At San Diego Comic-Con, The Boys‘ creator Eric Kripke explains the nature of Hughie’s arc in season 4.

As is the case with many characters in the show, Hughie (Jack Quaid) has been through an extreme evolution throughout the series, but he has especially gone through the ringer in season 4. Among other things, Hughie’s arc included the death of his father, played by Simon Pegg in the series. As Homelander continues his reign throughout The Boys, Hughie will continue to undergo an intense evolution in The Boys season 5 as the show heads into its final season.

In an interview with Screen Rant at SDCC , Kripke justified Hughie’s The Boys season 4 arc. The creator acknowledged that ” Hughie went through a lot ” and ” fans had some very legitimate responses ” to the ” crucible ” that Hughie had to endure in season 4. Kripke clarified, however, that Hughie’s arc related directly to the ” story [they] were trying to tell ” relating to how one can “hold onto your humanity ” in the face of extreme obstacles. Check out the full quote from Kripke below:

Hughie went through a lot. He had to go through a real crucible because the story we were trying to tell, and I know and the fans had some very legitimate responses, but the story we were trying to tell is it’s really hard to hold onto your humanity and your morals in the real world, and to be able to keep getting up every time you’re knocked down. And that Hughie was able to get to the end of the season as a good person, to me is the most heroic story of the finale and the season. And like, there’s another season to go. You have to, when you’re like basically at the end of act two of your movie, it’s your darkest point, and then there’s a whole other season for him to rise to victory, which I could say that spoiler, that he’s going to do.

Why Hughie’s Arc In The Boys Season 4 Is So Controversial

The Bulk of The Controversy Stems From The Tek Knight Sequence

In season 4, Hughie goes through a legitimately traumatic arc that strays far away from mere comic-book shock. In an early episode, his dad ends up in a coma in the hospital, only for his estranged mother, Daphne, to show up. After Daphne gives Hugh Sr. Compound V in order to resuscitate him, Hugh Sr. goes on a mostly accidental 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing spree with his newfound powers, while also experiencing dementia. If that was not horrific enough, Hughie and his mom end up having to make the tough decision to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Hugh Sr. via lethal injection, creating tragedy for Hughie.

Shortly after his father’s death, Hughie is sent in disguise to plant recording devices at a party with Batman parody Tek Knight. Characters acknowledge how this is risky for Hughie immediately following the trauma of his father’s death, but what goes less acknowledged is the horror that ensues with Tek Knight, when Hughie is brought down to his 𝓈ℯ𝓍 dungeon. There, Hughie is forced into 𝓈ℯ𝓍 acts while pretending to be Webweaver. Like many scenes in The Boys, this scene leans into the gratuitous and over-the-top.

What goes unexplored in this sequence is the fact that Hughie was just 𝓈ℯ𝓍ually assaulted. This disturbed a number of viewers, who were further enraged by Kripke referring to the scene as “hilarious” in the wake of the episode. This language made it seem to some that Kripke was glorifying the 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual assault in the series, which was especially prominent as The Boys was piling onto Hughie’s trauma. Kripke’s interview quote does not fully amend this point, as it still does not fully acknowledge the assault, but the creator does at least acknowledge Hughie’s “darkest point” and tough journey.