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This is the Characters page for the classic Archie comics. For the 2015 reboot see here.


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Main Characters

    Archibald "Archie" Andrews 

Archibald "Archie" Andrews

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archie_7.jpg

Archibald "Archie" Andrews is the star and the hero of the series, introduced in December, 1941. Known as the "Typical Teenager", Archie is clumsy, girl-crazy, dopey but occasionally bright, and constantly forced to juggle between Betty and Veronica in an epic Love Triangle. He's the centerpoint of everything, having the most Giant-Size series and digests of all the characters, and mostly everyone in the series is important to him or connected to him in some way. He's obviously the face of the Archie Comics franchise.


  • 90% of Your Brain: In a story, Archie recites this statistic to his friends. Moose exclaims that 10% is "almost less than half our brains". Archie muses if the statistic is too high in some cases.
  • The All-American Boy: Archie fits this trope as the classic all American teenager, especially during The '50s and The '60s.
  • All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Multiple cover have Archie show interest for cheerleaders, often Betty and Veronica, or easily distracted by them during the games.
  • The Alleged Car:
    • His famous jalopy, "Ol' Betsy," a Model T. Even in modern stories (where the jalopy—way too old to even be a realistic "lemon" anymore—has been replaced by a model merely four decades old) it is a heap, frequently breaking down, exploding or leaking oil.
    • This carries over to the 3000 series that sees Archie driving around a hover-car version of his Mustang. It still has a tendency to break down.
  • Alliterative Name: Archibald "Archie" Andrews.
  • All-Loving Hero: Archie is very loving, caring and supportive of his friends and he is always willing to give people second chances and see the best in others. It is part of what makes Archie such an idealistic, noble and heroic character.
  • Always Someone Better: Sometimes feels this way about Reggie. Considering that Reggie is rich, handsome, athletic, charismatic and popular, Archie is sometimes threatened by Reggie's presence, especially when it pertains to Veronica's attention, which is why Reggie is sometimes seen as The Rival to Archie.
  • Art Evolution: His bow-tie and yellow-checkered pants are long gone; the same goes for the ancient-looking school sweater (most of the time, anyway). Also, his 40s buck teeth and really ugly appearance have vanished.
  • Big Brother Worship: As Little Archie, he is good friends with, and looks up to, Betty's older brother Chic.
  • Big "NO!": In Life With Archie: The Married Life issue #36, he shouts out this trope as he sees Wendell's gun pointed at Kevin Keller before jumping into the fray and in the line of fire.
  • Breakout Character: The comic got its start in an anthology comic series as a backup for a superhero, the Shield. The comic tried to keep the Shield as its main selling point, but Archie's popularity was too much to ignore. Soon all the superheroes in the publication faded away, and the Archie series is still going strong today.
  • Butt-Monkey: Archie gets a lot of bad luck.
  • The Casanova: Not only is Archie famous for juggling his interest in Betty and Veronica, but he's also been romantically linked to other female character such as Cheryl Blossom and other girls.
  • Canine Companion: Has an adorable puppy, Spotty. Spotty is most prominent in the Little Archie era, although he has sporadically appeared in the main comics. Later teen era comics introduce a new one named Vegas.
  • Characterization Marches On:
    • His first demand in his very first panel? "Call me Chick!" instead of Archie or Archibald. This was dropped within months.
    • Early Little Archie strips portrayed him as a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk, to put it very mildly.
  • Chick Magnet: Besides Betty and Veronica, Archie has dated many other girls, including Cheryl Blossom, Ginger Lopez and especially Valerie Brown (his first black girlfriend) of the Josie And The Pussy Cats that is his Third-Option Love Interest.
  • Covered in Kisses: Happens regularly to him, often from Betty.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy: Shows envy whenever either Veronica or Betty pay attention to other guys or go out on dates with other guys over him. Archie can be rather jealous and possessive over his girls. In an episode, where Cheryl Blossom has gotten over him and has a new boyfriend, he spends most of the story pining for her. Culminating in a scene which has Archie trying to convince her to choose him over her boyfriend. It does not work.
  • Depending on the Writer: Is Archie one of the best players on a sports team? Or does his klutziness apply there, making him a benchwarmer who can barely play? What sport is he even playing? It totally depends on what story the writers want to tell. His success with girls tends to vary based on the kind of story as well — he will either have an easy time getting any girl's number, or he will be nervous about asking someone out.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Archie would occasionally have this problem every time he sees a cute girl. Once he somehow managed to trip over a floor buffer in a hallway that had been two frames earlier completely clear.
