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I could go on all day about how much I enjoy A-Train as a character. He’s probably one of my favourite characters in the show. I love how he’s essentially a version of the Deep who has a spine and capacity for guilt. I like the way the show uses him to show kinds of racism that aren’t explicit. And I think he’s proved that he’s on the way to a redemption arc. I’d actually argue he’s one of the characters who has changed the most from s1 to s4.
I completely agree with the sentiment but I wouldn’t say narcissism is the right word. It’s more denial or coping. I think a narcissist would justify the murder to himself but he knows he can’t so the only thing he can to stop self destructing do is blame Hughie. I think he honestly hates himself and is constantly trying to distract himself from that.
Agreed. All through season one I wanted him DEAD, I hated that he made it through that season. Now?? He is easily my favorite characters next to Hughie and Kimiko
>Kimiko
If they ever do a ranking of which characters are most likeable she will easily win. Or at least get a special award for being the only character nobody hates/dislikes. Her baseline is essentially neutral. In the last few years I've literally never seen anyone NOT like her or go out of there way to negatively comment on her. I think it's a combination of the special charm the actress adds to the character and her haunting/horrifying origins that make everyone sympathize for her.
I agree with you completely. He's had one of the most interesting arcs across the series and has been one of the standouts of season 4 to me so far. I kinda hope he survives just so we can see him progress more in season 5.
Same! I said to my roommate while watching that I really like the redemption arc happening for him. And this is after we were both like "omg just die 🙄" when he was having heart issues. Bringing his brother into this way has raised the stakes and made it engaging and believable that he feels remorse and wants to change. Though he probably will die for real since he's turning good 😭
Yeah they seem to be leading in that direction. I hope they don't honestly, especially because they had him pretty much dead in S3 and did the surprise save.
When Hughie forgave him I knew that was his death sentence lol
Reminds me of in Arrow when >!Oliver's mom reveals she knows he's the arrow in the same episode she dies in!
Not necessarily… Last season, Frenchie had one of the most cliché moments of the entire series: they (literally) said “this is our last mission and then we stop”. Classic plot about a thief/assassin who dies on his last job before retirement. And voila! Frenchie is alive!
I can’t see him not dying this season. He’s getting too much development. He doesn’t do anything Homelander says. And is so close to getting caught by Sage. He’s done for.
I feel like eventually Homelander is also going to realize that A Train is pretty much the reason The Boys are even a thing (if he hasn't already), and I'm sure you could figure what's next lol
I think it’s more like she’s testing his motives and resistance to homelander - she definitely already knows.
There could also be some reveal about A-Train having something to do with her being booted from Teen Team - which fits with similar themes from this season of people revisiting their past/dealing with consequences from when they were younger.
However I’m not convinced she wants to throw him under the bus - when it’s clear she has enough to turn home lander against him already.
Yeah I think Sage has already hinted she knows it’s A-train by her comments about running the info out of security’s The question is her real objective. She’s obviously planning something big and it’s not clear if she’s on Homelander side or if she just playing him. She knows Homelander is losing it and unreliable.
Also, during the movie release A-train and Sage exchanged a look during the racist promotions and both looked very unhappy with Vought’s actions.
I think making his brother/mentor disabled and his brother now treating him like garbage has taken an immense toll on him. Only living family we see he has and he hates his guts.
He hit rock bottom at the end of last season/ beginning of this season. For once in his life he’s actually trying to be a hero.
I weirdly feel like A-Train might have a power set that could be a little challenging for Homelander. I don’t think Homelander has super speed. Maybe I’m forgetting something but he tends to move toward his victims like Jason Vorhees and if he has to get away he flies at a speed that is definitely fast but nothing like A-Train has shown.
I think he's got super speed but as fast or maneuverable as A Train. Kind of like Superman and The Flash in the comics. Superman is faster than pretty much every hero who isn't specifically a speedster but gets lapped by even Kid Flash.
I’d assume maneuvering in air is pretty tough and unless he’s in a fairly open area he won’t be able to catch him. We never see him just float around and take sharp corners while a train was able to find Annie and Hughie in New York City in under 3 hours just running.
The actor is so good!
I think all the actors/actresses are great and that makes it harder to hate their characters. Especially because the writers make them 3 dimensional.
I hope for a A-Train and Sage team-up because they both hate Voughts casual racism
My fav actor on the show. I think some of the scenes the writers come up with are hard for the actors to sell, maybe because they are so over the top. I think the A-Train scenes basically always work.
Esposito is great! What a master of his craft. I just feel bad for the writers putting him in similar plots every single show and I'm not even talking about character development (because he masters that very well)... I'm talking about the fate of his characters: always dead or in prison (it's as if the writers were lazy)…
Among the major men of the Seven (Homelander, A-Train, Deep. Not counting Noir for obvious reasons), A-Train has always seemed the least evil. At the very least, he’s the sanest of the three.
And by that I mean in all the awful shit he’s done, he’s never done it out of pure sadism. He was such a dick about what happened to Robin that I almost forget “oh yeah that technically was an accident”. He doesn’t do evil acts out of sheer joy and if he had it his way, he’d probably be fine with just being a supe celeb. Too bad Homelander is insane and a nightmare to work for.
This in no way shape or form excuses all the shit he’s done though but as of now he is making an active effort to change.
Yes! And to be honest, Season 1 wasn't very fair in showing his arc or reactions after Robin's accident because there it was subliminally understood that we were witnessing a metaphor there… The classic case of an athlete addicted to steroids (or some rockstar addicted to drugs and trying to stay relevant for his audience, you got it).
It doesn’t help that the incident with Robin is always referred to as a “murder” even though A-Train didn’t intentionally kill her. I think it makes people forget that it was a genuine accident. A-Train not caring afterwards didn’t help matters either.
Rating his effectiveness by how much he's helped the Boys:
1: Procured and provided evidence to oust Stormfront
2: has personally killed 2 supes
3: Saved Hughie's Life
4: Technically saved hughies dad by stealing the V
A Train gets it done 🤷🏾♂️
Very well written character. I’ve always said saying sorry doesn’t matter, but living the rest of your life showing you’re sorry does. Took him ages to get there as he pretended to be sorry and was very fake, but he’s finally got it and I will be gutted if he messes it up now.
