The latest episode of The Boys, The Insider, had fans thinking that there was a special moment between Hughie and Annie when she came in wearing the Starlight outfit. However, it was suddenly revealed that it wasn’t Annie in the suit but the shapeshifting sure they ran into earlier in the episode.
While the ‘Shifter’ is expected to confuse everyone in their next appearance, director Catriona McKenzie revealed a way to tell when it’s ‘Shifter Annie’ that’s onscreen and when it’s the real Annie.
How to Tell Starlight and Shapeshifter Apart in The Boys
Talking to ScreenRant, McKenzie revealed that there is actually a change in body language whenever fans look at ‘Shifter Annie.’ Erin Moriarty is still playing the part, but she’s made some changes for when the character is not the actual Annie January.
McKenzie explains:
“Erin's so amazing. We talked about her physicality, eyes, and stillness because the Shifter doesn't have the same kind of emotional, intuitive, emotional intelligence that Annie does. And we've seen that in the episode; she brought a stillness to her performance where she's just a bit more robotic. It was fun working that up with her.”
Admittedly, it was odd when Annie and Hughie were doing their ‘cosplay hook-up’ since the music was kind of grim; the point was just driven home when it was revealed that it wasn’t Annie. McKenzie continues, “I love that moment when she gets out of bed and walks past Huey. She walks over to the safe, and you just know we're in for a ride.”
The real Annie is revealed to be chained up somewhere, and the skin of Shifter's previous appearance is in the room with her.
What is the Shifter Annie Planning?
Shifter Annie goes for the safe with Hughie’s laptop in it, and it’s been revealed that’s where he has all the dirt on Victoria Neuman and her history. It was probably Sage’s plan to out Neuman with the photos, but now that Sage has been fired from The Seven, it’s possible that there could be a change of plans when it comes to her dealings with Homelander.
Though it could have been an option for Sage to just hold Neuman hostage and force her to do what she wanted, she did leave her notebook with the plans in the Vought building. It’s possible that Firecracker could be tasked to deal with the Shifter, and she’ll once again have Annie at her mercy. After losing to her in Tek Knight’s mansion, she likely wants one more showdown with Annie to finally even things out between the two.
After seeing Firecracker’s reaction to HL killing Webweaver, maybe she could have a change of heart when it comes to how she wants to end things with Annie. Then again, that’s just wishful thinking.
Catch The Boys Season 3 now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.