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These 7 'Riverdale' Theories Are Bizarrely Plausible

by Megan Walsh

Part of the magic of Riverdale is that almost any fan theory can turn out to be true. Who could have ever predicted the reign of the Gargoyle King, or an unexpected bear attack? Any wild idea you whip up could easily end up unfolding on your screen the following week. And while the 7 weirdest Riverdale theories certainly play with the boundaries of believability, that doesn't mean they won't happen. If aliens landed in town in the next episode, would anyone actually be surprised?

For a show that likes to toy with reality (to put it mildly), figuring out its future is a real task for fans. But these viewers have certainly tried. While some of the theories on this list are more than a little tongue-in-cheek, others go for broke in trying to out-weird the Rivderdale writers before they can do it themselves. Expect the unexpected with this show and be prepared for anything.

It's hard to find any theory implausible after watching supposedly normal high school kids investigate serial killers who are also their dad, or join juvie fight clubs while half the town is stoned on alliterative candy drugs. Let your speculation run amok. Perhaps these Riverdale theories are too weird to be believed. But maybe they're just weird enough.

Long Lost Brothers

Reddit user kyrah096 suggested that Sweet Pea might be Reggie Mantle's long lost half-brother based on a glimpse of a cast list for the upcoming musical episode. In the list, Sweet Pea's initials were "N.M.," not S.P. as one might expect. This fan deduced that the M stood for Mantle. Norman Mantle, even. If that's the case, I get why he goes by Sweet Pea.

Undercover Agent

Alliances can shift on Riverdale, but Redditor shamzy27 doesn't think Alice Cooper's are as changeable as they seem. They suggested that Alice is going undercover at the farm to figure out who Edgar Evernever is and what he's planning. This isn't that weird at the end of the day, considering who Alice's daughter is. Betty had to get that Nancy Drew gene from somewhere.

Hiram Shot Hiram

There's a ton of speculation out there about who shot Hiram in Episode 10, but for Reddit user rubatosisX12, the answer was there in plain sight. Hiram shot Hiram! Or, rather, he orchestrated the injury for a couple of reasons: to frame someone (like Archie) or just to win back Veronica's sympathy. It all comes back to Hiram in the end!

The Gargoyle King Isn't Who You Think

Though the identity of the Gargoyle King was revealed, Redditor olivertwin100 didn't think that was the final word on the matter. They believed that Alice was actually behind it all, and user bluebonnettex chiming in to add that the reveal could have been a bait and switch. Little to no proof on this one, but it seems like fans think Alice is very busy behind the scenes this year.

Watch Your Back, Fred

But Alice could never be as busy as Hiram. Reddit user TheExpertAnalyst delved back into the flashback episode, "The Midnight Club," to reframe the Featherhead murder. They speculated that Hiram was actually out to ruin Fred's life, not kill Featherhead, all so he could land Hermione for himself. Instead it went awry and the truth was concealed from Fred for years.

Charles In Charge

Redditor GentleCritter wondered if it was possible that Betty's half-brother Charles was still out there. Not only that, he's actually the Gargoyle King (provided it's not Tall Boy after all). It would certainly be a surprise.

Cyborg Cheryl

For this theory, Reddit user zodberg went deep into the future. They speculated that all the way in Season 7, Cheryl would have a cyborg arm with an evil personality all its own that made it try to take over her entire body. And, to add an even more tragic edge to the story, Cheryl was in love with her cyborg arm. Heartbreaking. (And just a joke, of course.)

Sure, not all of these Riverdale theories are the most credible — but that's what makes them so fun. The possibilities are endless on this show, so fans might as well take advantage of that by theorizing as much as they can.