What Happens To A-Train In The Boys Season 3 Episode 6

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3, episode 6

Has Jessie T. Usher's A-Train run out of steam in The Boys season 3, or can he get back on track? Since The Boys began, A-Train has raced from one disaster to the next - killing Robin, fired from the Seven, losing the use of his superpower, etc. A-Train's fortunes have shown little improvement in season 3. Whether it be an ill-advised video game about slavery or ritual public humiliation by Homelander in the corridors of Seven Tower, A-Train remains beset by problems and pitfalls almost entirely of his own making.

A-Train's sole redeeming arc in The Boys season 3 is his earnest attempt at holding Blue Hawk to account for over-policing Black communities, kicking up enough fuss for Vought to arrange a public apology. Yet even that goes awry... Blue Hawk's "apology" is nothing more than a transparent publicity stunt, and the racist supe predictably blows up into a bigoted rage. A-Train's brother is one of his many victims, emerging from the ill-advised meeting with life-changing injuries. The Boys season 3's "Herogasm" episode finds A-Train on the warpath, seeking revenge against Blue Hawk. He drags the racist to his death using super-speed... but then promptly collapses, clutching his chest as he falls.

A-Train has a long-standing history of heart problems in The Boys. Abusing Compound-V as a stimulant resulted in a heart attack towards the end of The Boys season 1. Barely recovering, the speedster discovered he could no longer do speedster things without running headfirst into more cardiac issues. Though A-Train does use his powers occasionally in The Boys season 2, season 3's "Barbary Coast" reveals the truth of his situation. Emerging from Vought's Global Wellness Center, A-Train's diagnosis is like Russian Roulette - any run could be his last.

Is A-Train Dead In The Boys Season 3?

The Boys season 3 drops major clues that killing Blue Hawk is A-Train's final act on the mortal plane. He makes amends with Hughie over Robin's death and gets revenge for his brother, then the silent camera shot of A-Train laying motionless in the road seems eerily final. Resolving unfinished business shortly before suffering a heart attack is never a positive sign for any fictional character's future prospects, but that's the situation A-Train finds himself in after The Boys season 3, episode 6.

Having said that, The Boys typically handles supe deaths in pretty black-or-white fashion. Supersonic was mangled beyond recognition, Translucent suffered an anal catastrophe, Tony's head exploded, Naqib got decapitated by Black Noir, etc. Conversely, whenever The Boys leaves a supe's fate ambiguous, they typically survive. A-Train, Black Noir and Stormfront have all emerged the other side of cliffhanger endings where death seemed inevitable. A-Train is still in one piece by the end of The Boys season 3's "Herogasm," so he's probably fine. Season 3 already foreshadowed his survival when A-Train said "maybe nothing" would happen if he ran again.

Does A-Train Die In The Boys Comics?

Irrespective of whether Jessie T. Usher's live-action A-Train is dead or alive after Herogasm, his future in The Boys doesn't look promising if Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic books are any indication. A-Train finally perishes when Billy Butcher captures him and gives "Wee" Hughie Campbell a call. The raging Hughie is tempted to kill the speedster and finally get revenge for Robin, but lacks a final push. Hearing how A-Train and the other Seven members deliberately recruited Starlight to sexually assault her gives Hughie that push, and he kicks A-Train's head clean off.

Two factors work in live-action A-Train's favor here. The Boys season 3's "Herogasm" episode sees the supe sincerely apologize to Hughie for killing Robin - a first step toward making amends. Moreover, it was The Deep who assaulted Starlight on her first day as a Seven member rather than A-Train. Already, this means A-Train's authentic comic death cannot happen in The Boys.