Do They Break Up in the End?
The relationship between Starlight (Annie January) and Hughie Campbell has been a central theme in the hit series “The Boys.” Fans have been captivated by their chemistry and the ups and downs of their romance. But as the series progresses, many are left wondering: Do Starlight and Hughie break up?
Once outside parties start involving themselves in your relationship, there will be a few problems, and unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens with Hughie and Starlight.
Although their individual storylines start out on a high note, things progressively decline for the pair. Not only does Hughie discover his boss, congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), is just as bad as Vought, but Starlight is made co-captain of the Seven alongside the homicidal maniac known as Homelander.
| Bio-Data of Starlight (Annie January) | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Annie January |
| Date of Birth | Not specified |
| Place of Birth | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Occupation | Superhero (Supe), Former Member of The Seven |
| Known For | Starlight in “The Boys” |
| Hair | Blonde |
| Status | Alive |
| Portrayed By | Erin Moriarty |
| Bio-Data of Hughie Campbell | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Hughie Campbell |
| Date of Birth | Not specified |
| Place of Birth | New York, USA |
| Occupation | Member of The Boys |
| Known For | Boyfriend of Starlight in “The Boys” |
| Portrayed By | Jack Quaid |
The Decline of Hughie and Starlight’s Relationship
To make matters worse, Hughie and Starlight’s relationship starts to fall apart once her pop star Supe ex-boyfriend Alex (Miles Gaston Villanueva), aka Supersonic, competes on the fictional reality series American Hero for a spot in the Seven. Anytime Hughie catches the two together, he grows visibly jealous. (Trust us, jealousy does not look good on him.)
Starlight assures him nothing is going on between them and never will, but Hughie seems to have a tough time getting over the fact that she and Supersonic have a lot of history. Luckily, the couple works together in Episode 2 to discover Red River. Things appear to be going well with their relationship until that jaw-dropping moment at the end of Episode 3.
Starlight’s Fake Relationship with Homelander
At the end of Episode 3, titled “Barbary Coast,” Starlight and Homelander officially decide which heroes to add to the Seven.
After revealing Supersonic and the Deep (Chace Crawford) as the new members, Homelander announces on-air on American Hero that he and Starlight are in love. Though shaken by this revelation, Starlight soon goes along with it by kissing him. #Homelight.
So, we can safely assume that Hughie will have a total meltdown once he sees Starlight and Homelander making out. Nevertheless, he should still keep an eye on Supersonic because, before this happens, Starlight encourages him to leave.
Supersonic ultimately decides to join the team, but not for the typical egotistical reason. No, he joins because he still cares about Starlight, and if she’s ever in danger, he will have her back. Wow, talk about a love square!
Starlight’s Downbeat Ending in The Boys Comics
Despite being one of the few characters who actually made it out of The Boys series alive, Starlight still got a far more downbeat ending than she deserved. Despite being one of the few true heroes among the “supes” in the series, Starlight was always destined to have a sad ending for one reason, and one reason only: The Boys truly hated superheroes.
Creator Garth Ennis’ satirical masterpiece, The Boys, pulled absolutely no punches in its caustic portrayal of out-of-control superheroes. Introduced at the start of the series, Annie January, aka Starlight, served as a POV character for the reader – her shock and alienation at discovering the true, twisted nature of superheroes mirrored that of the audience.
Relationship with Hughie
Hughie and Starlight form a close relationship shortly after the former’s girlfriend’s death. Initially, Hughie engages in the relationship to plant a bug on Starlight’s phone; however, the relationship develops into a romantic/sexual one. Starlight is angry and upset that Hughie uses her to get tickets into the Believe Expo in Good for the Soul, and again to gain information on Naqib. The relationship between the two does fix itself to a degree, however, with Starlight rescuing Hughie from A-Train in “You Found Me”.
Hughie’s Sense of Inferiority Over Starlight
While Hughie’s sense of inferiority over Starlight’s powers was initially part of the couple’s charm, it quickly evolved into a problematic trait that risked dooming their relationship. That is not something limited to Hughie’s relationship with Starlight, as Hughie tends to feel the same about Butcher and the rest of the Boys. This sense of inferiority is what led Hughie to use Temp V in The Boys ahead of the Soldier Boy mission and then continue to use it on other occasions. Perhaps what best summarizes this Hughie storyline is when he got angry for not being able to open a jam jar in front of Starlight.
Hughie’s insecurity regarding his relationship with Starlight and his place on Butcher’s team had set the narrative for the character for the past two The Boys seasons. The problem, however, is that being the “less powerful” of the team is what makes Hughie interesting in the first place. Likewise, his relationship with Starlight should not have to do with their powers or who can save who. In fact, during Hughie and Annie’s first date in The Boys season 1, they even joked about one of Starlight’s first boyfriends being scared of her strength. Compared to that version of Hughie, The Boys season 3 Hughie wasn’t working.
The Breaking Point
They were already on the rocks when Hughie stopped Starlight from intervening when Soldier Boy killed the traitorous Crimson Countess. In fact, Billy also betrayed Mother’s Milk that night, making it clear that he, Hughie and Soldier Boy were the heavy-hitters who’d finish off Homelander. Still, Starlight harbored hope she could bring Hughie back to the light, but that got totally shattered at the Herogasm sex party thrown by the debaucherous TNT Twins.
Hughie teleported Starlight to safety; he wanted her away from danger as Soldier Boy was about to get violent, but more so, he remonstrated about the purpose of his mission. It was quite symbolic, seeing them talk about secrets, lies and the bare truth, being naked and all, which confirmed a severance was due soon.
