Riffing on his Batman inspiration, The Boys‘ Tek Knight character possesses superhuman senses, but MM stipulates that the intense odor from Webweaver’s costume should mask Hughie’s scent. Tek Knight quickly realizes the man beneath the mask is an impostor regardless, but The Boys never explicitly reveals how he comes to that conclusion. Mr. Knight does note Hughie’s rapid heartbeat, but that could easily be interpreted as the adrenaline rush of a man excited to fart on some cake – not an immediate sign of guilt. Instead, it’s another key detail from “Dirty Business” that gives Hughie away.
Hughie Doesn’t Have Webweaver’s Web Hole
Hughie’s Body Is Visibly Different Compared To Webweaver’s
When MM first visits Webweaver earlier in episode 6, The Boys makes a point of showing the supe’s web hole, located around his lower back just above the buttocks. Hughie’s first task upon entering Tek Knight’s cave is the aforementioned cake farting, and this requires Hughie to drop his trousers as his host watches on. It does not take someone with Tek Knight’s superior eyesight to see that Hughie’s lower back does not have the same gaping, web-covered hole Webweaver does. As such, this is likely when Tek Knight decides his guest is not the genuine Webweaver.
It’s difficult to tell whether Tek Knight’s suspicions are roused based on his expression alone, as the super-sleuth is in the process of choking himself on a hanging chain when Hughie’s pants drop. Tek Knight does, however, begin to test Hughie in a very knowing way from that point on. In the very next scene, he teases the still-masked Hughie for not knowing Webweaver’s safe word, almost as if he already knows the impostor won’t be able to utter it. From there, Hughie’s elevated heart rate and erratic behavior only confirm what the lack of web-hole already revealed.
The Boys Hints That Tek Knight Knew All About Webweaver’s Web-Hole
Tek Knight Had Definitely Done His Homework
When Tek Knight first greets the disguised Hughie in The Boys season 4, episode 6, he opens with, “It’s so good to meet you in person… finally,” confirming the party as their first face-to-mask meeting. One might argue that, having not been in the same room previously, Tek Knight would have no knowledge of Webweaver’s special second hole, but The Boys strongly suggests otherwise. The two supes may not have met physically before, but Tek Knight’s “finally” line proves they had communicated extensively ahead of the event.
MM accounted for masking Hughie’s face, changing his voice, and even covering his scent, but none of the gang anticipated that Hughie’s pasty cheeks would be on full display.
When Tek Knight later reveals his true intentions for Hughie, he complains, “Everybody always has the same holes over and over again. It gets so f**king boring.” The overriding implication is that Tek Knight’s sole reason for inviting Webweaver to his dungeon was the web-hole on his guest’s lower back. Seeking new bodily gaps to plug, Tek Knight found a supe who could offer him something completely different to the norm, and after discussing the matter remotely, a meeting was arranged – hence why Tek Knight acts like Webweaver should know exactly what’s coming.
After Hughie exposed his backside and Tek Knight’s sole reason for picking Webweaver as his next “sidekick” was nowhere to be seen, the cat left the bag. This was, of course, an eventuality the Boys could not have predicted. MM accounted for masking Hughie’s face, changing his voice, and even covering his scent, but none of the gang anticipated that Hughie’s pasty cheeks would be on full display. That miscalculation proves to be his undoing in The Boys season 4, episode 6.
Episode
Release Date
Episodes 1-3
June 13
Episode 4
June 20
Episode 5
June 27
Episode 6
July 4
Episode 7
July 11
Episode 8
July 18
