The Boys’ Eric Kripke Explains A-Train’s Redemption Arc in One Sentence

There are many things that fans seem to misunderstand or simply hate about the new season of The Boys. After an extremely successful 3 season run, the show that was considered one of the best satirical takes on not only the superhero genre, but also today's politics, has taken a turn for the worse.

Or so the fanbase seems to believe. While the critics' scores on Rotten Tomatoes remain as impeccable as ever at 95% for the season, the viewers' scores have plummeted to 50% and may continue to fall. Series creator Eric Kripke, however, stands by every decision he's made.

A-Train in The Boys Season 4

While much more divisive are all the decisions made about Frenchie and Kimiko, as these are the ones that get the most one-star disappointed reviews, there is also some backlash against Kripke's decision to give A-Train a proper redemption arc. This is seen as inconsistent by some fans, but the writer begs to differ.

Speaking with Variety, Kripke explained that A-Train's redemption was set up in a way that follows his development in season 3. Here's how he sums up the basic motivation behind the change in one sentence:

“We were sort of set up for it last season — because his storyline last season was he was pretending to give a sh#t so much that he actually accidentally started to give a sh#t,” Kripke said.

Of course, it is not that simple and straightforward, and there is a deeper reason for a change. Later on, Kripke explains that these changes add up to the overall arc of another character, Hughie. As a parallel to Butcher, who is unable to forgive anyone, Hughie steps into this role not for the sake of the supes, but for his own sake.

Given the extensive history between him and the A-Train in particular, forgiving him would be the most obvious turn to humanity and mercy that Hughie could have shown. The redemption is nothing more than another tool to help the character see some good in himself and lead to a change of heart.

Whether you like this twist or not is another matter entirely. To find out where the rest of the season is headed, be sure to tune in to Prime Video every Thursday to make sure you don't miss another episode.

Source: Variety