One of the most prominent characters inThe Boysis Starlight, but she was originally intended to have a very different kind of story. One of the most hopeful characters who dreamed of joining the Seven, she quickly found her dream turned into a nightmare. Her original arc was going to see her sink deeper and deeper into depravity, but one scene completely changed the trajectory of this character.
It seemed like Starlight was going to end up just like the Seven, butone scene completely changed her character’s trajectory, asseries writer Garth Ennisrevealed in an interview withCBR.
While plenty of characters go through absolutely horrific events inThe Boys, it seems that Starlight was just too good to become a monster. As Ennis was writing one iconic scene for Hughie, everything changed for Starlight as well:
That one happened almost by accident and grew into something I’d not anticipated at all. Annie started out as a joke, and was actually going to degenerate further in terms of the shit she’d put up with, the degradations she’d suffer just to be in the world’s premier superteam. But I found myself writing Hughie moping in Central Park, and then to my great surprise I saw Annie coming walking down the path. That was when I realized I wanted to take her in a different direction, make her stronger and more rounded, and at the same time give Hughie a whole other set of problems to deal with. In the end, I probably felt a bit guilty about Annie and ended up treating her a bit more responsibly as a result.
Garth Ennis Reveals How Hughie and Starlight Meeting in the Park Changed Everything
This Single Moment Saved Starlight’s Character
Starlight was one of the most hopeful characters inThe Boysuniverse,someone who truly wanted to make the world a better placeby using her powers for good.Starlight’s ultimate goal was to join the Seven, the biggest superhero team on the planet. However, when she eventually got there, she found it was a nightmare. She was harassed and abused by the members, and it seemed that they cared far more about making money than actually helping people.
This chance meeting led to one of the most interesting relationships in the comic.
Hughie and Starlightboth start their new jobs in the Boys and the Seven respectively, and they both have terrible first days. Needing some time away to think over their life choices, they both end up in the same park, where they finally manage to find someone to confide in. It’s a great scene, and it’s made all the more surprising by the fact that it was never meant to happen. Originally,Ennis intended for only Hughie to be in the park. It was only during the creation of the scene that inspiration struck, and he realized that Hughie meeting up with Starlight would make a far more interesting plot development.
This chance meeting led to one of the most interesting relationships in the comic. Hughie and Starlight gradually fell in love with one another, and Starlight’s position in the Seven gave Hughie options that he didn’t have otherwise. Hughie was also someone Starlight could confide in, as he was a “normal” person, giving Ennis more opportunities for drama, as when Hughie found out about Starlight’s abuse at the hands of the Seven. He misunderstood the situation as consensual and immediately broke up with her. In a story about brutal superhero battles,Ennis discovered a way to have a compelling love story as well, completely by accident.
Starlight’s Character Arc Was Originally Meant to Be Far Darker
Starlight Was Supposed to Sink Further and Further into Degeneracy
Starlight was willing to do just about anything to join the Seven, as proven by how she stayed on the team despite being assaulted by the majority of the members on her first day there. Starlight truly wanted to do good for the world, and she felt that the Seven was the best way to do that.Ennis' original plan for Starlight was for her to continually put up with more and more depraved actsall in the name of staying on the Seven. It’s not clear how far Starlight would’ve gone, but considering how awful her first day was, it’s probably for the best that Ennis decided not to continue down this path.
The Boys: 10 Things Only Comic Book Fans Know About Starlight
Although Starlight’s costume, powers, and relationship with Hughie in The Boys are all similar to the comics, there are a few key details left out.
Instead of becoming a jaded and broken version of herself, completelydestroyed by the evil of the Seven, Starlightwas one of the major factors that eventually helped to bring them down. Starlight wanted to be a hero and help save the world, and while she didn’t take the path that she expected, she did help save the world. Not only that, butshe helped to save Hughie from his own issuesand, together, they’re really the only characters who got out ofThe Boyswith a happy ending. This fate certainly wouldn’t have been the case if Ennis had stuck with his original plan for Starlight.
Starlight and Hughie Never Would Have Met in Ennis' Original Story
One Chance Encounter Changes the Entire Story ofThe Boys
Stories change naturally all the time. While a creator might have an idea when starting, the final product rarely matches up with that initial idea. Ennis intended for Starlight to just be a random idealistic superhero who ends up corrupted and degraded as a throwaway joke to stomp out optimism. Thankfully, she didn’t end up going down this miserable route. Starlight ultimately proved that there is good in the world and that some people can be heroes. WhileThe Boysis a horrible and miserable universe, Starlight’s story didn’t have to go down that path.
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
