Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episode 5.

Although The Boys season 4 didn’t make Hughie an outright villain, Simon Pegg’s supe did flip his formative tragedy on its head in one gruesome gag. When The Boys began back in 2019, Hughie was one of the most unambiguously heroic figures in the show’s cast. He first began working with the eponymous vigilante group when the irresponsible supe A-Train accidentally killed Hughie’s girlfriend Robin while high on Compound V. Admittedly, Hughie had already killed a member of The Seven by the end of season 1. However, he was driven to this vengeance by heartbreak and remained comparatively heroic.

In contrast, The Boys’ A-Train has been a much more morally complex character throughout the show’s long history. For much of the series, A-Train has been loyal to the lethally sociopathic monster Homelander and, as Robin’s death proves, fairly uncaring about civilian casualties of his corruption. In The Boys season 3, he began to grow more conscientious when he saw the damage that the corrupt cop supe Blue Hawk was doing to his community. By the end of The Boys season 4 episode 5, A-Train and Hughie have almost perfectly swapped their original roles from season 1’s pilot.

Hughie’s Father Killed A Patient Just Like A-Train Killed Robin

Compound V Caused Hughie’s Father To Accidentally Murder A Bystander

In session 4, episode 4, “Wisdom of the Ages”, Hughie gets A-Train to supply him with Compound V which he hopes will save the life of his ailing father, Hugh Campbell Sr. In episode 5, “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son,” Hughie’s father wakes up from his coma and makes a recovery, but this isn’t necessarily good news. Simon Pegg’s Hugh Campbell Sr. gains the power to phase through solid objects like walls, but can’t control this ability. Much like A-Train ran through Robin while under the influence of V, Hugh Campbell Sr. ends up phasing through a hospital patient.

The Boys season 4’s grossest gag has a deeper meaning, as the moment proves that Hughie And A-Train aren’t all that different anymore. A-Train has been growing a conscience while Hughie has gradually dulled his, excusing increasingly extreme measures as he worked with the Boys. Now it is harder than ever to ignore their similarities since both of them have caused the death of an innocent civilian via superpower misuse that was caused by irresponsible abuse of Compound V. The Boys highlighted Hughie and A-Train’s similarities further when Hughie accessed V via A-Train, providing he is equally susceptible to corruption.

Season 4’s Supe Simon Pegg Makes Hughie More Like A-Train

Hughie And A-Train Both Abused Compound V For Personal Gain

Few supes can control their powers in the world of The Boys, as evidenced by Hughie and Butcher’s season 3 powers. Even comparatively stable supes like A-Train are corrupted by their abilities, while most people like Hugh Campbell Sr. can’t even handle them temporarily. Although Hughie eventually accepted his father’s fate and administered a legal injection to stop his unintentional rampage, Hughie’s use of Compound V proves he is as corruptible as A-Train. This makes their character arcs more complicated, as it proves that The Seven aren’t irredeemable and the titular antiheroes of The Boys are far from virtuous.