Season four of “The Boys” is not holding back. This year, the Prime Video characters find themselves increasingly divided and precarious as the villainous supes of The Seven and their fascist fans battle The Boys and the Starlight movement. 

Like the growing political division in the United States today, “The Boys” factions are at odds with no middle ground. This season, Homelander is assisted by a new superhero, Sister Sage, played by Susan Heyward. Sage is a Black woman from Detroit who happens to be the smartest person in the world. She is seemingly helping Homelander enact his evil plan to seize the White House, but her motives are unclear.  

Not ones to be left hanging, The Boys also have additional support this season. A-Train, one of the lead supes from The Seven, is working as a double agent, leaking Vought data after the weight of his past actions begins to weigh on him. The Seven, which includes Black Noir’s replacement, New Noir, eventually catches on to his duplicity in episode seven, but that isn’t stopping A-Train from turning over a new leaf. 

Jessie T. Usher, who stars as the superhero, spoke with BET.com about A-train’s changing motivations this season. 

“It’s been a long time coming,” Usher shares. “A-Train has been a victim of circumstance for a long time. If he had known what this was, he would have never pushed so hard to get to this place or be around these people. This is not at all what he expected. He thought that they were going to be saving lives. He thought he's gonna be a hero. He’s realized that it's a lot darker than he ever could imagine. I think, at one point, it just becomes too much. You can't live with yourself anymore. That's sort of where he was, once it started to affect the people that he cared about.”

Usher adds that A-Train is in a place “where he can't really trust or join either side.” The superhero may have an unlikely ally in Sister Sage, who he previously worked with in Vought’s teen group Teenage Kix. Sage has an opportunity to reveal A-Train’s duplicity to The Seven early on but refuses to do so — even though she has seemingly committed herself to helping Homelander. 

Heyward says that Sage's moral ambiguity and hidden motivations are some of the most appealing aspects of playing the character in a time when Black women are often expected to save others to their own detriment. 

“It's been a relief and a joy,” the actress shares. “I've gotten to play a lot of other characters where she is the moral center of the entire world. And to kind of take that mantle off, it was very freeing and empowering as well. To not have the moral responsibility of everyone around you, on your shoulders — it's a completely different way to approach the world.” 

Heywards adds that fans should “expect the unexpected” regarding Sage and A-Train’s shared history and complicated connection.

“Always know that Sage is 200 steps ahead of you and there's a reason for what she's doing,” Heyward teases. “I think that's part of the fun. Part of the fun is to have conjecture, to figure it out. I'm pretty sure we'll end up in a place where you'll be surprised.” 

“The Boys” season 4 finale will be available to stream on Prime Video on Thursday, July 18.