Starlight’s Ending Is Way More Depressing Than She Deserves
Summary
- Starlight’s ending in The Boys is extremely depressing, as she is trapped in a loveless partnership exactly where she can not even use her powers or be her correct self.
- The Boys has a grim parody of the superhero genre, portraying all superheroes as corrupt and morally bankrupt, like Starlight.
- Starlight’s fate in The Boys is a punishment for just getting powers, as the series rejects the concept of a “good supe” and portrays her as becoming in the end doomed.
Despite becoming one particular of the handful of characters who really produced it out of <em>The Boys</em> series alive, Starlight nevertheless got a far a lot more downbeat ending than she deserved. Despite becoming one particular of the handful of correct heroes amongst the “supes” in the series, Starlight was generally destined to have a sad ending for one particular explanation, and one particular explanation only: The Boys definitely hated superheroes.
Creator Garth Ennis’ satirical masterpiece, The Boys, pulled totally no punches in its caustic portrayal of out-of-handle superheroes. Introduced at the start off of the series, Annie January, aka Starlight, served as a POV character for the reader – her shock and alienation at discovering the correct, twisted nature of superheroes mirrored that of the audience.
Throughout the course of the series, Starlight admirably resisted temptation, and established herself as one particular of the legitimately moral figures in a largely immoral fictional planet. Even so, as a “supe,” Garth Ennis could not let her emerge from the series totally unscathed.
The Boys: Dear Becky
requires location around twelve years right after the finish of
The Boys
.
Related
The Boys’ Homelander Respects 1 Other Supe (& They’re Not on the Seven)
Homelander holds only contempt for these about him, like & in particular members of the Seven, but there is 1 supe in The Boys he really respects.
The Boys’ Epilogue Series Reveals The Sad Endpoint Of Starlight’s Arc
The Boys: Dear Becky – Written By Garth Ennis Art By Russell Braun Color By Tony Aviña Lettering By Simon Bowland
Ultimately, Garth Ennis leaves Annie living a life of quiet desperation – a deeply sad fate for arguably
The Boys
‘ most noble character.
In the finish, it didn’t matter that Starlight by no means let the degradation she suffered all through The Boys break her, nor did she succumb to letting the other members of the Seven corrupt her. She by no means utilised her powers for nefarious or immoral factors – and but, her ultimate fate at the story’s conclusion is far from triumphant. In the epilogue series The Boys: Dear Becky, which followed the conclusion of the principal series’ run, it is revealed that Hughie Campbell and Annie January are engaged, and living in Hughie’s hometown.
While on the surface it might look like the fantastic ending for the pair, offered how the principal The Boys series ended, that turned out to be not at all the case. The reality of their partnership is one particular of unease Hughie spends most of the miniseries lying to Annie about getting Butcher’s journal, adding a layer of mistrust to the life they’re developing with each other. What’s a lot more, Hughie proposes, but then keeps placing off the wedding for years, leaving Annie in a state exactly where she does not definitely really feel wanted or trusted by the man who’s supposed to enjoy her.
It’s also clear that Hughie can not cease unburdening himself of all the horrors he witnessed as a member of the Boys, even even though Starlight has asked him time and once more to cease. However, a lot more than something else, Annie is no longer permitted to be Starlight, a heroic function that she definitely grew into more than the course of the series. Ultimately, Garth Ennis leaves Annie living a life of quiet desperation – a deeply sad fate for arguably The Boys‘ most noble character.
Starlight’s Ultimate Tragedy Is That She Can Never Be A Hero Again
Not In Garth Ennis’ World
This is one particular of the a lot of techniques
The Boys
distinguishes itself from the genre it critiques. Any other superhero series would probably have rewarded Starlight for overcoming adversity…However,
The Boys
is not like any other series.
The Boys: Dear Becky confirms that following Homelander’s attempted coup, supes are universally hated and banned from utilizing their powers, with the CIA nevertheless quietly killing off ‘problem’ Supes and covering up new Compound V activations. Despite becoming probably the only “supe” in the planet who genuinely helped folks, Annie can by no means be observed utilizing her powers once more. She and Hughie have even spent periods living off-grid to maintain her former identity a secret. In this way, The Boys delivers a devastating ending for Starlight, even if she survived the sort of horrible death suffered by most of the franchise’s characters.
This is one particular of the a lot of techniques The Boys distinguishes itself from the genre it critiques. Any other superhero series would probably have rewarded Starlight for overcoming adversity, and assisting in the collapse of the corrupt technique she was unknowingly a portion of. However, The Boys is not like any other series, and in spite of all the great Starlight could do with her powers, The Boys‘ version of a content ending is that superhumans are permanently stamped out in each and every type – with no exception for these who may well nevertheless be capable to do great in the planet.
Once the truth about superpowered people came to light at the finish of The Boys, there was no planet exactly where Starlight could be a ‘good supe’ and use her powers to save the day like a classic superhero, due to the fact there’s no such point as a ‘good supe’ in The Boys. So, whilst she lived, and was in a partnership with Hughie by the official finish of The Boys, Dear Becky revealed that Starlight need to maintain what tends to make her exceptional a continuous secret, whilst pushing Hughie not to return to the shadowy, selfish behavior he discovered from Billy Butcher.
Amazon’s “The Boys” Can Give Starlight A Better Fate
Another Chance To Shine
The Television version of Starlight has currently diverged from the comic book supply material in essential techniques – which means that a revised fate for the character is totally probable.
With the fourth season of Amazon’s hit adaptation of The Boys airing now, and the announcement that the show will be ending with its fifth season, fans will be spending a wonderful deal of time speculating on how characters’ endings will reflect the character trajectories from the comics. The Television version of Starlight has currently diverged from the comic book supply material in essential techniques – which means that a revised fate for the character is totally probable, for improved, or for worse.
While a partnership with Hughie might nevertheless be in the cards for her endgame, it really is tenor might be distinct from Ennis’ depiction Dear Becky, as the series’ showrunner might want to leave them on a a lot more upbeat note. A non-tragic ending for Starlight could potentially be one particular of the show’s most important adjustments from the original story. Alternatively, the series could also shock fans by doubling down on the tragedy rather than going out with a whimper, Annie could be taken out with a bang, as an unexpected death for the character would constitute one particular of the tv series’ greatest shocks.
There is, of course, also the possibility that Starlight ends The Boys Television series in precisely the very same location as her comic book counterpart. Bleak as it may well be – and as substantially as some fans may well argue that it is sadder than she deserves – the ending Garth Ennis crafted for Starlight in Dear Becky is the most emotionally poignant outcome for the character. In any case, fans will continue to debate Starlight’s ending in each versions of The Boys, attesting to how substantially the character has captivated audiences in each mediums.
The Boys
The Boys is a superhero/dark comedy satire series designed by Eric Kripke primarily based on the comic series of the very same name. Set in a “what-if” planet that reveres superheroes as celebrities and gods who expertise minimal repercussions for their actions. However, one particular group of vigilantes headed by a vengeance-obsessed man named Billy Butcher will fight back against these super-charged “heroes” to expose them for what they are.