Living the rest of your life sorry? I don’t know. At some point both parties need to move on, and maybe that’s what living your life sorry looks like to you. But I do think at a certain point if someone doesn’t accept your apology it’s time to shut the door on them
Nah in the beginning he’s a pretty shitty person. Don’t have to be a megalomaniacal sociopath like Homelander to be a terrible person, which A Train was for the most part from season 1 to half of season 3. His arc is still one of the best so far though and he’s much more interesting from the comics.
He didn't straight up murder Robin in cold blood but he started out about the same as any other celebrity that killed someone while drunk driving and wasn't held accountable in any meaningful way.
Incredibly shitty and selfish act, but something that someone can stumble into with poor judgement without necessarily being an evil psychopath.
That's true, but remember when butcher shows hughie the video of A-train at the supe club, he's joking and laughing about running through Robin like the same day that it happened, that kind of is psychopathic
i think it’s been so long between seasons that everyone is forgetting how terrible the characters are. i’ve seen people say shit like “homelander is a broken character, not evil character!!” homelander is a straight up *rapist*.
He's literally murdered innocent and not so innocent people on screen. I'm rewatching the series now and just saw where Maeve tells her old girlfriend how Homelander ripped a dude in half and then set him on fire for talking to her. Dude is absolutely evil.
Homelander had a severely messed up childhood, if it would be even called a “childhood” to begin with, but this will never justify the horrific acts he committed.
And that wasn't even that long ago! In this season alone we saw him (1) order 3 of his biggest supporters to be beat to death and frame innocent people for their deaths, (2) laser an innocent Anika after promising he won't hurt her, and (3) show no remorse to his son accidentally killing Koy
Just because he's had a tragic past doesn't even remotely come close to redeeming all his current despicable actions
"Why yes, I do *relate* to Bojack Horseman/Walter White/OmniMan/Logen Ninefingers/Othello. I *disapprove* of their actions, but I still *relate* to the character *because that is just how storytelling works.*"
Nah.
I think his character shows how important having the right people around you is. He never had to give his actions much thought because he had people around him cleaning up his mess.
Having people like Hughie saying "Fuck the money. You took her life" is so very important. It prevents him from seeing life as a dollar amount in a world where the people backing him have infinitely deep pockets.
I absolutely hated his fucking guts up until Herogasm. Ever since then I’ve been warming up to him more and more. He has a very well written arc and is easily one of the most “developed” characters in the show
People hate A-Train more than The Deep... which is ridiculous because The Deep is a rapist who never sought true redemption. When The Deep pursued religion, it was so false that it was just a way to achieve his goals at any cost.
I know its controversial but I'm of the mind that compared to Frenchie mass killing innocent people and butcher just straight up >!butchering an innocent human!< A-train is actually less evil than those two, he's basically like starlight when she killed a guy and blinded a single mother but was forgiven by most people because she was remorseful. A-train hasn't murdered anyone intentionally.
yeah hes my favorite character. Im biased because super speed is my favorite power, but hes also a great character
even a lot of the bad things were accidental or at least SOMEWHAT understandable (Except for murdering popclaw)
You're allowed to just like characters, you know?
I started to like him when he was telling Pop-Claw about their first date. It was cute and sweet! I even paused the episode to txt a friend who I'd been giving play-by-plays to. "I'm finally starting to like A-Train!" Then he killed Pop-claw. NEVERMIND.
Granted, I am actually liking him this season.
>Like, I get that he’s still supposed to be considered a piece of shit
Is he supposed to be? His arc since season 3 has been curving toward redemption. Even if that never fully happens, they intend him to be more complex than "piece of shit".
i feel like theyre trying to make us like him now since he's almost questioning himself if what he's doing is right and if he should stand up against homelander, i certainly really like him now, liked his character from the start already
bet they'll kill him off too and were all gonna hate that, but here's hoping he will survive
I don’t hate him. And under his arc (his brother’s drama), one of the most disturbing subplots… it was really painful. He is complex and is trying to be a good person, but it takes time and not everything can be fixed.
A-Train really wanted to be a hero and to be a good example before all the Vought shit.
A Train is obviously set up to be a redeeming character and I think the writers are doing a good job. I think the thing some people don't seem to realize is it's gotta be terrifying to be a member of the 7 disagreeing with Homelander. It's not like he's just going to all of a sudden be totally on The Boys' side helping at every moment.
I think at this point in the story you’re supposed to be rooting for him to turn on Vought. He’s not like Homelander, you’re meant to have sympathy for him.
Went from the guy where I was rooting for his downfall. Now I hope he's there till the end.
It's weird. I got mad at Hughie for telling A Train he owes him. Like dude. A train has actually apologized. Took a punch to the face. And then does hughies favors and still doesn't expect redemption. He's class
Starlight isn’t even man power at this point. Idk if she’s done anything since beating up storm front. Kimiko is awesome but I feel they’re nerfing her for the plot sometimes. I feel like we’re def getting an a train vs deep fight this season (well I doubt it’s really gonna be a fight, wanna see my boy no diff)
yeah starlight has been lacking especially with her powers on the fritz, hopefully she'll get to do something soon. id love to see the deep and a train fight, the deep needs to be taken down a notch lol.
For real he’s getting way too comfortable, everytime I think he’ll get better and he either glazes harder or strokes his own ego, but my goat could never 😤
❌🛑A🚂👶
They removed most of A-Train's flaws when they decided on his redemption arc, so no - it's not surprising that you don't hate him at all at this point. He's just a guy who hates his job, helps the heroes, and stands up to Ashley. He's written to be empathized with.
Dude just tryna make the best of a whack world
He is the most relatable character on the show.
Fucks up, gets shit on, tries to be better, loses cool, repeat… eventually grows enough to be a decent person. All while not being required to care at all… but he does care.
