I actually think that A-train's death was perfect. It was actually the only well written one which gave a character closure. He was one of the few characters willing to accept responsibility for his actions, and him choosing to sacrifice himself instead of making the same mistake again was one of the most heroic actions in the show. When he dies, he dies as the person he wants to be, and can only laugh at the man who can only be what others want.
Short answer: The writers are lazy and didn't know what to do with his character.
I think they 100% nailed that with The Deep though. I've never seen a blatant example of a character completely blow off any semblance of responsibility, and chances at redemption and a happier life over and over without any regret. At least with Homelander he was mindfucked as a child, with The Deep there's no excuse.
The worst part about The Deep is they started a really good character arc for him and then immediately dropped it.
You just have to watch Vought Rising and Boys Mexico to get the real ending.
That's the point. Are you going to complain Dark Souls is hard next?
Dark Souls isn't hard though. Besides my point was that there was a conscious effort to make The Deep a real character and abandoned it rather than having him show no growth like other characters who ended the same way they started. No need to get hostile over someone agreeing with you.
But that isn't true, he had a whole arc dedicated to him learning that he was treating people like shit because of his own insecurities convincing him that they're going to degrade him first. It was a lot more interesting than his brain dead podcast bro arc since just like everyone else, he was forced into this celebrity life as a kid and clearly wasn't ready for it. If anything he showed the most introspection out of any main character because King Retard Kripke refuses to have anyone second guess themselves unless people are liking them for the wrong reason.
I just realized I forgot about his gills talking to him in season 2, and how self conscious having them made him. That being said his realization never really translated into improving his behaviour, but ended up being a way to rationalize his actions. He never apologized to Starlight sincerely for extorting her, and only continued to treat anyone he encountered like garbage. Even his octopus girlfriend who accepted him regardless of his faults.
I think he did kinda make an attempt, but he was so caught up in the Church of the Collective's buzzwords and spiritual mumbo jumbo it comes off as insincere. His shift from the end of season 2 of being fed up with eating shit just to be used and thrown away to him eating Homelander's shit just to be used and abused was complete crap and only happened because Kripke is Kripke.
None of them will care a year from now.
Most of them don't care right now.
Has anybody managed to invent an alternate ending that ISN'T better?
