4. Wee Hughie In The Boys
Dynamite EntertainmentGarth Ennis makes a second entry on to this list with the main protagonist from his brilliant 2006 series The Boys. Set in a world where superheroes exist but are completely corrupted by their celebrity status and lifestyles, 'The Boys' is the nickname for a secret CIA squad with superpowers of their own who are sent in to deal with any of the superheroes if they get unruly. Lead by a ragingly tough Cockney by the name of Billy Butcher, The Boys hate superheroes and take crap from nobody. Enter our lead. Poor Hughie's girlfriend was murdered by the superhero A-Train and he is helpless to do a thing about it until Butcher offers him a spot on the team. Intentionally drawn to look like Simon Pegg in a sort of homage, Hughie is another unlikely everyman here, given a unique chance at revenge. Ennis' well known dislike to writing superhero comics was the drive to create The Boys and thus, each member of the group is as unlike a superhero as you can get, none more so than Hugie himself. He's essentially Renton from Trainspotting but with superpowers: fairly well meaning but often his naivety can instil a sense of reluctance to act. Like most protagonists, he is a good guy at heart and Ennis did a fine job of ensuring we had an unconventional hero to get behind is this often dark and very violent series.