  • Dying Declaration of Love: In Life With Archie: The Married Life: "...I've always loved you..." He says this as he is dying of a bullet wound. And for an extra arm twister, he confesses his love in front of Betty and Veronica! In both universes!
  • Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Archie originally had buck-teeth. By The '70s they were gone. He was originally a gonk but was eventually changed into "average looking" and then (usually) "above-average looking". Archie also originally wore bow-ties, but as the styles changed, that was dropped.
  • Endearingly Dorky: Archie can be endearingly awkward especially around the opposite sex. Him being a Chick Magnet doesn't prevent him from being totally clumsy around girls which makes him endearing.
  • Fiery Redhead: Shows shades of this from time to time. Archie can lose his temper sometimes, especially when he gets jealous over Veronica or Betty paying more attention to other guys instead of him.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Sanguine.
  • The Fundamentalist: During the period in which Archie Comics produced evangelical tracts, he would pray to God to smite his enemies. And it worked.
  • Golden Snitch: In a school scavenger hunt, one of the items is a "willing tycoon", so Archie promptly asks Mr. Lodge to come to the designated meeting place before the time expired. The actual focus of the story, Betty and Veronica, rack up points for many items, accumulating 2,200 points. How much points did Archie get for summoning Mr. Lodge? 5,000. The in-universe Fridge Logic of why Ronnie never bothered to actually call Mr. Lodge, her own father, for the hunt, was immediately lampshaded.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Downplayed. Archie's temper can be quite hot and explosive at times but he's able to keep his temper and anger under control for the most part. But yeah, he can be a Fiery Redhead from time to time.
  • He-Man Woman Hater: In the earliest of Little Archie strips, Archie had a vehement hatred towards girls and went out of his way to beat up Betty and Veronica for little-to-no reason.
  • The Hero Dies: Towards the end of Life With Archie: The Married Life. His death was already announced beforehand in April 2014, but its nature not revealed until three months later. But ultimately, it is made quite a bit less dramatic by the fact that it happens to an Expendable Alternate Universe version of him.
  • Hero Protagonist: Archie is the protagonist of the entire franchise, considering that he's the face of Archie Comics and the stories generally center on him. He also fits a heroic archetype considering that despite his many flaws and hindrances, he's an incredibly noble, goodhearted and caring individual who always has friends' best interests at heart.
  • Hero's Classic Car: For many years Archie was depicted driving a 1916 Ford Model T (or Model A), sometimes as a Hot Rod and sometimes just an old car, prone to breaking down more than driving. In 1983 this was permanently replaced by a 1960s era Ford Mustang, again prone to breaking down. In one comic story Mr. Lodge temporarily trades cars with Archie, giving him a late model sports car in an even trade for Archie's jalopy - Mr. Lodge is attending a classic car show and feels he's sure to win with Archie's car.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Jughead, though Arch ditches him for tail at a moment's notice. However, while Archie is more than happy to spend time with any given beautiful girl over Jughead, in the stories where people try to force him to cut out Jughead from his life, he always refuses. Even if it's Veronica doing the asking.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Most of his schemes will backfire in one way or another.
  • Hot-Blooded: Downplayed. Archie can be a little hot headed and impulsive at times, but these traits don't make him any less noble and heroic.
  • Iconic Item: His infamous black and yellow Riverdale High letterman jacket. He's always seen to be wearing it in the comics or any other adaptation of Archie Comics.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: Whenever Betty or Archie's eye color is mentioned in the script, it is almost always blue. In one story, Betty suggests that this is a good reason for the two of them to become a couple.
  • Kavorka Man: Downplayed. He's not ugly by any means, but even in-universe he's described as being nowhere near as attractive as he should be considering the types of girls he pulls.
  • The Klutz:
    • Sometimes he tends to be very, very clumsy. The school principal and Mr. Lodge are often victim of his clumsiness.
    • When Jughead was invited to an Andrews family reunion, he notices that the clumsiness is a trait that is shared among Archie's entire family.
  • Loser Gets the Girl: Despite being portrayed as having only average intelligence, looks, and skills, Archie usually has 2 or more girls vying for his attention. Sometimes his kind attitude is seen a plus, but other stories have him be more oblivious usually towards Betty.
  • Love Triangle: Among fiction's most iconic and famous. Will he choose Betty or Veronica?
