How The Boys’ Shocking Death Reveals Season 5’s Endgame
You must take the A-Train.
In the words of The Worm in The Boys Season 5 Episode 1, finales are the worst. “When I wrote the series finale of Triple C, that's Crimson Countess Capers, it was impossible to, like, tick every box and tie up every little storyline,” he said, clearly echoing the thoughts of the writers behind the scenes. “I mean, just try making everybody happy. You can't do it.”
But this isn’t just any finale — this is the fifth and final season of The Boys. In order to keep up with the reputation it has established over the last four seasons, it needs to be absolutely ruthless. Thankfully, Season 5 Episode 1 completely understands this and sets the tone for the rest of the final season in the only way that makes sense: a shocking loss.
Warning! Spoilers for The Boys Season 5 Episode 1, “Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite,” ahead!
For a year now, A-Train has been in hiding from Homelander and his minions.
When The Boys Season 5 opens, over a year has passed from Season 4. Hughie, Frenchie, and MM are in a “Freedom Camp,” and basically everyone else — including Kimiko, Starlight, and A-Train — are in hiding, knowing that if Homelander ever found them, it wouldn’t end well.
But after Starlight exposes Homelander’s actions on Flight 37, everyone is brought out of the woodwork. Our heroes in the camps are doomed unless they can be smuggled out within the next few days. With the help of The Worm’s burrowing powers, they can get into the camp, but getting out is a bigger problem. Starlight could fly people out one by one, but there’s a much more convenient option: A-Train, the fastest man in the world, could just run everyone out.
He initially rejects the request for help, but, in classic The Boys fashion, shows up at the eleventh hour to help out. But that brings him to Homelander’s attention. While trying to escape, A-Train manages to dodge an innocent woman in his path, echoing the events from the very first episode of the series, when he accidentally killed Hughie’s girlfriend. This throws him off course, allowing Homelander to catch up.
A-Train laughs and berates Homelander in his final moments.
In a heartbreaking scene, A-Train accepts that he’s defeated. “What was I so afraid of? You are f*cking nothing,” he says while Homelander has him pinned against a tree. “You're just an empty f*cking suit. Take away these powers and what are you, huh? A pathetic, weak, sniveling f*cking loser.” Without another word, Homelander snaps his neck, instantly killing him.
It’s a shocking moment, but from an outside perspective, there wasn’t any other way for this episode to end. It’s clear that no character is safe in this last batch of episodes, but the series needed to establish that in a big way. That means the show has to start knocking off major characters who have been there from the beginning — even if they’re not one of the leads, or even one of the “good guys.” And A-Train fits the bill.
Losing him may feel like a gut punch, but that’s the point. In The Boys Season 5, nobody is safe, and even characters who have been around from the beginning could be written off without a second thought. The real question is, if that’s who you kill off in the season premiere, who will survive the finale?
