The current season of The Boys is a mixed bag. It features several excellent moments and a strong escalation of the series’ format, but it has also provided some of the worst backslides into the abysmal quality of the comics. When a story relies too heavily on the same lazy shock value, it risks becoming played out. Anything that breaks the mold stands out. That’s why A-Train’s season four redemption arc is such a shining light among controversial creative choices.
Anyone who recently rewatched the first season of The Boys might have discovered one of the biggest changes. Homelander didn’t use to be the primary flagship icon of the series. The titular team of state-sponsored anti-heroes still carry a fair amount of the spotlight, but Homelander is the draw. He stepped into that role after the first season dropped. A lot of other characters had to suffer to give Homelander the amount of screen time and narrative focus he enjoys. Sometimes, the show manages to let those figures return to the stage.
The Boys Season Four features A-Train’s Redemption
|
Hero Name |
A-Train |
|---|---|
|
Real Name |
Reggie Franklin |
|
Played By |
Jessie T. Usher |
|
First Appearance |
“The Name of the Game” |
A-Train is, at least in part, the first villain of The Boys. Fans enter the show looking through a skewed lens. Hughie Campbell is the audience’s point-of-view character. He idolizes supes, even more than the average person. The audience learns the grim truth about superheroes at the exact moment that Hughie does. When A-Train sprints through Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin, the show’s tone starts to reveal itself. Billy Butcher confronts Hughie, taking him on a brief tour to give him a deeper glimpse into the Seven and the skeletons in Vought’s closet. A-Train might not be the worst member of the Seven in terms of philosophy or body count, but he’s the one that brings down the veil and sends Hughie on his quest. Hughie, and by extension the audience, are baptized in blood and A-Train is the only one to blame.
Three seasons and five years after A-Train killed Robin, the show is slowly giving the character a chance to redeem himself. It started in season two, but he only leaked information about Stormfront’s Nazi past for his own benefit. His sabotage allowed him to maintain his position on the Seven. In the following season, A-Train confronts Blue Hawk, a supe exhibiting the same careless, brutal behavior that A-Train showed off in the first episode. Hawk is a cop-themed supe who embodies his inspiration by exclusively patrolling black neighborhoods and using outrageous violence against people of color. A-Train kills Blue Hawk for crippling his brother, driving a deeper wedge between A-Train and other supes. Season four sees A-Train participate in Sister Sage’s triple homicide scheme to frame the anti-Homelander protesters. Finally, A-Train becomes a spy in the Seven, reporting information to Marvin “Mother’s” Milk. He’s their greatest asset, but every action he takes seems to bring him closer to discovery and death.
The Boys Season Four is about dealing with past sins
Everyone has something to apologize for in The Boys season four. Hughie is practically the only character who isn’t bearing the weight of something awful he did. Most of the terrible deeds took place off-screen. Annie’s cruelty to a fellow pageant contestant, Frenchie’s brutal murder of a family, and Butcher’s willingness to leave a friend to die all come up long after the characters believed their crimes were forgotten. Homelander revisits the grim work of his tormentors back on the Vought scientists that made him. Even Hughie’s mom returns to make amends. A-Train is the original sinner. His redemption is the one that has the biggest impact on the series. A-Train works to provide The Boys with the information and tools they need to continue their crusade. He does so at an immense personal cost to himself, risking his life to do the right thing. His life is on the line, but he’s finding new meaning in his actions.
A-Train’s rise is endlessly compelling
Probably the most moving moment of The Boys season four so far came in its worst episode. “Dirty Business” lives up to its name with a full-fledged backslide into a few of the comic’s worst impulses. Its pathetic attempts at shock humor led many fans to declare the show dead. It’s a bad episode, but a few moments manage to separate themselves from the central narrative. A-Train isn’t in the episode for long. He’s still dealing with the fallout of choosing to help Hughie and The Boys. The team breaks into a supe party to gather information from Tek Knight. Kimiko asks A-Train for help to save Marvin Milk. Milk has been A-Train’s primary point of contact, continuing M.M.’s role as the heart of the team by letting him extend that kindness to others. Under duress, A-Train agrees to take Milk to a hospital and save his life. As he arrives, leaving Milk’s unconscious body on a gurney outside an ambulance, a small child spots A-Train on the job and smiles. A-Train is moved by the boy’s delight. For once, he’s behaving like a superhero, and he likes the response it earns him. It’s as simple a scene as one can imagine, but it represents the full and final turning point in the life of the show’s original villain.
Most fans seem convinced that A-Train’s days are numbered now that he isn’t an unrepentant monster. Shows like this can get predictable if they lean too heavily on the same “bad guys win, good guys do bad stuff or die” routine. There’s a good chance The Boys will kill A-Train off for daring to be a decent man, but his path to redemption has been the best aspect of this season so far. Perhaps The Boys can offer a surprise for something other than shock value. A-Train is running for redemption, and though it may be his last race, he’s making it count.
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