“It doesn’t even come remotely close”: ’The Boys’ Makes an Unforgivable Error With Jack Quaid’s Arc That Gets Played for Laughs

The Boys has never shied away from exploring ideas and topics that are controversial and are not meant for conventional superheroes, and they have earned their fanbase from that too. However, the recent developments in Jack Quaid’s character Hughie Campbell have met some criticism and disappointed many viewers.

Hughie Campbell became a fan favorite character for his relatability and for Quaid’s performance. However, his recent story arc has raised the question of whether the makers are downplaying his serious issues just for humor and edginess.

Problems With Hughie Campbell’s Character Arc in The Boys Season 4

The Boys has become popular due to its raw and violent take on superheroes and society. Jack Quaid plays the role of Hughie Campbell who is a relatable normal being who just wanted to get revenge on the reckless supes who killed his girlfriend. During these 4 seasons, his character has evolved, but not always in ways that have been liked by fans.

Campbell’s vulnerability and relatability made him the standout character of the show. But recently, all his struggles have seemingly been shown for humor and edginess rather than the serious treatment they deserve. This transition has been very disturbing as compared to Erin Moriarty’s Starlight, as both share a similar tragedy.

Starlight used to have a crush on The Deep until she was sexually assaulted by him. Similarly, in Season 4 Episode 6, Campbell who was a fan of Tek Knight also got sexually assaulted by him. However, the difference between both tragedies is that Starlight’s episode didn’t show her go through all the heinous activities, but the tone of the story was serious, and it showed the trauma and impact of the assault on her.

On the other hand, Campbell’s assault was shown in detail from a comedic point of view. He was already going through a lot after he let his dad pass away. But the writers ignored his trauma. Rather, they included the sexual assault scene and instead of focusing on its terrible impact on already-devastated Campbell, it focused on Tek Knight and Ashley’s actions and lines. Moreover, showrunner Eric Kripke also told Variety that the s*x dungeon scene was meant for humor.

We view it as hilarious. Obviously, Tek Knight is our version of Batman, and we wanted to really play around with that trope. So that was one. Tek Knight was already set up to be a freak…he should have a Batcave — but let’s be honest, the Batcave would be a s*x dungeon.

Netizens expressed their disagreement with Kripke’s vision and expressed their opinions online, talking about how easily the show ignored the big trauma it caused Campbell. There is a short clip after the assault where he doesn’t even address the sexual assault. The writers tried to show his sadness by making him remember his dad and one Reddit user feels it “doesn’t even come remotely close to making up for it.”

I absolutely hate how S4E6 treats Hughie
byu/Nulgarian inTheBoys

The downplaying of serious moments for humor seems like a betrayal of the character’s integrity and a missed opportunity to address important issues. Also, the difference in handling Campbell’s and Starlight’s plotlines seemingly shows the disparity in how male and female characters’ traumas are viewed in The Boys.

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Jack Quaid’s Dedication to His Role

Despite the controversial handling of his character, Jack Quaid has been dedicated to his role since the beginning. Showrunner Eric Kripke has openly praised his performance throughout the show, especially in difficult scenes.

One such scene is the Webweaver suit scene in episode 6. Kripke reveals that it was Quaid in that tight suit all the time. In an interview with Collider, Kripke mentioned that Quaid didn’t need to be inside the suit all the time. However, it was his decision, which just shows his commitment to the character.

That is all credit to Jack and his dedication. That is Jack in that suit, the whole f*cking time. At no point, did it even occur to Jack to say, ‘You know, none of this has to be me. I could just voice it later.’ Jack wanted it to be his real reaction, so that is Jack under the mask, literally the entire time.

Although Quaid made his debut in The Hunger Games in 2012 and starred in various popular movies like Plus One and Oppenheimer, it can’t be denied that The Boys has brought a wider fanbase to him. Despite the criticisms of recent plotlines, his performance remains consistent throughout all seasons, and fans can only hope that showrunners do justice to his performance with his story arc.

The Boys Season 4 is now streaming on Prime Video.