  • Nice Guy: One of the nicest in all of comics.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Although his full given name is Archibald, everyone who knows him, including his family and friends, all call him Archie.
  • Post-Kiss Catatonia: He's been put in a lovestruck daze by getting smooched by a pretty girl. Betty, Veronica and Cheryl have all done this in different stories.
  • Progressively Prettier: In Archie's earliest appearances, he was a scrawny, bucktoothed geek with bad acne. He later became the more handsome and athletic character we know today.
  • The Rival: To Reggie, sometimes. Normally, they are fighting over Veronica's attention or affections.
  • The Runaway: Little Archie, punished by his parents, once contemplated pulling this. Teenage Archie reveals to Betty that he might have gone through with it, if it weren't for a mysterious stranger who warned him against running away. To that day, Archie doesn't know who the stranger was, and would have liked to thank him/her. When Archie time travels to the past, he finds out that he was the stranger all along, arriving just in time to talk his younger self out of fleeing home.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Sensitive Guy to Reggie's Manly Man.
  • Supreme Chef: One storyline has him win a statewide cooking competition and another has him prepare a gourmet meal for Betty and Veronica (with both of them hardly believing he even knew what he was doing).
  • Taking the Bullet: In both continuities of Life With Archie: The Married Life, he ends up taking the bullet for Kevin Keller before dying near the end.
  • Teacher's Unfavorite Student: Ms. Grundy occasionally implies that she dislikes Archie more than her other students due to the shenanigans he gets into. In one comic, he says it would be great if students could pick their teachers, and she responds that it would be even better if teachers could choose their students.
  • Two-Timer Date: Arguably the most famous example. How many times has he accidentally set up dates with Betty and Veronica for the same time? Ironically, both Betty and Veronica once conspire to pull this on Archie himself. Inevitably, it backfires on them as well.
  • Unwanted Assistance: His attempts at helping others usually wind up making things worse for them due to his clumsiness. In one issue, Archie has accidentally injured Smithers (the Lodges' butler), who is thereby unable to perform his duties during a fancy dinner. Archie volunteers to take over the butler position for the duration of the night. He proceeds to break every dish in the Lodge mansion, while the hungry guests see all their food falling to the floor. The entire time poor Veronica is utterly miserable, as she was the one who invited Archie to the dinner in the first place, and she will get the blame for this catastrophe.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
    • Played straight in one story where Archie gets a part-time job helping put up traffic signs ("Stop" and "Detour - Turn Right") in their designated places, he decides to drop by the Lodge Mansion to visit Veronica. A slew of passing vehicles see the signs Archie leaves outside the estate, and go into the driveway, causing a serious traffic jam. And Archie, thinking Mr. Lodge is (unfairly) placing the blame on him the second Lodge sees him, runs away angrily, completely unaware that he really is the cause of the whole mess! One of the few times Mr. Lodge has good reason for banning Archie from the grounds.
    • Inverted in another story where Mr. Lodge buys a $500,000 painting supposedly done by Frederick Edwin Church and Archie spills paint remover on it. Mr. Lodge is furious, at least until another painting with the signature "Picasso" is revealed underneath it. Mr. Lodge is thrilled at possibly having an undiscovered painting by Pablo Picasso, but then his butler Smithers points out that Picasso was born after 1870, the painting's date, and Church could never have painted over Picasso's canvas if Picasso wasn't even born yet. Mr. Lodge realizes he's being conned, takes his $500,000 cheque back from the crooked art dealer and gets Smithers to literally throw him out of the house. The exposed painting turns out to be by one "Stanley Picasso", and done in 1972.
  • What Does She See in Him?: Commonly what much of the audience is thinking when Veronica and Betty are constantly fighting over Archie and his affections.
    • One story examines this, with Betty and Veronica noting that the other boys in Riverdale are more attractive (Reggie), more athletic (Moose) or smarter (Dilton) than him. However, Archie is a genuinely nice guy, a good conversationalist, attentive and utterly enamored with them and decently attractive. It is this combination that cements him as their preferred pick.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Draws this a lot from Jughead (usually) over his shabby treatment of Betty. Also a relatively-long storyline has Jughead angry because Archie abuses their friendship to ask for outrageous favors, offering nothing in return. The storyline has Jughead rather disillusioned with Archie's selfishness.
  • Youthful Freckles: One of his most noticeable physically defining characteristics are the numerous freckles that are located on his face, particular on his cheek area. The freckles give Archie a nerdy appearance.

    Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper 

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/betty_cooper_4432.png

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper is a pretty, all-around Nice Girl, introduced in December 1941, during the very first story. Initially portrayed as a good cook who was a bit flighty, Betty was modified post-Women's Lib into a girl who was not afraid to show traditionally-masculine skills and interests, becoming a Jack of All Trades. Portrayed as the "Nice One" in the eternal Love Triangle. She's also the youngest of three children, but her older brother and sister have since moved out of the house in the regular series. We do see her parents fairly often.


  • Academic Athlete: Betty is a tomboyish athlete but she's also The Smart Girl who has intelligence and works hard in school to achieve high grades.
  • Always Second Best: Betty often feels this way about Veronica especially when it comes to Archie. There is also the fact that Veronica is rich and beautiful and Betty is tomboyish and middle class.
  • Always Someone Better: Veronica often feels second best to Betty, in matters of school grades and skills. A story which had them choosing possible career paths after high school, focused on Veronica's fears that Betty would best her in any career path they could share...except in the corporate world.
  • Betty and Veronica: Herself as Betty.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: In the story "A Woman Scorned" in Archie #156.
  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The Blonde, to Veronica's brunette and Cheryl's redhead.
  • Changing Yourself for Love: Betty grows her hair out her short hair into her iconic ponytail in order to get Archie's attention after she sees him with a girl with a her hair done up in that fashion.
  • Character Development: A lot of it - initially, she was very flighty and kind of a "Dumb Blonde", and usually entirely focused on domestic pursuits. By the 1960s, she had morphed into a combination of a tomboy and girly girl. She also used to be much more desperate to pick up Archie, and was nearly always a definite loser for his heart. Only later did Archie actually seem to want to date her most of the time.
  • Childhood Friend Romance: With Archie.
  • Class Princess: Betty is shown throughout the years to be one of the most popular girls in school, not just for her looks and skills, but for her sweetness and selflessness.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: She is less possessive than Veronica, but that doesn't mean she will stand idly by if somebody is taking an interest in Archie. A few stories mention that she is used to sharing him with Veronica ("ours"), but draws the line at sharing him with anyone else.
  • Depending on the Writer:
    • Whether or not Betty is a sore loser or a sad loser depends on who is writing. Her obsessiveness over Archie varies as well.
    • Another difference is the depiction of her career goals and set of skills. Over the years, she has been depicted as a competent detective, expert mechanic, famed musician, ambitious reporter, and creative writer. Quite the ace. But then she is demoted back to boycrazy teen girl.
  • Dumb Blonde: Her early characterization, a lot of the time. After this is averted (see The Smart Girl).
  • Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Her hair changed a bit from the jump in styles during the 1950s, going from standard long, flowing, curled locks to her signature ponytail. Only the occasional new hairstyle has ever been used since (usually the "long hair plus ponytail" look). Along with losing the betty bangs, Betty had switched to a more tomboyish clothing style by the '60s.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Melancholic.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Betty has a talent with animals (she owns a cat, Caramel) and often operates small businesses concerning them, no matter how troubling they turn out.
  • Friendly Enemy: With Veronica, although this depends on the writer.
  • Gamer Chick: In some stories, she enjoys playing video games. She's very good at it too, sometimes even better at it than the boys.
  • Girl Next Door: The quintessential version.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She is blonde and one of the nicest characters in the franchise.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: Whenever Betty or Archie's eye color is mentioned in the script, it is almost always blue. In one story, Betty suggests that this is a good reason for the two of them to become a couple.
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: She keeps a pet cat named Caramel and is probably the most kindhearted person in the series.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Veronica and Cheryl Blossom usually out-do her in this regard, but she can play the part easily.
  • Nice Girl: She doesn't have a mean bone in her body and is known for her kindness.
