Kripke has recently said in several interviews, “Believe it or not, The Boys is a moral universe, and when you make the right choices, you get rewarded, you make the wrong choices you get punished. Because Maeve made the right decisions, she gets the happy ending with Elena.”

Making the world of the boys a moral universe is definitely creating issues with telling the overall story. For one, Kripke is currently shaping the world of the Boys according to what he thinks is right and wrong. He turned tempV into a moral issue and gave it deadly consequences to anyone taking it. He essentially said, “If you try to use weapons/tools that are equal to your enemy/oppressor, you’re just as bad.” And that message is an oversimplified take on Hughie and Butcher’s decisions in S3. It also makes it jarring when the story dictates that Kimiko actions are selfless in order to protect her loved ones while Hughie’s actions are selfish and borne out of wanting to be macho to save his girlfriend who doesn’t need saving. Instead of viewing both character’s choices as trying to survive and win within their violent supe world, these characters are viewed in the lens’ of Kripke’s scope of morality as he also aims to make commentary on men’s expectations to always be the physically strong one.

How much more compelling would it be if tempV was just treated as a tool/weapon (no tumors/side effects) and it depends on the individual(s) taking it and what they do with their powers to meet their goals? There’s enough stakes presented with Hughie/Butcher methods without the need to make it deadly.

I also think the toxic masculinity storyline was centered to avoid exploring a much tougher storyline. It’s much harder to explore the question that was evoked between Hughie/Butcher’s methods and Annie/MM’s methods which is: what it will take to dismantle and destroy an oppressive capitalistic corporation and government that makes up the current power structure? By any means necessary? Or through a series of “right ways” which according to Kripke is using social media, mobilizing protests, speaking the “truth” and using the justice system all which heavily rely on liberal idealism. Does kripke think Vought as a corporation can be made good if Ashley has a complete change of heart and starts using her CEO powers for the greater good, as hinted in deleting the Maeve video? So perhaps Kripke believes the system itself doesn’t need to change, just the people leading it does.

Kripke ultimately believes in reform/gradualism and opposes revolution/radical changes tactics. I don’t mind that he does this because it’s a great debate to engage within the show but the show itself has firmly picked a side and tells the audience who is clearly right (Annie/MM) and who is obviously wrong (Hughie/Butcher) instead of highlighting the pros/cons/greys of both methods and having them at least try to come to a mutual understanding of each other’s methods and work together. But now that Kripke has picked a side, what’s the solution for the Boys to defeat Vought and kill homelander that falls in line with the moral standards that he has set for these characters?

Yes to all your points!! On Maeve’s rawdog joke, it just felt super extra and unnecessary to dunk on hughie right after he’s suppose to be uplifted by his inner-strength and embrace who he is. The writers have been harping on how wrong Hughie has been to pursue power in a dangerous supe world and then he’s made the center of a joke for the audience to laugh about his perceived softenness and it’s treated like a negative. “You just look like you’re asking to be bent over and fucked.” Maybe if it was done during a different episode and not like right after his empowerment moment? Maybe it would land better if Maeve and him were friends? Or if Hughie can clap back? Idk. I’m annoyed by all the make fun of Hughie for laughs routine. It’s getting tired. And his character is clever enough to clap back but the writers don’t always let him.

Also using in-community jokes/lingos rarely translates well on media. Because it’s not just the queer community and queer adjacent in-the-know who understands the humor, dynamics and implications that are in the audience, it’s also hetero folks who are given permission to laugh, mock and interpret Maeve’s comment. I’ve since seen comments be like oh it means “he’s soft, weak and needs to know his place.” In the tenants of comedy, when jokes are made, we should be asking who in the audience is laughing, why are they laughing and it ties in with the concept of are these jokes punching up or punching down. What’s the purpose of using this sexualized joke in the scene? Is to highlight Maeve’s disdain/lust for Hughie or is it for the audience to rag on the supposed essence that Hughie gives off? My criticism is heavily on the writer’s choice, timing and the fact it’s mostly a hetero male writers room finding it funny as confirmed in Kripke’s tweet.

