Valorie Curry, who plays the bigoted Firecracker in The Boys, explains why, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she appreciates the role.
Introduced in season 4 of The Boys, Firecracker is a new member of the Seven picked expressly by Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) due to the biased ideas she conveys through her ultra-conservative platform. Curry, unlike the character she plays, identifies as a lesbian and first revealed her pan𝓈ℯ𝓍uality on Instagram on National Coming Out Day, 2019.
Curry told The Hollywood Reporter that despite her evident differences from Firecracker, she was nonetheless drawn to playing the character, adding, “It sounds so gross to say, but I really connected with her right off the bat.” Curry explains that one of the reasons she’s drawn to playing a character who is “so vocally anti-trans and homophobic” is that “it should be someone from the community who gets to make a clown out of her.” So there is no ambiguity.
Why Firecrackers are Dangerous in The Boys Season 4
Firecrackers are brought in to incite violence.
Despite her limited superpowers, Firecracker has already proven to be a dangerous antagonist, owing largely to her prejudices and the platform she has garnered as a result. As Homelander’s (Antony Starr) and Sage’s sinister plan unfolds, The Boys are kept busy by Firecracker’s offensive and harmful actions, such as revealing her abortion through Starlight’s (Erin Moriarty) private medical records and convincing her followers that children are being trafficked through the Starlight House, a non-profit organization that assists homeless and at-risk youths.
Firecracker’s words and actions endanger not only The Boys, but also those who have decided not to join the fight against Homelander and Vought International. This includes the youth in the Starlight House, who were forced to evacuate due to Firecracker riling up her base. Sage tells Homelander that the masses must turn against each other before he can intervene to save the day, and Firecracker is the key to instigating violence and hatred, resulting in widespread tension and instability.
Firecracker also reveals that he has a particular vengeance against Starlight, who propagated a vicious falsehood about him when they were younger, during their Supe pageant days. What Starlight did was wrong, but it’s also wrong to use it as an excuse for weaponized racism, as well as her attacks on Starlight and people she’s attempting to aid. Curry’s portrayal makes it clear that Firecracker is a villain, and that her ideas in The Boys season 4 are unethical.