  • One of the Boys: Depending on the Writer. This trait is most obvious in the 2015 reboot. Her mechanic skills are emphasized and she's quite tomboyish, in stark contrast to the Girly Girl Veronica.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Her actual full name is Elizabeth, but everyone who knows her calls her Betty.
  • Only Six Faces: Famously identical to Veronica except the hair.
  • Passionate Sports Girl: Betty has a love of playing sports. She plays baseball and loves swimming.
  • Perky Goth: She actually went goth in one issue (really!), and was still generally rather cheerful. Her two goth friends were even more cheerful than she was.
  • Pom-Pom Girl: She's on the cheer squad, or not. Whatever the plot calls for.
  • Prayer Pose: In the evangelical 1970's Archie strips, Betty was constantly praying.
  • Renaissance Woman: She's a straight-A student, auto mechanic, chef, seamstress, fashion designer, singer, dancer, musician, writer, reporter, news editor, polyglot, cheerleader, gymnast, baseball player, basketball player, swimmer, gamer, entrepreneur, amateur sleuth, assistant teacher, nurse's aide, and brilliant at every one of them. If it's possible for a teenager, and sometimes if it isn't, she's done it.
  • The Rival: To Veronica, for Archie's attentions.
  • Satellite Character: Many would be surprised to know that Betty has two adult siblings: Chic the government spy, and Polly the successful reporter. Neither appear very often.
  • The Smart Girl: Contrary to the "dumb blonde" stereotype and despite her beauty, Betty actually has an above-average intelligence and is one of the smartest students at Riverdale High School. In one story, she won an award and was sent to compete in New York and has won numerous academic awards.
  • Supreme Chef: Especially in comparison to Veronica.
  • Sexy Sweater Girl: Like Veronica, she's a pretty girl who can be seen wearing form fitting sweaters.
  • Team Mom: She's very supportive to her friends, and can be nurturing towards strangers.
  • Tender Tomboyishness, Foul Femininity: She and Veronica were originally both girly, but by the 60s, she got a Tomboyness Upgrade, and started showing more masculine skills, while Veronica remains a girly Rich Bitch.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Veronica's Girly Girl. Originally they were both feminine, however Characterization Marches On made Betty go from a Dumb Blonde to a Wrench Wench with a Tomboyish Ponytail while Veronica stayed a Lovable Alpha Bitch fashionista.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: She likes wearing pretty dresses, is sweet, kind and caring and has great domestic skills.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail: She is a Tomboy and her regular hairstyle is a ponytail.
  • Tomboyness Upgrade: She was originally a flighty blonde usually entirely focused on domestic pursuits. By the 60s, she starts showing tomboyish traits and more interests in masculine activities, eventually becoming a Wrench Wench with Tomboyish Ponytail. The tomboyish traits are even more evident in the 2015 reboot comics, although she has a Girliness Upgrade again in Riverdale.
  • Town Girls: Betty is the "neither" to Midge's "butch" and Veronica's "femme". She's the Girl Next Door who can be a tomboy when she's playing sports or fixing cars, or a girly girl when she's sewing or cooking.
  • Unkempt Beauty: She doesn't wear make-up and, apart from early decades, dresses in attire like tees more than anything.
  • Unlimited Wardrobe: In some stories she's developed an impressive wardrobe of her own because Veronica just hands off any clothes she gets tired of to Betty. Not that Betty necessarily minds, since Veronica's generosity allows her to keep up with Ronnie in fashion despite her much more limited finances.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Veronica. The two started out the series back in the 1940s as bitter rivals, but some time around the 1950s were morphed into best friends/rivals in love. They still viciously fight each other over Archie, and occasionally play oneupsmanship, but for the most part (and Depending on the Writer) they're completely believable as close friends who just happen to share everything together, including character flaws and boyfriends.
  • Who Would Want to Watch Us?: Betty, an aspiring writer, decided to show her new novel's synopsis to her friends, and they quickly peg it as Betty writing about them, despite Betty insisting it's all fictional. (to be fair, the names Betty made for the expies are very thin alterations to the character they're based on: Artie, Jarhead, Ox, just to give the more obvious examples) The gang quickly gets offended about the characteristics of their novel counterparts, and Betty has to trash her novel and write a new one.
  • Wrench Wench: Women's Lib led to Betty taking on many tomboyish traits, including being the best mechanic in Riverdale. The boys either see this as a turn-on, or just use her to get their cars fixed, depending on the story. She frequently helps Archie with his broken down car Betsy.
  • Yandere: Back in the old days, she could be seen as this. In one notable issue, she actively tried to MURDER Archie, after he broke one last date.