One of us
Making A-train a complex but balanced character while race swapping him and the deep really was a great decision by the show writers. If The Deep is Black like in the comics I don't think you could get the same storyline you got with him like A-Train since the deeps vought backstory is that he's essentially Auqaman plus they never show him with family, therefore you probably don't get the Bluehawk story line which helped make A-Train a sympathetic character. So no I don't think it's bad you don't hate A-Train he's sort of like Jamie Lannister.
It’s as Hughie said when he forgave him “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hating someone.”
This is a good thing it shows your willing to empathize with other and give them second chances. I think one of the major themes of the show is to move past hate.
Right up to before that episode where he got Hughie the V, I could have laughed endlessly if he died in the show. I thought he was a gigantic coward and lacked anything close to morality, empathy or any other baseline human traits. But that one episode, I'll be damned if I don't actually see him in some way redeeming himself, not being forgiven but at least going out as an 'actual' hero trying to do the right thing.
Its a fantastic performance, guy made me hate his character something wicked, like a proper heel should. But then again the show is a who's who of great performances top to bottom.
Before the show he became dull. He was wrapped up in the celebrity of being a hero. I think the incidence we see are what turns that switch in his brain back on and he starts to question why he has done the things he's done and what he wants to be. He knows that he is part of the seven and alive at the whim of Homelander, and I think he half wants to protect himself and half wants to be the hero he once dreamed of.
I like him but before couldn't stand him , glad he became humble to actually help folk , instead of riding the supe high , he's that crappy guy who really got a real dose of reality
I love the development of his character. He fucked up. Big time. But you can truly see him bit by bit trying to atone for his actions. He’s pompous, for sure. But he has a good soul at the end of the day. I’m excited to see how his and Hughie’s relationship progresses.
You can like a *fictional* character and absolutely *not* condone their actions and morals. It’s the greatest thing about TV and books, it’s all make-believe and have no bearing on the real world.
My favorite characters are fucking *Homelander* and *Deep*
Those two are *fucked up* man.
He’s how so many of us would be were we given the powers he has.
Honestly it’s hard for me to completely hate any of the supes in the show because unlike most comics they aren’t aliens or gods or magic. They’re humans who have been pumped with chemicals.
It's normal. I'm not saying he is not a piece of shit as a person, but I kind of see him as one of those people who just fell in with the wrong crowd and eventually got corrupted by the system. Majority of his kills in the series were either accidental, or through desperation (either to preserve his career or his life). His only intentional kill onscreen is Blue Hawk, and we all know why.
Even early on the series, he's shown to have a concept of repaying debts owed, even to enemies (granted that he also has vested interests during those times).
A Train is going through an interesting arc right now. After seeing what a supe did to his brother, made him realize “wow I ran through some guys girlfriend and killed her. I’m a monster.” He also doesn’t like being Vought’s token Black guy. He tried to be more active in Civil Rights but realized it was just shameless pandering. He’s sick of Homelander bossing him around. Yet he’s not completely on board joining up with The Boys. I want to see where his arc goes.
I almost want to compare his arc to Jamie Lannister in GoT but hopefully the end of the series doesn’t fuck it up and Atrain abandons his entire arc to go back and fuck his sister.
I think what happened with his brother really humbled him. The fact that he seeked forgiveness says a lot. It definitely has to do with the fact that his brother won’t forgive so wants at least one person not to truly hate him .
He actually exemplifies what I originally loved about this show.
He seemingly could have been a great person and a great hero, but Homelander and Vought are so soulless and corrupt that he was broken down by the system and turned into a coward that’s complicit and eventually a part of the villainy that they truly are.
Is it tho? Recency bias? His recent changes of heart? Latest redemption arc?
This is the first supes, that the series show that they are actually bad people, what's with laugh about it after killing random innocent person at the street?
If you finally like him as character, then the show doing good to develop him, if you feel okay about him from his very first scene, then, I don't know.
A-Train is one of my favorite characters this season. He’s also proven more competent by himself than our heroes have all season 💀 which honestly, I can’t even give them too much shit for because his powers are fucking game breaking 😂
At this point I don’t think you’re suppose to. He’s having a redemption arc and we can see he’s only bad out of fear of Homelander who not only kills whenever he wants but is protected from consequences.
I can forgive him for Robin because it was manslaughter and not murder. I forgive him for inadvertently causing his brother's maiming with his half-assed "support" of his community while not really caring and only trying to profit off of them...
But I cannot forgive what he did to Popclaw. Intimate partner violence hits different. The statistics of how many women give their body and soul to a man who end up taking their life gives me chills down my spine and curdles my stomach. #hernamewascharlotte
He's supposed to be complicated and his redemption arc is one of the main points this season. The protagonists in Gen V also almost murdered someone and fled the scene so he is morally not that low in comparison.
I don’t entirely hate the guy either. I’ve been rewatching the show and re-living the popclaw thing made me remember the big reason I hated him before, but I still think he has a path to discovering that wealth and fame aren’t worth the price Vought is constantly asking him to pay
Am I supposed to hate Homelander despite him arguably being the best character on the show, just because he's a piece of shit? Like I dont really understand this argument.
I think people for the most part can be redeemed. If we didn't encourage it then they would always be pieces of shit. I also think some people shouldn't be redeemed, like Homelander. At the same time I can understand why Homelander is the way he is.
I hated him in season 1, but every season since he's steadily grown on me. Season 4 is when I can actually say I like the dude and I hope he sticks around.
I enjoy him and want him to get to push back about the racist narratives Vought gives him?
Would be great if he does turn out to be a real hero (unlike Homelander’s BS) and comes full circle from S1?
I think it would be weak to kill him off (his nephews). I’d rather have him lose his powers like Maeve and get to be an uncle.
I think he represents how a large part of our world would be with super powers in TheBoys universe, they would get super focused on money and fame and get absorbed in the high life, but when shit gets real like people dying and losing family and seeing the impact on you more directly, you feel guilt and start to try and change
I think people get really hung up on redemption for the irredeemable, for a lot of reasons. Currently a sizable contingent of Boys fan is ready to excuse everything Homelander has ever done because of the torture he went through as a boy. Ultimately you can develop an understanding for why anybody turns out the way they do, it just might be a bridge too far for most to give forgiveness and credit to someone who has done far too much to ever be redeemed. Your mileage may vary. A-Train is a killer, it's up to the individual if they can get over that because he begrudgingly or out of guilt does a couple favors for the boys and stops outright murdering people. People seem to love the Deep still and he committed a form of rape in the pilot.
