With only a handful of episodes left of Amazon Prime’s The Boys (series finale airing May 20th, 2026), BHC thought it would be a great idea to look into someone whose character has shifted greatly over the years. From being the show’s first antagonist to possibly earning redemption, A-Train’s development is an interesting plotline to watch. This complex character has had people on the edge of their seats for five seasons now and we want to look into what his treatment would look like, should he ever want to come to therapy. Spoilers ahead. We first meet A-Train after he completely demolishes protagonist Hughie Campbell’s girlfriend, using his super speed to annihilate her body. The superhero company who employs A-Train, Vought, offers a $45k settlement to Hughie. Before he can decide whether to accept the deal or not, a man named William Butcher shows up and recruits Hughie to join a team that is dedicated to killing superheroes. Butcher presents Hughie with a video of A-Train laughing over killing Hughie’s girlfriend, pushing the young man over the edge. A-Train is allowed to keep his position on the highly regarded superhero team: The Seven. After some digging, they learn about A-Train’s secret girlfriend: Popclaw, and that he is taking Compound V to boost his powers temporarily so he can win races against his superhero competitors. A-Train goes through with his plan, uses the Compound V, and wins. When interviewed after, he breaks his promise to Popclaw and announces he is single. Later, when Compound V is compromised due to Popclaw telling the Boys its location and Kimiko “The Female” escaping, A-Train goes after her. He ultimately fails in his mission and later kills Popclaw for her betrayal. He later learns who conspired with Popclaw and threatens to hold Hughie’s dad hostage. Hughie uses Compound V to distract A-Train long enough for Kimiko to temporarily cripple him. The season finale sees A-Train relapse on Compound V and later realize Annie “Starlight” January is a traitor. When he attempts to finish her off, A-Train has a heart attack from the Compound V, leaving his fate unknow.
Season 2 begins with A-Train in a coma. He awakens in the second episode and threatens to expose Starlight, who blackmails him with Popclaw’s murder. Not long after, Homelander removes A-Train from the Seven due to his weakened condition. The Church of the Collective swoops in and invites A-Train to join them, though he quickly becomes suspicious of their motives due to their controlling nature. At the end of the season, due to Stan Edgar pulling Compound V off the market and the Boys being cleared of all criminal charges, A-Train is reinstated into the Seven. This is revealed to be a PR move.
The first half of season 3 mostly has A-Train running advertisements and doing his own thing. Homelander continues to bully him, pushing Supersonic (now in league with Starlight) to offer him a place in their alliance. A-Train uses this information to betray Starlight, leading to Homelander killing Supersonic. Next episode, A-Train tells off a racist superhero named Blue Hawk, leading the supe to injure A-Train’s brother, Nathan. A-Train later uses his powers to kill Blue Hawk, but then suffers from heart failure. Ironically, A-Train is saved by a heart transplant given to him from Blue Hawk. The season ends with A-Train starting to understand Hughie’s situation.
Political unrest really begins to set in during season 4, where A-Train attempts to smear Starlight by dumping bodies into the crowd during her organization’s protests. However, he reverses this decision due to guilt and gives them a file exonerating Starlight and all her supporters of any wrongdoing. Seizing on the moment, Mother’s Milk (M.M.) asks A-Train to join their alliance. He reluctantly agrees and saves Hughie from death that same episode, causing a distraction. Hearing that Hughie’s father is dying, A-Train secures a sample of Compound V for him. While this ends up having disastrous consequences, A-Train is absolved of any malice. During a stakeout, the Boys get into a fight with some of the supes in the mansion. M.M. has a panic attack and A-Train breaks off from the others to help him, rushing him to the hospital. M.M. attempts to leave the Boys after, but A-Train convinces him to stay. Not long after, the Deep and Black Noir attack the Boys’ headquarters. Just as Butcher and Starlight are about to be murdered, A-Train arrives and buys them enough time to fend the two off. His cover blown, A-Train finds his family and they flee the country. He offers to take Ashley Barrett, Vought’s CEO, with him, but she refuses.
Season 5 presents the end to A-Train’s story. We first see him hiding with his family in Europe. The Boys ask A-Train to help free some prisoners, but he declines. He later reconsiders after the Deep shows up to kill his family. During the assault, A-Train saves Hughie from Homelander. A chase ensues and A-Train is forced to choose: either run down an innocent bystander and escape or slow down and avoid her. He chooses to avoid her, causing him to stumble and crash. The Homelander catches up to him. A-Train’s last words were: “Take away your powers and what are you? A pathetic, weak, sniveling f***ing loser.” Homelander is obviously shaken by these words and later kills A-Train, snapping his neck.
A-Train’s evolution from an antagonist to real hero is something that was long predicted amongst the fans, but fascinating to see unfold. He isn’t a one and done case. He is afraid for himself and for his people, coloring his actions as grey rather than black and white. He displays moments of great courage, but also has moments of pure selfishness that allow fear to take root. He’s a complicated man. Those complications allow this superhero to feel human, a factor that makes it easier to diagnose from a clinician standpoint.
For A-Train’s diagnosis, PTSD would be recommended as the primary focus. In just 33 episodes, he has gone through more than most people ever have to. He killed his girlfriend due to fear of Homelander’s retribution. He had a heart attack and later had heart failure, needing a new transplant. He sees how his feud with Blue Hawk ends up hurting his brother. His mistreatment by Homelander and being under constant pressure to perform lead to him taking drugs to max out his outcomes. Threats of death and mutilation at Homelander’s hands. These are just events on the show that he has witnessed. He starts the show on the Seven and most likely has more stories about Homelander and the abuse the team suffered under him. A-Train’s treatment plan would focus on the PTSD, but it would also focus on the guilt around several of his most heinous actions. Imploding Hughie’s girlfriend, killing his girlfriend, getting Supersonic killed, and his brother being hurt due to his antagonizing would be the top subjects that would need some visiting. Exploring redemption and what that means to him might also be a good avenue to take. What makes someone redeemed? How do you live with what you did before redemption came? What does it mean to be a hero? While A-Train may be jaded to these topics, it would benefit him to see where his mindset is at. Highlighting his positive actions would go a long way in helping him reshape himself, since that appears to be what he wants to do (in seasons 4 and 5 at least).
The heroes and antagonists of The Boys are often blurred, leading to a lot of grey in the characterization. A-Train starts out pretty detestable and one note, but quickly becomes a more complex character with his own set of fears and hopes. Despite his heroic actions, it’s hinted that he never thought himself as redeemed. This can be similar to clients, who often tend to focus on the bad rather than the steps they are taking. At Behavioral Health Clinic, we have clinicians who specialize in trauma, PTSD, and low self-esteem. Reach out at 855.607.8242 or email us at appointments@bhclinic.com.