    Veronica "Ronnie" Lodge 

Veronica "Ronnie" Lodge

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/veronica_lodge_8980_3.jpg

Veronica "Ronnie" Lodge is a rich, seductive girl most likely to get Archie's (as well as other members of the opposite sex) heart racing. She's known to be the prettiest, richest, and most popular girl in all of Riverdale. She debuted April, 1942 (only a few months after the series started). Sometimes spoiled, often vain, and frequently prone to temper tantrums, she gets several moments in each story to show that she's got a heart of gold underneath her attitude. Her father, Hiram, is a major character (arguably the most important of the parental characters), but her mother Hermione is at-best a Satellite Character. "Cousin Leroy" was a fixture of the comics for a long time, hanging out at the Lodge house as a bratty prankster-type of young kid.


  • Academic Alpha Bitch: She is an Alpha Bitch but she is also a Brainy Brunette who is intelligent and good at math and economics. She is also heavily involved in a lot of extracurricular school activities.
  • The Ace: Veronica has everything going for her, including beauty, intelligence, status, popularity, and wealth. Veronica has it all, and it is no wonder that she is a Spoiled Brat and is seriously vain.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Most, if not all, of her friends call her Ronnie, or the shorter nickname Ron.
  • All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Veronica has been portrayed as a cheerleader in some stories. Plus, she is a Ms. Fanservice that certainly attracts the attention of the opposite sex, most notably Archie.
  • All Women Love Shoes: Veronica is obsessed with shoes. In fact, she loves shoes so much that she bought out all the shoes from every single shoe store in Riverdale. She ended up with a total of 400+ pairs of shoes! If that isn't a sign of Veronica's shoe obsession..
  • Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She tends to act aloof to her friends due to her social class. Her dad, a self-made man, said that he sent her to Riverdale High specifically so she wouldn't end up a snob. It...kinda worked?
  • Alpha Bitch/Lovable Alpha Bitch: Depending on the Writer. She can often lean towards this, especially when she and Betty fight over Archie, but in other stories she is a good friend with her..
  • Amusingly Awful Aim: Some issues have a joke about how Veronica's aim in snowball fights is so lousy that she hits everybody except her target. The comic usually ends with her throwing at somebody completely different, hitting their intended target.
  • The Artifact: In early years while the rest of the gang would go by their nicknames, she stood out, since she was still called by her real name. It took a while for writers to start addressing her with her nickname. And the dialogue keeps switching back and forth what the characters call her.
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: With Jughead, of course. They constantly fight, snark and argue with each other but there is no doubt that underneath all their bickering, they do genuinely care about each other and have a bond. Lampshaded in some stories. Following a long story involving leprechauns and Irish puns, Jughead starts affectionally calling Betty and Veronica his favorite "colleens". To their confusion. In another story, Veronica had to kiss Jughead as part of a school play, and admits that he was actually a good kisser.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: Considering how snarky and sarcastic Veronica is, she has this with pretty much every male character that she interacts with, including Archie.
  • Betty and Veronica: Herself as Veronica.
  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The Brunette.
  • Brainless Beauty: Subverted. On the surface, it may appear as if Veronica is a typical, spoiled, vain and shallow rich girl, who does nothing but act like a ditz with a credit card and has absolutely no intelligence, brains, or substance. However, she is actually very intelligent and cunning. She is also strong at math and economics, and is therefore, Good with Numbers.
  • Brainy Brunette: Veronica is very intelligent and is excellent at both math and economics.
  • Brats with Slingshots: Her rarely-seen-anymore Cousin Leroy was this, in a strictly 1950s-60s bent.
  • Break the Haughty: She is often a victim of this trope when she is written like a bitch.
  • Breakout Character: Initially, Veronica was clearly a secondary character who functioned most often as nothing more than a plot device — an object of desire for Archie and an object of envy for Betty, who was depicted as an energetic schemer at the time. In the decades since her first appearance, almost all of this initial background has disappeared. Veronica Lodge has been retconned to have grown up in Riverdale, and she has become a full blown character in her own right and one of the main group. Veronica's popularity was a key factor in her becoming a main character in the comics, with her role expanding into much more than originally intended.
  • Butt-Monkey: Veronica has some misfortunes come her way. She does tend to bring it onto herself, though.
  • Catchphrase: Veronica adds "-kins" at the end of everyone's first names. Daddy-kins, Archie-kins, Juggie-kins, etc.
  • Character Development: Used to be an awful, truly heinous bitch, and was vastly controlling, selfish, and egotistical. These bitchy traits have been on a steady decline since the '50s, gaining the heart of gold and becoming Betty's actual friend despite their romantic rivalry.
  • Characterization Marches On: Her usual Alpha Bitch personality was rarely seen throughout "Veronica's Passport", which had her traveling the world and adventuring.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Anytime another girl hangs out with Archie.
  • Cruel Cheerleader: Veronica has been portrayed as a cheerleader and being a part of the cheerleading squad. She most definitely fits the stereotypical cheerleader archetype, by being beautiful, popular and an Alpha Bitch.
  • Daddy's Girl: Veronica is extremely close to her rich billionaire father Hiram, which is one of the many reasons why he spoils her constantly.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Veronica is the QUEEN of Sarcasm and Snark.
