Diksha Sundriyal
‘The Boys’ is known to have some of the weirdest and grossest things to ever happen on a TV show. In every season, it shows something so disgusting to the audience that it is difficult to get that scene out of your mind for a long time. For Season 3, it looked like the Termite scene was going to be it. But then, the ending of the third episode churned our guts even worse. It shows Starlight and Homelander recording an episode of ‘American Hero’, a reality show where they decide on the next superhero to become a part of the Seven. After announcing the new team members, Homelander reveals that he and Starlight are together now. Considering that Starlight hates Homelander and she is already with Hughie, we wonder how much truth there is in Homelander’s claim. Here’s what his statement actually means.
Are Homelander and Starlight Dating?
No, Homelander and Starlight are not really together in the show. However, the answer is a little more complicated than that. Since the beginning of the season, we’ve seen that Homelander is struggling with lowered ratings and a huge decrease in popularity. Starlight, on the other hand, is only getting more popular. Stan Edgar recognizes this potential and makes Starlight co-captain, which is when Homelander discovers that having his name attached to hers can do wonders for his public image. Ashley tells him that together, they have more ratings than any other Supe in history. Paired with the fact that Homelander wants to put Starlight in her place, he comes up with an elaborate plan.
At the end of the third episode, Homelander makes the announcement that he and Starlight are “in love”. She is clearly taken aback by this sudden move, but she quickly gathers herself and plays along. To take it one step further, she kisses Homelander. She doesn’t object to this because she needs to stay in the Seven until Hughie and the Boys can find the weapon that will kill Homelander. Opposing Homelander publicly might not end well for her. She also knows that Homelander is only doing this for the ratings, and this is something she could use as leverage.
This twist came exceptionally out of the blue, and no one could have expected it because even in the comics, Starlight abhors Homelander. In fact, their history is a little more complicated in the comics, which is something that the TV show might be heading towards. In the show, Starlight is assaulted by The Deep, which traumatizes her immensely. In the comics, things were much worse for her. She was assaulted not just by the Deep, but also by Black Noir, A-Train, and Homelander.
Considering the way the plot for Starlight is progressing in the show, a thing or two may translate from the comics. As difficult as everything is right now, things might take a darker turn for her. Her ex-boyfriend is dead, and her relationship with Hughie also seems to be struggling. The events of Episode 4 might just throw her off the edge. These are uncertain times for her and it’ll be interesting to see how much can she endure, and it might be some time before things take a turn for the better.
Read More: What is Red River in The Boys?
