After seven years and five seasons, The Boys has wrapped up its wild ride, and for Erin Moriarty's Annie January—aka Starlight—the ending was nothing short of poetic. In a recent interview on Collider Ladies Night, Moriarty opened up about why Annie's final scene, which sees her pregnant and running a small electronics shop with Hughie, was exactly what the character deserved.
Throughout the final season, Annie teeters on the edge of nihilism, questioning whether her existence on Earth is helping or hurting her mission. As Moriarty put it, "We see her sort of questioning whether her own existence on Earth is the way that she's able to achieve what she wants to achieve, or is maybe sacrificing herself the way that she makes the world a better place?" With support from MM and Marie, she powers through this identity crisis, helping The Boys finally achieve their goal and setting the stage for a hopeful future—including one for her own child.
A Full-Circle Moment for Annie and Hughie
In the finale, after an emotional goodbye at Butcher's grave, Annie and Hughie build a new life together. They open an electronics shop that doubles as a base for Annie's independent supe work, and she's pregnant with a baby they plan to name after Hughie's ex, Robin—whose death kicked off the entire series. Moriarty explained why this combination felt right: "It felt right to me because it ends it in a way where we see them back to who they truly are." She added that even Annie's costume—her original Starlight colors—reflects this return to self: "Michael Ground, our brilliant head of costumes, and I decided that she would be wearing her original Starlight colors because she was no longer going to be rejecting this core part of who she is."
The Importance of the Pregnancy Storyline
One of the most powerful threads in the series is Annie's journey with motherhood. In Season 4, Firecracker exposed Annie's past abortion, forcing her to relive that painful decision publicly. But the finale flips that narrative beautifully. Moriarty praised the show's handling of the storyline: "I also really think it's cool that we had an abortion storyline in Season 4, and the commentary we're making is that termination of pregnancy was about deciding when it's right to have a baby and taking autonomy over your own body. So, I think it's really cool that we have this character, our female lead, pregnant in the final scene, and that is their happy ending." She emphasized that this "connective tissue" is true to the show's messaging.
For fans wondering what kind of mother Annie will be, Moriarty offered her first official take: "I feel like she's going to be the kind of mom that, based on her own experience in the pageantry world and her own experience with her mom really pressuring her to fit a literal superhero mold, she's going to be the kind of mom who really encourages her child to figure out who they are independent of who she is." She added that Annie will be "very mindful about letting her own child be a kid and be independent and just be supportive no matter where."
If you're craving more deep dives into character arcs, check out our piece on Marshals Star Logan Marshall-Green on That Shocking Finale Cliffhanger. And for more binge-worthy content, don't miss The Best Netflix True Crime Docuseries That Will Keep You Up at Night.
All episodes of The Boys are now streaming on Prime Video.