A small simple list of why The Boys Season Finale Makes Absolutely No Fucking Sense

Leaving Maeve to fight Homelander by herself

Billy not simply getting Ryan out of the Vought building

Everyone conveniently turning against Soldier Boy because of some half ass "he's the bigger problem" theme

Completely wasting Black Noir

Starlight's powerup was shot like this amazing buildup of power for her to push Soldier Boy like 3 feet

Ryan completely betraying every thought and principle the kid has displayed thus far. I know what they were TRYING to go for because he's just a kid and Butcher rejected him while Homelander accepted him but this is still wildly inconsistent with anything about Ryan's characterization in season 2

Kimiko gleefully slaughtering and torturing people doing their jobs instead of simply getting the job done, despite the massive focus on her not being a "monster" this season

Stalling Homelander's demise-- I know he can't die yet but his character isn't one-dimensional. If you're going to keep him alive while making it NOT feel like you're just artificially contriving the show's length, then actually fucking challenge his character so there's a point to keeping him around outside of "bad guy"

Again-- LEAVING MEAVE TO FIGHT HOMELANDER BY HER FUCKING SELF

Eric Kripke on Twitter stated:

So apparently the season finale had been written by writers who have barely written for the show at all (one of them having never written a script), and it really fucking shows. Like, it's painfully obvious. Did not one person on the creative team bother to revise this?

I'll obviously get over it, but I'm pretty upset with the entire season finale because I love this show. It's fun, diabolical, grotesque, weirdly charming, and its got some interesting layers to many characters.

It deserved better writing than this, especially considering that up 'til the finale, we were on the strongest season thus far.

Exactly!! I was so confused by the Kimiko maniac dance scene because I was expecting kimiko’s arc would conclude with her learning to incapacitate/knock out enemies unconscious instead of straight up killing and enjoying it???!? Like kimiko would only resort to killing if she had no choice and not like brutally mangled guards just because.

I’m sorry but I can’t get over the Kimiko scene in the finale. Because you spend all season hitting us with “you’re teaming up with a murderer” and “you don’t get to decide who to serve up on a platter” and “no one should have that kind of power”. And then you make a point of the characters wanting to evacuate the Vought tower, and have Hughie say “we save everyone. Even if they don’t deserve it”. And then you have Kimiko killing people at the Vought tower for fun and it’s framed as empowering and not as concerning???

They’re the same picture

Hughies corruption arc had so much potential. So so much potential. He’s angry, he’s capable of murder, he even likes it sometimes! He’s traumatized as all hell and has no chance at a normal life because he’s so dependent on butcher and everytime he’s happy something has to get fucked up. Why didn’t they use that!!? Instead of the whole toxic masculinity “I’m mad that you’re so much stronger than me” why not have him be mad that he’s not allowed to be like the rest of em? That he has to be the canary? I’m so mad all it took was him being locked in a bathroom to be okay with everything and not be angry anymore. LET HUGHIE BE ANGRY LET HUGHIE KILL LET HIM HAVE A VILLAIN ARC.

Queen Maeve’s homophobia

It’s one thing for fandom as a whole to fanonized, make fun, discuss, argue, ship and theorized about fictional characters. Like that’s the whole point! It’s actually best part, in my opinion. My love for these characters has me gearing up a few pieces in the making myself.

My beef is solely with the boys writers (likely hetero cis males) who are using a queer character as a vehicle to spew their homophobia and actual toxic masculinity. Like why is being a bottom treated like a flaw? Like what makes that comment funny for the writer? Or are they writing it in the perspective of the character being a shitty person and taking it out on the polite one? Or is Maeve just having a one-sided UST about Hughie? Is it part of their world/character building? Soldier boys homophobic comments are in-character, yes but that too is played up for laughs.

And when writers do this, who in the audience is laughing? Why are we laughing and what notions do these jokes reinforce?

It’s just such a weird choice to have hughie who just got done with a monologue about inner strength only to be made the center of a sexualized joke in the next scene. The boys writers wanna finger point and make political commentary while upholding outdated biases about sex and masculinity and it’s really clashing for me as a viewer and a fan of the show.

“You put me on a pedestal and the truth is I never knew how to save you.” -Becca to Butcher 2x04 Nothing Like it In The World

It’s not Hughie’s job to be butcher’s moral conscious. Especially when Hughie, being in his 20s is still figuring out his own path and his own “line”. I hope the writers allow Hughie to realize that he doesn’t have to stay on that Lenny/Becca pedestal. He can check Butcher, of course, but that shouldn’t be his main reason of sticking by Butcher. Becca, his own wife knew this and couldn’t handle that pressure. And why should they? That’s a daunting request to be the moral center for a trauma-filled soul like Butcher who current just does not have the tools right now to heal.

It’s Butcher’s journey to do the heavy lifting of being a better man and Hughie, MM and their friends can provide their love and support as needed.

The way I am downright seething over this toxic message. Hughie’s dad lived in fear of taking risks and discouraged Hughie from taking chance after his wife left them. Robin was the one encouraging person in Hughie’s life before her murder. Why are they trying to rebrand how suffocating hugh sr’s overprotection was for hughie!??

Now I enjoyed the Hughie empowering Annie scene. I really do. But I’m despising the message the writers are evoking like it’s a give or take. Like Hughie should be giving up finding ways to empower himself and solely focus on Annie. THEY SHOULD BE A TEAM, like let them empower each other!??