  • Depending on the Writer: Is she an evil Rich Bitch or is she a really Nice Girl who is a bit spoiled? Her athletic skills have varied from expertise in ice skating (and other sports), to being barely able to go jogging without collapsing in an exhausted heap. Her academic skills have varied from being among the top students in certain classes, to barely getting passing grades and requiring tutors. She is depicted as having enough business savvy and strategic thinking to outperform her father in certain stories, yet she lacks common sense and enganges in self-defeating behavior in others.
  • Don't Try This at Home: One story has Veronica constantly addressing the reader as she plots to steal Archie from Betty. She tells the readers not to follow her example and be mean and selfish like this. She's rich and spoiled, and it's expected of her.
  • Dude Magnet: She is a serious case of Ms. Fanservice and very beautiful. So it is not a surprise that she is never short of male admirers.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Sometimes, the people from the same social standing as her family are too snobby even for her. Typically used when pairing her with characters who are way more condescending or ruthless than she is.
  • The Face: Her skills are mostly social, instead of practical, but she contributes by being the only one with unlimited wealth and resources.
  • The Fashionista: She only buys expensive designer clothing.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Choleric.
  • Friendly Enemy: With Betty, although this depends on the writer.
  • Generation Xerox: all of her ancestors are gifted businessmen much like Hiram himself. When she sets her mind to it, Veronica can also be an effective one.
  • Girly Girl: Veronica is the most girly female character in the series, especially in comparison to the tomboyish girl next door Betty.
  • Good with Numbers: Veronica is known to be excellent at math and is also good at economics, which definitely qualifies her as a Brainy Brunette.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: She will snap whenever she feels humiliated or threatened, and is the character most likely to undertake a revenge plot, outside of maybe Reggie. She usually just reserves her wrath for anyone who hurts her friends...and sometimes Jughead.
  • Head-Turning Beauty: Veronica has this type of effect on the male population. She is never short of male admirers but this is no surprise considering that Veronica is probably the most beautiful girl in all of Riverdale.
  • Hot-Blooded: She has a major Hair-Trigger Temper, and she can lose her temper and get angry quite easily. It doesn't take much to set Veronica off and it also takes awhile to calm her down from her temper tantrums. An old story had her snapping at Betty and getting pissed off, just because Betty decided to share with Ronnie some random whimsical thoughts.
  • Hypocritical Heartwarming: No matter how mean she can be to her friends, she is always the first to come to their defense — even Jughead's.
  • Idle Rich: Downplayed. Veronica is a rich girl that loves to go shopping and all, but that doesn't mean that she is completely useless. She is actually very resourceful and intelligent when she needs to be. Several stories have her working part-time jobs, either because her parents convinced her to try, or because she wanted to find a way to spend her free time.
  • Informed Attractiveness: With the same face and body as every other girl in Riverdale, Veronica is nonetheless sometimes described as the most attractive. One story even has Archie saying that "Betty is beautiful on the inside, but Ronnie is beautiful on the outside!", and it only takes a tiny effort to get her to pry him away from Betty.
  • It's Fake Fur, It's Fine: One Digest had an old strip about her fur, clumsily edited to say "Fake Fur" every time she mentioned what she was wearing.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Being a Jerkass most of the time, Veronica gets many Pet the Dog moments to offset this, often revealing her deeply buried good side.
  • Lady in Red: This has always been the color Veronica wears most.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: Veronica's schemes to beat Betty usually tend to backfire on her.
  • Lethal Chef: Her cooking skills are so notoriously poor that the other characters literally fear for their lives when she tries to prepare a meal. In one strip, news of Archie's impending feast of Veronica's cooking results in a line of boys saying their heartfelt goodbyes- even Reggie! Archie even Lampshades it:
    Archie: Are you getting hitched to Jughead, Ron? The way you bake, he's the only one who'd ''survive'' that pie!
  • Lonely Rich Kid: Subverted. Although Veronica is a rich girl, she is actually very popular and has plenty of friends. Although several stories feature her doubts on whether people are attracted to herself or to her money.
  • Lots of Luggage: Wealthy, spoiled Veronica Lodge has been known to bring a great deal of her extensive wardrobe along with her when traveling, regardless of the destination.
  • Lovable Alpha Bitch: Veronica can be bitchy and catty, but underneath her bitchy facade, she is actually a Jerk with a Heart of Gold and she definitely has a kind and caring side to her personality which makes her very bootable and likeable.
  • Mood-Swinger: Veronica can easily switch from happy and cheerful to angry and irritated in less than a second.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She is a tall, slender and attractive girl. It is pretty much a given that she'll be wearing the most-revealing outfit of any given strip, especially the beach-themed ones. Sometimes she has even been arrested for wearing "indecent" bikinis on public beaches- and the artists show it!
