Jack Quaid's The Boys Replacement Is Revisiting A 15-Year-Old Superpower From A 78% RT Film

Since The Boys is finally ending its run with season 5, Jack Quaid will likely need a worthy replacement for the show in the action genre. Interestingly, it looks like the actor’s upcoming movie will not only be the perfect follow-up to his portrayal of Hughie in The Boys but also give him a strange but fascinating superpower from a 17-year-old superhero flick. Even before Jack Quaid starred as Hughie in The Boys, he had a few mainstream movie and TV projects, like Logan Lucky, Vinyl, and Rampage, under his belt.

However, he became a household name after appearing as one of the main characters in The Boys, which also paved the way for him to land other big roles in movies and shows, like Stark Trek: Lower Decks and Oppenheimer. Since The Boys is about to conclude with one final installment, Jack Quaid’s tenure as Hughie might finally come to a close. However, as his upcoming movie suggests, his time in the action genre is far from over as he is about to portray another comical and goofy superhero-esque character.

Jack Quaid’s Novocaine Character Is Basically Hughie With An Unusual Superpower

Unlike Hughie, Novocaine’s Nathan Caine Naturally Acquired His Superpower

As Novocaine‘s trailer suggests, Jack Quaid’s Nathan Caine in the film is not too different from The Boys‘ Hughie. He is portrayed as an ordinary, timid man who gets thrown into chaos when he sets out to save a loved one. While Hughie walks down the vengeful path and joins forces with the Boys after A-Train accidentally kills his girlfriend, Nathan Caine sets out to save the girl of his dreams after she gets kidnapped. What makes Nathan Caine different from Hughie, however, is his strange superpower: he does not feel pain.

Although Novocaine makes a gimmick out of Nathan Caine’s pain insensitivity, it is based on a rare medical condition called Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP). While Hughie uses his teleportation supe power in The Boys season 3 to get himself and his allies out of dangerous situations, Nathan Caine leverages his lack of pain to stay in battle with his enemies. Caine keeps going even after sustaining severe injuries, making him a relentless force in the face of danger. He even turns himself into a weapon by sticking out sharp pieces of glass from his knuckles.

Nathan Caine’s Pain Insensitivity Makes Him Like Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kick-Ass

Both Characters Are Normal Humans With A Rare Medical Condition

In 2010’s highly acclaimed action-comedy, Kick-Ass, Aaron Taylor Johnson plays a young boy who aspires to be a superhero. Although his character dons a silly-looking wetsuit that he bought on eBay and relies on two batons and a taser to fight his enemies, his strength comes from his ability to endure immense pain. During one of his early crime-fighting endeavors, Kick-Ass gets stabbed by a bunch of vandals before being hit by a car. The incident leaves him with metal plates all over his body, which messes up his nerve endings. As a result, he feels significantly less pain than a normal human.

Like Nathan Caine from Novocaine, Kick-Ass realizes that his Congenital insensitivity to pain gives him a significant edge over his enemies, allowing him to be less reactive to physical damage and push through brutal encounters. Unlike Kick-Ass, however, Novocaine seems to take this ability a little too far. It features sequences in which Nathan Caine sustains some serious injuries that could even prove to be fatal. Yet, he continues to fight without hesitation because his pain insensitivity prevents him from understanding how severe his wounds are.

Novocaine Must Show How Pain Insensitivity Is Actually A Death Sentence

The Ability Is More Of A Blessing Than A Curse

If Nathan Caine and Kick-Ass’ possessed regenerative healing with pain immunity, they would almost be invincible. However, since they only have Congenital insensitivity to pain and hold no other supernatural healing powers, they are prone to severe injury and extreme long-term damage because they remain unaware of their body’s limits. Novocaine‘s trailer tries to portray Jack Quaid’s Nathan Caine as a nearly invincible force who even dips his hand in a fryer in the heat of battle.

He gets stabbed, shot at, and takes multiple hits from enemies. However, due to his pain immunity, he continues to fight without hesitation. Since he is still vulnerable to damage, Caine should not be able to survive too long after sustaining repeated trauma to multiple parts of his body. Realistically, towards the end of Novocaine, the cumulative effect of the Jack Quaid character’s wounds should either kill him or have him in a hospital bed with many permanent injuries.

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  Novocaine centers around the life of a dentist, played by Steve Martin, whose mundane routine spirals into chaos following an encounter with a seductive new patient. Released in 2001, the film blends elements of dark comedy and thriller as it navigates themes of obsession, deceit, and the unforeseen consequences of desire.

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  The Boys

  The Boys franchise is a satirical and dark superhero series based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. It explores a world where superheroes, or “Supes,” are corrupt, violent, and morally bankrupt, all controlled by the powerful corporation Vought International. The story centers around two opposing groups: The Boys, a vigilante team aiming to expose and defeat the corrupt heroes, and The Seven, Vought’s elite team of Supes led by the ruthless Homelander.

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  Kick-Ass

  Initially beginning as a comic series by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass is a multimedia franchise that follows a teenager named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a self-appointed superhero by donning a costume and throwing himself into various criminal incidents to mixed results early on. He is typically joined by Hit-Girl, a young girl trained by her father to become a violent crime fighter with incredible combat skills.