How Did Translucent Die on ‘The Boys’?

If you’re needing a refresher on how Translucent died on The Boys Season 1, read on. It’s been a year since the series first premiered on Amazon, and many viewers are going to need a bit of a refresher on some key points as they dive into the new series.

Hughie Killed Translucent

Translucent wasn’t truly invisible, even though he appeared to be. His skin was made of a carbon meta material that refracted light rays so he couldn’t be seen. He also had unbreakable, impenetrable skin.

Translucent’s no longer around in Season 2, but you might need a refresher on how he died.

Translucent found Hughie at work and confronted him. Hughie and Butcher fought Translucent and thought they killed him, only to realize that they hadn’t.

He was imprisoned by The Boys, and they determined that if they let him go, he would lead Homelander right back to them. And then, they would surely die. So they felt that the only solution was to kill Translucent. They try a few different methods at first, like using a bullet made out of material similar to Translucent’s skin. Frenchie ultimately realized that an explosive could destroy Translucent’s internal organs, so he put C4 in Translucent’s colon.

Hughie wanted to let Translucent go, but he changed his mind when Translucent escaped. He detonated the explosive, killing Translucent and buying the group more time to live and figure out a plan.

In a Reddit AMA, co-creator Eric Kripke addressed just how Translucent died. “Yes, you’re absolutely right, the skin should have contained the blast, but then we’d have missed out on that amazing bloody explosion of ‘blood and meat’ (cause Translucent predicted his own death),” he said. “One solid writer’s room rule: ‘Keep Your Rules in Mind but Never Logic Yourself Out Of Entertainment.’”

Also, by being as graphic as they were about the way Translucent died, there was no room for people to wonder if Translucent was really dead. He is truly, completely, 100% dead on The Boys.

His Story in the Comics Is Different

Warning: Comic spoilers are below. 

In the comics, Hughie’s first kill was less graphic, Screenrant reported. He and The Boys took a steroid to increase their strength so they could fight the Supes and have a better chance at surviving. Hughie punched a hero named Blarney Cock in the chest and killed him. He struggled with that kill in the comics just like he did in the TV series, but it was much less graphic.

Translucent in the comics was never a member of the Seven, The Boys wiki explained. Translucent replaced “Jack from Jupiter” in the comics, who was an alien member of the Seven. (The TV creators wanted the Supes to all be human.) And in the comics, Jack from Jupiter was killed by Butcher, who stabbed him to death.

Translucent isn’t the only character whose story is changed quite a bit from the comics. Although the general storylines are still similar, quite a few changes were made to help set the TV series apart from its comic counterpart.

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