Remember when Hughie’s dad actually congratulated Hughie and said he was proud for standing up for himself and fighting back against Vought? Despite telling him he “never had the fight in him”? And now Hughie’s just retroactively saying his dad was right and he should just sit back and not fend for himself or seek recompense.

Good times, good times.

And Supersonic, a Latino. Gets a barrage of racist insults before being killed offscreen. We don’t even get to see him fighting back or at least throwing the biggest FU insult to homelander before he’s killed off. No agency. *deep breaths*

No but why is Homelander killing Black Noir giving Sebastian Shaw killing Darwin in First Class? “We doN’t KiLL oUr OWn KiNd? Except if he’s black tho, than it’s gut pulling time!!!!

I will never shut up about this. Same with Maeve’s casual homophobia. Unless some tells me why her joke is suppose to be funny.

No but why is Homelander killing Black Noir giving Sebastian Shaw killing Darwin in First Class? “We doN’t KiLL oUr OWn KiNd? Except if he’s black tho, than it’s gut pulling time!!!!

I will never shut up about this. Same with Maeve’s casual homophobia. Unless someone tells me why her joke is suppose to be funny.

Soooo annoyed with how they handled black noir’s storyline. Like no agency at all. Zero. Like what was the point of showing us all the abuse he endured by SB if there was no comeuppance and closure. He didn’t even get a strike in or at least died heroically by saving someone. But Maeve does?Someone who doesn’t get shaded enough over flight 37 and failing to act sooner on literally everything.

The deep is still breathing. Why?

Let me preface this by saying I will never be here to tell people who they can or cannot like. Please like who you want to like and stan who you need to stan whether fictional character, actor, storyline etc. I’m loving the show and I’m having fun dissecting it each week even after it’s over. I’m happy to engage in healthy and safe debates because points can be made without coming for people.

But I will say this:

A story’s context does more than just inform opinions. Kripke, at this point is pulling and directly referencing from history. I’m not expecting every viewer to catch these references but I hope once it’s made known, viewers can understand what it means to the character, the character’s essence, their actions and the overall story. The burden in my eyes falls on the writers and Eric Kripke to effectively portray the racist homophobic nature of Soldier Boy in the way they do with Stormfront and Homelander. And if they’re choosing subtly and vagness over a poignant character reveal that demonstrates the unchecked horrors of Vought and the way the company welded white supremacy, well then yikes all around.

In Hughie’s scene with the Legend, the Legend is explaining Soldier Boy’s notable accomplishments. The real story and not the one from the history books that Hughie, MM, Annie and other American kids has had to learn in order to pass history class. One of Soldier Boy’s greatest hits was a time in which “he sprayed a fire hose in Birmingham.” It doesn’t get more more racist than this act. This is a reference to police using high pressured water hoses to attack, beat and arrest black civil rights protesters, mostly made up of young black high school children in 1963. The horrors of those events led to the March on Washington and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the United States.

Do what you will with this information but the context of this storyline leads to one point only:

Soldier boy is a racist that was empowered and enabled by Vought and the state which makes up the capitalistic white power structure in the world of the Boys. He operated on their behalf which included supporting the police by arresting, beating up and hosing down black children in the 60s.

People in fandom can embrace the complexity of a character and enjoy their favorite actor embracing a dark role. However Kripke is pulling from history to inform us who Soldier Boy is fully and what he represents is completely unavoidable.

*spoilers for The Boys 3x7 Here comes a candle to light you to bed*

Hughie is tougher and braver than soldier boy and homelander will EVER BE and that’s on mary had a little lamb, period!!

Soldier Boy is a racist homophobic coward like his son? WE BEEN KNEW. Let the soldier boy back to the cryotube challenge begin!!!

Hughie’s real power? Naruto’s talk no jutsu!! And I’m just melting over how true this has been since S1.

Hughie/Annie fans we back up!!! Been fighting for our lives in these streets.

Kimiko really said nah fam this mortal life ain’t for me, now pass me that compV stat!

“I’ve been inside his head, that guy is a piece of shit.” Butcher collects enemies while UNCONSCIOUS. I JUST CANT WITH HIM.

this episode was an emotional triggery mess. whew, lots to dissect.

*spoilers for herogasm*

To reduce Hughie’s actions to toxic masculinity overlooks the complexity of his motivations and what set him off this path initially. We just saw his residual rage and grief of Robin’s death in his scene with A-train. It never left Hughie. He never had the chance to protect her. It makes his decisions a lot more nuanced, compounded by the crazy shit he has survived in the last 3 years. He also has had to reconcile with Neuman’s betrayal and the fact that he contributed to Vought’s strength in government which completely upended his life. That alone was a huge blow to his confidence and everything he believed in about doing things the “right way.” I just wish Annie, MM and Butcher did more to correct him like, “nooooo babe, you’ve done so much xyz.”

