Season 3 of the Prime Video series “The Boys” saw a significant shift in the power dynamics as Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) revealed that his chest beam could take away a superpower and Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) assisted in providing Billy Butcher and his Boys with a type of temporary Compound V that can grant them superpowers for a short period of time. Leveling the playing field by giving some characters powers and robbing others of theirs allows for some intriguing character arcs about how power impacts us all.
Although Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) had long yearned for a “normal” life, she loses her powers early in season 3 as a result of Soldier Boy and later decides that she wants them back. Hughie (Jack Quaid), on the other hand, experiences what it was like to be a super through the Temp V and wants to maintain that feeling. Both of them desire superpowers, but for very different reasons, and these motivations play a significant role in how events turn out.
The showrunner weighs in
Eric Kripke, the creator of the show, was questioned by a fan on Twitter about why Starlight felt confident giving Kimiko Compound V even if she was discouraging her lover Hughie from using the interim version. Kripke’s response was fantastic:
“I appreciate you asking! Because Hughie wanted to feel manly and save a woman who didn’t want to be saved, his desire was selfish. Kimiko makes a selfless effort that weighs heavily on her in order to defend a man who appreciates the defence. Very different.”
Hughie’s need for superpowers stems from ego, whereas Kimiko’s need comes from a place of love. This is a key distinction between Hughie and Kimiko’s desires for superpowers. We see instances when Hughie wants his girlfriend to perform tasks for him throughout the course of the season. She is there to handle duties that Hughie would normally be responsible for, such opening jars of peanut butter or defending him from harm. Hughie makes an effort to recognise how special their circumstance is, but it’s obvious that he also feels a little diminished. He gains superpowers from the Temp V, which makes him feel more equal to Starlight and like he can finally defend her. It’s kind of lovely in a profoundly mistaken way, which is typically Hughie’s approach to everything. He does not, however, solely desire the abilities in order to “defend” Starlight, as it is obvious that she is capable of doing it on her own.
A matter of who needs protecting
As much as Kimiko appreciates not having superpowers and being able to hold Frenchie (Tomer Kapon) without worrying that she could break him, she has come to the realisation that in order to keep him safe, she must have superpowers. Kimiko realised how scary the world is without her powers after their terrible encounter with Nina (Katia Winter). She was unable to assist the person she cared about the most, so she used Compound V to regain her abilities to ensure that this never happened again. Frenchie respects it even though he wishes it weren’t necessary because it was a loving act rather than an egotistical one.
In the end, Hughie quits taking the Temp V and returns to being human, while Kimiko is permanently powered once more. The characters in “The Boys” may not always get along, but they usually receive justice.
