While The Boys has many Supes, few are actually heroes, and that’s kind of the point. The series parodies the superhero genre, creating Supes who are as corrupt as they are powerful, and their primary concern is their publicity rather than doing what’s right. However, when it comes to Starlight (Erin Moriarty), she is as good as Supes get in this world. Opposing Homelander (Antony Starr) and Vought’s corruption, Starlight joined the titular team and even became the face of the campaign against Homelander. Going from the idealistic member of the Seven she was in the first season to the passionate voice against Vought in Season 4, Starlight has shown considerable growth, and it’s not over yet. Season 4 gets personal for Starlight as the Seven try to discredit her, but Episode 5, “Beware the Jabberwock, My Son,” adds a new complication to the mix.

During an especially dangerous mission, Starlight’s powers are on the fritz, leaving her…well, not totally defenseless, but without her biggest advantage. As Starlight struggles to use her powers, she enhances the risk for both herself and the team. With the political conflict heating up and Homelander out to get them, the Boys need Starlight at full strength now more than ever. Though the episode does not give a detailed explanation for Starlight’s problem (after all, the characters are too focused on the V-ed-up sheep to deal with it just yet), there is a small amount of time devoted to it — and the answer may be more straightforward than we think.

How Are Starlight’s Powers Malfunctioning?

As the Boys attempt to steal the last dose of the Supe virus, which fans will remember from the spin-off Gen V, they break into a remote farm owned by Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). But their heist is crashed by the secret head-popping Supe. She comes in threatening the team, making their noses bleed with her powers. In response, Starlight summons her own powers to defend her friends, but the electricity flickers in her hand, shorting out and becoming useless. There’s no fight with Neuman at the moment, but only because the virus is gone, and the enemies agree to work together to find it. Of course, the Boys hope to inject and kill Neuman with it, but they hold off on that fight.

As they go, Starlight tries to concentrate, practicing summoning her powers, prompting Neuman to discuss it with her. Having noticed the problem earlier, Neuman calls it “projectile dysfunction.” Though Starlight doesn’t want the other woman’s help, Neuman offers unsolicited advice, linking the problem to Starlight beating up Firecracker (Valorie Curry) on live TV. Neuman essentially tells Starlight to get herself under control, pointing out that her dual identity as Starlight and Annie January is creating the issue. As of Season 4, she has been insistent that she is Annie, not Starlight, suppressing a part of herself. Neuman’s argument is that she has been Starlight for so long that she cannot be Annie, hence the unreliable powers and rage. But there is more to Starlight’s situation than an identity crisis.

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Has Put Starlight in an Emotional Situation

Though Starlight didn’t want to hear it, as seen by her punching Neuman, the Vice President has a point. Starlight has been struggling with her identity, but she is experiencing more emotional turmoil than that. At the beginning of Season 4, Starlight wants to grow her powers, but they are still usable. However, a lot has changed for Starlight since that time. She has lost control of her life. Season 4 has been emotional for Annie, as Firecracker targets her in particular, discrediting her and publicly releasing private information. The Seven’s anti-Starlight campaign has made her a target for the Supe-loving masses, and it’s getting to her. As Neuman referenced, Starlight reached a breaking point in Season 4, Episode 4, “Wisdom of the Ages​​​​,” when Firecracker announced that Starlight had an abortion, attacking the other Supe in front of the world.

Just as she lost control of her emotions, it’s likely that she has lost control of her powers as a physical result of that stress. Starlight has always been a voice of reason, but with the attack on her becoming so personal, she lost sight of that. Justifiably angered by her treatment, Starlight is under a lot of stress and anguish. The connection between a Supe’s powers and their emotions is not something the series has explored to this point, but it is something that could be a concern for Supes, as Starlight isn’t the only one to experience extreme negative emotions. Fortunately, because the shorting out of her powers is likely a manifestation of her emotional state, it may not be permanent, but it is something she must figure out to rely upon her abilities.

How Does Starlight’s Issue Impact ‘The Boys’?

Image via The Boys

There is a lot going on in the show, and Starlight’s lack of powers has yet to affect anyone but herself, nor is it the focus with so much danger surrounding them, yet it could lead to a dire situation if Starlight cannot resolve it. As long as Starlight’s abilities are unreliable, they pose a risk to her safety and that of those who rely on her. Since Season 1, she has shown off her skills as a Supe and is one of the few willing to oppose Homelander, making the malfunction of her powers especially unfortunate. Only so many things can harm a Supe, and another Supe is one of them, giving both Starlight and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) an important role in the team. The team needs every advantage they can get, and one less Supe on their team, or worse, one who has no control, is dangerous.

However, this storyline adds a new level of difficulty for the character as she is not only forced to deal with what’s going on in the world, but must struggle with her own demons as well. Starlight’s loss of control creates a different kind of danger for the team while allowing her to grow in a new way, bringing focus to Starlight’s mental health as well as her fight against Vought.

New episodes of Season 4 of The Boys are streaming every Thursday on Prime Video in the U.S.