Hughie's 10 Most Badass Moments On The Boys

Top 10 Times Hughie Campbell Was a Badass on The Boys

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times Hughie proved he could be just as tough as the rest of the boys. There will be spoilers ahead.

#10: Tries to Help Mindstorm

"Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed"
A former member of Payback, Mindstorm is a contender for the most dangerous Supe on the planet. One look into his eyes, and he can trap you inside your worst memories until you die. Soldier Boy is out for revenge, believing Mindstorm was among the heroes who sold him out. However, the reclusive, paranoid Supe gets the jump on the team and traps Butcher in his own head. Soldier Boy insists on leaving Butcher to die, but as usual, Hughie refuses to give up on him. At great risk to himself, he teleports Mindstorm to safety and convinces him to wake Butcher up. He then offers to take Mindstorm anywhere he wants to go. Unfortunately, Soldier Boy shows up before they can make their getaway.

#9: Extorts Ezekiel

"Good for the Soul"
This was one of Hughie’s earliest badass moments. The boys have video of the ultra-religious Ezekiel in a compromising position with other men. The plan is for Hughie to blackmail him in exchange for info about Compound V, although both Hughie and MM have their doubts about whether he can pull it off. At the Believe Expo, Hughie manages to get close to the stretchy Supe, but there’s a problem – his phone is broken and he has no way to play the video. However, Hughie thinks fast, and instead claims that he and Ezekiel had sex. He doesn’t back down even when Ezekiel threatens him. Amazingly, this last minute improvisation works, and the boys get the information they need.

#8: Gets Kimiko to Break His Arm

"Barbary Coast"
Hughie just can’t catch a break … so to speak. At the start of season three, he had a job working under Victoria Neuman at the Federal Bureau of Superhuman AffairsHe thinks he’ll finally be able to take down Supes the right way, with the law on his side. Of course, he soon finds out that Neuman herself is actually a Supe, and a pretty dangerous one at that. Hughie decides to rejoin the boys, but he needs a convincing excuse to miss work, and asks Kimiko to break his arm. He even turns down Frenchie’s offer of something to relieve the pain. He argues that Neuman will know if he fakes being sick, but this seems like a pretty extreme alternative.

#7: Stands up to Homelander

"Glorious Five-Year Plan"
You have to be either really brave or really stupid to keep your cool with Homelander in your face. After the Supe announces to the world that he and Starlight are secretly in love – which, of course, is a lie – he shows up in her apartment to needle Hughie about it. But when Homelander makes an especially rude comment about Starlight, Hughie has had enough. Although the two of them are no match for the ruthless Supe, Hughie doesn’t back down. The fact that Jack Quaid is a good two inches taller than Antony Starr makes him look that much more badass in the moment.

#6: Saves His Dad from A-Train

"The Self-Preservation Society"
Hughie has had it out for A-Train ever since the speedster accidentally killed Hughie’s girlfriend in episode one. When A-Train takes his father hostage, Hughie doesn’t hesitate to rush to the rescue. He manages to get his father out safely by promising A-Train a dose of Compound V, and Hughie’s dad has a badass moment of his own when he refuses to leave without his son. Meanwhile, Kimiko is waiting in the wings to take down A-Train. Hughie later impressed us again by actually helping the speedy supe. When A-Train suffers a heart attack, he’s completely open to attack. Although Hughie knows the speedster wants him dead, he displays his immense courage and strength of character by giving the supe CPR.

#5: Helps Starlight Knock Out Soldier Boy

"The Instant White-Hot Wild"
Sometimes, the most heroic thing you can do is help the people around you reach their full potential. When the boys face off against Soldier Boy at Seven Tower, he takes them all out easily. Hughie is tempted to take another dose of temporary Compound V to get back in the game and protect his girlfriend, even though he knows it will be fatal. Instead, always the quick thinker, he cranks up the electricity, enhancing Starlight’s power and enabling her to knock down the seemingly indestructible Soldier Boy. It’s a defining moment for Hughie, who has struggled with dating a superpowered woman. Now it seems he’s finally learned how to step back and let Starlight shine.

#4: Fights Homelander

"Herogasm"
Taking on the ultimate antagonist is always dangerous, even if you are juiced up on Temp V. Homelander has been known to drop other Supes without even breaking a sweat. Even Soldier Boy can’t take him alone. When he shows up to the aftermath of Herogasm, Butcher and Soldier Boy engage him in an epic battle. Hughie’s temporary powers don’t make him nearly as strong as the others, but as we’ve seen, he’s never one to sit out when his friends need help. To top it off, he has to fight naked, since his clothes don’t teleport with him. No matter how many times Butcher tells him to stay out of harm’s way, Hughie keeps jumping right back into the thick of things.

#3: Rescues Starlight

"Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker"
There’s no more dangerous place for the boys than Seven Tower, where a deadly Supe or a squad of Vought operatives could be around any corner. But when Starlight and her mom are taken captive, that’s where Hughie has to go to save them. When he finds out Starlight’s been arrested, he doesn’t hesitate to rush to the rescue, even convincing Lamplighter to sneak him into the Tower. The mission doesn’t quite go as planned, as Lamplighter decides to immolate himself right in the middle of it. But Hughie, despite bleeding from a previous injury and being forced to navigate Vought without supe backup still manages to find and free Mrs. January. Although Starlight got out earlier because of Lamplighter triggering security measures, she still appreciated Hughie’s bravery.

#2: Gets Captured So He Can Rescue M.M. and Frenchie

"You Found Me"
The explosive season one finale sees half of the boys get caught by Vought operatives. Butcher is too busy with his revenge quest to do anything about it, but Hughie is determined to rescue them. He comes up with a pretty brilliant plan, allowing himself to get captured in order to help them bust out from the inside. He even takes one on the chin – literally – in the process. Hughie deserves plenty of flowers for bravery and loyalty, but we also need to talk about how smart he is. His talent for problem-solving has gotten the boys out of more than one sticky situation.

#1: Kills Translucent

“Cherry”
This is the point when Hughie Campbell truly becomes one of the boys. After Translucent catches him planting a bug in Seven Tower, the invisible Supe attacks Hughie at work. Butcher shows up to help, but Hughie is the one smart enough to electrocute Translucent and knock him unconscious. Butcher and Frenchie run through every idea they can think of to kill the nearly invulnerable man, until Frenchie comes up with a plan to put explosives … somewhere they can’t easily be removed. Although Translucent nearly talks his way out of trouble, ultimately, Hughie decides to pull the trigger. This first kill set Hughie down a path where he’d pull off more badass feats.

Which moment gave you new respect for petite Hughie? Let us know in the comments.