Is Starlight good or bad in The Boys? Firecracker just revealed a dark secret that Annie January had almost forgotten all these years, and it threatens to end the supe's career as she knows it.
As the rivalry is both personal and professional, fans are being led to believe Starlight might not be the good supe she made herself out to be.
Starlight's Past with Firecracker Came Back to Haunt Her
While being confronted by Starlight on joining The Seven, Firecracker spilled more tea than we were prepared: apparently, she and Annie knew each other as teens, where they both competed in the same beauty pageants.
Back then, the 13-year-old Firecracker was known as Sparkler and won with a God Bless America medley routine, much to Starlight's chagrin. In retaliation, we're told, Annie spread a nasty rumor that Sparkler had been sleeping with one of the judges, calling her opponent "trash" in the process.
The rumor derailed Sparkler's career for many years and plunged her into a deep depression. To make matters worse, when the teen confronted her, Annie doubled down, calling Sparkler vile names.
Now rebranded as Firecracker, the super's journey back up led her all the way to the top and into The Seven, where her aim is to make Starlight's followers see her for the teenage bully she once was.
But here's the thing — this isn't the first time The Boys has explored Starlight's "bad guy" tendencies.
READ MORE: Does Homelander Actually Need the Seven? The Supe Sets The Record Straight
So, Is Starlight Good or Bad in The Boys?
Though back in the present, Starlight apologised profusely after being confronted by Firecracker, The Boys fans weren't completely convinced. While some believed rumors of a teenage spat weren't to be taken seriously, some considered that just saying sorry was too little, too late, after what that incident did to Firecracker's life and career.
If anything, it only made fans dig deeper to uncover more of Starlight's dark deeds. Take for example an incident in season 2 episode 6, where Starlight accidentally killed a citizen because she and Butcher needed his car to rush Hughie to the hospital.
While reflecting on the kill, Annie admitted she didn't feel bad about it, though it was clearly a bad situation that spiralled out of control.
In The Boys season 3, starlight backed out of the plan to use Soldier Boy to defeat or at least detain Homelander, saying she refuses to team up with "murderers".
Considering that Homelander presented a far bigger threat to the world than Soldier Boy's personal vendetta, Starlight's skewed morality here was not doing her any favors. The least she could have done was stick to the original plan and not flake.
Though this doesn't make her "bad", Starlight does have a tendency throughout The Boys to blame her faults on the dysfunctional way she was raised. When trying to explain the way she acted towards Firecracker all those years ago, Annie put it on her mother's encouraging of "ruthless" behavior in pageants.
Sure, her behavior does not compare to Homelander's, but Starlight's apparent refusal to acknowledge some of the bad things she's done is what makes her a hypocrite in some fans' eyes.
As one fan pointed out, "Starlight was okay for a Super" but she's "far away from being a decent human."
READ NEXT: How Does Butcher Know Joe Kessler in The Boys? Their Complex Relationship Explored
Make sure to follow our official Facebook page for more news and explainer articles about your favorite films and TV shows!
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!