Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Boys season 4, episode 5!
Summary
- Hughie Sr.'s powers in The Boys season 4 reflect his psychological state and metaphorically represent his feelings of invisibility.
- The unintentional destructive nature of Hughie Sr.'s powers symbolizes Hughie's need to learn to let people go.
- The event sets the stage for future developments in the series, including Hughie's forgiveness of A-Train and potential setups for season 5.
The Boys season 4, an attempt to save his life after a stroke, Hughie's dad ends up with the power to phase through objects. However, he has the added side effect of memory loss, something that makes his powers even more dangerous as, confused, he begins running through both objects and people.
Speaking with Variety, Kripke explained the reasoning behind Hughie Sr.'s powers in The Boys season 4, including how they work into his story's metaphor and relationship with his son. The showrunner explained how his powers are a reflection of his mental state, while also being similar to how Hughie was able to teleport when he was on Temp V. Check out what Kripke had to say about his powers below:
We really like when powers can sort of mirror their psychological state, or some of their deep-seated subconscious. I think it was like a lesson we learned on “Gen V” that really served us well. So we got really interested in this idea of he, based on his relationship with his estranged wife, that he felt really slight. He has that line, “You would look right through me, like I was invisible to you.” So giving him a power that made that metaphor concrete was something we were really interested in. It’s super subtle, but it says something about the Campbell DNA that Hughie’s power is a teleporting power and dad’s power is sort of like a phasing power — but both are cousins in a way. It was in the same ballpark. In our minds, the power you get is some combo of V and your DNA. And so if he has similar DNA with his dad, it stands to reason that maybe his dad would have a similar power.
How Hughie Sr.'s Powers Elevate The Boys Season 4 Episode 5
During the episode where he has powers, Hughie Sr. is lost and confused, unable to fully comprehend what's going on while getting angry at Daphne for leaving them when their son was a child. It's only when his son steps in that he's able to break him out of his stupor, with both of them realizing there's no way for the Compound V to save his life. The Boys season 4, episode 5 ends with Hughie forced to euthanize his father to keep him from hurting more people, the pair sharing a tearful goodbye before he dies.
His dad's unintentionally destructive powers and consequential death are symbolic of how Hughie needs to learn to let people go, even if he's not good at it. Much like his son, Hughie Sr. ends up with powers that involve hiding and running away, indicative of an inherited avoidance the two have toward painful moments like losing people. This is further ed by how initially accepting he is at Daphne's return, revealing the two reconnected not long ago. Neither are good with loss, but the show's protagonist now has to be in this dire situation.
The event sets the stage for Hughie to fully forgive A-Train for what happened to Robin as well, with the Supe becoming a more vital part of the Boys with every new episode. It could also be potential setup for The Boys season 5, which might feature more dire situations he'll have to be okay with. Given the symbolic importance of his dad's powers, it seems this event is going to hang over the rest of the series, while also changing his character as the story continues.
The Boys season 4 has three episodes left.
Source: Variety
The Boys
- Release Date
- July 25, 2019
- Showrunner
- Eric Kripke
- Directors
- Jack Quaid, Eric Kripke
Cast
Billy Butcher
Hugh Hughie Campbell
WHERE TO WATCH
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
- Writers
- Eric Kripke
- Franchise(s)
- The Boys
- Seasons
- 4
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
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