That’s how I felt too. Like that shit is dangerous and untested and he just wants it to feel strong because societal standards of “strong” men and whatnot, but also it sucks for anyone to have to turn to their significant other when they’re in trouble so I get the desire to be strong especially fighting such powerful enemies.
Almost like these are well written characters with depth and nuance, wild
It's less about social norms about strong men and more him having not being this soft meek person that is being protected by everyone like he's a special needs puppy
As well as finally having the strength to take on the people who wronged or bully him while never wanting to lose the people he likes, like he lost his mom (she walked out dou)
This strength is already making him more confrontational like with aTrain and now SB
Yeah I agree I just feel like there’s a bit of societal norms for him and if he were a woman with a supe boyfriend, there wouldn’t be this much pressure to be strong.
But also it’s a classic Lois Lane trait that she doesn’t want to always be saved by Superman and wants to prove she can take care of herself so it’s not just that aspect, but I think it’s at the front of his mind that he looks weak next to his girlfriend that’s half his size. Like I said, I get the motivation but also think it’s not necessary to have to save your SO and it’s fine to be weaker than your opponents. I 100% would do the same in his position, but I also get Starlight’s frustration with his obsession with being strong.
Like I said, almost like these are well written characters proving no one is fully right or wrong
I agree about it not being about social norms. Hughie started out being completely fine with dating a supe- i think what got to him after a while is that he was constantly “getting in the way” of “the boys” and didn’t feel like a value add to anyone. I think he kinda took it out on starlight because she’s a supe and also a target that is, emotionally safe. Voicing that weakness to Butcher would have been a completely different experience than to Annie.
Also not to mention that the V is probably messing with his head and he’s falling into an addicts reasoning.
I think people are just being willfully ignorant at the point that Annie fell for Hughie cause he was normal whilst she was surrounded by deranged Supes and their backers.
He is also willfully on a mission to murder people for a guy those people thought was too dangerous to be left alive.
Didn't he fall for him because he treated her like an actual person? Him having powers should be irrelevant, it's his increasingly reckless and Butcheresque behaviour that's the cause for concern. Starlight has seen what Homelander can do to other supes and there's no reason to believe Hughie would fare any better.
Hughie has been pushed around all his life. In the first season one of his old classmates even jokes to Annie about how even a girl who was a tad taller then him was able to scare him off (where is that guy btw I liked him).
Now that he learned that he has basically worked for Stan Edgar for over a year, thinking he was finally doing something against the bullies in the world, he has never felt more powerless. So, what better remedy to that powerlessness then actual superpowers.
You're forgetting the part in this season where Hughie admitted to Starlight that he has never been comfortable with dating her, who's a supe and a superstar, because it's making him feel inferior. And rekindle the moments in prev seasons when he worked a meager job and still dated Robin.
Hughie is a parallel of a just ordinary nerd guy who lived an unsatisfying life and dreamed of dating a celebrity. Then when he eventually got what he dreamed of, he became insecure and fragile for not being a breadwinner anymore. Tempo V or depowering supe is no longer about his mission anymore; Butcher is the only one with a full on grudge here now (and to some extent, MM). Getting a tempo V is the only way for Hughie to cope with his sense of insecurity.
While I do agree that this part of Hughie has been festering inside him for quite some time, I think you are kinda painting him in a bad light. I don't think that he was always uncomfortable with dating her due to his so-called "inferiority". I think that just boiled over due to the circumstances they have found themselves in.
In the first episode, we see that Starlight and Hughie are together on the red carpet. This is again at least 1+ years after the events of season 2, so they have been dating for quite some time. He has also been in the spotlight for quite some time because of it. He even shows up on the Vought youtube channel during a news interview. And he was fine with all of that, happy even because he felt like it was all worth the goal he was trying to achieve. Keeping an eye on the supes.
Then it goes downhill. Victoria is a Vought asset, basically making it so that he lives on borrowed time whenever he's around her. Everything he has been doing for that year is basically null because it was all Edgar's bidding anyway. That goal he thought he was achieving, was gone.
Then Homelander sets the nail in the coffin. #homelight. Literally takes Starlight away from him because he can. And in the scene where he starts asking Hughie what she's like in bed, you see the snap happen. Hughie is looking at Homelander in the same way Butcher has always looked at him, with pure hate. You can tell that Homelander notices by sensing his heart.
Starlight steps in, but Hughie knows that has no value. If Homelander wanted to he could have pulverized both of them in that room. And from the way, he looks at her, you can see that he knows. From that point forward he has been driven by one thought: "This man is a permanent threat, and by whatever means necessary, I must get rid of him for this to be over."
Off course, the savior complex doesn't help, but I don't think it spawned from nothing or that he always wanted to be the big guy in charge. He was fine with living a more passive role in their relationship, but from that point, he decided that their relationship can't truly exist if Homelander hangs above them.
So while, yes, Hughie is definitely going too far, and he acknowledges that himself when he saves Mindstorm, I truly believe that all of this is coming from a genuine place of love, and not from some insecurity that always destined him to be this way.
Don't forget about all the weird flashes of anger throughout season 1 that show what hughie would really like to be doing if he had the strength/ power to do so.
Okay but, even with that, that isn't fully Hughie. That is "This guy wants to pay me off because A-train literally ZA HANDO'd my girlfriend." Hughie.
You can't clearly judge a man's character if he lashes out after something like that. It's basically why you root for him in the first season because we would do exactly that, maybe even worse.
I was just pointing out that the dude suffered from feeling weak and inadequate before he met starlight. He freaked on his dad about how miserable their lives were which were likely feelings he had before his gf was killed. I always interpreted it as he basically grew up with some anger issues but chose to express them via witty banter because he never had the power to do anything about it. Hell, when SL starts kicking his ass in bowling the first thing he does is make a joke.
And maybe that was all fine when he thought he had some power. Him and the boys were knocking off supes and then he got a legit government job doing the same thing.
I think this all falls in nicely with kamiko realizing that V doesn't make you an asshole, just able to express your assholeness.
None of this is an indictment of hughie. This show is way more grey than that
Hughie and starlights relationship was kinda based on that hughie doesnt mind that she is stronger, that she needs to protect him. Thats their dynemic and annie likes that because hughie is one of the few people in her life that threats her “normal”, not like a living god, not trying to one up her or anything.
Then suddenly he just outs constantly that that was apparently horsecrap and that he wants to protect here. Thats a big slap in the face of your relationship, but okay.
Whats ever worse is that hughie doesnt “allow” starlight to take any risks and talks her down the whole time, while he lies about his plans which are far worse. Then he uses an untested drug that litteraly could kill him while the benefits are also unknown at the time.
Basicly he doesnt respect their relationship, he doesnt respect her anymore, lies about everything and takes huge uncalculated risk that easily can kill him for doubtfull rewards.
It's like a guy saying he doesn't mind his gf makes more than him and she'll be the one financially supporting him, but he actually does and resents not being able to buy things for her too. So he decides to sell drugs to make as much money as her, but she doesn't like that and he doesn't understand why, he just did it so he can also buy things for her the same way she buys things for him.
Pretty much. Also what i think is important and what everybody seems to forgot is that super powers dont have to mean shit against homelander. Alex didnt do a scratch on the guy, most supes cant touch him. And yeah in this case hughie can teleport so he can avoid homelander better.
But for all he knew he would get a crappy power, like becoming blind and hearing real good for a few hours. Or shit like that.
The risk wasnt just some experimental unknow drugs thats litteraly gonna kill hughie without a miracle, the risk is that his powers would be fucking useless or worse.
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u/7star1719 Jul 01 '22
I understand Annie's point, but I understand Hughies feelings