The Boys: Hughie's First Kill Made a Secret Anti-Superhero Statement
It is no secret that the Dynamite Comics series The Boys shows superheroes in a negative light by depicting them as nothing less than depraved monsters, and Hughie’s first kill was the greatest, yet most subtle, anti-superhero statement in the series.
The Boys features a team of operatives who have made it their mission to keep supes in line by occasionally harming their reputations and even causing physical harm in extreme circumstances. This team, known as the Boys, is led by Billy Butcher and consists of Frenchie, Mother’s Milk, the Female, and Hughie Campbell. Most of the time, the Boys do simple recon on any particular team of superheroes, collecting dirt on them to use as blackmail for the purposes of gaining more intel on higher-profile supes or simply exposing the information they uncover to irreparably harm their reputations for the purpose of encouraging other superhero teams to be on their best behavior.
Related: The Boys: Frenchie's Last Words Reveal His Secret Purpose on the Team
During one such mission, the Boys turn their attention on a team of supes called the Teenage Kix, but once the heroes find out that they’re being spied on, they take the fight to the Boys–a battle that takes place in The Boys #6 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. In the issue, the Teenage Kix confront the Boys, though little did the supes know, the Boys were hopped-up on a special formula of Compound V, giving everyone on the team who didn’t already have super powers heightened strength. While they only wanted to ruff the Teenage Kix up a bit, Hughie wasn’t used to his newfound powers and accidentally punched a hole in Blarney Cock, one of the members of the superhero team. Initially, the kill is brushed off as ‘accidents happen’
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