The Boys: The 15 Saddest Things About Starlight
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The superhero series the boys is full of morally questionable characters, but Annie January, aka Starlight, is one of the easiest characters to root for. She’s a “super” who really wants to be a hero, which leads her to her dream of joining The Seven. However, he soon realizes that the world of superheroes is not as noble as he thought.
Starlight is a strong person, both in terms of her powers and what she can overcome, but she also faces more struggles than almost any other character on the show. From the lies she’s told to the way she’s treated, there’s a lot of misery in Starlight’s journey.
It is used as a baby
Starlight’s path as a hero is not only based on her own desire to do good, but also on her religious beliefs. From a young age, she was convinced by others that her powers were a gift from God and that she was chosen for a purpose.
However, he later learns that Vought gave him Compound V and that it was just one of his more experiments. This truth not only shatters Starlight’s own perception that she was meant for a higher purpose, but also reveals that she was lied to her entire life.
Watch Hughie lose his values
Although Hughie is not always the bravest character the boys, he can often be counted on as the moral center. But Hughie’s arc in season 3 of the boys he found it down a darker path as he wanted to take down Vought and Homelander no matter the cost.
This is especially hard for Starlight to watch as she watches the warm and kind man she loves turn into the kind of man she wants to stop. Although she repeatedly tries to make Hughie see how wrong she is, she is continually hurt when he ignores her.
He told her to put herself in danger for Hughie
Starlight often finds herself surrounded by danger as a member of the Seven. She knows Homelander could snap at any moment and kill her. Hughie is one of the few people he can turn to when he feels the overwhelming fear of this situation.
However, when Hughie continues to lose his way to a more vengeful path, he betrays that trust. Hughie decides that having Starlight inside the operation is worth risking his life and has the cold heart to tell her so.
Forced into a fake relationship with Homelander
Although Starlight is a strong superhero in her own right, Homelander is the only person she seems to truly fear. She’s smart enough to keep her distance from him as much as she can, but she also knows how to keep her close.
When Homelander announces to the world that they are a couple, Starlight has no choice but to stick with her wits. Not only does this make her a prop in Homelander’s sick narrative, but it also forces her to act like she’s in love with the man she hates the most in the world.
Death Of Supersonic
Season 3 introduced the character of Supersonic, a former teammate and boyfriend of Starlight who is a candidate to join The Seven. Despite Hughie’s immature jealousy of him, Supersonic proves to be a nice guy and a genuine hero.
Unlike Hughie, he is willing to protect Starlight against Homelander and even helps her arrange a way to take him down. Unfortunately, Homelander discovers and brutally murders Supersonic, filling Starlight with guilt.
His relationship with his mother
When Starlight is named the newest member of The Seven, no one is more excited than her mother. She had seemingly supported Starlight on her journey to becoming a hero, but it soon became clear that it wasn’t a dream that Starlight’s mother had for herself and not her daughter.
Even before the biggest lies are revealed, Starlight’s relationship with her mother begins to sour. As Starlight struggles with her new position, her mother remains selfish and oblivious to her daughter’s problems. The revelation that he consented to the Compound V experiments derails their relationship in a major way.
Assailed by the deep
After being named as the newest member of The Seven, it doesn’t take long to erase Starlight’s positive perception of the team. He is first taken in by The Deep, who pretends to be friendly only to reveal himself as a disgusting predator.
Just as Starlight is seeing her dreams come true, The Deep aggressively stalks her. When she predictably fights him, he extorts her in horrific ways. Not only is this an unspeakable violation, but it’s also a brutal eye-opening moment for Starlight to the truth about these supposed “heroes.”
Forced to work with the deep
While the abuse Starlight is subjected to at the hands of The Deep is certainly painful, she quickly shows that she is not willing to let him get away with it. She tells the world what she did, which leads to him being fired from the Seven.
However, in another of Homelander’s cruel attempts to hurt her, he reinstates The Deep to the team. Not only is Starlight forced to work alongside him after what he did, but she also sees that he faces no consequences for what he did.
Her father
There are very few families the boys these are normal, but Starlight’s situation is especially heartbreaking as she really needs her loved ones to trust her. Although he was told that his father left the family after losing all his savings, this turns out to be another lie from his mother.
The truth is revealed that Starlight’s father considered allowing Starlight to give him Compound V and eventually pushed him away. The fact that Starlight kept her father’s pipe in hopes that he would come back for it makes it even sadder.
Forced to change his image
One of the most interesting aspects of the show is how it examines superheroes if they were owned by corporations. This makes for some very clever jokes about marketing these crime fighters to the public, but it also reveals other ways Vought uses Starlight as a pawn.
Soon after he joins The Seven, the marketing people try to recreate his image in some disgusting ways. From ill-conceived backstories to a vulgar new outfit, these changes forced upon Starlight only add to her discomfort with her new role.
No support from your team
While the pressures that come from the corporate side of her job are tough enough, Starlight also quickly learns that she has no one to turn to for help on the team. Although The Deep immediately revealed her seedy side, the others are no better as she discovers.
From A-Train’s narcissistic behavior to Homelander’s bullying, Starlight finds no help from her supposed teammates. Even the only other woman on the team, Queen Maeve, seems indifferent to Starlight’s struggles.
Be a role model
Unlike the other superheroes she works with, who are only good and inspiring when the cameras are on them, Starlight really wants to be a hero to the audience. She is especially proud to be someone young girls can look up to.
However, this becomes another struggle with his role as part of Vought’s team. She sees young girls who want to be like her and think that this new image of Starlight is what they should strive to be, which sickens Starlight.
Not feeling safe
Starlight finally realizes that the way she can regain her way to make the world a better place is to help Hughie and the others take down Vought. However, while she proves to be a valuable double agent, the stress begins to eat away at her.
Starlight is a very powerful person, but she is also surrounded by powerful people who would kill her if they knew she betrayed them. Eventually, Starlight is afraid to even go to Vought and is consumed by panic.
He can’t be the hero she wants
Despite Starlight being the closest thing to the kind of honorable heroes fans might see in the MCU, she still lives in a world where being a hero isn’t as easy as she thought.
When she joins The Seven, she’s told what crimes she’s allowed to fight and is surrounded by supers who aren’t interested in saving people. But when she joined Butcher’s team, she is forced to stay undercover, avoid helping people in need and even needing to hurt people. It seems no matter where he goes, he can’t be a hero.
Betrayed by Hughie
The relationship between Starlight and Hughie is pretty sweet at times and they seem to have found a kinship with each other. However, it also represents another person who tricked Starlight and made her feel like she was being used by someone she loves.
Although their meeting was initially accidental, Hughie is convinced to use her to get to Vought. He grows to truly love her, but when she discovers the truth, it’s another painful betrayal.
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