Darrin "Doughboy" Baker (2024)

Darrin "Doughboy" Baker is the anti-villainous deuteragonist inthe1991 crime drama film Boyz n the Hood directed by John Singleton in his directional debut. He is the older brother of Ricky Baker who swears vengeance on Ferris, a Crenshaw Mafia Blood, after he has Ricky killed.

He was portrayed by Ice Cube, who also voiced Superfly in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. As his younger self, he was portrayed by Baha Jackson.

Biography[]

Darrin Baker was raised by a single mother and grew up with his brother Ricky Baker in South Central, Los Angeles, where a lot of gang violence and tragedy occurs amongst young African-American youths who romanticized crime life. Darrin met Tre Styles, who moved into his neighborhood after getting bullied at school, now living with his father Furious Styles teaching him about life and responsibility from home school.

Darrin, Tre, Chris, and Ricky all went to go and see a dead body until a group of gang members confronts them, asking Ricky to throw the ball to one of the guys. Ricky, heartbroken by this. Darrin asks the guy to give back Ricky's football, the man continues teasing him is kicked by Darrin before getting slapped in the face. Afterwards, the other guy from the crew gets the ball back and throws the ball to Ricky from a long distance before the four friends walk back home. Darrin, tells Ricky that he's going to the shop. Ricky, questioning him about not having money. Darrin still goes to the shops which leads to Darrin and Chris getting arrested by the cops for shoplifting.

Seven years later, Doughboy (now played by Ice Cube), all grown up is fresh out of prison who's hanging out with Dooky, Monster, and Chris who are playing a game of dominoes at his party. He is pleased to see Tre, both reuniting together. When the food is ready by then, Tre asks the guys to let the ladies eat first. Doughboy would then provoke the ladies calling them "hoes" and "bitches".

Doughboy is met by a man dressed in a suit is asking to find Ricky Baker. They both have a conversation about his football task scores, asking Ricky to get 700 points in order to get through college. The man later leaves when the meeting is over.

Doughboy and his crew later attend a block party with lots of people hanging around in cars. A confrontation escalates when Ferris purposely bumps into Ricky, leaning on his brother's car eating chips. Doughboy defends his brother against a group of thugs involving Ricky's Killer, Doughboy brandishes his pistol before Ferris and his crew later walk away from the argument. Ferris then shoots his gun in the air, scaring off many party-goers in fear.

Doughboy, angered at Ricky who asked him to go get milk from the shop, starts fighting with him until their mother broke it up, slapping her son Doughboy in the face just as Ricky walks away from the house.

Ricky is later shot and killed by Ricky's Killer in a drive-by shooting, reasoning for the previous incident that happened the other night. Doughboy, shocked to see his brother die in his arms in an alleyway is taken back to his mother's house where she, Ricky's baby's mama, and the baby are crying. Doughboy's mother blames him for the murder of Ricky. He swears to get retaliation on Ferris and his crew.

Doughboy, Monster, and Dooky finally found Ferris and his crew who are shown eating at a fast-food stand. Ferris spots Doughboy's vehicle in the dark, as it drives off ready to commit a drive-by shooting. Three of them cowardly run into an empty parking lot as Monster successfully shoots them all with an AK47. Doughboy hops out of the vehicle and runs to Ricky's killers. Doughboy kills Ricky's Killer, avenging Ricky's death, and murders Ferris' afterwards. Doughboy, shedding some tears knowing Ricky ain't coming back runs back to his car while cop sirens wailing in the background.

In the morning after avenging Ricky's death, Doughboy has a defining conversation with Tre Styles about life and death and the people not caring what's going on in their neighborhood. Knowing Doughboy got no brother left, Tre walks to him just before he leaves saying "You still got one brother left, man". Doughboy, relief by this hugs Tre. They both go their separate ways.

As the epilogue titles are showing on-screen, Doughboy saw his brother buried at a funeral. His criminal past catches up to him when Doughboy was murdered as well two weeks later, though it was unknown who killed Doughboy. Tre Styles is now at University with his girlfriend Brandi.

Quotes[]

Personality[]

The good thing about Doughboy is that he has street smarts, always aware of all the bad things happening around him and his love ones while growing up in a dangerous environment of South Central. He is very aware of his surroundings, unlike his brother Ricky.

Doughboy is protective towards his brother Ricky and also a stand-up guy who took a beating from adult gang members for Ricky when a gang in his childhood refuse to give back Ricky's football and when Ferris bumped into Ricky at a block party for wearing blue. Dough is also humorous and witty around his longtime friends Dookie, Monster and Chris. Sometimes, Dough can be jealous of his brother Ricky who's been loved more by their mother, resulting in a fistfight but failed to mend their brotherly relationship.

After the death of Ricky, Dough started to suffer a temporary breakdown and became vengeful. After killing Ferris and the gang, he turns out to be remorseful, nihilistic, sentimental and pessimistic about his actions, whilst venting towards Tre at the end of the film.

Victims[]

1. Ricky's Killer: Shot in the back of the head.
2. Ferris: Shot twice while begging for his life.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

• Ice Cube made references to his portrayal of Doughboy in one of his songs called "Check Yo' Self".