The Boys: Hughie’s 9 Best Quotes

Hughie is definitely the odd man out when he is first recruited by Billy Butcher to go after Vought International and The Seven in The Boys. However, Hughie has proven to be one of the most capable members of the vigilante group. His usefulness stems from the fact that he is mostly brains while the rest of the members are all muscle.

Hughie Campbell doesn’t just demonstrate his intelligence by his actions but also by the way he chooses his words. While the comic version of the character speaks in a rather basic manner, the Amazon Prime version prefers to color his sentences, resulting in a fun, fan-favorite character.

9 “As A Rule, I Don’t Usually Go Out After A Gory Massacre.”

Some fans have nicknamed him “Bully” Butcher and he earns that nickname by causing turmoil with one of the best couples in The Boys. He orders Hughie to go on a date with his girlfriend Starlight and hack her phone. Given how many people have just died, Hughie doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

Once again, Hughie shows how uncomfortable he is with being a member of The Boys. If he had a choice, he’d be living a different life. But he’s in too deep now. The quote also highlights the vast difference between Butcher and Hughie’s characters. Having lived a life of chaos, Butcher has no problem using people for his own agenda. Hughie is different and there’s no way he is going to hack his crush’s phone.

8 “He Is Too Much Of An A**hole To Die.”

When Butcher disappears for a couple of weeks, Frenchie speculates that maybe he is dead. Hughie doesn’t think so, stating that Butcher is despicable but capable of survival.

Hughie is right about Butcher since he shows up at the end of the episode like nothing happened. And in keeping up with his arrogance, he refuses to explain everything in detail. It’s one of the many reasons why The Boys fans hate Billy Butcher. He’s an effective leader but his personality is far from admirable.

7 “I Managed To Go My Whole Life Without Seeing Someone Die Horribly, And Now I’m Up To About A Half Dozen.”

Hughie has the biggest conscience out of all members of The Boys and late in the first season, he suggests that they should slow down on their violent ways.

This quote is a reminder of just how much Hughie’s life has changed for the worse. Before the start of the show, he was an ordinary citizen looking forward to a bright future with his girlfriend. Now he has to chase after super-powered individuals every single day. Butcher is cut out for this life since he was previously in the military but Hughie feels a bit too overwhelmed.

6 “Saw It On, Uh, Jimmy Fallon.”

Butcher is impressed when Hughie stops Translucent, one of the most villainous members of The Seven, by electrocuting him inside the TV store. He wonders where Hughie learned how to do that, and the response is rather interesting.

Hughie’s comical nature doesn’t come out too often but he’s proven that he can be funny when sometimes. It’s impossible for him to have learned how to electrocute invincible Supes on The Tonight Show Featuring Jimmy Fallon since that’s a late-night talk show. People with a large reservoir of knowledge don’t always remember where they learned everything hence there’s the possibility that Hughie actually forgot where he learned the electrocution technique, so he just threw Jimmy Fallon out there.

5 “Just Coz You Fall On Your A** Doesn’t Mean You Have To Stay There.”

Hughie isn’t the one who comes up with these words. He quotes his late girlfriend who was killed by A-Train. This is what she would say whenever she fell while skating.

The words apply to almost every member of The Boys at the start of the series. Their lives have all been destabilized by either Supes or Compound V. Instead of wallowing in pity, they have decided to team up and do something about it. The quote is not only useful in the context of the series but is also inspirational to any person watching.

4 “You Look Like You’re Starring In The Porn Version Of The Matrix.”

The first time he tries to recruit Hughie into The Boys, Butcher lies that he is a fed. Hughie doesn’t believe him, arguing that he doesn’t look like an agent. What Hughie thinks Butcher looks like is even funnier.

Butcher’s shades are what make Hughie compare him to some of the best characters from The Matrix since almost everyone in the critically acclaimed movie had a pair. The porn reference fits well with the show since neither it nor its source material has ever shied away from sexual themes.

3 “I Could Be Your Tech Guy. Like, I Could Be In The Van Like, ‘He’s Down The Hall To The Left.'”

The first time he feels the thrill of hunting down superpowered baddies, Hughie feels that he should continue. Unfortunately for him, Butcher wants him to take a back seat because he feels he isn’t tough enough. Hughie isn’t willing to do that so he suggests being like the tech guys who stay inside vans in action movies as they monitor proceedings and advise field agents.

Hughie’s description of how these characters act is entirely accurate. The application of the same techie-guiding-hero concept wouldn’t work here since A-Train and Homelander would have disappeared by the time Butcher got down the hall to the left. Nevertheless, the words still come off as totally hilarious, making viewers wish Hughie would make jokes more often.

2 “That’s A… Nickname?”

When Butcher introduces Hughie to Mother’s Milk, Hughie has a hard time believing that is actually his real name. Even after Mother’s Milk insisting that his mother did indeed give him that name, Hughie remains doubtful.

Hughie is right to be baffled since it’s rare to meet someone with such an unconventional legal name. Mother’s Milk’s mother must have had a very interesting sense of humor. Sadly, not much information is given about her. Instead, details are given about Mother’s Milk’s father who worked hard to expos Vought but got killed before he could achieve anything.

1 “I Don’t Think It’s Morgan Freeman Up There Or Anything But It All Can’t Be Random Chaos.”

Butcher asks Hughie an important question when the two attend the Believe Expo to follow up on a Supe lead. He asks him if he believes in God, to which Hughie responds states that Morgan Freeman (who has portrayed God in a couple of movies) is definitely not up there but there is a force controlling everything.

With the remarks, Hughie sounds more of an agnostic individual than an atheist. Discussions about deities often end with an agree-to-disagree conclusion. Some viewers definitely wouldn’t agree with Hughie but some will. The Morgan Freeman reference is also a clever one, serving as an aide-memoire of the large pop culture knowledge stored in Hughie’s mind.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1215 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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