Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 5, episode 8.The Boys‘ Starlight actress Erin Moriarty has addressed Hughie and Annie’s future following the show’s conclusion.
Prime Video’s satirical superhero series was created by Supernatural showrunner Eric Kripke and debuted on the streaming platform in 2019. The Boys earned critical acclaim during its run for its parody of existing superheroes, and satirizing consumerism, American culture, capitalism, and the cult of celebrity, as well as deconstructing superhero mythology.
Moriarty plays the role of naive, conservative Christian Annie January/Starlight, and winds up joining The Seven, a satirical take on the Avengers. She quickly learns of the true corruption within Vought and The Seven, and how sadistic Homelander truly is. This sees her turn away from the group, join the Boys (and the fight against Homelander), and become romantically involved with Jack Quaid’s Hughie.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender at the red carpet premiere for the episode, Moriarty opened up on her hopes for Starlight and Hughie’s future following The Boys‘ series finale. Moriarty revealed that she hoped the pair would make it out alive and that they would figure out their place in the world before adding that she was hopeful the corruption of the world wouldn’t wear them down. Check out her comments below:
ScreenRant: Assuming Starlight and Hughie make it out, what do you hope for them, and what advice do you have for them?
Erin Moriarty: Oh my God, advice? I don’t know if I’m the person to ask for advice under the circumstances that they’re under. I would hope that they would, of course, make it out alive, and make it out happy and figure out their own little placement in the world that they’re in, and that the corruption of this world that they found themselves in doesn’t end up chipping away at them, but they find their little niche within it. Advice would just be to keep going and keep doing what you’re doing, because you’re kicking ass in ways I couldn’t fathom.
Over the course of The Boys, Annie becomes more jaded and world-weary from her experiences and adopts a far more nihilistic persona in later seasons, while Hughie continues to provide hope and belief in a better world. Moriarty’s wish is fulfilled, with Starlight (and Hughie) surviving the finale, and a final showdown with her nemesis, The Deep, leaving them with a hopeful future together.
The denouement of the episode reveals that Starlight is pregnant, she and Hughie have opened an electronics store together, and she still fights crime as a Supe. It is the most fitting ending for the characters, with Annie understanding that being a world-famous and all-powerful Supe and member of the Seven was all a lie, and she is far happier with a low-key life with Hughie.
The couple has remained the shining beacon of hope and human kindness throughout the series, so for both of them to survive was the right choice for a show that so often lets the “bad guys” win. The fate of Annie and Hughie aligns well with Moriarty’s comments, and she did a great job alluding to their conclusion without spoilers.
In the world of The Boys, where power corrupts, Starlight emerges as a true hero, a symbol of honesty, integrity, and staying true to oneself. She and Hughie’s relationship over the course of the show enriches each character’s journey. Despite all the sad things about Starlight, she manages to achieve the happy ending that Moriarty and many fans wanted for her.
Every episode of The Boys is available to stream now on Prime Video.
- Release Date
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2019 – 2026-00-00
- Showrunner
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Eric Kripke
- Writers
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Eric Kripke
- Franchise(s)
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The Boys