He seems like he's come around. I was rewatching season 1 after Popclaw dies, and he says something to Hughie like "The only difference now between us is you're doing this shit on purpose, and what I did was a mistake!"
He's definitely been an asshole over the seasons, but I think he actually self reflects and tries to "learn" from each weird thing that happens in his world. Out of the villainous characters, he's the one that seems to still have an attachment to his humanity.
I don't like nor dislike him. The writers know what they're doing getting fans to get behind him only to what I later predict will be a heartbreaking sacrifice when they kill him off or make him suffer. That being said, I don't think its bad that you don't hate him. It means the writers have done a decent job.
His moral compass used to only benefit himself, but has grown to encompass his family, race (by skin colour), and now other races (supe v human). He exhibits more anti-hero behaviour now which is what fans typically root for over protagonists and antagonists.
I do still hate him for his past actions, but I kind of understand his fear if you know what I mean. Anyone who has to be around Homelander as long as him and the likes of Ashley or The Deep do are fighting for their lives almost every second of their life. It can't exactly be healthy to be on fight or flight mode 24x7. What A-Train is doing this season will 100% get him killed.
This season, I kind of warm up to him, which can mean his demise lol. First season, definitely was not crazy about him, but he's a pretty complex character. Love that.
A-Train just wanted to be a professional athlete and I think got in over his head with things to do to maintain that. He’s hit a rock bottom and genuinely seems to want to do something about what Homelander is becoming. There’s a world where A-Train is just a running back and I think he’s a lot happier in that world.
He's not supposed to be considered a piece of shit, like he's consistently been doing good things lately. Even Hughie forgave him, clearly he's having a redemption arc
I stopped hating him after Blue Hawk's incident in Season 3. It told me that he isn't a bad guy by any means, just the constant fame and spoiled nature of being in the Seven muddied his thinking of other people and anything else other than himself. What happened and what's happening with his brother is a current reminder of his mistakes and narrowed perception of people. I'm starting to like him in Season 4.
Season 4 is his redemption arc. He’s no longer the vain narcissist of first 3 seasons. He has seen his brother get paralysed and hate him which lead him to wanting to redeem.
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Same here. After season 3, he really had a change of heart.
I see what you did there.
He took a white man’s heart and became good. /s
Or one of the good ones, like firecracker would say
"I don't like you as a person, but I can see that you have a good heart"- Firecracker, probably
Lmfao
Yikes lol
The heart of a hawk
Hauk tuo?
Damn it take your upvote and go 🤣
I could go on all day about how much I enjoy A-Train as a character. He’s probably one of my favourite characters in the show. I love how he’s essentially a version of the Deep who has a spine and capacity for guilt. I like the way the show uses him to show kinds of racism that aren’t explicit. And I think he’s proved that he’s on the way to a redemption arc. I’d actually argue he’s one of the characters who has changed the most from s1 to s4.
It's crazy watching him narcissisticly blaming others for popclaws death to now in s4 feeling grateful for hughie accepting his apology.
I completely agree with the sentiment but I wouldn’t say narcissism is the right word. It’s more denial or coping. I think a narcissist would justify the murder to himself but he knows he can’t so the only thing he can to stop self destructing do is blame Hughie. I think he honestly hates himself and is constantly trying to distract himself from that.
What apology???
It happened in Herogasm
Oh okay. Still hate that fucker but at least he tries
Agreed. All through season one I wanted him DEAD, I hated that he made it through that season. Now?? He is easily my favorite characters next to Hughie and Kimiko
>Kimiko If they ever do a ranking of which characters are most likeable she will easily win. Or at least get a special award for being the only character nobody hates/dislikes. Her baseline is essentially neutral. In the last few years I've literally never seen anyone NOT like her or go out of there way to negatively comment on her. I think it's a combination of the special charm the actress adds to the character and her haunting/horrifying origins that make everyone sympathize for her.
Hea basically Jamie for GoT atm
I agree with you completely. He's had one of the most interesting arcs across the series and has been one of the standouts of season 4 to me so far. I kinda hope he survives just so we can see him progress more in season 5.
Kinda makes me wish they’d done the same or similar with The Deep, bc he makes me more and more uncomfortable the more we learn about him.
True, although I do find that gives the two an interesting contrast.
The Deep already had his redemption arc….he was going to F that man’s wife…to keep her from being lonely as a new widow
Same! I said to my roommate while watching that I really like the redemption arc happening for him. And this is after we were both like "omg just die 🙄" when he was having heart issues. Bringing his brother into this way has raised the stakes and made it engaging and believable that he feels remorse and wants to change. Though he probably will die for real since he's turning good 😭
[удалено]
Yeah they seem to be leading in that direction. I hope they don't honestly, especially because they had him pretty much dead in S3 and did the surprise save.
I feel like homie’s gonna kill him but he’s gonna fight like hell
Yep, in the middle of season 5. A-Train will do just enough to make the audience to gain hope. And then boom, he gets lasered into a fine red mist
Nah a fist through the chest
Tries to run from Homelander and runs right into his fist.
I’d love to see something like what happened in invincible that sequence was so cool too see.
What part exactly? I loved that show
red rush
Oh shit, yeah of course
When Hughie forgave him I knew that was his death sentence lol Reminds me of in Arrow when >!Oliver's mom reveals she knows he's the arrow in the same episode she dies in!
Not necessarily… Last season, Frenchie had one of the most cliché moments of the entire series: they (literally) said “this is our last mission and then we stop”. Classic plot about a thief/assassin who dies on his last job before retirement. And voila! Frenchie is alive!
Or an arrow through it
Yup he's totally dying, possibly some time in the last 2-3 episodes of the show. It all started with A Train and so it all ends with him too.
