Every great television show has even better fan theories. Riverdale is without a doubt no exception. Those who find themselves more than a little obsessed with The CW series don’t mess around when it comes to theorizing about hidden meanings and plot twists to come in Riverdale. Seriously, the thought and time that goes into some of these is impressive to say the least.
With that, we have a lot of Black Hood accusations (cause we know there’s no way in hell it was actually Mr. Svenson), witchcraft, and even a throwback to Jason and his murder. It’s time to take a look at these almost-too-believable Riverdale theories. See which ones have you convinced.
14. The First Black Hood Accusation
Riverdale‘s winter finale supposedly revealed that the creepy janitor was the Black Hood. Yeah, 99% of us are NOT buying that. Many think the janitor was a decoy. A theory in itself, but we’re here to talk about who could actually be the legit Riverdale tyrant. First up is Tall Boy. Tall Boy could have been hired by Mr. Blossom to take out people in Riverdale, which yes would mean Papa Blossom is still kickin’ it — more on that later.
There are a number of reasons behind why Tall Boy could be the hooded killer, and they’re pretty convincing. The most believable reasoning would be that Tall Boy is seeking revenge on the Northside for always treating the Southside like they’re the immoral ones. They also believe that he picked Betty as his go-to contact because her mother has a history with the Serpents that continues to be unresolved. There’s definitely something going on with Tall Boy… He’s got that bad, rebellious nature that could possibly translate into him being a murderer.
13. Nope, Not Tall Boy. The Black Hood Is Veronica
Some are convinced that Tall Boy isn’t the Black Hood. How could he be when Veronica is the Black Hood? The Lodge daughter has proven to be a bit heartless already this season when it came to the St. Clair’s car accident. After her mother told her the news, she didn’t even blink. We understand the St. Clair’s had it coming for allowing their son to be a piece of trash, but damn. Then there is the fact that she’s never been around when Betty’s received a call from the Black Hood. The Black Hood even went as far as to make Betty cut ties with Veronica. Could that have been a test to see how much Betty cares about their friendship?
Then there’s the whole reformed bad girl thing. Before Veronica came to Riverdale, she seemed to live like a typical party girl in the city. Veronica’s act as the Black Hood could be her strange attempt at redemption. By ridding Riverdale of sinners, she somehow earns “good” points for her past mistakes, or at least that’s what this theory supposes.
12. Actually, The Black Hood Is Veronica’s Dad
It doesn’t take much to convince a Riverdale fan that Hiram Lodge could be the Black Hood. He’s already been behind bars and has proven to be pretty callous, but a cold-blooded killer? Well, yeah! Possibly. We’re totally on board with @Chloe1D’s reasoning behind this theory. She discovered Hiram and the Black Hood have very similar tones to their voices. It would also explain why he’s been certain Ronnie’s not around during those phone calls to Betty — she knows his voice too well.
Hiram’s dodgy past involving crime and deception can’t be overlooked, nor can we deny that he had a pretty solid reason for wanting Archie’s dad dead. We already know he was behind the St. Clair’s accident… what are a few more dead bodies of ‘bad people’ to him?
11. The Black Hood Isn’t A Lodge, It’s A Cooper
The idea that Betty could be the Black Hood would make Riverdale the most reckless show on earth. The Black Hood being Polly Cooper though? Maybe! First off, the Black Hood continuously keeps Betty safe, we’ve seen the strong bond these two sisters have. Then there was that scene where Betty put on that mask and got us believing that the Hood could have some relation to her — a familial one perhaps. Polly starts to make a lot of sense based on those two facts alone. The big one, though, is that the Black Hood knew that only Betty would be able to decipher that mystery note using her favorite book. No random stranger is going to know Betty’s history the way her sister would. Perhaps Polly’s stay at the Nunery got to her, and now she’s ready to get rid of all the sinners in her hometown with her sister’s help.
10. Not That Cooper. The Black Hood Is Alice Cooper
The mirror scene prompted some fans to think the Black Hood wasn’t Polly, but instead her mother Alice Cooper. That would also explain knowing about Betty’s favorite book and wanting to keep her daughter safe. We’ve seen what lengths she’s willing to go to for her family, have we not?
