The Boys season 4 has just made Simon Pegg’s character a supe, and here is everything that there is to know about Hugh Campbell Sr’s powers, explained. Hugh Campbell Sr. has been a pretty minor character throughout The Boys so far, with him simply being the dad to Hughie and acting as a supporting character in a few episodes. However, The Boys season 4 gave Hugh Sr. his biggest story yet, with him having a stroke and ending up in a hospital. This culminated in him gaining super powers, with this storyline changing The Boys forever.

The Boys season 4 is finally here, with the highly anticipated continuation of Amazon Prime Video’s critically acclaimed superhero series now releasing on the streaming service. The Boys season 4 picks up right where The Boys season 3 left off, with the titular team attempting to stop Victoria Neuman from becoming Vice President of the United States while Butcher continues secretly trying to kill Homelander. Meanwhile, Hugh Sr. has a stroke, and when Hughie’s mom comes back into the picture, Hughie is forced to make a tough call or face his dad’s death.

Simon Pegg’s Hugh Campbell Sr Can Phase Through Objects In The Boys Season 4

Here’s How His New Powers Work

The Boys season 4, episode 4 saw Hughie decide to make a tough choice, with him realizing that injecting Compound V into his father’s bloodstream could save his life. Against the advice of Butcher, Hughie makes a deal with A-Train, with the speedy supe stealing some of Vought’s supe serum and handing it over. Although Hughie changes his mind, his mother ends up injecting Compound V into Hugh Sr.’s bloodstream, with The Boys season 4, episode 4 ending as Hugh Sr’s eyes shoot open for the first time in season 4.

In season 4, episode 5, Hugh Sr. is wide awake and seemingly back to normal, although Hughie expects that something is up. Eventually, Hugh Sr. disappears, with Hughie and his mother finding him covered in blood and standing near a dead body. Hugh Sr. runs away, with Hughie discovering that his dad has gained the ability to phase through objects. Hugh Sr. runs through walls and phases into other people’s bodies, violently killing them. Hugh Sr. has no control over this, with his newfound super powers causing chaos within the hospital.

Hugh Sr. seems unstoppable, and while his powers are on the fritz, his memory is worse. Hugh Sr. seems to only have the memories that he gained up until Hughie was a young child, with Hugh Sr. not recognizing the now-adult Hughie and being shocked at the presence of his ex-wife. Eventually, Hughie and his mother get Hugh Sr. calmed down and explain what is going on. Hughie realizes that the only way to save his dad is to put him down, with him injecting a concoction into Hugh Sr’s bloodstream, sadly killing him.

What’s Wrong With Hugh’s Powers & Why Can’t He Control Them?

Hughie Provided An Explanation

Unlike many supes in The Boys universe, Hugh Sr. can’t seem to control his powers, causing many viewers to wonder what is wrong with them. Hugh Sr’s powers seem to activate when he is scared, with him fearfully running through walls and into the bodies of other people. In the episode, Hughie makes a comment about how giving terminally ill people Compound V can have disastrous effects, hypothesizing that this is why Hugh Sr. is acting so strange. This could explain Hugh Sr’s uncontrollable powers and memory problems, although it isn’t known how Hughie knows this information.

On top of that, The Boys has frequently shown that supes often can’t control their powers immediately after they are activated for the first time. For example, it is a well-known part of Homelander’s origin story that he used his laser eyes to kill his own mother during his birth. Furthermore, Gen V showed Marie Moreau accidentally killing her parents shortly after she received her powers, doubling down on this trope. Since Hugh Sr. just received his powers before losing control of them, that could also play into his strange behavior in episode 5.

Hugh Campbell Sr’s Powers Connect To Hughie’s Own Power From The Boys Season 3

Continuing A The Boys Trend

Interestingly, Hugh Campbell Sr’s powers might contain a hidden detail, as they seem to be connected to Hughie’s own powers from The Boys season 3. In the world of The Boys, supes and their children often have the same powers, a trope that has been established throughout the franchise. This can be seen in Homelander and Ryan having the same powers, as well as characters like Polarity and Andre in Gen V. While this hasn’t been explicitly stated as a rule, it has been implied, and Hugh Sr. and Hughie seem to be continuing this exact trend.

While their powers aren’t exactly the same, Hugh Sr’s Compound V powers seem to be incredibly similar to the powers that Hughie had after taking Temp V in The Boys season 3. In season 3, Hughie had the power to teleport around, and Hugh Sr has the power to run around while phasing through objects in season 4. These are similar powers that both involve speedy transportation that disregards barriers. The slight difference could be explained by the differing effects of Compound V and Temp V, although that is just a theory.

Hugh Sr’s Powers Could Tease A Dark Future For Billy Butcher

Could Butcher Still Die Either Way?

Hugh Sr’s death in The Boys season 4 was sad enough, but his powers and final fate could tease a dark future for Billy Butcher. It has been well established that Billy Butcher only has six months to live, with the effects of Temp V causing his brain to slowly die. However, The Boys season 4 made the surprise reveal that Butcher actually attempted to save his life by using Compound V, although he claims that it didn’t work.

If Hughie is right about the effects of Compound V on terminally ill people, Billy Butcher may suffer the same fate as Hugh Sr. by the end of the season. The show has already teased that Billy Butcher has powers that he can’t control, a trait that he shared with Hugh Sr. Thus, it is entirely possible that Butcher’s powers will only get more out of control and eventually lead to his death, with this most likely happening in The Boys seaosn 5.