Hughie Campbell got powers in The Boys season 3, but how do they work, and does Temp-V make him strong enough to take down the likes of Homelander?
The Boys season 3 finally gave superpowers to Hughie Campbell, the show’s main character. The newly-introduced Temp V — also known as V24 — allows Hughie and the gang to have temporarily enhanced abilities, shaking up the formula of The Boys. So far, the Boys have been able to kill weaker heroes like Translucent without powers, but in order to take down Homelander and The Seven, they knew they needed some help. Because of this, Seven-member Queen Maeve smuggled Billy Butcher several doses of an experimental Compound V that lasts for only 24 hours. Temp V is the reason for Butcher and Hughie Campbell’s powers, which finally allowed them to have a real shot at killing Homelander.
Every character in The Boys that takes Compound V gets a random set of superpowers, with Billy Butcher’s powers including laser eyes and invincibility and Kamiko receiving a healing factor. Hughie first takes Temp V in The Boys season 3, episode 4, “Glorious Five Year Plan,” giving him the power of teleportation. He is able to teleport around the room during a fight in a Russian lab. However, this comes with a hilarious caveat: Hughie loses his clothes whenever he teleports. Besides teleportation, Hughie also seems to have a healing factor, as his broken arm is fixed after taking Temp V. He also seems to have increased strength, punching through a Russian guard in one hit. While Hughie’s powers do differ from the comics, the show’s useful-yet-embarrassing abilities perfectly fit Hughie. However, these temporary Temp V powers come at a terrible price. Here are Hughie Campbell’s powers explained.
Hughie’s Teleportation Powers Explained
As of season 3, Hughie has taken Temp V four times, and The Boys may not have shown the full extent of his teleportation. Hughie Campbell’s powers have only allowed him to teleport across relatively short distances — a useful feat, but not game-changing. The downside of Hughie’s teleportation power is that his clothes don’t travel with him, leaving him completely naked whenever he teleports, and – as Annie finds out the hard way – whoever Hughie teleports with ends up naked as well. While his increased strength and healing factor are useful, teleportation seems to be the primary manifestation of Temp V in Hughie.
How Strong Is Hughie Compared To Homelander?
Although suped-up Hughie is far stronger than normal Hughie, he still doesn’t come close to how powerful Compound V has made Homelander. Hughie can teleport, but Homelander is so fast that he could probably beat Hughie to wherever he is going. Hughie has a healing factor, but he still takes damage, unlike the invincible and invulnerable Homelander, who was only really physically threatened when Butcher and Soldier Boy teamed up against him. Though Hughie can punch through body armor, Hughie’s slightly enhanced strength poses no threat to Homelander. Yes, Hughie can hold his own against some supes while on Temp V, but he still has no chance of taking down Homelander on his own. Hughie’s new powers only serve as a means to protect himself, with the gang hopefully finding another way to kill Homelander by the end of The Boys.
Hughie’s Powers Come At A Terrible Price
Hughie Campbell’s powers come with one major downside: the possibility of a painful and destructive death. As revealed in The Boys season 3, episode 7 “Here Comes A Candle To Light You To Bed,” taking three to five doses of Temp V or V24 may result in death. To be more precise, the carelessly scattered research notes in this episode indicate that the cause of death is typically “Hyper Accelerated Malignant Tumors.” Did Butcher and Hughie get powers just to die in The Boys season 4? It’s certainly a possibility — Hughie has taken Temp V four times, Butcher has taken it five times, so it wouldn’t be surprising if massive complications arise for either. As for whether it was worth it for Hughie to have taken Temp V if he died, that depends on how he uses his teleportation in the next season.
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