Alice has been pretty outspoken when it comes to wanting to reveal everyone else’s bad behavior. She’s lived to rid her precious town of crime for a long time. Remember her hawk eyes when she saw the Jingle Jangle being passed around outside of Pop’s? You know Mama Cooper can dig up dirt.
She was also one of the few who knew about Archie and his pedophile teacher’s affair. Here’s the twist though, this theory is bolstered on the idea Alice must’ve gotten her husband to actually pull the trigger. The body type in Pop’s is undeniably similar to Mr. Cooper. But she’s obviously the mastermind whereas he is the muscle. Hal does look a lot more like the masked man than anyone else on the suspect list, after all.
9. Alice Cooper Isn’t A Killer, She’s A Witch
By now every fan has heard about the edgy Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot/Riverdale spin-off that’s in the works. While it’s set to air on Netflix, many fans still feel like there are going to be some crossovers considering Riverdale the town borders Greendale, where Sabrina lives. Their lives have been connected since their days in the Archie comic books.
We already know that Alice has hidden A LOT about her past — that random son of hers, being a former Serpent — it’s not that much of a stretch to think that being a witch is another number on her list of secrets.
Season one saw Alice saying things like “brewing” and using sage to “banish evil spirits.” The Coopers are known to have “crazy” in them and that makes a convincing argument that the so-called crazy could very well just be supernatural powers that have been hidden away or magically suppressed. This would also explain that “darkness” Betty says she feels inside of her. It’d make Riverdale take a weird turn, but with the Sabrina show on the way, we’re pretty sure SOMEONE in Riverdale is a witch. Why not Alice?
8. The Blossoms Are Witches, Too
Could the Blossoms be witches themselves? The Romeo and Juliet-esque beef between the Blossoms and Coopers could very well date back to their covens being sworn enemies back when they practiced witchcraft. Remember Cheryl’s creepy dreams about Jason where he’s risen from the dead, and her spider brooch? Many siblings would dream about their lost loved one coming back, but there was something about these sequences that seemed a little more tied-to-reality than just your average grief-induced dream. As far as the brooch goes, witches and spiders go together like salt and pepper. In fact, in a lot of lore, these creepy crawlies are known as witch familiars, aka animals that either aid a witch in his/her craft or are somehow entwined with their magic. If the Blossoms have witch lineage, then it’s possible that Cheryl’s brooch is an indicator of their family history. There is also the fact that Cheryl kisses Fred’s forehead and he magically wakes up… Come on. And Nana Blossom predicting Polly would be having twins? It’s so obvious. Either she’s one hell of a doctor, or that old lady has magical powers and can see inside people/the future.
7. Cheryl’s Pig Connection
Perhaps this pig theory goes perfectly with the whole witch thing, but if Cheryl was the one giving Josie those creepy stalker gifts then she must’ve had access to a pig to get the heart. And whoever got the pig heart is the most likely candidate for the person who wrote “Go to hell Serpent Slut” on Betty’s locker in blood. It’s not a theory that changes our lives or anything, but it does make us wary of Cheryl and what this could mean in the future about her affiliations. Spiders and pigs… something’s going on.
6. Mr. Blossom’s Alive & Well
Like we said earlier when we accused Tall Boy of being the Black Hood, Mr. Blossom’s alive and he’s the one who hired Tall Boy. During a conversation with her mother, Cheryl mentioned something about an argument she and “Daddy” had gotten into earlier. While it’s true the argument could have been before Mr. Blossom hung himself, something about Cheryl’s mannerisms has lead many to believe his death was somehow faked. In Riverdale, nothing is too far-fetched. Afterall, it’s not like his drug business has faltered at all, as you might assume one would with changed or vacant leadership. Jingle Jangle is more abundant now than it was in season one. When you’re as rich as that guy, it doesn’t seem too hard to fake your own death. Crazier things have happened. He could’ve had help from one of his many minions, or he could have used that Blossom magic. While money is a powerful force in faking a death, magic would be so much easier and less expensive. And remember that resurrected deer initially in the hunter’s truck? If the theories about the existence of magic in Greendale and Riverdale are true, then we can’t rule out any people being resurrected.
