The highly anticipated season 4 of the superhero TV series The Boys is finally here, bringing Billy Butcher and his crew back to confront corrupt superheroes. While the show has received positive reviews and has made an impactful entry, certain scenes have sparked fan scrutiny over the narrative of upcoming episodes.
One such sequence included Hughie Campbell, played by Jack Quaid, in a near-death encounter with Homelander. While Episode 3 ends with a surprising twist and Hughie does make it out alive, the execution of this sequence has become a focal point of criticism among fans, who have taken to social media to express their views.
Hughie Campbell Receives a Surprising Rescue in The Boys Season 4
The Boys Season 4 follows up on the events of the last season with Billy Butcher, who has only months to live, getting the team together to save the world before it’s too late. The show has released its first three episodes of Seqson 4, which have been full of surprises.
Among many other things happening in the first three episodes of the show, is Hughie Campbell’s (Jack Quaid) scary encounter with Homelander (Antony Starr) while attempting to eavesdrop on a meeting with Neuman and Sister Sage.
Upon sensing his presence, Homelander attempts to kill him with his laser vision, but he narrowly escapes with unexpected assistance from A-Train. A-Train’s conflicted allegiance to The Seven and Vought has him acting as an informant for The Boys, yet his motivations for saving Hughie remain unclear.
Killing off Hughie at this point would have significantly altered the narrative from the original comics, as he is the only member of the group to survive the events, making his demise unlikely.
While fans are surely relieved that one of the show’s protagonists will continue the journey, the sequence in itself has become a point of critique, with them questioning the details and how swiftly Hughie managed to escape Homelander’s deadly grasp.
Fans Question Hughie’s Escape from Homelander in The Boys Season 4
Fans of the show have heavily criticized the Episode 3 sequence, particularly Hughie Campbell’s escape from Homelander, questioning the narrative coherence and the plausibility of Hughie’s evasion.
Taking to X (Twitter), many fans noted how The Seven’s leader was unable to feel Hughie’s presence until the moment a drop of sweat fell on him, despite his X-ray vision and super sensitive hearing. Critics argued that Jack Quaid’s character seemed to benefit from unrealistic plot armor.
“The only way Hughie escaped this, was because the writers gave him Game of Thrones season 8 level plot armor,” one X (Twitter) user said. However, amidst the criticism, there was also appreciation for the scene’s intensity and the suspense it generated regarding Hughie Campbell’s fate.
I was surprised he got out of their fast without even making a noise and I’m also surprised how his heat vision took that long to laser through the vent
And how are those air vents so clean 😭😭😭
— Jonathan gedeon (@Jonathangedeon5) June 15, 2024
The only way Hughie escaped this, was because the writers gave him Game of Thrones season 8 level plot armor
— Jesper Lundin (@lundin_jesper) June 16, 2024
This scene was so badly written. In the same episode homelander can hear a heartbeat from the other side of the room.
Now he cant hear hughie breathe and the heartbeat.
Of course after that he misses a lot.— Kiergard (@Kiergard) June 15, 2024
Okay but can we appreciate how Homelander saw a drop of water on him and his immediate reaction was to smell it ? 💀
— ThatOneGuy (@iNeedTherapy01) June 15, 2024
Hughie should've died there. Homelander might be lazy but with cray vision and super speed Hughie should’ve been split in half
— Parker T (@OingusBoingus27) June 15, 2024
I mean he could destroy a plane with ease but couldn’t kill a regular human crawling in a vent?
— Urlumain (@UrlumainPog) June 16, 2024
The plot armor in this scene is crazy
— Pranav (@Pranav95436305) June 15, 2024
Season 4 has released three episodes so far, with subsequent episodes set to air weekly, every Thursdays. The showrunner Eric Kripke has earlier revealed that the series has also been renewed for the fifth and final season.
The Boys is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
