The Boys' Jack Quaid Reveals His Three Most Diabolical Scenes From the Series

In the words of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), the first three seasons of The Boys have been "f---ing diabolical." And while the shocking events that transpired are just another day on the job for some characters — cue the Seven — that's not the case for Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid). He was just an average Joe who stumbled into the dark world of the superpowered, and frequently found himself covered in all sorts of disgusting goop. 

Ahead of Season 4, we asked Jack Quaid to rank the most diabolical moments on The Boys so far. They did not have to be scenes that featured his character, though the actor did share about his experience filming some of the show's most explosive sequences. "It's getting to the point where my attitude about all these moments is, hey Jack, you really need to take this in because you're never going to be here again," Quaid told TV Guide. "When else am I going to be in the actual belly of a whale covered in blood?" The actor was of course referencing Butcher driving a speedboat into Lucy the whale in Season 2.

"Whenever I'm in those situations now, I'm really trying to almost meditate, take in my surroundings, and realize this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in this horrible disgusting situation," Quaid continued. 

The actor also teased a diabolical moment from Season 4. "There was a moment where I was reading the script and I audibly gasped, which I don't really ever do," Quaid said. "Whenever I'm consuming any kind of media, if I'm alone, I don't usually make an audible sound." But a scene in Season 4 prompted a different bodily response. "There was something that happened this season that shocked me to my core," he said.

Until that scene reveals itself, here are Quaid's three most diabolical moments from The Boys Seasons 1 to 3. This isn't a definitive ranking, he emphasized, but rather the moments that first came to mind. 

More on The Boys:

• The Boys Season 4 review
• Burning questions we have to get ready for The Boys Season 4
• Everything we know about The Boys Season 4
• Shows and movies like The Boys

3. A-Train Got His (and Robin's) Hands Dirty

For Hughie, everything changed with Robin's death. So it's hardly surprising that Quaid included this pivotal event as one of the show's most diabolical moments. "Obviously that first episode with Robin getting run through, to me it just means a lot," the actor said. His character's girlfriend was brutally "run through" by super-speedster A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) while he was high on compound V — leaving behind nothing but her severed, bloody hands in Hughie's. 

"When I was first doing the show, I would try to tell my friends about the show and I could never really articulate it," Quaid recalled. "But if I just told them about that scene, they understood what the show was." It was a revealing moment for many reasons. "I feel like we tell you who we are right away with that scene — you know if the show is for you or not," the actor continued. "That's such a crazy, crazy moment."

2. The Deep Ate His Eight-Limbed Friend

2:09

Watch Now

When talking about diabolical, one character's scenes stand out to Quaid in particular. "Really anything with The Deep (Chace Crawford)," he said. "But specifically, anything with The Deep and an octopus." And of course, the supe's interactions with one special octopus is etched in Quaid's mind. "Him eating Timothy in Season 3 was big for everybody," the actor said. "You really do feel bad for the octopus. It really, really got under my skin." 

During a dinner, Homelander ordered The Deep to eat Timothy — who was both the supe's friend and, because this is The Boys, someone he had a sexual relationship with. "[Timothy's] begging for his life," The Deep stuttered at the table. "He has kids." But of course, his protest fell on deaf ears. Claudia Doumit, who stars as Victoria Neuman, said it best in TV Guide's memorial video for the octopus: "Here lies Timothy. You only had eight tentacles, but we wish you had nine lives."

1. Everything Herogasm

4:18

Watch Now

At the top of Quaid's list is not one moment, but rather a whole diabolical episode. "'Herogasm' in general, just everything around that," the actor said of The Boys Season 3 Episode 6. "Obviously, because it's depraved and crazy and weird, but also because it's secretly the episode where every character really has an emotional apex."

On the outside, Hughie appeared to be stronger than ever in "Herogasm" thanks to his Temp V-induced teleportation powers. But this was also the moment he revealed a longtime insecurity to Starlight (Erin Moriarty): He didn't want to be the weak one in the relationship anymore. "Herogasm" also played a pivotal role in redefining the relationships between Season 3's central trio of Homelander, Butcher, and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). "It's a Trojan Horse of an episode where you go there for the superhero orgy, but you stay for the character drama," Quaid said. Because of its scale, the actor said it "has to be number one" on his list.

The first three seasons of The Boys are available to stream now on Prime Video. Season 4 premieres Thursday, June 13 on Prime Video.