Why A-Train's 'Cure' Is The Heart Of The Boys Season 3
By RAFAEL MOTAMAYOR
Movies - TV
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for "The Boys" Season 3.
Sharp satire is what separates "The Boys" from current MCU and DCEU superhero giants and that outlier gives the show the ability to grapple with concepts like “power comes at a price” and actually follow through with the consequences. This is no more evident than when Butcher and Hughie throw away their beliefs in favor of the same powers they’d hoped to eradicate.
This concept comes full circle for A-Train, as his constant need for praise and recognition, even after “losing” his powers due to his heart condition, leaves him further alienated and leads to his brother being paralyzed by Blue Hawk during a PR stunt. This would be the final straw for A-Train as he becomes disillusioned with what it means to be a “hero.”
Thirsty for vengeance, A-Train executes Blue Hawk by dragging his body through the concrete (a parallel to the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr.) at super-speed until his own heart eventually gives out and he apparently killing him. The “bill comes due” moment happens later when we see A-Train alive and well in the hospital, having received a new heart thanks to the late Blue Hawk.
A-Train's new lease on life comes at a price. He will never be able to sincerely stand up to the ideals he preaches, as he owes those powers (and his life) to a horrible bigot and a fundamentally evil corporation. He got everything he's wanted since the start of the season, but he got it in ways that expose just how shallow his intentions really were.