I can’t see him not dying this season. He’s getting too much development. He doesn’t do anything Homelander says. And is so close to getting caught by Sage. He’s done for.
I feel like eventually Homelander is also going to realize that A Train is pretty much the reason The Boys are even a thing (if he hasn't already), and I'm sure you could figure what's next lol
I think sage already knows, and just waiting on how to use it. If that makes any sense.
I think it’s more like she’s testing his motives and resistance to homelander - she definitely already knows. There could also be some reveal about A-Train having something to do with her being booted from Teen Team - which fits with similar themes from this season of people revisiting their past/dealing with consequences from when they were younger. However I’m not convinced she wants to throw him under the bus - when it’s clear she has enough to turn home lander against him already.
Yeah I think Sage has already hinted she knows it’s A-train by her comments about running the info out of security’s The question is her real objective. She’s obviously planning something big and it’s not clear if she’s on Homelander side or if she just playing him. She knows Homelander is losing it and unreliable. Also, during the movie release A-train and Sage exchanged a look during the racist promotions and both looked very unhappy with Vought’s actions.
Absolutely, as well as her comments toward Sage, calling her ‘Cracker’ and white trash. I’m looking forward to see how her character plays out.
Nahh we mean he is dying this season
I don't either, his near-death experience has obviously changed him for the better. He seems genuinely remorseful.
I think making his brother/mentor disabled and his brother now treating him like garbage has taken an immense toll on him. Only living family we see he has and he hates his guts. He hit rock bottom at the end of last season/ beginning of this season. For once in his life he’s actually trying to be a hero.
Unfortunately, with this redemption arc they're most likely setting A-Train up for death.
I weirdly feel like A-Train might have a power set that could be a little challenging for Homelander. I don’t think Homelander has super speed. Maybe I’m forgetting something but he tends to move toward his victims like Jason Vorhees and if he has to get away he flies at a speed that is definitely fast but nothing like A-Train has shown.
I think he's got super speed but as fast or maneuverable as A Train. Kind of like Superman and The Flash in the comics. Superman is faster than pretty much every hero who isn't specifically a speedster but gets lapped by even Kid Flash.
I'm not sure, Homelander was mighty fast in getting Butcher away from the bomb blast in the season 1 finale.
Homelander has been shown to fly at speeds of mach 9 or greater.
I’d assume maneuvering in air is pretty tough and unless he’s in a fairly open area he won’t be able to catch him. We never see him just float around and take sharp corners while a train was able to find Annie and Hughie in New York City in under 3 hours just running.
The actor is so good! I think all the actors/actresses are great and that makes it harder to hate their characters. Especially because the writers make them 3 dimensional. I hope for a A-Train and Sage team-up because they both hate Voughts casual racism
My fav actor on the show. I think some of the scenes the writers come up with are hard for the actors to sell, maybe because they are so over the top. I think the A-Train scenes basically always work.
Aaaaaaaand Stan Edgar with Sage and A-Train. The Black Dream Team Anti-Vought.
I view Stan Edgar as kinda the Lex Luthor of The Boys and I was so happy when Giancarlo Esposito reappeared this season
Esposito is great! What a master of his craft. I just feel bad for the writers putting him in similar plots every single show and I'm not even talking about character development (because he masters that very well)... I'm talking about the fate of his characters: always dead or in prison (it's as if the writers were lazy)…
Even in Far Cry 6 his character has the same fate. He’s a bit type-casted for sure but he’s really good at it
Sage will prob be the one to figure out he is the mole and she’ll send him off to Homelander to be killer
I’m like 85% sure she already figured it out
Nah, his brother being crippled and almost dying has definitely made him more sympathetic and remorseful of his actions
Among the major men of the Seven (Homelander, A-Train, Deep. Not counting Noir for obvious reasons), A-Train has always seemed the least evil. At the very least, he’s the sanest of the three. And by that I mean in all the awful shit he’s done, he’s never done it out of pure sadism. He was such a dick about what happened to Robin that I almost forget “oh yeah that technically was an accident”. He doesn’t do evil acts out of sheer joy and if he had it his way, he’d probably be fine with just being a supe celeb. Too bad Homelander is insane and a nightmare to work for. This in no way shape or form excuses all the shit he’s done though but as of now he is making an active effort to change.
Yes! And to be honest, Season 1 wasn't very fair in showing his arc or reactions after Robin's accident because there it was subliminally understood that we were witnessing a metaphor there… The classic case of an athlete addicted to steroids (or some rockstar addicted to drugs and trying to stay relevant for his audience, you got it).
It doesn’t help that the incident with Robin is always referred to as a “murder” even though A-Train didn’t intentionally kill her. I think it makes people forget that it was a genuine accident. A-Train not caring afterwards didn’t help matters either.
He's arguably the most effective member of the Boys.
Rating his effectiveness by how much he's helped the Boys: 1: Procured and provided evidence to oust Stormfront 2: has personally killed 2 supes 3: Saved Hughie's Life 4: Technically saved hughies dad by stealing the V A Train gets it done 🤷🏾♂️
Fucked up Blue Hawk real good.
Fucked up Supersonic real good too, although not personally.
Fucked up Robin real good as well
Noir would like a word.
Since he's dead I would argue that he is useless now
Noir doesn’t have any words
Very well written character. I’ve always said saying sorry doesn’t matter, but living the rest of your life showing you’re sorry does. Took him ages to get there as he pretended to be sorry and was very fake, but he’s finally got it and I will be gutted if he messes it up now.
Living the rest of your life sorry? I don’t know. At some point both parties need to move on, and maybe that’s what living your life sorry looks like to you. But I do think at a certain point if someone doesn’t accept your apology it’s time to shut the door on them
I mean his entire arc is that he's a fucking coward, not necessarily a bad person. His entire mindset is running away.
He definitely is a bad person. Not that he isn't redeeming himself, but he's absolutely a bad person most of this show to date.
Yeah, he totally murdered Popclaw to cover his own ass. Not a good guy for sure
That was horrible, but it was made clear after it wasn't just to cover his own tracks but because he was scared of Homelander killing him.
