise casting
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Simon Pegg's turn as Huey Campbell Sr. could not have been more fitting
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Pegg's perfect pitch puttering dad performance is hilariously down to earth. In the Boys comics, Huey Jr. was in fact modeled after Pegg himself
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Innes said he wanted Huey to embody both innocence and tough determination
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It's just as easy to see the qualities in Jack Quaid's betrayal of the character
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and as his initial torment turns into rage, we believe it. When Huey first comes into contact with Billy Butcher
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we are once again given an unbelievable set of circumstances grounded by realistic reactions
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Huey is confronted with the fact that superheroes can get away with murder. They can even laugh about it
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I swallowed one of her molars like a bug on the freeway
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Dude, that's nasty. You're laughing. But what reasonable person would immediately accept the offer from a psycho-like Butcher
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Eventually, Huey decides to take a stand against the wicked super corporation that covered up
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A-Train's misdeeds. But when he does, it's through compassion and solidarity with another
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victim of superhero crime. Huey's first meeting with Starlight is a pivotal moment for the
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character, and the scene delivers cautious flirtation with well-earned empathy. We see ourselves when Huey shares a bond with this stranger
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and his resolve to take on a greater evil is moving. Like many of us might, Huey immediately
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fumbles the opportunity to expose the Supes and is faced with his first fight against evil
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As the situation spirals out of control Huey is forced into the fold of grizzled anti thus forming the titular boys But even when faced with reality madness Huey still can come to terms with
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actually killing a superhero. It's these moments of utter disbelief that keep audiences tethered
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to the world of the boys so effectively. Sure, we can all pretend it would be honorable to
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retaliate against the bullies in our lives, but what if that bully was incredibly famous
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Oh, and invisible. We're the seventh, earth's most mighty. Champions of the Innocent, mother
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Of course, Huey does face off against this extraordinary antagonist, but his reaction to the bloodshed he caused is both hilarious and entirely reasonable
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While audiences appreciate a good stand-in for their own reactions to supernatural events
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these efforts can occasionally swing too far. Who hasn't scolded Agent Scully for her eternal disbelief
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Even when shown clear evidence of the fantastic by her partner Spooky Mulder
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the X-Files agent retained her unwavering skepticism. Huey Campbell rarely hits these pitfalls in the first three seasons of The Boys
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Instead, we see a character who might not willingly accept the impossible, but will begrudgingly take on any immediate threats to his loved ones
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These types of everyman characters are particularly common in comic adaptations because it takes a great deal of immersion to fully accept superhero stories
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Audiences need a tether or an avatar to keep themselves in the moment
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Take the MCU, for example. Ned Leeds works so well in the Spider-Man films because audiences have already been trained to believe in Peter Parker
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Ned helps us see Peter Parker as an average kid, just another high schooler who needs a friend
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And while Spider-Man is one of the most relatable comic characters of all time, we still struggle to see ourselves with such amazing powers
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Ned, on the other hand, gives us a reason to accept that even we could be Peter Parker's best pal
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Can I try the suit on? How does it work? Is it magnets? How do you shoot the string? Huey Campbell's relationship with the boys delivers these kinds of highs as well
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and perhaps to no greater result than his friendships with its most hardened characters
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The contrast between Huey and a raving maniac like Butcher are supremely compelling
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And the late-season alliances with the ultra-terrifying Soldier Boy are some of the series' most bombastic moments
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Like any well character Huey also has times of weakness In one particularly repulsive moment Huey and the boys find themselves belly deep in a whale carcass This disgusting conundrum proves to be too much
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for the anxiety-riddled character, and a catatonic meltdown ensues. Come on, get your s*** off of me
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Watching Huey react so violently to these absurd events makes it all feel so much more real
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With each and every twist the boys throws at its underdogs, Huey does what comes natural, and it isn't always cut and dry
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Sometimes his character makes mistakes, and usually those mistakes are driven by a reflection
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of what he has gone through. Who hasn't done or said something unsavory in the wake of a
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personal injustice? For Huey Campbell, we see this develop in all too familiar stories of addiction
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Early in the third season, Huey and Butcher make the perilous decision to inject themselves with
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Compound V, a narcotic that gives the heroes of the boys their powers. Once they start taking V
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both characters struggle to stop, and Huey's darker traits come to full light
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On this shift in character, Jack Quaid said, You don't really quite earn the right, as a character
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to be the moral center of a show until you've been through the fire, until you've made some mistakes
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Huey was a very good character, and still is a very good character, but if we don't see that goodness tested, then what's it all for
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Even in his most toxic and troubled moments, Huey still delivers emotional responses that feel earned
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When he finally squares off against Homelander to save Starlight, Huey does it in all the wrong ways
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You really need to lighten up, guys. Come on, Starlight. Mario's waiting
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And yet, we still root for him. Even knowing there is no way Huey could survive a showdown
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with the boy's nastiest baddie, we still hold out hope that he can make a difference
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We believe that he wants to protect the one he loves so strongly
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that he will sacrifice everything to do it. This showcase of Huey's human condition is important
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Life doesn't always offer simple choices, and this has rarely been showcased as effectively
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than in the boys. After the shocking finale of season 3, we are anxious to see what will happen to our beloved Huey
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We can only hope that the boys will continue to push the envelope of audience experience through the eyes of such a relatable character
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Because, as we all know, being super takes more than a hero. And our greatest powers come from just being a Huey