The Boys spoilers follow.
The Boys just royally screwed A-Train over with his latest storyline and we're not 100 per cent sure he deserved it.
By no means at all is A-Train (Jessie T Usher) a good guy. In fact the things he's done are so despicable they would make your toes curl. It started with the callous and careless death of Hughie's girlfriend Robin (Jess Salgueiro), which he later laughed about, and it just kept piling up as the seasons went on.
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High on that stack is the murder of his girlfriend Popclaw (Brittany Allen), which, it's worth noting, he passed off as a drug overdose.
Not to mention the time he gave Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva) up to Homelander for conspiring with Starlight (Erin Moriarty). This he did knowing the homicidal supe would murder Supersonic, but hey, anything to get a leg up at Vought, right?
Not a good guy. And as Vought's head Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) is kind enough to remind him, she has spent 100 hours plus in crisis management meetings specifically figuring out how to cover up his "bullshit". That includes all three of his "straight-up murders".
However in the world of The Boys, A-Train is hardly the worst – Homelander (Antony Starr), Soldier Boy and Stormfront (Aya Cash) are significantly worse. Even The Deep's malleable personality and naivety makes him complicit in some pretty heinous stuff.
Most recently A-Train has been on a redemption journey. Admittedly it was motivated by his selfish desire to save his flailing career and remain relevant but along the way it morphed into something genuine.
A-Train has been struggling with his place in Vought since his powers have been hampered by his weakened heart (too much compound V will do that to you).
His identity crisis led to a rebrand, which he hooked on to the celebration of his Blackness with a keen focus on cultural responsibility. This culminated in his quest for social and racial justice with regards to Blue Hawk's violent over-policing of Black neighbourhoods.
In trying to salvage the Vought image, Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler) attended a community gathering in one of the Black neighbourhoods he patrolled to make a public, televised apology. The meet and greet turned sour and in the unprovoked ruckus that ensued A-Train's brother Nathan (Christian Keyes) sustained an injury that left him permanently paralysed.
This event and its personal implications changed A-Train's disgruntled dislike for Blue Hawk into hatred. Not just for what happened to Nathan but for who Blue Hawk was, what he'd done and the racist beliefs that he held.
A-Train later got his own back during 'Herogasm' when he took Blue Hawk for a run, dragging the sap across the tarmac at unfathomable speed.
Blue Hawk's death – though not wholly undeserved – was beyond horrifying. It was penance at its most gruesome and a physical representation of the rage A-Train was carrying towards him.
But it came at a cost. A-Train's heart finally flatlined and the price to save him was the transplant of Blue Hawk's heart.
…….
Let that sink in for a moment. He, a Black man, has the heart of a racist. Too far, The Boys. Waaaay too far.
To give A-Train Blue Hawk's heart feels like a callous move to pay him back for his own crimes. Like some clever attempt at poetic justice that reads a little less stanzas-and-verses and more like uncomfortably cruelty.
It's not just the heart of a man he hated, but one who brutalised his people because of the colour of their skin. Blue Hawk held them in contempt and now that contemptuous heart is keeping A-Train alive.
The mental and emotional impact that is likely to cause won't be easily remedied. It goes beyond Blue Hawk and his deeds. It is a constant, pounding reminder in his chest of the injustices suffered by the Black community at the hands of small minded, ill-willed people.
It's a minute-by-minute, second-by-second squeeze of psychological pain. It's messed up is what it is, and if that doesn't at least make you wince then you're unshockable.
The Boys seasons 3 is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video with new episodes airing weekly every Friday.
![The Boys season 1 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1622816412-514ttJQYciL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Boys season 1 [DVD]")
![The Boys season 02 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1622816977-51OM9Coe2LS._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Boys season 02 [DVD]")
Dynamite Entertainment The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
Funko Pop! The Boys - Homelander levitating Funko Pop! figurine
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
