The Boys: Is Cameron Coleman Dead? Did Ashley Snitch Upon Him?

Throughout human history, autocracy of any form has needed the support of propaganda to sustain its existence, which stands true in the context of the present all-pervading consumerist-capitalist economy as well. Be it a corrupt government or a rat race to corner the economic market, there needs to be an agency to misguide and delude the masses into convincing them that the instruments of subjugation are actually for their own benefit. As Amazon Studios’ The Boys presents itself as a scathing critique of consumerist culture in the form of the conglomerate Vought International, the glib media person Cameron Coleman has acted as just such an agency from the very first season. Acting as Vought’s chief spokesperson to the public, Cameron Coleman was the medium that allowed the company to hide their evil shenanigans—their despicable super team—in a façade in front of the public and build a strong case for them at the same time whenever the situation went south. However, with the fifth episode of the ongoing fourth season, Coleman’s luck ran out, and he met a horrible end in the Seven HQ. The events that led up to the death of the character are as important to the narrative as the possible aftermath of it, which we would like to briefly discuss. 

Spoilers Ahead

Why was Cameron Coleman murdered?

When it came to vehemently defending the sanctimonious image of Vought and the Seven in the media, preaching propagandist sermons of patriotism, associating so-called traditional American values with the scum known as Vought superheroes, and agitating the public against the anti-Supe voices, there was no one more dedicated than Cameron Coleman. Finding his happy place under the conglomerate’s thumb, Coleman’s role was similar to that of real-life biased journalists who manipulate public opinion in favor of political parties. In every sense, Coleman’s role was more influential when it came to Vought’s aim of global domination than the caped buffoons, which truly exemplified the pen is mightier than sword proverb. Unfortunately, his unwavering loyalty is repaid in blood, as the so-called heroes he defended for so long end up beating him to death. And ironically enough, Coleman was made the scapegoat of someone else’s crime, which makes the ordeal all the more interesting. 

The fourth season is going to deliver a redemption arc for A-Train, and Coleman’s death is one of the steps to reaching that destination. Previously, A-Train had decided to turn over a new leaf by assisting Starlight and Hughie by leaking confidential data from Vought, which cleared the falsely accused Starlight supporters of murder charges. The newest recruit on the team, Sister Sage, was quick to get on the case, and it didn’t take her much time to pinpoint A-Train as the culprit. In the fifth episode, she threatened A-Train by hinting that she knew the truth, and the thought of possible repercussions frightened the speedster. Being in mortal danger, A-Train asked for help from Ashley. 

In the previous episode, both A-Train and Ashley had trespassed into Homelander’s apartment for their personal reasons, and both of them had decided to keep their mutual secret hidden. Now, as A-Train asked for her help, in fear of her own predicament, Ashley decided to make a scapegoat out of Cameron Coleman. The decision was not random, though; Coleman had already insulted Ashley by bringing up the diminished state of her position and refused to continue their erotic misadventures on the basis of that as well. To add to his own peril, Coleman had incited the Deep earlier in the episode by threatening to expose him, and it didn’t take much effort for Ashley to frame Coleman as a result. At the end, the Vought’s voice gets dragged into the Seven HQ, he gets accused of being the perpetrator of the data leak, and all the present supes take turns beating him to death. 

How will Coleman’s death affect A-Train?

With everything that has been going down and dealing with his own newfound moral crisis, A-Train was already in a sorry state, and the death of Coleman is going to affect his psyche as well. A-Train is aware that he is partially responsible for Coleman’s death, and what’s even more troubling is the fact that now both Sage and Homelander know that he was the culprit behind the data leak. The brutal death of Coleman served as a reminder to A-Train that he is living on borrowed time, and at any moment he can be eliminated as easily. This point of no return might trigger A-Train to change sides permanently and perhaps join the Boys sooner than we expected. It will be a very different ball game in that case, as having the fastest speedster amidst them will work as an advantage for the titular supe-hating team.

Who Will Become Vought’s Spokesperson in Coleman’s Absence?

With Coleman dead, Vought will be in desperate need of a voice to act as the manipulating mediator, and so far, Starlight-hating new recruit of the Seven, Firecracker, has established herself as the strongest candidate for that. Her social media presence is all about the continuation of Coleman’s work—preaching the same ideologies to capture and twist the minds of gullible people. This time she will use that talent to replace Coleman after all. In corporate America, even key instruments like Coleman are that disposable.