5. Zombies Are Coming To Riverdale
There is a popular comic in the Archie fandom showcasing a zombie apocalypse in Riverdale titled Afterlife with Archie and many believe to have spotted hints suggesting Afterlife is coming to Riverdale. Let’s just be clear — there is something about Jason’s death that still doesn’t feel resolved. His presence still feels so relevant, even in season two and we have so many questions about him, his relationship with Cheryl and his resemblance to Archie that remain unanswered.
Cheryl says after her twin brother’s death that he was “supposed to come back.” While many think that’s just because he was supposed to live after FAKING his death, others think that given the possible supernatural powers of the Blossom family, perhaps the real plan was for him to come back as an undead. Plus, she’s envisioned him in zombie form before. Of course, it could be the work of grief and guilt, but it could also be because she knows something that we, the audience, do not know yet. There’s also that weird scout kid who honestly thinks the apocalypse is coming. Something tells us the Riverdale writers wouldn’t just add that in for no reason.
4. Betty’s Grandpa Was The Riverdale Reaper
Betty has a clear connection to the Black Hood, which then took a turn to involve the Riverdale Reaper from years ago. Thanks to Nana Rose, we learned that Betty’s grandpa had something to do with the whole Reaper and Janitor plot line. Right now the only thing that’s confirmed is that he helped bury the wrong man. But what if, for Betty’s grandpa, it was exactly the right guy to bury? Perhaps he just needed someone to take the heat off of him being the real Riverdale Reaper. If the Coopers aren’t witches, then it’s perhaps the lineage of serial killing that explains Dark Betty and her motives possibly being genetic. That could also be why the new Riverdale killer picked her to be their point of contact — they knew her connection with the first man to reign terror on the town and thought she could be susceptible to the dark side.
3. The Creepy Dude Who Picked Up Jughead Wasn’t Random
When Nana Rose mentioned Betty’s grandpa had a connection to the Riverdale Reaper, Betty found a picture of her grandpa and a group of guys.The picture showed a group of four white dudes and a black man. It’s also that guy who was the first to tell Jughead about the Riverdale Reaper and his appearance seems less and less random the more you think about it. He says he thought that Archie was Jason Blossom and says something along the lines of, ‘in Greendale, you never know.’ There was the dead-deer-in-the-back-of-his-truck-being-later-seen-by-Archie thing, too. The creepy dude is not done on Riverdale — mark our words. Some have even begun to think that, since he seems to be tied with the supernatural, there’s a chance HE’S the same man in the photo Betty saw. Grams clocked out after her one big reveal to Betty, wanting to go to bed soon after. She seemed done talking. Random dude, though? He’ll be back with more to say.
2. The Black Hood isn’t a Person… but a Secret Society
Okay out of all the Black Hood theories, this one just might be the most believable because it combines the motives of all the top suspects and brings the legend of the Riverdale Reaper into play, as well as Jason Blossom’s murder. This theory suggests that The Black Hood isn’t one person, but a group of Riverdale’s “elite” or Riverdale’s founding families that decides who doesn’t belong in their “idyllic” town. If the Coopers, Lodges, Blossoms, and Kellers were all involved, then they would be the ones in charge of making sure that any scandal is “dealt with” by whatever means possible. Thus, Clifford killed Jason because he didn’t want to see Riverdale embarrassed by Jason and Polly’s teenage (and incestuous) pregnancy. However, his “suicide” could have been the Black Hood Society’s murder once they realized his indiscretions were about to go public. The Coopers, not wanting to go full-blown murder on their daughter, thought the only option was to get her out of Riverdale.
Then, the Riverdale Reaper was the previous generation’s secret society. They killed “the wrong man” as a scapegoat for their crimes so that they could get away with it — which is possibly what is happening right now with Sheriff Keller’s framing and murdering Janitor Svenson.
1. FP is Alice’s Other Baby Daddy
We all knew that sooner or later Betty’s mystery brother had to come into play. Well, Mama Cooper tweeted this picture. So this has to be the brother, right?! YES. Let’s just face the facts: Hal was NOT the father of that baby. It just doesn’t seem likely at all. And considering Alice’s Serpent past, it just might be that FP is. There needs to be some sort of reasoning behind tense two’s tense interactions and a former flame just might be the cause. The secrecy, the hostility — a romance is obviously at play here. This could, of course, throw a wrench in Bughead because it’ll mean they share a half-brother which is a LITTLE icky, but we all watched Gossip Girl — it’s FINE.