The superhero series The Boys is filled with morally questionable characters, but Annie January aka Starlight is one of the easiest characters to root for. She is a "supe" who genuinely wants to be a hero which leads her to her dream of ing The Seven. However, she soon realizes that the world of superheroes is not as noble as she thought.
Starlight is a strong person, both in of her powers and what she can overcome, but she also faces more struggles than nearly any other character in the show. From the lies she is told to the ways she is treated, there is a lot of heartbreak in Starlight's journey.
Used As A Baby
Starlight's path as a hero is not only grounded in her own desire to do good but also in 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, she later learns that she was given Compound V by Vought and was just another one of their experiments. Not only does this truth shatter Starlight's own perception that she was meant for a higher purpose, but it also reveals she was lied to for her entire life.
Seeing Hughie Lose His Values
While Hughie is not always the bravest character on The Boys, he can often be counted on to be the moral center. But Hughie's arc in season 3 of The Boys found him going down a darker path as he wanted to take down Vought and Homelander no matter the costs.
This is particularly hard for Starlight to see as she watches the caring and gentle man she loves become the kind of man she wants to stop. Though she tries repeatedly to make Hughie see how wrong he is, she is continuously hurt when he ignores her.
Told To Put Herself In Danger By Hughie
Starlight often finds herself surrounded by danger as a member of the Seven. She knows that Homelander could snap at any moment and kill her. Hughie is one of the few people she can turn to when she 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 on the inside of the operation is worth risking her life over and is cold-hearted enough to tell that to her.
Forced Into Fake Relationship With Homelander
Though Starlight is a strong superhero in her own right, Homelander is the one person she seems to be genuinely afraid of. She is smart enough to keep her distance from him as much as she can, but he also knows how to keep her close.
When Homelander announces to the world that they are a couple, Starlight has no choice but to go along with the ruse. This not only makes her a prop in Homelander's sick narrative, but also forces her to act as if she is in love with the man she hates 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 The Seven. Despite Hughie's immature jealousy towards him, Supersonic proves to be a nice guy and genuine hero.
Unlike Hughie, he is willing to protect Starlight against Homelander and even helps her to organize a way of taking him down. Unfortunately, Homelander finds out and brutally murders Supersonic, filling Starlight with guilt.
Her Relationship With Her Mother
When Starlight is named a new member of The Seven, no one is more excited about it than her mother. She had seemingly ed Starlight on her path to being a hero, but it soon becomes clear that this was not a dream Starlight's mother had for herself rather than for her daughter.
Even before the bigger lies are revealed, Starlight's relationship with her mother begins to sour. As Starlight struggles with her new position, her mother remains selfish and ignores her daughter's problems. The revelation that she consented to the Compound V experiments derails their relationship in a major way.
Assaulted By The Deep
After being named as the new member of The Seven, it does not take long for Starlight's positive perception of the team to be wiped away. She is first welcomed 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, she is aggressively harassed by The Deep. When she predictably fights back against him, he extorts her in awful ways. Not only is this an unspeakable violation, but it is also a brutal eye-opening moment for Starlight to the truth about these supposed "heroes."
Forced To Work With The Deep
While the abuse that Starlight is subjected to by The Deep is certainly painful, she quickly shows that she is unwilling to let him get away with it. She tells the world what he did which leads to him being fired from The Seven.
However, in another one of Homelander's cruel attempts to hurt her, he reinstates The Deep into the team. Starlight is then not only 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 on The Boys that are normal but Starlight's situation is especially heartbreaking as she really needs loved ones to trust. While she was told her father left the family after losing all of their savings, that turns out to be another lie from her mother.
The truth is revealed that Starlight's father had second thoughts about Allowing Starlight to be given Compound V and it eventually drove him away. The fact that Starlight kept her dad's pipe hoping that he would come back for it makes it all the sadder.
Forced To Change Her 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 crimefighters to the public, but it also reveals further ways Starlight is used as a pawn by Vought.
Very shortly after ing The Seven, the marketing people attempt to recreate her image in some disgusting ways. From ill-conceived backstories to a vulgar new costume, these changes that are forced upon Starlight just add to her discomfort with her new role.
