Summary
- Hughie Campbell is the relatable everyman of The Boys, surviving with luck, wit, and heart amidst the chaos.
- Hughie's ironic quips and brave actions make him the source of many memorable and quotable lines in the series.
- Despite his lack of powers, Hughie's compassion and moral compass drive him to make selfless and noble decisions.
The man considered by many to be the true main character of the series, Hughie Campbell, has been the delightfully awkward and good-natured eyes that viewers have seen the cruel world of The Boys through. With no special powers or abilities, no military experience, and no interaction with supes before the first episode, Hughie acts as the 'everyman' of The Boys, surviving throughout the series thanks to luck, wit, and a lot of heart.
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Hughie is always the first character to come up with some ironic quip or shell-shocked observation in response to whatever gory or horrific situation has played out in front of him and the other characters. So, naturally, he is the source of some incredibly quotable lines.
10 “For Better Or Worse, He's Family.”
Hughie Risks His Life To Save Butcher
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 3, Episode 7 “Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed”
- Release Date: July 1st, 2022
Here is one of the great moments in which, despite Butcher’s faults, Hughie stands up for him. This quote was said toward the climax of Season 3, where Hughie and Butcher attempt to help Soldier Boy track down his old teammates. Before this can happen, however, Mindstorm catches Butcher and uses his powers to trap him in an endless nightmare coma.
Near the end of the episode, Hughie risks the same happening to him when disobeying Soldier Boy’s orders. He smuggles Mindstorm away and convinces him to save Butcher, despite him being a "piece of sh*t," as Mindstorm put it. This quote highlights the rare but beautiful positive beats in Hughie and Butcher’s relationship.
9 "I Never Really Got How That's An Insult?"
A Funny Observation That Pokes Fun At Butcher's Insults
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Innocents”
- Release Date: July 26th, 2019
This is a quote that showcases the often humorous and quippy side that Hughie has. Early on in the series, near the end of the first season, Hughie was already genre savvy enough to comment on two of Butcher’s most common insults, c*nt and tw*t.
In a joking reference to genitalia, Hughie wonders why Butcher considers these particular words insulting, considering that they can take a pounding and are behind the majority of his life experiences. Butcher finds this very amusing, too, smirking and commenting that Hughie is a “good c*nt.”
8 "You Know, You're Right. It Would Have Been Stupid To Come Alone."
A Line That Showcases Hughie's Bravery
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Self-Preservation Society”
- Release Date: July 26th, 2019
In the scene this quote originates from, The Boys had been exposed, and A-Train had contacted Hughie, threatening his father and telling him to come to his home alone. When Hughie eventually shows up, A-Train uses his super speed to check the area and see if he actually did come alone.
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When it looks like he did, A-Train mocks him for doing so. But after toying with A-Train by intentionally wasting Compound V, which the Supe was addicted to at the time, this quote proved to be the icing on the cake. It is revealed that Hughie did not come alone when Kimiko comes out of nowhere, using a speed of her own to burst out and quickly break A-Train's leg, allowing Hughie to escape unharmed.
7 "Okay, Let's Go F**k The Wife. Consensually."
An Unusual Pep Talk That Works Surprisingly Well
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 2, Episode 7 “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker”
- Release Date: October 2nd, 2020
Here's another humorous and sexual line uttered by Hughie. Late Season 2 saw Hughie being tasked with babysitting Lamplighter, the depressed flame Supe, while the rest of The Boys were busy with other matters. In the middle of Lamplighter wallowing in his own pity as he watched explicit videos, Hughie found out that Starlight was captured by Vought.
Using the explicit videos they were watching as a comparative point, Hughie asks Lamplighter whether he wants to just be an onlooker or a hero who gets into the action and saves the day. Surprisingly, this actually convinces Lamplighter, leading to Hughie saying this quote in an awkward celebration.
6 "She Was Half A Step Off The F**king Curb!"
A Fearsome Line That Highlights Campbell’s Righteous Indignation
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 1, Episode 1 “The Name of the Game”
- Release Date: July 26th, 2019
Viewers could relate to Hughie’s outrage with this quote. The inciting incident of the entire series was when the V’d-up speedster, A-Train, ran through Hughie’s girlfriend. On the news, when Vought was trying to mitigate A-Train's fault for the killing, the company lied by stating that Robin was standing in the middle of the road. In reality, Robin was only standing a half a step off the curb, a fact Hughie shouts out in outrage.
