- Primary Subject: Major character death in The Boys Season 5 premiere
- Key Update: Showrunner Eric Kripke explains the creative reasoning behind the decision to eliminate a series regular in the very first episode of the final season.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: April 9, 2026
- Quick Answer: Showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed writers moved a major character's death to the premiere to prove that, in the final season, no one is safe.
The premiere episode of the fifth season of The Boys ended with the shocking death of one of the main characters. So why did they decide to kill him off this early?
There was a lot of anticipation for the hit superhero show's final season, especially on how they would wrap the storyline and which characters might meet their demise. There have been a lot of theories and speculations in the last few weeks regarding which characters could either survive or die by the end.
SPOILER WARNING: This article includes spoilers for the season 5 premiere of The Boys, so proceed with caution.
How A-Train Was Killed Off in The Boys Season 5 Premiere Episode
The season 5 premiere of The Boys saw A-Train still on the run and rescuing Hughie, Frenchie, and MM. His high-profile return centers on a daring jailbreak, in which he successfully springs the trio from the confines of a "Freedom Camp."
However, the episode’s final minutes saw the demise of A-Train/Reggie Franklin. In a poignant reversal of his first scene, where he accidentally killed Hughie’s girlfriend, the speedster’s newly developed conscience led him to swerve to avoid an innocent bystander.
This split-second decision allowed Homelander to finally catch the speedster, ending in a brutal execution fueled by Homelander’s rage over A-Train’s history of betrayal.
It's a shocking moment that struck with fans, as it showed that the series is willing to kill off any of its main characters during its final season, and they were willing to do it as early as the premiere episode.
This sets up an expectation that the rest of the season will likely see more deaths among the main characters. The question now is which one might face their demise next, and whether it will be at the hands of Homelander.
Why The Boys Writers Decided to Kill Off A-Train
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke explained why they decided to kill off A-Train in the season 5 premiere episode.
"I was initially resistant to killing him off that early. It was a little scary to kill him off so soon. We had actually broken out [an alternate storyline] that was like: 'Where is he now, what is he doing, and how can he help The Boys?' — all that stuff was in process, so it’s not like we didn’t have it. We knew that he was going to be the first big death. At the time, I think we were thinking maybe episode three," he said.
"And it was the writers who really campaigned for it — it’s their fault. They campaigned. They were like, ‘You keep saying that nobody’s safe, and that it’s going to be a season where anything can happen at any time. So with all due respect, put your f***ing money where your mouth is and show that you’re willing to drop a major character in the first episode. Because if you do that, then for the rest of the season, no one is going to feel safe.’ And I thought it was a winning argument."
New episodes of The Boys season 5 premiere every Wednesday on Prime Video. It consists of eight episodes, and it will run weekly until May 20.
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