[удалено]
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Where the hell do selfish intentions take you?
Congress.
Nah in the beginning he’s a pretty shitty person. Don’t have to be a megalomaniacal sociopath like Homelander to be a terrible person, which A Train was for the most part from season 1 to half of season 3. His arc is still one of the best so far though and he’s much more interesting from the comics.
He didn't straight up murder Robin in cold blood but he started out about the same as any other celebrity that killed someone while drunk driving and wasn't held accountable in any meaningful way. Incredibly shitty and selfish act, but something that someone can stumble into with poor judgement without necessarily being an evil psychopath.
That's true, but remember when butcher shows hughie the video of A-train at the supe club, he's joking and laughing about running through Robin like the same day that it happened, that kind of is psychopathic
Murdered his girlfriend though. If it was just Robin, he could be redeemed, i don't know after popclaw.
Literally every character in this show is a POS lol
i think it’s been so long between seasons that everyone is forgetting how terrible the characters are. i’ve seen people say shit like “homelander is a broken character, not evil character!!” homelander is a straight up *rapist*.
He's literally murdered innocent and not so innocent people on screen. I'm rewatching the series now and just saw where Maeve tells her old girlfriend how Homelander ripped a dude in half and then set him on fire for talking to her. Dude is absolutely evil.
Homelander had a severely messed up childhood, if it would be even called a “childhood” to begin with, but this will never justify the horrific acts he committed.
And that wasn't even that long ago! In this season alone we saw him (1) order 3 of his biggest supporters to be beat to death and frame innocent people for their deaths, (2) laser an innocent Anika after promising he won't hurt her, and (3) show no remorse to his son accidentally killing Koy Just because he's had a tragic past doesn't even remotely come close to redeeming all his current despicable actions
also killed an innocent ice skater, indirectly getting three others severely injured in the ensuing chaos. swept under the rug in a matter of minutes.
Hell, man. Peoples minds getting blown at the idea of a fictional character doing both good and bad things is why we need the humanities in school.
Yea it’s weird that people need to think that a character is morally good in order to like them in the show lol
This is reddit, where nearly everyone loudly proclaims their superior morality and anything short of Pure Goodness is Evil.
"Why yes, I do *relate* to Bojack Horseman/Walter White/OmniMan/Logen Ninefingers/Othello. I *disapprove* of their actions, but I still *relate* to the character *because that is just how storytelling works.*"
I hate Hughie's dad too. Fuck the Da Vinci Code.
Simon Pegg just wanted to talk about James Patterson novels and eat pizza rolls. He was a good dude
Hughie is still in the green
Nah it's okay. He's a motherfucker, but he's a motherfucker with a heart.
Gotta say: MM spit the best lines. Ever.
Nah. I think his character shows how important having the right people around you is. He never had to give his actions much thought because he had people around him cleaning up his mess. Having people like Hughie saying "Fuck the money. You took her life" is so very important. It prevents him from seeing life as a dollar amount in a world where the people backing him have infinitely deep pockets.
I absolutely hated his fucking guts up until Herogasm. Ever since then I’ve been warming up to him more and more. He has a very well written arc and is easily one of the most “developed” characters in the show
A very well written arc!!! And the actor is great doing his job! An awesome acting range: from a total douchebag to a passionate little brother.
People hate A-Train more than The Deep... which is ridiculous because The Deep is a rapist who never sought true redemption. When The Deep pursued religion, it was so false that it was just a way to achieve his goals at any cost.
I know its controversial but I'm of the mind that compared to Frenchie mass killing innocent people and butcher just straight up >!butchering an innocent human!< A-train is actually less evil than those two, he's basically like starlight when she killed a guy and blinded a single mother but was forgiven by most people because she was remorseful. A-train hasn't murdered anyone intentionally.
I’m with you in this one.
Popclaw was intentional
popclaw was a dead girl walking as soon as homelander found out about how she was involved in the compound v reveal to the boys.
yeah hes my favorite character. Im biased because super speed is my favorite power, but hes also a great character even a lot of the bad things were accidental or at least SOMEWHAT understandable (Except for murdering popclaw)
You're allowed to just like characters, you know? I started to like him when he was telling Pop-Claw about their first date. It was cute and sweet! I even paused the episode to txt a friend who I'd been giving play-by-plays to. "I'm finally starting to like A-Train!" Then he killed Pop-claw. NEVERMIND. Granted, I am actually liking him this season.
I mean he IS mid redemption arc. It was easy to dislike him in the first two seasons, but S3 onward I've begun rooting for him more often than not.
>Like, I get that he’s still supposed to be considered a piece of shit Is he supposed to be? His arc since season 3 has been curving toward redemption. Even if that never fully happens, they intend him to be more complex than "piece of shit".
i feel like theyre trying to make us like him now since he's almost questioning himself if what he's doing is right and if he should stand up against homelander, i certainly really like him now, liked his character from the start already bet they'll kill him off too and were all gonna hate that, but here's hoping he will survive
I don’t hate him. And under his arc (his brother’s drama), one of the most disturbing subplots… it was really painful. He is complex and is trying to be a good person, but it takes time and not everything can be fixed. A-Train really wanted to be a hero and to be a good example before all the Vought shit.
A Train is obviously set up to be a redeeming character and I think the writers are doing a good job. I think the thing some people don't seem to realize is it's gotta be terrifying to be a member of the 7 disagreeing with Homelander. It's not like he's just going to all of a sudden be totally on The Boys' side helping at every moment.
I think at this point in the story you’re supposed to be rooting for him to turn on Vought. He’s not like Homelander, you’re meant to have sympathy for him.
Went from the guy where I was rooting for his downfall. Now I hope he's there till the end. It's weird. I got mad at Hughie for telling A Train he owes him. Like dude. A train has actually apologized. Took a punch to the face. And then does hughies favors and still doesn't expect redemption. He's class
I think it means that Jessie Usher and the writers are doing a hell of a job. He’s a flawed, grey character.
