‘The Boys’ Season 4 Spells Trouble for Starlight (And a Familiar Foe)
"Show me a little wrath."
Season 4 of The Boys is nearly upon us, promising more “absolutely f—king diabolical” action, bloodshed, and R-rated shenanigans than ever before. From the sound of it, this new batch of episodes isn’t going to be kind to The Seven’s heroic do-gooder, Annie January, a.k.a. Starlight.
After a fantastic run on Prime Video, The Boys is approaching the finish line, with creator Eric Kripke taking to social media earlier this week to confirm that the series will be ending with its fifth and final season—just days before the release of season 4. While most agree that this is the perfect end point for a show like The Boys, it’s still going to be sad to say goodbye to this absolute gore-fest of a TV masterpiece, and it means that the bar for season 4 just got a whole lot higher.
Based on early trailers, the upcoming season of The Boys will see Homelander (Antony Starr) campaigning for vice presidential candidate (and secret “supe”) Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). Meanwhile, time is running out for his nemesis, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), who willingly injected Compound V into his veins, thus shortening his lifespan. To finally defeat Homelander and bring an end to Vought’s rein, Butcher will have to (begrudgingly) set aside his ego and place his trust in his team.
Most, if not all of the original cast is returning for season 4 of The Boys, including Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell), Laz Alonso (Mother’s Milk), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko Miyashiro/The Female), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Chace Crawford (The Deep), Cameron Crovetti (Ryan), and Colby Minifie (Ashley Barrett). Given that this will act as the penultimate season, it’s safe to assume that the new batch of episodes will serve as setup for future installments, though we have yet to hear any word on when we can expect season 5 to debut.
Although the fourth season of The Boys seems to be placing a particular emphasis on Homelander and Butcher’s longstanding feud, it looks like there’s trouble ahead for someone else: Erin Moriarty’s Annie January, who appears to have some sort of beef with newcomer Firecracker (Valorie Curry).
What’s in store for Starlight on this season of The Boys?
Starlight has always been suspect No. 1 of Homelander since joining The Seven, but she’s certainly made herself even more of a target now that she’s jumped ship and sided with “The Boys.” Oh, and she also put Homelander on blast following the events of Herogasm, but I digress. Either way, her whole girl-next-door vibe tends to rub Homelander (and Butcher, for that matter) the wrong way. Even her allies are skeptical about her loyalties because of her superhuman abilities, and her ill-fated romance with Hughie only complicates things.
Still, Annie has made her dedication to The Boys clear, as she understands just how dangerous Homelander really is. However, Moriarty recently told Comicbook.com that it’s never been her intention to portray a “perfect” character, saying, “I love that they keep adding these flaws and vulnerabilities to a character that ultimately, in my mind, make her more endearing, more appealing to play, more appealing to watch.” And yeah, it looks like season 4 is about to make Starlight look a whole lot worse, as the new episodes will explore her dark side as a former bully.
Yes, wildly enough, even “The Defender of Des Moines” wasn’t immune to some petty behavior in her youth, as Moriarty spilled in the same interview that her character used to bully Firecracker. “I have a moment with Firecracker where she reveals a part of my past where I was a bully,” the actress revealed, adding, “I love that moment. Because that, to me, is the most unambiguous malicious moment. We’ve seen her exemplify—everything else has been with a good intention. I love that they add those little bits.”
Moral ambiguity is at the heart of The Boys, and this unsavory part of Starlight’s past could come back to haunt her now that Firecracker is the newest recruit of The Seven. Yeah, don’t be fooled by that thick Southern drawl, because Firecracker is (literally) locked and loaded, and she’s prepared to gun down anyone who dares get in her way. From the looks of it, she also has a weird, pseudo romance thing with Homelander, so we’ll just have to see how that plays out. Probably, like, not great?
With the upcoming season of The Boys set to explore more of Starlight’s childhood—including her strained relationship with her mother, Donna (Ann Cusack)—audiences might be a little less sympathetic toward Annie January this time around. All will be revealed when The Boys season 4 premieres Prime Video tomorrow, June 13, at 3AM ET/12AM PT.
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