In the Amazon Video series The Boys, Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), is armed only with his wits, but in the comics the show is based on, Hughie has superpowers of his own. As a member of the titular team, Wee Hughie keeps the twisted heroes of the world of The Boys in check. In the TV series, he does this only using his smarts and engineering skills he acquired from working in an electronics store. In his first mission with The Boys, he figures out the invisible Supe Translucent's weakness to electricity and successfully blocks the signal of the tracking chip that would alert other Supes of his location. He is collaborative and able to think on his feet in the life-threatening situations The Boys often find themselves in, but is very much still an average person.
In Garth Ennis' original comics, however, Hughie and The Boys have an entirely different strategy. Instead of relying entirely on weapons and carefully thought-out strategies, The Boys enhanced themselves to be able to take on Supes in hand-to-hand combat. Billy Butcher, the team's founder, injected each member with Compound V, the drug responsible for the creation of the Supes. Compound V gave The Boys superhuman abilities to give them a fighting chance even against the Seven, a dark parody of the Justice League made up of the most powerful Supes around. Hughie joins the team after his girlfriend Robin was mistakenly killed by A-Train, a member of the Seven with super-speed, but is unaware of The Boys' use of Compound V.
On his first mission with The Boys in the comics, Hughie is tasked with monitoring the depraved secret activities of the Teenage Kix, a young group of superheroes, and is accompanied by Billy Butcher. While he snaps incriminating photos of the Kix, Butcher surprises Hughie with a syringe full of Compound V to his neck. He is angered by the nonconsensual injection, but Butcher explains that its effects — though permanent — will be necessary in his work. He soon starts to feel V's impacts, as it grants him enhanced strength and durability.
Hughie initially struggles with his new abilities. On top of having superpowers forced upon him, he finds them hard to control. When the Teenage Kix find out about The Boys' blackmail, they confront Butcher and company in the street. In the ensuing fight, Hughie punches Kix member Blarney Cock directly through his chest, accidentally killing him. He is horrified by what he's done, but Hughie becomes hardened throughout the series and participates in many more brawls. Thanks to his enhanced durability, he usually walks out with just a few scratches.
Despite his powers, Hughie's greatest asset is still his mind. His sharp wits and analytical thinking allow him to solve problems his teammates are unable to. He assists The Boys with his detective skills, and played a critical role in finding out that Swingwing, a parody of Nightwing, was behind a homophobic murder. Hughie is also the moral core of The Boys, bringing a sense of compassion and teamwork that allows the team to be more efficient.
Although the Amazon version of The Boys opts not to give Hughie, or any of his teammates, superpowers, the series still captures the character's spirit. Hughie is one of the most grounded, "normal" members of The Boys, and provides an excellent foil to the more unhinged personalities on the show. In fact, Hughie and The Boys may be better off without Compound V, as it ensures that they will not sink to the Supes' level of depravity.
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