I do like that it shows the challenges of being in a supe relationship and with Hughie its also informed by his knowledge and experience of the collateral damage of supes and the life it took away from him. This is why I think it’s bigger than Annie just being physically stronger.

An underrated moment: In a way, Annie proved Hughie correct. When he was standing in her way, she used her powers against him to get him out of her way. If he wasn’t suped up would he be able to withstand the attack? She was willing to physically hurt Hughie for the greater good to try and save multiple people at herogasm. And Hughie is the same. He did everything he could to make sure Soldier Boy focused on the twins. He failed in this endeavor but the question remains, what’s damage and carnage of a supe party compared to the potential of Homelander taking out New York, the country?Thats why I completely understand team whatever it takes. Hughie was ready to die to take out homelander.

I really enjoy Annie as a character but she’s been allowed to change course multiple times and naturally we root for her but Hughie despite everything he’s experienced is expected to do the right thing. Like no sis! Please my favorite morally upright character, please continue fucking shit up.

It looks like the lesson the show is trying to demonstrate with Annie is that you fight your enemies with the truth and honestly that is really an idealistic and pretty way of looking at the system. I think the show itself may not be ready to reconcile what it’ll take to disrupt systems of capitalistic oppression. But that’s a whole other post.

I really love MM’s arc because his motivations continue to be revealed to us. He’s a man consumed by the trauma and grief of his past which informs his OCD, anxiety and depression. His mental health severely impacts his ability to move forward, to be present and focus on his relationship with his family. For all the talk about Hughie’s codependency with Butcher, MM’s codependency with Butcher extends much longer and deeper. He was willing to lie to his wife multiple times in S1 for Butcher. And for all of Butchers fuckups and multiple betrayals, MM finds his way back to him. I always thought that during the course of 2x01, 2x02 and 2x03, Hughie had every right to feel betrayed by Frenchie and MM when they sided with Butcher even though he straight up left them for dead and Hughie had to step up to help keep the team together. I just hope MM and Hughie can reconcile once the dust settles. Hughie never gave up on MM when he was dissociating and depressed over losing his family in 2x01 and had initially chose to focus on building a dollhouse rather than the mission. Hughie “what if he does this to the Brooklyn bridge” still cares about the greater good. MM more than anyone should understand Hughie’s plight and allure of not only being with Butcher but making fucked up choices motivated by revenge. Ahhh the drama, soo good!!

Thanks for bearing with my excessive train of thoughts. There’s so much more to unpack with Ashley, A-train and others but I’ll need to assess and rewatch.

Hughie Campbell will be beating allegations of toxic masculinity!!!

First, almost every single character in the boys is doing everything they can to maintain power or gain more power, from Edgar, to Neuman, to Queen Maeve, to Atrain, the deep, to Annie to homelander and Butcher. Why is Hughie expected to be better because he’s been the moral center of this story? Hughie is someone worn down by the brutality, the cruelty and the deceptiveness of their world. I don’t fault him for actively seeking power. He has seen enough by now where he knows naviety will get you killed RE: Supersonic

I also see very little difference between Ashley and Hughie’s quest for power as they both started out as characters that were being walked all over before they transition to actively seeking power that is acknowledged and respected in their world. The world they lived in made them feel they’re not enough so they adapted. I actually think Ashley’s current position makes her worse because she’s exerting the same abuses that Stillwell and Homelander inflicted upon her onto others and will now uphold the abusive capitalistic structure that she learned as CEO (unless she has a change of heart down the line).

Hughie internalizes his physical powerlessness but he doesn’t extert any toxic male principles onto others. Hughie has always been powerful for his intelligence and as the first civilian to discover a weakness of a member of the seven and subsequently kill Translucent. But in the world of the boys, he’s surrounded by Supes that remind him of his physical vulnerability. In conclusion, let Hughie be complex and explore and fuck up until he realizes he was always great without tempV.

Hughie Campbell,

you will always be one of the greatest most complex fictional character to watch. love this arc for you, keep going.

also you won the booty contest. congrats.

I cant even begin to describe how much I loved butcher turning around to look at Hughie for permission. I love how much Hughie doesn’t realize how much influence he has over the loved ones around him. Whether thats Annie, Butcher or Kimiko, his words matter to them. But in a brutal world that measures brute strength as a form of power, as of now he’s unable to see how much power he has. Ugh love this quarter life crisis for you!

Quinta Brunson photographed by JD Barnes for ESSENCE as an ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honoree (2022)