Why does Starlight appear to be co-leading the Seven in The Boys season 3? Ever since Amazon's live-action adaptation of Garth Ennis' sublimely twisted comic book series began, Homelander has ruled the roost at Seven HQ. As Earth's strongest man and Vought's most marketable supe, Homelander is a natural choice to lead The Boys' Justice-League-gone-wrong. An obvious choice he may be, but Homelander has hardly steered the Seven admirably in The Boys. So long as Homelander's sextet of supes don't endanger his own reputation, he's happy for the troupe to do as they please - corruption, murder, sexual assault, running straight through people who don't like Billy Joel...
Homelander's Seven leadership seemingly gets challenged in The Boys season 3 - and challenged successfully. A short trailer shows Homelander standing alongside Starlight at a press conference. There's no dialogue, but both heroes are positioned behind adjacent chairs at the head of the Seven's table. In past seasons, this V-shaped desk came accompanied by a sole seat for Homelander at the head, while the other six heroes sat lined down each leg of the "V." Homelander and Starlight's dual chairs in The Boys' season 3 teaser strongly imply they're now joint leaders of the Seven, and the clip's press conference must've been arranged to mark that momentous announcement.
Starlight becoming the Seven's co-leader could be a direct consequence from The Boys season 2's finale. Queen Maeve blackmailed Homelander into being less... Homelanderish, threatening to release plane crash video footage that would destroy his reputation in an instant. And with his popularity already dwindling thanks to Stormfront, Homelander's power is being siphoned away on all fronts. Between The Boys seasons 2 and 3, perhaps Maeve demanded Homelander accept a co-leader with a functioning moral compass, leaving him no choice but to appoint Annie. That way, the Seven's good heroes (basically just Maeve and Starlight) can ensure the likes of A-Train run straight, while also keeping Homelander in check.
Alternatively, Starlight's promotion could represent another cynical Vought marketing tactic. The Boys season 2 playfully parodied real-world corporations who spin inclusion and diversity into PR exercises (Brave Maeve's lasagna, "Girls Get It Done"). Appointing joint male and female Seven leaders could be Vought's attempt to "galvanize the female market" or something equally as trite. Vought is still rebuilding public trust after the Stormfront debacle and footage of Homelander laser-eyeing an innocent bystander went viral. Installing Annie January - easily the most righteous member of the Seven - as the group's new joint-leader may represent Vought's ongoing efforts to restore consumer faith. That would also explain why Starlight gets the gig, and not the more experienced Queen Maeve.
Homelander is plainly apoplectic about sharing power in the Seven, barely hiding his rage in front of the cameras. Nevertheless, it's Starlight who now has The Boys season 3's most compelling supe arc. The pressure of leading the Seven may shovel strife onto Starlight's relationship with Hughie, especially now her boyfriend is involved with Victoria Neuman's department of superhero affairs. The Boys may explore even darker territory by having Annie succumb to the temptation of her position, starting down a path of corruption similar to A-Train and Queen Maeve, and proving no superhero is infallible given enough power to abuse. Either way, Homelander will not take the news well. Though he may lack the sway of past seasons, Homelander remains the most popular man in any given room, and taking away sole control of the Seven is bound to light a red, white and blue fire in his milky gut.