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This was one of the first instances in the series where Hughie disregarded his weak and passive side and gave into his passionate and righteous persona, which has come to define him just as much as the show has progressed.
5 "If We're Ever Going To Win Against Monsters, We Need To Start Acting Human."
A Heartfelt Line That Showcases Hughie's Forgiving Nature
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 4, Episode 8 “Assassination Run”
- Release Date: July 18th, 2024
Hughie is known for giving pep talks, acting as the heartwarming voice of reason among the hectic violence and corruption that surrounds him. In the Season 4 finale, after Victoria gets outed as supe by Homelander, ruining her campaign, she calls Hughie, hopinh to defect. This makes Hughie decide that they should work with Neuman to take down Vought.
The other members of The Boys were very much against this until Hughie explained to them the value of forgiveness and trusting people’s change of heart. This quote encapsulates the sober realizations Hughie came to after the constant death, destruction, and violation he had to deal with throughout the season.
4 "You Ever See An A**hole Tear Up $45K?"
Highlights How Hughie Values Morals Over Money
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 1, Episode 1 “The Name of the Game”
- Release Date: July 26th, 2019
In the first episode of the series, Hughie is given $45K as compensation for Robin's accidental death at the hands of a V-addicted A-Train. Hughie considers this a pitiful amount to be given to make up for the death of his love. He doesn’t want to take it, but his father states that the money could make a pretty big difference in their lives. Throughout the first episode, however, Hughie works towards getting one over on Vought as he helps Butcher plant a bug in the Seven Tower.
When he and Butcher initially part ways, Hughie says this line while tearing the check up and dumping it on the ground. The look of respect on Butcher’s face after Hughie does this revealed that this was when he realized Hughie was a man of conviction after all.
3 "I Thought We Could Fight Vought The Right Way. But We Can't. It's All Rigged."
A Sign Of Desperation And A Change In Character
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 3, Episode 2 “The Only Man in the Sky”
- Release Date: June 3rd, 2022
Though this quote rings of cynical hopelessness, it also signifies one of the best arcs in the series and one of the few times that Hughie and Butcher were on the same wavelength when it came to fighting dirty. Early on in Season 3, Hughie found out that, despite pretending to be on their side and against supe brutality and Vought’s schemes, Victoria Neuman was the infamous ‘Head Popper’ supe assassin.
After being tricked by her for a year, Hughie decides that the gloves are off, that they cannot play fair, and that they must get crafty and brutal if they want to win. He realizes that Butcher’s way might be the only way forward, leading to their escapades with Temp V and Soldier Boy.
2 "We Save Everyone, Even If They Don't Deserve It."
A Speech That Showcases Hughie's Altruistic Side
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 3, Episode 8 “The Instant White-Hot Wild”
- Release Date: July 8th, 2022
By this point in Season 3, the rest of The Boys are tired of everything that has happened, whether it be taking Temp V or Soldier Boy, Payback, and Herogasm. Hughie might have been equally sick of it as them, but he still kept his morals straight.
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In what they plan to be their final confrontation with Soldier Boy, Hughie’s rationale is what convinces The Boys to make sure that the Vought Tower is cleared of all its employees. Though not all of them deserved it, Hughie’s words saved the lives of countless Vought employees that day.
1 "So, You Fell On Your Ass... That's Not Who You Are. So, Who Are You?"
An Uplifting Message That Inspires Starlight
- Episode The Quote Was Said: Season 1, Episode 1 “The Name of the Game”
- Release Date: July 26th, 2019
Hughie says this line in the first episode, during his first ever meeting with Starlight. Before either of them would start a relationship or even knew who each other was, the two met by chance on a park bench. Both had been going through bad days, with Hughie struggling with the death of his girlfriend Robin and Starlight having an infamously horrible experience with The Deep.
Using the lessons he learned from the late Robin and her ice skating, Hughie lifts Starlight’s spirits. These words encourage Starlight to go back to The Seven and give The Deep a piece of her mind. This line alone showcases that Hughie can maintain an optimistic attitude in spite of all the bad things that happened to him and his loved ones.
The Boys
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2019 - 2026-00-00
- Showrunner
- Eric Kripke
- Directors
- Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Eric Kripke
