Summary
- The Boys
features many controversial characters, but some have tried to redeem themselves. - A-Train struggles with redemption but takes risky steps toward making positive changes in Season 4.
- A-Train’s shift in Season 4 indicates a potential alliance with The Boys as he seeks to make a positive difference.
While The Boys is a superhero series, the superhero characters on the satirical show, known as Supes, are far from heroic. They are selfish, egotistical, drunk with power, and mere puppets for Vought International, the conglomerate that manages pretty much everything they do and say. Through the first three seasons of the show, some of the Supes got interesting redemption arcs. Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) finally decided to make a stand against everything she despised about Supe culture and the things she was forced to do (or not do) with her powers.
While Starlight (Erin Moriarty) reluctantly acclimated to the requirements of the job, by the end of Season 3, she not only left the illustrious group known as The Seven, but she also spoke out vocally about its leader and Vought. But another Supe character has been there from the beginning and might finally get their redemption in Season 4. They have had many opportunities before, but if the first three episodes are any indication, they might finally start making the right, though risky, decisions.
The Boys
- Release Date
- July 26, 2019
- Seasons
- 4
A-Train’s Arc So Far in The Boys
A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) has had an interesting arc through the series to date. He’s the first Supe seen in the pilot episode when he speedily runs right through Hughie’s girlfriend Robin (Jess Salgueiro), accidentally killing her. It’s this action that sours Hughie (Jack Quaid) on Supes and sets him on a path to take them down.
While Vought quickly spins the accident, claiming that A-Train was tending to a bank robbery at the time, it’s later revealed that A-Train acted so erratically because he was high on Compound V. He had been taking more of the serum for fear that he might be replaced with a younger, faster Supe. Without the “fastest man in the world” identity, A-Train felt like he’d have nothing left. He went so far as to murder his girlfriend Popclaw (Brittany Allen) to prevent the details of his drug use from going public.
A-Train eventually suffers a heart attack as a result of his drug abuse. He recovers but has intense heart palpitations any time he runs. He’ll presumably never be the same, and when Homelander (Antony Starr) catches wind of this, it results in A-Train’s removal from The Seven, setting him on a path to find meaning in his life outside of the only identity he has known.
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At one point, fans might have forgotten that A-Train joined the Church of the Collective at The Deep’s (Chase Crawford) urging, falling for leader Alastair’s (Gora Visnjic) promises to help him get back into The Seven. When he overhears a conversation between Alastair and Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) that doesn’t sit well with him, however, A-Train makes what would be his first of several moves to help the other side. He steals private information about Stormfront (Aya Cash) that reveals her dark past and racist views and hands it to Hughie and Starlight to use at their discretion.
But A-Train isn’t fully redeemed with this move, especially since he admits he’s only doing it to get rid of Stormfront so he can get back in The Seven. Once back in The Seven, A-Train works on re-branding himself and shifting attention to the Black community and his roots. It’s clear he’s trying to find deeper meaning and purpose in the otherwise meaningless things he’s doing.
But trying to do right by his community backfires when A-Train confronts Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler) for killing a wrongly accused innocent Black man. The scuffle ends with A-Train’s brother Nate (Christian Keyes) getting injured and becoming paralyzed from the waist down, causing a serious rift between A-Train and the only real family he has.
A-Train Might Be Ready for Redemption
In the third season, A-Train is given a chance to switch sides and be one of the “good guys” when Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva), recognizing A-Train’s mistreatment, asks him to help take Homelander down. A-Train initially agrees but ends up selling him out to gain favor with Homelander, which results in Supersonic getting killed.
At this point, A-Train is in the most vulnerable position he has been in since the first season. He’s also becoming increasingly agitated. He feels guilty about what happened to his brother, even trying to get Ashley (Colby Minifie) to charge Blue Hawk for his crimes. Instead, she refuses and accuses A-Train of being a hypocrite.
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It may be this very moment that the switch for A-Train. Recognizing his mistakes, he finally apologizes to Hughie for Robin’s death. Meanwhile, he also kills Blue Hawk in a fit of rage, suffering a heart attack because of it. He wakes up in the hospital with Blue Hawk’s heart beating in his chest, apparently used in the nick of time to save him. Now, A-Train has a second lease on life. But how is he going to spend it?
Ashley has plans for him to star in an autobiographical film with a white actor playing his trainer instead of a Black man playing his brother Nate (his actual trainer). He wants to spend time with his family, but his brother wants nothing to do with him. That’s especially after learning what A-Train did to Blue Hawk instead of leaving the Supe to be held accountable for his actions. With his powers back, a brand-new heart, and a new perspective, A-Train is ripe for making a change. And this starts to come to fruition in the first few episodes of season 4.
A-Train’s Shift in Season 4
The seeds of doubt in A-Train are ruminating, and in the second episode of Season 4, he’s annoyed with the “white savior” storyline of his movie and the constant racial microaggressions he has to endure through its filming. Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), now running The Boys team with the CIA, is perceptive enough to pick up on A-Train’s dissonance. He convinces the team that A-Train can be flipped and takes a risk to set up a meeting with him. A-Train is initially reluctant, but MM’s arguments and relatable story strike a chord.
The first sign that A-Train is on board is when he tells MM where a Vought meeting is taking place so they can secretly show up and listen in. But the bigger indication is when A-Train literally swoops in and saves Hughie from Homelander’s heat vision blasts. He speeds away after a stunned Hughie sees him, a tortured look on his face. He knows he’s doing the right thing, but he’s scared. But now, his fractured allegiances have become clear. It’s a small yet meaningful moment. A-Train could very well pick up where Maeve left off, secretly defecting while hoping he can make a positive difference.
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This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship or at least a mutually beneficial alliance. Having a Supe on the inside to help The Boys might give them a fighting chance, especially with new Supe enemies to deal with, including Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) and Firecracker (Valerie Curry).
The question is how much A-Train will be willing to stick his neck out for them. Homelander doesn’t respond well when Supes betray him, even killing his best friend, Black Noir, for doing so. With Homelander distracted by other things in his life right now, however, A-Train has a better chance of slinking through the shadows; if he can get by Sage as well, that is.
If A-Train does continue being The Boys’ man on the inside, it could spell the end of the character. No matter the outcome, however, he’s on the right path to redemption. With a brand-new heart and a desire to thwart at least some of Homelander’s most heinous efforts, A-Train might become one of the Supes to actually live up to their hero title, after all. Stream The Boys on Prime Video, with new episodes weekly for season 4.
