This past Friday's episode of The Boys featured the somewhat shocking (not so much if you've read the comics) death of Lamplighter (Shawn Ashmore), who committed suicide by self-immolation after first helping Hughie break into the Vought building in an attempt to rescue Starlight.
Even though we were only properly introduced to the former Seven member in the previous episode, his death came as a surprise because fans assumed he'd stick around until at least the end of the season, possibly getting something approaching a redemption arc before buying the farm.
During an interview with TV Line, Ashmore revealed that he was told that his character was going to be killed off from "the get-go," and was happy with how Lamplighter chose to check out.
"The way that I look at death scenes is if you’re gonna go out on a show or in a film, it better be good," said the X-Men star. "And it better be impactful. Otherwise, I feel like it’s a waste. I feel like it was a perfect ending to Lamplighter, and it puts Hughie in such a crazy situation.”
“He walks into his home, the [Vought] tower, where he thinks he belongs or wants to belong, and the last remnants of who he was or what made him important or what his identity was as a supe is gone, and he’s been replaced. It was a bummer to be gone because I love the character, and I would have loved to continue playing him, but I thought it was a very, very important scene, and it was the right way for Lamplighter to go. It was an intense scene, but I was really happy with it.”
Lamplighter's death was certainly impactful... but meaningful? You could argue that his flaming corpse setting off the fire alarms caused a distraction which allowed Hughie to get past the guards, but something tells us that wasn't exactly his intention.
In the comics, Lamplighter actually survives what appears to be a certain death at the hands of Butcher and the others and is kept in a near zombified state in a cell beneath Vought, so there's always a chance his small screen counterpart will suffer the same fate. For his sake, let's hope he really is brown bread!
What did you guys make of Lamplighter's death? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to tune in for the Season 2 finale of The Boys this Friday.