Fans Have Some Wild Ideas About Hiram Lodge On 'Riverdale'

After turning the town of Riverdale completely upside down, it looks like Hiram Lodge may finally be put to justice. After the mid-season premiere of Riverdale left fans with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, a trailer for Season 3 Episode 10 has dropped, and it shows Hiram getting shot in the chest. So who was brave enough to face Hiram and take him out? Here are some fan theories on who shot Hiram Lodge on Riverdale.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 3 Episode 9 of Riverdale ahead.

There’s a lot to unpack in the trailer for “Stranger,” and the episode looks like it’s going to be a turning point for many of the storylines this season. Betty seems to be paying a visit to her dad in prison, Hermione and FP are joining forces, Veronica is visibly upset and crying, and Fred promises to kill Hiram. But the most riveting scene is at the end of the trailer, when after the sound of a gunshot, you see Hiram lying on the ground, bleeding from a bullet to the chest. So who shot Hiram?

Hiram has made so many enemies in Riverdale, that it literally could have been anyone. He’s had obvious beef with Fred, FP, Jughead, Archie, Veronica, Hermione, Betty, and almost every other character on the show, so there are plenty of people with enough motive to take him out. Reddit user, ZwodderQuisby, thinks that Betty visiting Hal in jail could be a clue that the Black Hood will come back to do the job, or pressure Betty into doing it. “I also wonder what they are planning on doing with Hal,” writes the Redditor. “I mean he's in jail unless he breaks out. He could be the one that shoots Hiram — Does he convince Betty to do some dirty bidding for him?”

Some fans think that it makes more sense for Hiram’s own family to kill him. In the trailer, Hermione tells FP that “it’s time” for something, and Redditor lurk7232 thinks that Hermione is making FP the new sheriff, which would give him the power and motive to shoot Hiram legally. Another Reddit user, amyber1, wrote that because Hiram affected his family the most, they should be the ones to kill him. “The only two people who should kill him should be Veronica or Hermione,” wrote the Redditor. “But absolutely I think the best person to finally get him is Veronica especially with all the damage he has done to her friends, city, mother and to her. It would make the most sense.”

While Archie has the most to gain from killing Hiram, I don’t think he’s capable of it. He's a good guy at heart, and no matter how much he hates Hiram, I don't think he would hurt him. Plus, at the moment, Archie is presumed dead (or incapacitated) from a bear attack, so I doubt he would have enough strength or energy to travel from Canada (where he’s hiding out) to Riverdale just to shoot Hiram. Unfortunately, the trailer for “Stranger” doesn’t show Archie at all, so it’s hard to predict how he fits into the episode.

Riverdale is known for keeping identities of killers a mystery, so I have a feeling that the identity of Hiram’s shooter won’t be revealed for a while. Whether he dies or not is yet to be seen, but it will satisfying to see Hiram finally get the payback he deserves.

New episodes of Riverdale air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.