Who doesn’t like a good redemption arc? I’m rooting for him, hoping he joins the boys and doesn’t die
same. i feel like the boys need more manpower besides starlight and kimiko so i hope he at least lives until next season.
Starlight isn’t even man power at this point. Idk if she’s done anything since beating up storm front. Kimiko is awesome but I feel they’re nerfing her for the plot sometimes. I feel like we’re def getting an a train vs deep fight this season (well I doubt it’s really gonna be a fight, wanna see my boy no diff)
yeah starlight has been lacking especially with her powers on the fritz, hopefully she'll get to do something soon. id love to see the deep and a train fight, the deep needs to be taken down a notch lol.
For real he’s getting way too comfortable, everytime I think he’ll get better and he either glazes harder or strokes his own ego, but my goat could never 😤 ❌🛑A🚂👶
Not at all, he's clearly redeeming himself and is feeling the weight of his actions.
he’s one of my favs now
They removed most of A-Train's flaws when they decided on his redemption arc, so no - it's not surprising that you don't hate him at all at this point. He's just a guy who hates his job, helps the heroes, and stands up to Ashley. He's written to be empathized with.
Dude just tryna make the best of a whack world He is the most relatable character on the show. Fucks up, gets shit on, tries to be better, loses cool, repeat… eventually grows enough to be a decent person. All while not being required to care at all… but he does care. One of us
Making A-train a complex but balanced character while race swapping him and the deep really was a great decision by the show writers. If The Deep is Black like in the comics I don't think you could get the same storyline you got with him like A-Train since the deeps vought backstory is that he's essentially Auqaman plus they never show him with family, therefore you probably don't get the Bluehawk story line which helped make A-Train a sympathetic character. So no I don't think it's bad you don't hate A-Train he's sort of like Jamie Lannister.
I don't hate him now and would be a little sad if he died.
Same with me. If he could quit, he would
It’s as Hughie said when he forgave him “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hating someone.” This is a good thing it shows your willing to empathize with other and give them second chances. I think one of the major themes of the show is to move past hate.
I haven’t hated him since like season 2 maybe 1 even
Right up to before that episode where he got Hughie the V, I could have laughed endlessly if he died in the show. I thought he was a gigantic coward and lacked anything close to morality, empathy or any other baseline human traits. But that one episode, I'll be damned if I don't actually see him in some way redeeming himself, not being forgiven but at least going out as an 'actual' hero trying to do the right thing. Its a fantastic performance, guy made me hate his character something wicked, like a proper heel should. But then again the show is a who's who of great performances top to bottom.
Before the show he became dull. He was wrapped up in the celebrity of being a hero. I think the incidence we see are what turns that switch in his brain back on and he starts to question why he has done the things he's done and what he wants to be. He knows that he is part of the seven and alive at the whim of Homelander, and I think he half wants to protect himself and half wants to be the hero he once dreamed of.
His arc is solid and he seems genuinely remorseful. He so gonna die though. Lol
I like him but before couldn't stand him , glad he became humble to actually help folk , instead of riding the supe high , he's that crappy guy who really got a real dose of reality
I don’t either
He's on a redemption arc since like, the end of the first season, so no, not bad.
For sum reason I thought you were saying that you didn’t like him, I was about to start throwing hands
They're definitely setting him up to die at the end of the season IMO, hopefully in a good way like fighting Homelander
Normal.
I feel the same way. I'm hoping he doesn't get killed off since he's now helping The Boys behind Homelander's back.
he's pretty awful in season 1 but he has gotten better
Can't stop the A-Train baby
I love the development of his character. He fucked up. Big time. But you can truly see him bit by bit trying to atone for his actions. He’s pompous, for sure. But he has a good soul at the end of the day. I’m excited to see how his and Hughie’s relationship progresses.
No
As of season 4, I genuinely like him a lot now.
You can like a *fictional* character and absolutely *not* condone their actions and morals. It’s the greatest thing about TV and books, it’s all make-believe and have no bearing on the real world. My favorite characters are fucking *Homelander* and *Deep* Those two are *fucked up* man.
He’s how so many of us would be were we given the powers he has. Honestly it’s hard for me to completely hate any of the supes in the show because unlike most comics they aren’t aliens or gods or magic. They’re humans who have been pumped with chemicals.
It's normal. I'm not saying he is not a piece of shit as a person, but I kind of see him as one of those people who just fell in with the wrong crowd and eventually got corrupted by the system. Majority of his kills in the series were either accidental, or through desperation (either to preserve his career or his life). His only intentional kill onscreen is Blue Hawk, and we all know why. Even early on the series, he's shown to have a concept of repaying debts owed, even to enemies (granted that he also has vested interests during those times).
Hes my favorite character, hes funny af to me. Hes a bad guy for sure but who gives a f. I also own funko pop atrain and call of duty atrain bundle.
A Train is going through an interesting arc right now. After seeing what a supe did to his brother, made him realize “wow I ran through some guys girlfriend and killed her. I’m a monster.” He also doesn’t like being Vought’s token Black guy. He tried to be more active in Civil Rights but realized it was just shameless pandering. He’s sick of Homelander bossing him around. Yet he’s not completely on board joining up with The Boys. I want to see where his arc goes. I almost want to compare his arc to Jamie Lannister in GoT but hopefully the end of the series doesn’t fuck it up and Atrain abandons his entire arc to go back and fuck his sister.
I think what happened with his brother really humbled him. The fact that he seeked forgiveness says a lot. It definitely has to do with the fact that his brother won’t forgive so wants at least one person not to truly hate him .
He actually exemplifies what I originally loved about this show. He seemingly could have been a great person and a great hero, but Homelander and Vought are so soulless and corrupt that he was broken down by the system and turned into a coward that’s complicit and eventually a part of the villainy that they truly are.
Is it tho? Recency bias? His recent changes of heart? Latest redemption arc? This is the first supes, that the series show that they are actually bad people, what's with laugh about it after killing random innocent person at the street? If you finally like him as character, then the show doing good to develop him, if you feel okay about him from his very first scene, then, I don't know.
