The China Probrem

Huey Freeman is the main character of The Boondocks comic strip as well as the main character and narrator of the animated TV series of the same name. Huey is a ten-year-old African-American leftist. He is named for Huey P. Newton, who co-founded the infamous Black Panther Party in 1966, and is voiced by Regina King.

Huey, who grew up with his brother Riley 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 and precociously intelligent 10-year-old who recognizes and detests the absurdities 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.

Huey tends to be cantankerous in both manner and speech, and he 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 has a large collection of books and other reading material. He reads the paper, watches the 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 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.

Huey is also a skilled martial artist, demonstrating on various occasions an ability with nunchaku, katana, bo staff, and hand-to-hand combat that far surpasses the expected capabilities of a ten-year-old.

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.

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 never seen smiling, whereas 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 Grandad. Other than these two instances, Huey has never been caught smiling.

Differences between comic and cartoon counterparts

Huey is the central figure of the comic strip, which often revolved around Huey 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, Michael 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" 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).

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. 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 façade as far as the true person Wuncler is inside.

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. He 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 just 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