The surprising superpowers of a key character have a shocking meaning

In the last episode The dangers of rural life There was a lot of slapstick in The Boys, including deadly farm animals and jabs at the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But one scene left many viewers speechless: Hughie's father (Simon Pegg) wakes up after his wife injected him with Compound V – and then turns the hospital into a bloody battlefield.

The sad truth behind Hughie Senior’s superpower

The scene in which his son Hughie (Jack Quaid) finally has to redeem him is one of the most tragic moments in the series. But showrunner Eric Kripke's explanation of the symbolism behind the deadly superpower gives this scene an even deeper meaning.

Eric Kripke, the creative mind behind the series, told Varietythat Hughie's father's superpower was not chosen by chance.

Hughie Senior was given the ability to dematerialize and walk through walls, which is a direct metaphor for his perceived invisibility in his relationship with his wife Daphne (Rosemarie DeWitt).

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The father says to her in the series: You looked at me as if I were invisible – and it is precisely this feeling of simply not being seen that, according to Kripke, manifests itself in his superpower. The already tragic scene in which the confused senior accidentally kills several innocent people becomes even more emotional.

The Boys boss explains how superpowers are created

This connection between the psyche and the powers of a character runs like a thread through the series and allows deep, if often dark, insights into the characters. However, genetics also plays a role in the inheritance of superpowers.

Kripke gives the example that Hughie’s ability to teleport and his father’s ability in the same league play and are the result of the characters' genetic predisposition. It is very similar with Homelander and his son Ryan, who have exactly the same powers.

But there are also examples like Victoria Neuman and her daughter Zoe. While Neuman uses the power of her mind to make her enemies' heads explode, her daughter can make dangerous tentacles shoot out of her mouth.