As the first character fans get to know in The Boys, one would assume that the story revolves around Hughie Campbell, and in a way, it does. Hughie transforms from a Seven fanboy to a hater about as quickly as Robin turns into red mist; and once he is fortunate enough to meet Billy Butcher, vengeance is all he can think about.
As much as Hughie and Starlight don't make sense as an item, their relationship helped to connect Butcher's Boys with certain members of the Seven that have had enough of Homelander's tyranny. Hughie has been doing pretty well as far as his moral compass is concerned, but the thrill of taking V24 has forced him to reprioritize what matters most.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
10 Best: Standing Up To Homelander
Being the mortal boyfriend of a superstar and superhero cannot be easy on the ego, particularly when another man is trying to take claim of one's turf, and that man happens to be one of the strongest beings alive. The situation between Starlight and Homelander has been tense pretty much since day one as everyone is forced to walk on eggshells around this deranged 'hero,' America's Sweetheart included.
Homelander seems to get a kick from exercising his intimidation tactics and has a go at Starlight after inviting himself into her home in Season 3 Episode 4. True, neither Starlight nor Hughie is strong enough to take him down, but that doesn't stop Hughie from getting all up in Homelander's face, emphasizing the point that he refuses to back down from protecting his girlfriend (and fragile male ego).
9 Worst: A Whale Of A Tale
The visuals of Season 2 Episode 3 are quite disturbing, but then again, are there any of the episodes throughout the show that aren't? After attempting to attack The Deep, Billy Butcher and the gang drive a speedboat right into a whale, slicing through the stomach wall to reveal the bloody interior.
This moment appears to be the straw that breaks the camel's back for poor Hughie, who had decided to make himself at home in the warm, gooey stomach cavity of the dying animal. It seems that all this Supe business is just too much for this vanilla boy to handle, who is just about ready to throw in the blood-soaked towel. Within the bowels of a dying beast is a strange place to throw a pity party, but for Hughie, it seems as good a spot as any.
8 Best: Discovering Translucent's Weakness
It is unclear how much success The Boys had experienced so far in terms of killing Supes, but Hughie definitely proved his worth when he figured out a way to destroy a seemingly indestructible superhuman. In Season 1 Episode 2, Frenchie, and Butcher are stumped as to how to kill something they can't even see when Hughie had the brainwave to insert an explosive device into the Supe's rectum.
The Wiley Translucent manages to escape his cage and almost convinces Hughie to take the high road and let him walk free, but thankfully the resentment is too much and Hughie realizes he has no desire to keep his "hands clean." Needless to say, the new group of Boys celebrates their first success...with a bang!
7 Worst: Zero Interest In Kimiko's Fate
When The Boys' mission to find the legendary Soldier Boy takes a turn for the worst, Kimiko finds herself at the wrong end of his superhuman onslaught, and for once, her wounds are not instantaneously healing. Having received a fatal blow from one of the strongest Supes in history, nobody is sure if Kimiko will survive to tell the tale, but apparently, this doesn't concern Hughie in the slightest.
While rushing to the hospital in a foreign land, Kimiko lies dying in the back seat of the car, while Hughie gazes out the window with a satisfied grin glued to his face. Hughie is quite chuffed at acquiring his newfound powers and is not allowing anyone to take away from his moment in the spotlight.
6 Best: His Super (Ex) Girlfriend
Watching Hughie's attempts at flirting with the stunning Starlight in Season 1 are some of the sweetest moments of the show, giving a refreshing break to all the guts and gore. Viewers can immediately see that the pair are quite smitten with each other right off the bat, but Hughie never pushes things and is quite the gentleman overall (disregarding the deceit that is).
Most of his attempts to win Starlight over are painfully awkward yet hilarious to watch, and somehow, this not-terribly gifted human finds himself dating America's Sweetheart and one of the Seven. After testing the waters, the cute couple finally makes it official by Season 2 (much to the relief of the other Boys, who were getting quite sick of watching their timid interactions). Sadly, things get too complicated in Season 3, but that's a story for later.
5 Worst: Everything About Herogasm
Now this episode itself was thoroughly entertaining and no shade is being thrown on Herogasm, however, Hughie's every move is relatively disappointing and despicable, to be polite. From a failed Homelander beat-down to lying to his girlfriend to the A-Train incident, Hughie's whole personality pulls a 180 in Season 3 Episode 6.
Punching A-Train is an abhorrent move, considering that he shows genuine remorse for the very first time, and is clearly trying to right his wrongs as best he can. What Hughie does to Starlight could also be considered assault, because he teleports Annie away without her consent (conveniently disrobing her in the process), and attempts to hold her "hostage" until the danger passes. Hughie is unashamed of his lying and drug use, or working with a seemingly homicidal maniac, Soldier Boy; and it would be surprising if Starlight ever forgives him after Herogasm.
4 Best: Cutting Ties With Victoria
It is undeniable that Victoria Neuman and Hughie have become great friends while working together at the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs; they are lunch buddies and everything! However, unbeknownst to Hughie, Victoria is actually the mysterious Head-Popper from Season 2, possibly one of the most powerful Supes around. Instead of aligning with Victoria and her untouchable aura or playing a double agent, Hughie decides to cut all ties with his new friend and run in the opposite direction.
Okay, yes, Victoria did violently murder a whole bunch of people, but surely Hughie could have found a way to possibly work the situation to his advantage by potentially adding another Supe to their team. However, these were the days when this young man still had a moral compass and outright refuses to work with a murderer regardless of the potential success (until Soldier Boy comes along that is).
3 Worst: The Popclaw Incident
Whist attempting to obtain evidence damaging enough to blackmail Popclaw with, The Boys set up surveillance on the Supe's private room in Season 1 Episode 3. They proceed to witness an awkwardly sexual role-playing scenario unfold, and naturally cannot turn away, however, when things start getting out of hand, nobody attempts to save Popclaw's victim.
While this incident is certainly not Hughie's fault entirely, he is clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation, especially when it becomes evident that the landlord is struggling to breathe. Hughie makes little attempt to convince The Boys to intervene, and is more intent on getting revenge on A-Train than saving an innocent man's life.
2 Best: Hughie, Lamplighter...And Homebanger
In Season 2 Episode 7, Hughie is given the vital task of safeguarding Lamplighter after he testifies against Vought International, and the two get chummy during their time together in the safe house. Naturally, as one does in a semi-public situation, Lamplighter puts on his favorite adult film featuring Homebanger, and Hughie is forced to watch along or get fried to a crisp.
If two guys hanging out watching Supe porn parodies isn't funny enough, it appears that both Hughie and Lamplighter are inspired by Homebanger and his ability to take action with no hesitation. The two subsequently find the motivation to venture out from their safe spot to rescue Starlight after she is captured by Black Noir.
1 Worst: "Oops!" Death Scene
Hughie may have been involved in some awfully violent deaths since joining The Boys, but that doesn't mean he takes the idea of murder lightly, as shown in his reluctance to end Traluscent's life. All this seems to change, however, once V24 enters his system and Hughie's new-and-improved superpowers have an adverse reaction to his moral code.
In Season 3 Episode 4, Hughie steals some of Billy Butcher's drug supply and shoots up in secret, surprising everyone on the scene when he teleports, into action, naked. Still getting a hang of his powers, Hughie accidentally punches a man too hard, subsequently rupturing a hole in his abdomen and ending his life. The old Hughie would have been horrified at this mistake, however, this drugged-up version seems way too impressed at personally ending someone's life.