Huey Freeman

Huey Freeman is the main character of The Boondocks comic strip written by Aaron McGruder as well as the main character and principal narrator of the animated TV series of the same name. Politically sapient, and borderline militant, he regularly reflects on current events as well as the plight of African Americans, as it relates to greater American society. The character was named after Huey P. Newton, one of the founders of the Black Panther Party and is voiced by American actress Regina King in all episodes.

Huey, who grew up with his brother Riley (also voiced by King) on the south side of Chicago, was moved along with his brother to the peaceful, predominately white suburb of Woodcrest by their Granddad.

Personality

Huey is a pessimistic yet precociously intelligent 10-year-old who recognizes and detests the absurdities (both obvious and perceived) of the society in which he lives. A self-described revolutionary, his cynicism touches on subjects such as politics, religion, the media, businesses and corporations, and African-American culture.

Tending to be cantankerous in both manner and speech, Huey has demonstrated a depth of understanding that would seem to belie his young age. Oratorically gifted, he has shown the ability to seize and hold the attention of entire crowds of people when he wants to do so. He uses this gift during individual interactions, as well, during which he can gain a desired effect depending on his intention.

Huey is depicted as owning a large collection of books and other reading material. He reads the newspaper, watches the televised news, and otherwise makes a point to keep up with current events. Huey seems to show some fondness for Star Wars, and quotes the series often. In the episode "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2" he states that he likes Elton John. On at least one occasion, he demonstrated an aptitude for writing fiction in the form of a script (he wrote a play entitled The Adventures of Black Jesus in The Boondocks episode "A Huey Freeman Christmas"). He has also written poignant letters and emails to public figures imploring them to support various political causes. He has started petitions, made and handed out flyers, and created and edited his own newspaper (The Free Huey World Report). He uses such media to express his own opinions, though their impact is generally limited given their nature and his minimal resources.

Shown to be a skilled martial artist, Huey demonstrates on various occasions an ability with nunchaku, katana, bo staff, as well as hand to hand combat, that far surpasses the expected capabilities of a ten-year-old. Though he has won several fights against Riley, a pair of theater guards, Stinkmeaner on one occasion, and his former friend Cairo on another occasion, he has been defeated two times (by Stinkmeaner, and Luna). His fight with Bushido Brown was a draw(Bushido Brown left the fight to protect his ward Oprah Winfrey.) Luna was a kumatei fighter and a White Lotus expert, and Stinkmeaner was at the time a supernatural presence. On one occasion, it was implied that Uncle Ruckus defeated him, though the episode's ending shot left this unclear. Huey regularly beats Riley with ease in their fights, though this could be since he is older and more disciplined than Riley.

In the first-season episode "The Real," Huey hallucinates several encounters with a government spy. At the end of the episode he is left uncertain whether the encounters were real.

Huey praying in the finale of season one.

Huey is not religious and has said so several times in the comics. He very passionately insists that Jesus Christ was black, and that any statement to the contrary is racist, indicating that, even if he does not believe in Christianity, he is at least well-versed in its tenets and respects Jesus as a secular historical figure. In the episode in which he asserts that Jesus was black, Huey also asserts that "the government is lying about 9/11" and that "Ronald Reagan was the devil."

Huey is shown to admire several historical figures. In "The Return of the King," he is the only person who still respects Martin Luther King after he is misconstrued as a terrorist. As mentioned before, Huey is named after Huey P. Newton, the co-founder of the Black Panthers. During "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2" Huey states that Muhammed Ali is a hero of his. He also has many posters of Che Guevara, Malcolm X, MLK, and Hugo Chavez. Three figures he has quoted before are Langston Hughes, Karl Marx, and Khalil Gibran.

While Huey is always portrayed as being a left-wing radical, his specific political ideologies are never portrayed in detail. On several occasions, such as "The Block is Hot," he has demonstrated a following of Revolutionary Socialism. This is also backed up due to the fact that Huey has posters of revolutionary socialists in his room. A belief in Anarchism is also possible, as several of his statements have paid respect to it. In "Or Die Trying..." he teaches a theater ticket taker about Anarcho-Syndicalism and Marxism. However, a moderate belief in Black Nationalism is common, since a desire for a greater unity between the black people of America is a recurring theme. Huey has also quoted Karl Marx, suggesting an understanding of Communism. In "The Real" Huey claims to be the founder of 23 radical leftist organizations, including the Black Revolutionary Organization or B.R.O., Africans Fighting Racism and Oppression or A.F.R.O.,and the Black Revolutionary Underground Heroes, or B.R.U.H.

The only deep insight in Huey's spiritual beliefs came when he believed an innocent man on death row whose release Huey had worked for was about to be executed. Alone in a field, Huey dropped to his knees and sobbed as he offered up prayers to God; almost simultaneously, a bizarre chain of events led to the man's being pardoned by the governor. Upon learning of this, Huey says:

Maybe there are forces in the universe we don't understand. But I still believe we make our own miracles.