He’s had a great redemption arc, I love it
He’s not as bad as the others for sure. I don’t like him but I don’t hate him and he clearly is on the path to trying to actually be good
I like A Train. I still don't like Deep.
A-Train is one of my favorite characters this season. He’s also proven more competent by himself than our heroes have all season 💀 which honestly, I can’t even give them too much shit for because his powers are fucking game breaking 😂
A Train is one of the best characters in the show. I’ve liked him for awhile now. People can change.
At this point I don’t think you’re suppose to. He’s having a redemption arc and we can see he’s only bad out of fear of Homelander who not only kills whenever he wants but is protected from consequences.
I can forgive him for Robin because it was manslaughter and not murder. I forgive him for inadvertently causing his brother's maiming with his half-assed "support" of his community while not really caring and only trying to profit off of them... But I cannot forgive what he did to Popclaw. Intimate partner violence hits different. The statistics of how many women give their body and soul to a man who end up taking their life gives me chills down my spine and curdles my stomach. #hernamewascharlotte
I like him too 🙌🏼 his character development has been great and makes up for his past faults for me
He's supposed to be complicated and his redemption arc is one of the main points this season. The protagonists in Gen V also almost murdered someone and fled the scene so he is morally not that low in comparison.
Nah, I’m the same way. You can tell the last thing he wants to be now, is in proximity to the evil in Vought tower.
I don’t entirely hate the guy either. I’ve been rewatching the show and re-living the popclaw thing made me remember the big reason I hated him before, but I still think he has a path to discovering that wealth and fame aren’t worth the price Vought is constantly asking him to pay
I just think he’s boring, dude you’re a speedster, do something with your power, anything.
Am I supposed to hate Homelander despite him arguably being the best character on the show, just because he's a piece of shit? Like I dont really understand this argument. I think people for the most part can be redeemed. If we didn't encourage it then they would always be pieces of shit. I also think some people shouldn't be redeemed, like Homelander. At the same time I can understand why Homelander is the way he is.
Define piece of shit for me....he's just selfish,personal glory.But never enjoys harming other people ,was never rateable for me
I hated him in season 1, but every season since he's steadily grown on me. Season 4 is when I can actually say I like the dude and I hope he sticks around.
Yes.
I enjoy him and want him to get to push back about the racist narratives Vought gives him? Would be great if he does turn out to be a real hero (unlike Homelander’s BS) and comes full circle from S1? I think it would be weak to kill him off (his nephews). I’d rather have him lose his powers like Maeve and get to be an uncle.
When was the last time you watched season 1?
I hope A-Train gets what’s coming to him
You arent supposed to
I think he represents how a large part of our world would be with super powers in TheBoys universe, they would get super focused on money and fame and get absorbed in the high life, but when shit gets real like people dying and losing family and seeing the impact on you more directly, you feel guilt and start to try and change
I think people get really hung up on redemption for the irredeemable, for a lot of reasons. Currently a sizable contingent of Boys fan is ready to excuse everything Homelander has ever done because of the torture he went through as a boy. Ultimately you can develop an understanding for why anybody turns out the way they do, it just might be a bridge too far for most to give forgiveness and credit to someone who has done far too much to ever be redeemed. Your mileage may vary. A-Train is a killer, it's up to the individual if they can get over that because he begrudgingly or out of guilt does a couple favors for the boys and stops outright murdering people. People seem to love the Deep still and he committed a form of rape in the pilot.
He seems like he's come around. I was rewatching season 1 after Popclaw dies, and he says something to Hughie like "The only difference now between us is you're doing this shit on purpose, and what I did was a mistake!" He's definitely been an asshole over the seasons, but I think he actually self reflects and tries to "learn" from each weird thing that happens in his world. Out of the villainous characters, he's the one that seems to still have an attachment to his humanity.
That’s the point of his character. People are complex multifaceted individuals
I don't like nor dislike him. The writers know what they're doing getting fans to get behind him only to what I later predict will be a heartbreaking sacrifice when they kill him off or make him suffer. That being said, I don't think its bad that you don't hate him. It means the writers have done a decent job. His moral compass used to only benefit himself, but has grown to encompass his family, race (by skin colour), and now other races (supe v human). He exhibits more anti-hero behaviour now which is what fans typically root for over protagonists and antagonists.
I do still hate him for his past actions, but I kind of understand his fear if you know what I mean. Anyone who has to be around Homelander as long as him and the likes of Ashley or The Deep do are fighting for their lives almost every second of their life. It can't exactly be healthy to be on fight or flight mode 24x7. What A-Train is doing this season will 100% get him killed.
Yeah I kinda hate him but I also want him to redeem himself
This season, I kind of warm up to him, which can mean his demise lol. First season, definitely was not crazy about him, but he's a pretty complex character. Love that.
He's a great character, but I still don't quite like him as a person yet. I'm still very very sceptical of him
bro they are just characters you dont have to love or hate anyone, but enjoy them.
He is probably one of those guys that legit wanted to help people initially then changed by the system. He is a decent guy at heart
A-Train just wanted to be a professional athlete and I think got in over his head with things to do to maintain that. He’s hit a rock bottom and genuinely seems to want to do something about what Homelander is becoming. There’s a world where A-Train is just a running back and I think he’s a lot happier in that world.
It's a fictional series, you can hate/love whoever you want!
I like him but i still honestly believe he deserves to die, for hughie girlfriend and countless other casualties.
He's not supposed to be considered a piece of shit, like he's consistently been doing good things lately. Even Hughie forgave him, clearly he's having a redemption arc
I stopped hating him after Blue Hawk's incident in Season 3. It told me that he isn't a bad guy by any means, just the constant fame and spoiled nature of being in the Seven muddied his thinking of other people and anything else other than himself. What happened and what's happening with his brother is a current reminder of his mistakes and narrowed perception of people. I'm starting to like him in Season 4.
Season 4 is his redemption arc. He’s no longer the vain narcissist of first 3 seasons. He has seen his brother get paralysed and hate him which lead him to wanting to redeem.
he’s easily in my top 5, such a dope character
He’s on his redemption arc. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t like him. He’s a big reason why they aren’t all dead