After being gone for two seasons, new The Boys season 4 set photos reveal Simon Pegg's return as Hughie's dad, Hugh Campbell. Even before the show was adapted for the screen by Supernatural alum Eric Kripke and Prime Video, Pegg's name has been closely attached to Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys graphic novels as protagonist Hughie Campbell was intentionally drawn to resemble the British actor. By the time the series finally got produced, however, Jack Quaid would land the coveted role of Hughie for The Boys, though Pegg would still get his chance to shine not only as Hughie's father, but also as the character himself for the animated anthology series, The Boys Presents: Diabolical.
As filming continues on the next chapter of the Prime Video series, Simon Pegg took to Instagram to share new The Boys season 4 set photos.
The first photo, shared directly to Pegg's page, features a shot of the name "Hugh Sr." on a piece of paper attached to his trailer, with the show's official page tagged in the post. The second, as shared to his recent Instagram Story, sees Pegg situated alongside co-stars Jack Quaid and Rosemarie DeWitt for a humorous moment dubbed as the "Campbell's family dinner."
Why Hughie's Dad Has Been Absent For Two Seasons
Though briefly seen in the premiere of The Boys season 3, Pegg's Hugh Sr. has notably been absent for the past two seasons of the hit superhero satire. Unlike Garth Ennis' comics, in which he lived a semi-idyllic life with his wife Daphne, Hughie's dad played a fairly important role in season 1 of the series as he attempted to help his son cope with the death of Robin, having lived as a single father after Hughie's mom abandoned them when he was still little. Despite this, Hughie's involvement with The Boys led to him briefly being held hostage by A-Train and being put into the CIA's protective custody for the remainder of The Boys season 1 and all of season 2, with season 3 confirming he returned to his normal life after the group were exonerated.
How Hughie's Dad's Return Is Big For The Boys Season 4
Though it's unclear how much involvement he has in the new season, Pegg's return as Hughie's dad for The Boys season 4 marks a pretty major step for Quaid's character. Season 3 saw him pretty adamant to avoid any major contact with his father, even in his safer line of work, though Hughie ended up in frequent danger to bring both Homelander and Victoria Neuman down after learning of her Supe nature, it makes sense he would choose to avoid family. While the season ended with The Boys not forced to flee the law, as was the case in season 1's finale, they were put in a predicament as Homelander's murderous tendencies became celebrated by the public, Neuman began running for Vice President, and Butcher has begun suffering terminal symptoms from his ingestion of Compound V24.
With much of The Boys season 3 also seeing Hughie coming dangerously close to suffering the same symptoms, it would be interesting to see if both Pegg's Hugh Sr. and DeWitt's still-unnamed mother character strive to kick Hughie from both his vigilante antics and his use of Compound V24. However, considering Hughie's mom left so early into his life, it would also be interesting to see if Quaid's character will get a surprise reveal that his parents have made up, or if there is a deeper reason for both of their returns. Audiences will have to keep their eyes peeled for more details about The Boys season 4 as production continues.
Source: Simon Pegg/Instagram