Life In The Fast Lane
A-Train might be a fame-obsessed prick, but can you really blame him?
Celebrity is something that has never been more accessible than it is today. From untalented people on Instagram that are paid just for their looks to TikTok “content creators” who are inexplicably popular, fame seems to be at the fingertips of anyone with a phone.
In the world of The Boys, saving the world is what makes the men and women of The Seven so famous, with the public completely unaware of how they’re really like or how they got their abilities. The Seven’s resident speedster is the perfect example of everything that’s wrong with the world’s worship of The Seven, but is he just doing what anyone in his position would do?
Reggie Franklin, better known as A-Train, is the world-famous speedster of Vought International’s group of “heroes”, The Seven. He’s also the lynchpin of the entire start of the series, as he runs through Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin, killing her which leads Butcher to recruit him. Compound V imbued him with the gift of super speed which came at a steep price for him as he developed a strong addiction to the drug. This is what drives most of the first season of The Boys, as the discovery of Compound V gives Butcher and his team an upper hand on Vought. His relationship with Popclaw, a member of Teenage Kix in the comics, leads to her end as she exposes Compound V to The Boys and A-Train eventually kills her in hopes of keeping the drug a secret. This would bring him straight into conflict with his teammate on The Seven, Starlight, who blackmails him with the knowledge that he murdered Popclaw.
His addiction to the drug would cause him to have a heart attack and he starts the second season in a coma. When he wakes up and finds out that rival speedster Shockwave, whom he defeated in a race in the first season, is at The Seven Tower he’s furious and has to be told by Homelander that he is no longer a member of the team. Throughout the season he finds himself in a similar situation that The Deep is in, wandering without purpose and hoping to get back into The Seven. The two ousted members would connect and The Deep tries to convince him to join The Church of the Collective and while he initially declines, he would become a full member. While hiding in a closet and overhearing a conversation about how he can’t be let back in The Seven because of Stormfront being a racist Nazi, he would leave the Church armed with the information he needs to get back on the team. He would steal classified information on Stormfront and hand it over to Hughie and Starlight who expose her and, after her beatdown and bloody destruction, takes his place back among The Seven, replacing her. This shows just how far he’d go to be famous again, and this fame-obsessed A-Train on the show is a sign of the times, and not at all similar to how Ennis and Robertson created him in the source material.
In the comics, A-Train is a caucasian male and not as concerned with fame and the adoration of the public as his counterpart on the show is. While the TV show’s version isn’t a saint by any means and the only reason he helps Hughie and Starlight is that he wants back in The Seven (and because Stormfront is a Nazi bitch), the version from the comics is unforgivingly deplorable. He’s part of The Seven’s sexual assault on Starlight and, along with Jack from Jupiter, are two of the worst when it comes to harassing her. He’s also a newer member of the team, just coming over from Teenage Kix, and a replacement for The Seven’s previous speedster, Marathon. On the show, he’s not the new kid and the block and he’s adored by fans everywhere before his expulsion from The Seven. As mentioned previously, he’s just like the rest of the members of the team in that he’s self-centered and only interested in fame and fortune, and not with helping people as evinced by his response to his accidental killing of Robin.
However, for split second he did show that he cares about his girlfriend Popclaw, but in no way does this redeem him of any of his previous, or future, actions. A-Train is the perfect example of how the lure of celebrity turns some men into monsters. While Homelander loves the adoration of the public, he doesn’t want fame, he just wants to be loved. A-Train wants money, women, attention, and all the fame that comes with it, and really, who can blame him? With the public more than ever looking for idols to worship these days, A-Train is the perfect representation of celebrity and celebrity culture on the show. Like a professional athlete that fucks everything up, A-Train’s use of Compound V harkens back to players who abuse steroids to remain relevant and at the top of their game, by any means necessary. This brings up the question as to would it even matter to the public if Compound V and The Seven were exposed. It feels like the world today just wants someone to cheer for, regardless of whether they have any talent or not, and whether that talent is natural or through other means. A-Train is in no way a victim and he knows what he’s doing, but society’s obsession with fame fuels him to be a man who would do anything for the spotlight, and even more to keep it, just as much as Compound V does.
With A-Train fully back as a member of The Seven and Annie still having a secret over him, it’ll be interesting to see how he fits back on the team. His heart condition could cause all sorts of trouble as well, as he could literally be one heartbeat away from never running again.
It could feel like A-Train has changed his ways with how he helped get rid of Stormfront, the truth is that his actions were all self-serving. His return to Vought International's good graces has put the spotlight firmly on him again, and there’s very little chance that he’s going to give it up.
