The first episode of The Boys season 5 ended with the demise of A-Train, who went out like a boss after laughing in Homelander's face. Though Reginald Franklin's exit seemed somewhat inevitable as soon as he made an enemy of Homelander, fans weren't expecting to see him go so early in the season.
The speedster's redemption arc came full circle when he helped rescue MM, Frenchie and Hughie from one of Vought's "Freedom Camps," after Homelander lured in Starlight and Butcher by threatening to execute the prisoners on live TV.
When the vindictive leader of the Seven gave chase, A-Train swerved to avoid a woman on the road - something he failed to do when he ran right through Hughie's poor girlfriend back in season 1 - and lost control, crashing through a forest.
Homelander catches up to his former ally, and no longer terrified of the powerful Supe, A-Train tells him how weak and pathetic he really is without his powers before getting his neck snapped.
Showrunner Eric Kripke explained the decision to kill off A-Train during a recent interview with Parade.
"I think it was important to kill someone really crucial and important in Episode 1 to really prove that no one was safe. And A-Train just had such a great redemption arc. In the first five minutes of the pilot, he’s the villain of the show. He’s the one who sets the whole story in motion. And then here we are in the first episode of Season 5. And the reason he gets caught is because he refuses to run through a woman. So I think it was time to bring his story full circle as a hero."
Here's what actor Jessie T. Usher had to say about his character's death during an interview with Screen Rant.
"[Antony Starr is] the best scene partner. One of my favorite scene partners that I've had on this entire series, and we got a chance to really play around in that moment and fulfill all of the wants and the needs and the desires of the character and the dynamic that these two have built and grown alongside each other. And then we finally got a chance to break it down and have something visceral and real and honest. And I wouldn't have gone out any other way."
The Boys has now paid tribute to A-Train with the following compilation clip.
In the fifth and final season of The Boys, it's Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a "Freedom Camp." Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It's the climax, people. Big stuff's gonna happen.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, and Daveed Diggs.
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Judalina Neira, Jessica Chou, Gabriel Garcia, Ori Marmur, Ken F. Levin and Jason Netter serve as executive producers.