Warning: spoilers ahead for The Boys season 4, episodes 1-3.
Summary
OneThe Boyscharacter is perfectly positioned to become the next member of Billy Butcher’s plucky crew in season 5, but only if they’re still alive when the season 4 finale’s credits roll. Despite Butcher’s reputation as a prickly and ruthless soul with all the emotional maturity of an electric fence, his team of anti-supe agents has steadily attracted more members sinceThe Boysstarted in 2019. Kimiko and Hughie came aboard in season 1, beforeThe Boysseason 3’s endingofficially inducted Starlight into the team.
Not only is Butcher learning to expand his circle of trust beyond just Frenchie, MM, and Mallory, his staunch hatred of supes has softened enough to allow two ofThe Boys' Compound-Vsubjects - Starlight and Kimiko - into his ranks, albeit begrudgingly. As Homelander leans more and more into megalomania during season 4, moreThe Boyscharacterscould find themselves siding with Butcher. Indeed, one long-standing supe now looks almost guaranteed to become the Boys' next recruit.
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A-Train Betraying The Seven Sets Him Up As Butcher’s Next Recruit In The Boys Season 5
A-Train Could Follow In Starlight’s Footsteps
A major storyline acrossThe Boysseason 4’s opening trio of episodesis MM successfully flipping A-Train into an asset. Not only does the speedster provide invaluable information to Butcher’s former crew, he assists them physically by saving Hughie from a rampaging Homelander.The Boysbegan teasing A-Train’s conflicted conscience throughout season 3, but he ultimately opted to stay with Vought and continue serving Homelander regardless. Being forced to watch as the Seven kill their own supporters is enough to make A-Train finally switch sides and play informant in season 4.
Even for Butcher, the services of a speedster would surely prove too tempting to refuse.
Sooner or later, of course, his deceit will be uncovered. Whether it be Queen Maeve, Starlight, Black Noir, or even Supersonic, Homelander’s rage always catches up with duplicitous members of the Seven eventually, andA-Train has gone too far for a simple apology to earn forgiveness with the Seven’s milky dictator.That leaves A-Train only one choice in terms of making future plans: officially joining the Boys, just like Starlight before him.
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Butcher would complain, obviously. Despite sharing reasonably cordial relations with Kimiko and Starlight, his attitude toward supes is barely less venomous than whenThe Boysstarted. A-Train’s hands are also far bloodier than either of the team’s existing supes. Nevertheless, MM clearly trusts that A-Train is capable of bettering himself, and it’sMM leading the team inThe Boysseason 4. Even for Butcher, the services of a speedster would surely prove too tempting to refuse, and the spiky Brit would likely also realize that a desperate A-Train is a useful A-Train.
Hughie Forgiving A-Train Removes His Biggest Obstacle To Joining Butcher’s Team
Hughie’s Anger Has Slowly Ebbed Away Since Robin Died
The biggest obstacle to A-Train joining Butcher’s crew is not Butcher’s prejudice or the increasing lack of desk space at the Flatiron Building, it’s Hughie.The Boys' entire story started when A-Train carelessly railed through Hughie’s then-girlfriend, Robin, and showed precious little remorse in the aftermath. If Hughie vetoed A-Train joining the Boys as a permanent member, Starlight and Butcher would undoubtedly support him and the new recruit would never be accepted. Sure enough, Hughie’s reaction to MM suggesting they use A-Train merely as an informant in season 4 is a firm “f**k that.”
They may not be sharing a beer anytime soon, but relations between A-Train and Hughie are clearly on the right track.
Fortunately for A-Train, Hughie’s stance is softening - a process that actually began duringThe Boysseason 3’s Herogasm event. When the free-swinging Hughie bumped into his nemesis, he finally unleashed years of pent-up rage over Robin’s death, to whichA-Train responded with a genuine and heartfelt apology for the first time. That act of kindness evidently left an impression on Hughie, as he repays the favor by preventing Starlight from confronting A-Train in front of his nephews inThe Boysseason 4, episode 2. Skip forward an episode, and A-Train risks his life to save Hughie from Homelander.
They may not be sharing a beer anytime soon, but relations between A-Train and Hughie are clearly on the right track. If Jessie T. Usher’s character continues to assist the good guys in season 4, Hughie may just be ready to accept him as a colleague by the timeThe Boysseason 5begins.
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No One Is Safe, But A-Train’s Position Looks Particularly Perilous
A-Train joining the Boys would be a miracle, but the blue blur must perform another, far more unlikely, miracle first: surviving season 4. By betraying Homelander right under his nose - and with Sister Sage, the world’s smartest person, eternally hovering around him - A-Train is playing an extremely dangerous game.Homelander would have no qualms about terminating his Seven subordinateif his extracurricular meetings with MM were ever revealed.
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A-Train’s death would also make sense from a narrative standpoint. The character is embarking on a gradual journey of redemption after initially being one ofThe Boys' most detestable figures, and any good redemption story almost always involves sacrifice - especially for someone like A-Train, who began the series by taking an innocent life. Rather than joining the Boys in season 5, therefore,A-Train may lay down his own life for one final act of heroismthat allows him to atone for past sins.
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The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