Being pessimistic, Huey is rarely seen smiling in the episodes. He is either in a neutral expression or is seen frowning or shrugging. In season one, Huey was seen smiling when he defeats his brother Riley and in "The Passion Of Reverend Ruckus" when he asks Jazmine to come with him to prison (though the smile is quickly replaced with anger toward Jazmine). In season two, he is seen smiling two times. Once was in episode "Home Alone" when Grandad comes back home after his "Doin' it big" trip to Costa Rica. The second is in episode "Ballin'" when Riley finally insults the opposing team's star player enough to make her cry. After scoring multiple baskets, Huey is seen smiling at his brother along with Granddad. Other than four instances, Huey has never been caught smiling. This isn't to say that Huey lacks a softer side, as he will take steps to help and protect those he considers friends or family (ex. Tom, Jazmine, Riley, etc.) Thus, Huey's characterization is McGruder's way of satirizing many youths today who have the potential to do so much but choose to waste it, and instead end up in trouble with the law or worse more than Riley.

His nicknames range from aka Criminal Mastermind, H.R. Paper Stacks, Rich Rider, and American Gangster.

Differences between comic and cartoon counterparts

Huey is the central figure of the comic strip, which often revolved around him propagating various radical left political beliefs and working as an activist for radical political causes, with the help of his even-tempered and liberally minded (yet slightly more socially conservative) friend, Michael Caesar. The first season of the show generally followed this format, with most episodes being narrated by Huey and revolving around his trying to further a political cause or belief. However, as the series progressed, the show became an ensemble piece, with episodes built around Riley, Granddad, and even the Freeman's neighbor, Tom DuBois; while Huey is still the main character, several episodes now feature him in a supporting role. As of the show's second season, the character Michael Caesar is yet to be introduced, as his role has been usurped by Uncle Ruckus, a self-loathing black man whose only purpose is to provide comic relief or act as an occasional (incompetent) antagonist to Huey.

Relationships

Riley Freeman

Huey's younger brother Riley is a foil to his character. Where Huey is cynical and tends to think in political ways, Riley is extreme in the thug life and hopeful about joining groups of that nature. Riley hangs around big and famous gangsta rap stars in hopes of one day becoming one himself.

Robert Freeman

Robert Freeman, Granddad, is Huey's paternal grandfather. Granddad often disagrees with many of Huey's political ideas. While in the comic strip, Huey and his grandfather have a much more affable relationship, in the cartoon they are almost constantly at odds, in part due to his constant favoritism shown to Riley, who supports his grandfather's various crazy schemes. Huey seems to offer Granddad advice in certain situations, such as during "Granddad's Fight", "The S-Word", and "The Story of Thugnificent".

Jazmine Dubois

Though Jazmine Dubois and Huey spend a great deal of time together, Huey often treats Jazmine poorly due to his disdain for her trusting personality and apolitical views. In the cartoon, the two appear to be closer, with Huey confiding to her about his desire to meet up with his former best-friend Cairo, during a planned trip to Chicago ("Wingmen") and Huey allowing her to help him in his plan to free an unjustly imprisoned inmate out of prison, essentially trusting her as an accomplice ("The Passion of the Ruckus"). He also shows visible concern for her on a few notable occasions (for instance, in the season one episode "The Block is Hot," he gives her a scarf to keep warm). It is also implied that she might have a slight crush on him, even though he shows no intention of liking her.

Tom Dubois

Tom, Jazmine's father, represents everything Huey doesn't believe in. Tom, being a strait-laced liberal democrat assistant district attorney, is part of the structure that Huey views as inhibitive and self-destructive. He also dislikes Tom due to trying to be more European. This is shown when Tom says that they tried everything to make Jazmine's hair straight. Huey offers up the idea of emphasizing the natural beauty of her African features, but Tom doesn't even hear this. Despite his disagreements with Tom, the two are shown generally to be on good terms with Tom often acknowledging Huey's intellect and maturity, to the extent that Tom will often turn to Huey for advice on subjects ranging from help with his marriage, politics, and his career as a prosecutor (with Huey supporting Tom's prosecution of R. Kelly for statutory rape).

Ed Wuncler, Sr.

Ed Wuncler serves as a villainous foil for Huey, as Ed Wuncler, Sr. represents everything Huey is against. In spite of this, Wuncler retains a friendly relationship with the Freeman family, despite Huey seeing through his friendly facade as far as the true person Wuncler is inside. Interestingly, Huey considers Wuncler's biases mainly based on his greediness and influence rather than actual racism.

Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy

Huey distrusts Ed and Gin, having seen the two young men perform many criminal and amoral actions and does not hesitate to point out the obvious stupidity behind their careless conduct. He also does not care for the way that they help contribute to Riley's delinquent attitude, leading to him often warning his brother to stay away from them.

Uncle Ruckus

Huey is the only recurring character to show any anger towards Ruckus, as the others are probably confused with his beliefs & non-sequitur statements. He fought Ruckus in ...Or Die Trying, but the episode ended with them kicking each other in the air above the trees. Ruckus often views himself as a white man and often aspires to be white, although it's not known whether this is due to a mental disorder, self loathing, or envy.

Awards

In the 2006 Glyph Comics Awards, Huey Freeman was named Best Male Character.

External links

• Boondocks at the Adult Swim website
• Boondocks at the Ucomics website