The Starlight Scene In The Boys Season 2 That Went Too Far
"The Boys" has found massive success on Amazon, with fans yearning for the upcoming Season 3. The recent anthology spinoff series "The Boys: Diabolical" has stoked fires even further, showing standalone stories that take place in the same world. The popularity of "The Boys" is due to many factors. Based on the comic of the same name created by Darick Robertson and Garth Ennis, "The Boys" depicts a world in which superheroes are corruptible instead of unimpeachable. Characters like Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie (Jack Quaid), and Homelander (Antony Starr) are fleshed out and compelling, despite the crimes that they may commit.
"The Boys" also features notable, well-developed female characters. Two members of the Seven, Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) and Starlight (Erin Moriarty), are satisfying portrayals of believable women with their own struggles. In particular, Starlight is a character who has come a long way in the series. At times her scenes are the most powerful in the show, realistically depicting the experience of processing trauma. This is why fans were so disappointed about one moment in Season 2 when her character development is seemingly abandoned.
In defense of Hughie, Starlight kills an innocent man
In a world filled with disillusioned and cynical characters, Starlight has always been the outlier. From the beginning, she's optimistic about being able to use her power for good. Even after joining the Seven and learning about their degrading and abusive practices, she still always wants to do the right thing. But in Episode 6 of Season 2, her ideals are complicated in a complete game changer.
In "The Bloody Doors Off," Starlight joins forces with Hughie and Butcher while trying to find out what Stormfront (Aya Cash) is hiding. While on their mission, Hughie is severely injured and they are desperate to find a ride to a hospital. Of course, things escalate because of Butcher, and Starlight kills a man while trying to commandeer his vehicle. This marks the first time in "The Boys" that Starlight kills someone. Though every character has blood on their hands in some way or another, fans had qualms with how Starlight is portrayed in this scene.
Fans feel like Starlight killing an innocent happened too quickly
Starlight is nowhere on the level of apathy and cruelty as Homelander or Stormfront in any way. She doesn't kill wantonly or for the joy of it. When she kills someone in Episode 6, it's an accident. While trying to defend himself, the man pulls a gun and Starlight acts instinctively, zapping him with her powers. He is killed when his head hits the pavement after the hit. Though fans on Reddit admit that it's clearly an accident, some thought this was too quick of a turn for the character who is so defined by her ideals.
"Just 2 episodes ago she seemed worried for people in a car crash," posted u/himneskur. "Now she kills an innocent man, (who at best was defending himself from another man that had a gun pulled on him), and says that she feels nothing." Many fans understood that this is the trajectory of the character, but they feel as though this progression happens too quickly and "[skips] necessary scenes with her character development," as u/thexenixx states. "It was a bumpy transition for her," agreed u/notabigfoot.
"The Boys" is all about the moral compromises that people make. Starlight is initially very naive, but she quickly realizes that the world is full of hard choices. Character development is necessary in "The Boys," but Starlight's Season 2 arc didn't quite connect with many fans.