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Things move fast on Riverdale, and before you know it, one mystery turns into another. Tall Boy’s Gargoyle King reveal was a fakeout, because the real murderer is still on the loose, Betty’s house was purchased by a mysterious buyer, and Edgar Evernever’s motives to move into town are still suspicious. Amidst all the intrigue, fans have come up some of the weirdest Riverdale theories you could think of, but they could actually be true.
Warning: Spoilers for Riverdale Season 3 Episode 14 ahead.
Just when you thought the mystery of the Gargoyle King was solved — albeit in a pretty anticlimactic way — Jughead comes across Kurtz, the leader of the Gargoyle Gang who seems way too obsessed with Gryphons and Gargoyles. Despite coming into the fold of the Serpents (thanks to Gladys), Kurtz is doing his own thing, living out his G&G quests without batting an eye. He’s proving to be a problem for Jughead, and it looks like the Serpents have bitten off more Kurtz than they can chew.
And just when you thought you knew who all the big players in town are — Hiram Lodge, Edgar Evernever, and Penelope Blossom — an unknown out-of-town buyer purchases Betty’s house. It’s safe to say the mysterious buyer will eventually play a part in the town’s drama, and that drama could literally be anything.
Meanwhile, Archie finds out the kid he took under his wing, Ricky, is far more dangerous (and smart) than he thought, and Veronica is still dealing with her dad’s interference in La Bonne Nuit. With so many moving parts to piece together, fans are theorizing their own wild ideas about what will happen on Riverdale.
1
Red Paladin
After Ricky tried to stab Archie, he ran away but left a “Kill the Red Paladin” quest card behind. Some fans think this may be connected to the Season 1 murder of Jason Blossom — Cheryl’s twin and Polly’s ginger boyfriend who was killed by his father, Clifford Blossom. Reddit user rainbew_birb thinks that Clifford and Penelope may have been playing Gryphons and Gargoyles in Season 1, which is why they killed Jason. “What if Jason was the previous (pre-Archie) Red Paladin and Clifford had to kill him to ascend,” wrote the Redditor. “I don't think that writers are going to connect 1 and 3 seasons this way but it fits nicely. And maybe Penelope helped Clifford ascend by poisoning him.”
Considering Penelope was in the original Midnight Club and a big part of G&G in high school, this theory could tie things together.
2
New Quest Cards
One Redditor, iconichippy, pointed out that G&G is a decades old game, and if Archie is specifically the Red Paladin, then that means someone is creating new cards for the game. The user noted that in Episode 14, Hiram was talking to his business partner about making cards, which could theoretically be quest cards for the game. “What if what he was really talking about is gryphons and gargoyle cards,” wrote iconichippy. “And that the reason why there is new quest cards popping up is because someone is making them, thus tying Hiram to the whole gargoyle pandemic.”
3
Nick St. Clair Is The Gargoyle King
Everyone wants to know who the true Gargoyle King is, but one Reddit fan, whitershadeofforever thinks that it could be Nick St. Clair, Veronica’s rich childhood friend who tried to drug and rape Cheryl in Season 2. “Nick St. Clair, Veronica and Cheryl's attempted rapist from season two, is the master Gargoyle King/Gargoyle King Prime/True Gargoyle King,” wrote the Redditor. “He used his money to dig deep and possibly buy allegiance from Penny and her gang, (to play a larger part?) and knowledge of what happened in the parent's past, and start the G&G game over again. He (or a fence) has been acting as the master Gargoyle King and directing all the commotion in Riverdale — This was done as an act of retribution against how he was "wronged" by the gang.”
4
Hal Will Bring Down The Farm
Love him or hate him, Hal Cooper is still Betty’s dad, Black Hood or not. Sure he killed a bunch of people in Season 2, but he still loves Betty in his own weird way, and with ALice and Polly joining the Farm, he’s the only family she has left. Some fans think he might attempt to bring down the Farm to save the family.
“I have a feeling that Hal is gonna play a big part in bringing down the farm,” wrote Redditor akkerjunkie. “Betty has no one now, no Alice, no Polly, just Jug & the rest but they don't seem to be really interested in the farm. So that leaves us with Hal — Seeing how he got away with a lot of murders, I would say Hal is a pretty smart guy — For some reason I think he is gonna forge the master plan and is gonna help Betty through it. Might sound like a long shot but it just feels like it for some reason.”
5
Cheryl Will Get Poisoned
The musical episode of Riverdale — which is based on Heathers: The Musical — is right around the corner and some fans think that Cheryl will play the character of Heather Chandler, who gets poisoned and dies in the play. One Reddit user, labambolina07, believes Cheryl’s drink will be swapped for real poison in an attempt to kill her on stage. “I think that someone will replace Cheryl's drink with real poison, but she won't die maybe because Penelope gave her that cyanide antidote,” wrote the Redditor. “I highly doubt that the antidote won't be brought up again at one point of the season.”
6
Alice is Pregnant
No one can forget FP and Alice’s hookup from Season 2, which has some fans thinking she might be pregnant. Redditor Astropop312 thinks that Alice is pregnant with FP’s baby, and that she’s using the cult as a way to deal with her situation. “What if she is using the farm as a survival tactic for her own pregnancy,” wrote the Reddit user. “What if the moment she miscarries or her plan falls through, we'll see her realization this place is a cult? She hasn't felt safe in her home since Chic, and then the GK event happened right after that. Think about it, where else could she go? She's everyone's enemy, people avoid her because of Hal, etc.”
This is a delicious theory, and if true, that would mean that Jughead and Betty would share a half-sibling. Yikes.
7
Betty Will Join The Farm
Betty’s moral compass has always been on point, but with her mom selling the house and Kevin joing the cult, fans think Betty might give in to the Farm. She did burn down her house, which was a huge, emotional decision to make, so Redditor marceliiine thinks this might indicate her surrender to the Farm.
“I actually think she may have been converted,” wrote the user. “Not in that she will go full farm instantly, but that she is coming around to their methods and ideologies. Twisting them into her own, but still accepting the general concepts. This might be because she is emotionally vulnerable (hopefully no explanation needed) and because she witnessed everyone close to her succumb to the farm. She also witnessed face on Kevin look relieved and genuinely participate in the cleansing, and maybe that changed her mind a bit.”
Literally anything is possible on Riverdale, so I can’t put it past any of these theories to come true. With so many loose ends and clues floating about, I hope that fans eventually get the answers they’re looking for.
New episodes of Riverdale air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
