The Boys Season 3 Episode 4 Confirms Where A-Train's Loyalties Lie
A-Train (Jessie Usher) has been something of a gray hat in the messy, intense world of Amazon Prime Video's "The Boys." He's bounced between super teams, moving from the viperous rat's nest that is The Seven to the even more dangerous Church of the Collective and then back again after redeeming himself. He has occasionally been an odd man out, possessing a sense of morality quite different from the two-faced values espoused by prominent Supe and ostensible all-around good guy Homelander (Antony Starr).
While A-Train has never been willing to associate with Nazis, he's always been willing to push himself beyond his capabilities to hold on to his title as the fastest man alive. The strain has led him to an addiction to the performance-enhancing drug Compound V and caused untold damage to his health while making him sloppy on the job. The Seven drop him due to his addiction but re-admit him after his redemption during Season 2. The Seven — and Homelander — have firmly demonstrated they're not willing to cover for his weaknesses.
The end result is a Supe who wants to be a better person but often finds himself doing the worst thing at the worst possible time to benefit his own image. In the most recent episode of "The Boys," the push-pull between A-Train's loyalty to Homelander and his support for fellow teammates like Starlight (Erin Moriarty) and Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva) has finally reached a boiling point.
A-Train has chosen to side with Homelander
The rest of this article contains spoilers for Episodes 3 and 4 from Season 3 of "The Boys."
Throughout Episode 3 of Season 3 of "The Boys," Starlight quietly conspires to throw the results of the reality show "American Hero," in which The Seven try to pick a new superhero to join their team. Supersonic seems a lock to win the program. Starlight, who was once involved with Supersonic when they were teenagers, doesn't want Supersonic on The Seven and doesn't want him to get involved in Homelander's life, sensing that the hero is ready to finally explode and go rogue. She tries to conspire with her fellow judges to throw the contest, but Supersonic refuses and joins the team to protect her. The ex-couple then conspires to change things within The Seven, with Starlight faking romantic feelings for Homelander to get closer to him so Hughie and the Boys can figure out how to kill him. To that end, during Episode 4, Supersonic asks A-Train to join them in their plot to stop Homelander before it's too late. But instead, A-Train turns the twosome in to their quarry.
When one considers how rocky A-Train's relationship with Homelander has been over the past two seasons of the show, his choice is pretty startling, but perhaps unsurprising that he picks the devil he knows instead of the unknown variables that are Starlight and Supersonic. A-Train knows he can never run again. His family has been urging him to do something important with his name, to stand up for his family and community. Allying himself with Homelander's power gives him a layer of protection in times that are incredibly uncertain.