Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 3 episode 5.
Now that A-Train has started to grow a conscience in The Boys season 3, the character could go through a change like the one that redefined The Deep’s identity in season 2. In The Boys season 2, it briefly seemed like The Deep was going to at least acknowledge the damage he did to others via his unchecked super powers and the privileges they provided. Instead, The Deep’s Scientology-spoofing subplot saw him grow more delusional and dangerously short-sighted, becoming a pawn for another duplicitous group in the process.
Now, in The Boys season 3, The Deep is as clueless as ever but with a newfound, deeply misplaced superiority complex thanks to his new religion. Although he admitted that he assaulted Starlight, he has never attempted to apologize for his actions or meaningfully atone for his sins, and The Boys season 3 now seems set to send A-Train on a similar path. Although A-Train’s current season 3 storyline makes him a prime candidate for a redemptive journey, knowing the cynical tone of The Boys, he is much more likely to become even more deluded and morally dubious than ever before.
In The Boys season 3 episode 5, Starlight confronts A-Train about his role in Supersonic’s death, but the supe is adamant that he did nothing wrong. Soon after, A-Train confronts Blue Hawk over his murder of an unnamed Black man, prompting a disastrous “apology” from Blue Hawk that culminates in the supe leaving a friend of A-Train paralyzed for life. The revelation that A-Train is wracked with guilt over Blue Hawk’s behavior and fears Homelander, combined with his refusal to apologize to Starlight and acknowledge his involvement in Supersonic’s murder, make him a perfect foil for The Deep circa season 2. Much like The Deep never properly apologized or made up for his mistakes but instead got involved in a cult, the odds are good that A-Train’s awakening to his flaws will soon be deflected into some sort of similarly self-pitying antics.
While Homelander, Stormfront, and Soldier Boy prove that The Boys has far darker villains than the likes of The Deep and A-Train, these two second-string supes are studies in hypocrisy and self-pity. A-Train’s horror at Blue Hawk’s actions is understandable, but it is also more than a little hypocritical when A-Train snitching to Homelander resulted in Supersonic’s horrific death only a few days earlier. A-Train denied any complicity in the event much like Blue Hawk attempted to deny responsibility for a murder he committed, with both supes being more concerned about holding onto their power than doing anything constructive with it.
In a more traditional superhero story, A-Train’s horror at Blue Hawk’s racist violence would prompt him to reconsider his abuse of his powers. However, in the brutal MCU satire of The Boys season 3, it is far more likely that A-Train will repeat The Deep’s response and simply find a way to exonerate himself, no matter how much delusion this requires. For The Deep, this meant giving up much of his self-control to a shady church, Vought, and Homelander, whereas A-Train’s attempts to excuse his sins could result in a similarly dark path later in The Boys season 3.
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