Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2!
The Boys fans have been warned that no one is safe in the show's final season, and the first episode is a stark reminder of that fact. "Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite" ends with the tragic death of a long-running character, emphasis on "running." That's right, Jessie T. Usher's A-Train is the first major character to meet his end in Season 5.
A-Train dies at the hands of his former ally Homelander (Antony Starr). Having defected from The Seven and joined Starlight's (Erin Moriarty) resistance in Season 4, A-Train had a big target on his back coming into Season 5. Ultimately, A-Train proved not quite fast enough to outrun his vindictive ex-teammate. Homelander snaps A-Train's neck, but not before A-Train laughs and ridicules him, wondering why he was ever so afraid of him in the first place.
"When I say we, I mean the writers, we had decided a while ago that A-Train should probably be the first to go," showrunner Eric Kripke told IGN in a recent interview. "It felt like Homelander's anger towards him would be so red-hot that it was difficult to figure out a way to write around."
As Kripke notes, there's a certain poetic justice to the way A-Train dies in this episode. Back in the series premiere, A-Train committed manslaughter in his debut scene, accidentally running through Hughie's (Jack Quaid) girlfriend while pursuing a criminal. Here, A-Train is only captured by Homelander because he dodges an innocent bystander and loses his footing.
"I think it was really important to us that A-Train go out a hero," Kripke said. "And there's this lovely moment that Paul Grillong wrote. Whereas in the very first time you saw A-Train in the pilot, he carelessly runs through a woman. And the very last time you see A-Train in the series, he very carefully dodges a woman, but that causes him to trip and cost him his life. But he goes out a hero, and it's a really great bookend to show how much he's grown as a character and how much more human and humane he's become."
The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1
A-Train's death sets a bleak tone for the new season. Starlight and her friends have just lost a powerful ally, even as Homelander gains a new one when he unthaws his father Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) in Episode 2. But will Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his deadly supe virus finally turn the tide? We'll find out as Season 5 unfolds in the coming weeks.
Be sure to check back for our full interview with Kripke and the cast of The Boys. Until then, check out our spoiler-free review of The Boys Season 5 and our recap of The Boys Seasons 1-4. Then, find out why Kripke was "bummed" the final season was written before the 2024 election.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