  • Multiple-Choice Past: In the earliest Archie Comics, there were a few different 'Veronica origin' stories. In her debut story, in Pep #26, April 1942, Veronica was referred to as a 'sub-debutante', daughter of 'Money Bags' Lodge of Beacon Hill, who had just come to live in Riverdale. In Pep #31, September 1942, Veronica was revealed to have lived in Boston before coming to Riverdale. Her father Burton K. Lodge was introduced as a 'big shot Boston politician'. In Archie Comics #1, Winter 1942, we are shown another version of the history of Veronica's coming to live in Riverdale. In this story, Veronica was referred to as 'the elusive sub-deb' and 'that girl from New York'.
  • My Sister Is Off-Limits: Veronica is adverse towards the thought of her paraplegic cousin, Harper, going out with Reggie. Ron has obvious reasons not to trust him, but, to Reggie's credit he actually tries to be a decent person for Harper.
  • Old Money:
    • She is part of an old money family from New York (based on a real life family from Boston), and her father moved to Riverdale to try (unsuccessfully) to avoid her being a Spoiled Brat like her peers.
    • In a Life with Archie issue, Veronica claims that her ancestors came from the Mayflower, indicating that she is part of Old Money.
  • Only Six Faces: Famously identical to Betty except the hair. She's also convinced that Betty's blonde locks come out of a bottle.
  • Parental Title Characterization: Refers to her dad as "daddy" due to being a rich Daddy's Girl.
  • Pet the Dog: Though often quite mean, and almost always very demanding, Ronnie will nevertheless always come to Betty's aid if she is in need, and can generally be counted on to feed some poor people or take care of some orphans.
    • While she can be antagonistic towards Jughead most of the time, the same cannot be said for Jughead's sister Jellybean. Ronnie adores that little girl.
    • In one story, Caramel (Betty's cat) attempts to romance the Lodges' pedigree cat. Hermione Lodge mistakes her for a stray cat and wants her disposed off before she could infect anyone.It is Veronica who rescues Caramel, recognizes the cat, and returns her safely to Betty. Caramel is left musing at Veronica's niceness, in comparison to her mother.
  • Popular Is Dumb: Subverted. Veronica is the most popular girl in school but she is intelligent,cunning, and has a good head on her shoulders. She is more than just a ditz with a credit card who just likes to go shopping for expensive clothes.
  • Pretty in Mink: Still wears furs occasionally.
  • Proud Beauty: She provides the trope image!
  • Rich Bitch: Often shows tendencies towards this, especially to Jughead. Her superheroine code-name was "Miss Vanity" for a reason.
  • Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Oh yeah. Her spending habits are legendary, as well as her father's frequent blow-ups over her rampant credit card use. Though depending on the story, Hiram may be overreacting. In some stories, Veronica spends a few hundred dollars at most, and he complains that she is driving him to bankruptcy.
  • The Rival: To Betty and Jughead. Often in competition with both of them for Archie's attention.
  • Satellite Character: Cousin Leroy was one to her. A bratty little kid, he was seemingly there more for childish pranks and someone to be younger than the main characters than anything else- it rarely even came up that he was from a rich family.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Rarely invokes her money and connections to cheat, but her ability to schmooze and get what she wants from rich and powerful people has helped the gang out on many an occasion.
    • There was one time she was sent to a school in Rome full of nasty girls that reduced her to tears on occasion. When she realizes that she was accidentally picked up at the airport by the wrong person and brought to a reform school, instead of a business school, the headmistress starts sweating as soon as Veronica says that her last name is actually "Lodge" and picks up the phone to call her dad. She basically begs Ronnie not to ruin her life.
    • In some stories, Veronica has Waldo Weatherbee trembling, because she has figured out that some of his school policies are illegal (in violation of state or federal laws), and she has enough clout to make him back off.
  • Sexy Sweater Girl: The glamorous Veronica's clothing trademark is wearing tight fitted sweaters of any color.
  • Southern Belle: The 40s radio show and 60s Animated Adaptation gave her this type of accent, implying that she was supposed to be a Southern girl.
  • Spoiled Brat: To poor Mr. Lodge's exasperation. He actually sent her to Riverdale High instead of a private school to try and avert this.
  • Stripperific: A lot of the clothes that Veronica wears are highly revealing and expose her figure. Which definitely makes her a big time Ms. Fanservice.
  • Tender Tomboyishness, Foul Femininity: She and Betty were both girly, but Betty gained a Tomboyness Upgrade upgrade in the 60's, while Veronica remained a Rich Bitch.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly Girl to Betty's Tomboy. Originally they were both feminine, however Characterization Marches On made Betty go from a Dumb Blonde to a Wrench Wench with a Tomboyish Ponytail while Veronica stayed a Lovable Alpha Bitch fashionista.
  • Town Girls: Veronica is the "femme" to Midge's "butch" and Betty's "neither". She's a Lovable Alpha Bitch who is always flaunting her beauty and shopping for high fashion.
  • Tsundere: Type B. Most likely to snap at Archie if he steps out of line.
  • Uncle Pennybags: Veronica is a female version in many stories, happily letting her friends enjoy her mansion. She has also been depicted in a couple of stories as pawning off clothes that she doesn't want anymore on Betty...which actually leads to Betty having a pretty fancy wardrobe herself.
    • In one story, Betty constantly turns down offers to buy fashionable clothes that suit her. She uses various excuses in order to hide that she is broke and can't afford any purchases. Veronica quickly figures what is going on. The end of the story has many of the clothes Veronica purchased delivered directly to Betty's house, and Veronica reveals that she bought them for her best friend. Betty clearly appreciates the gifts.
    • In another story, Betty overdoes the tomboyish style, and dresses in extremely unflattering boy's clothing (if said boy was a slob). People start avoiding her, and her social life goes into decline. A concerned Veronica pays for a makeover, new clothes, and a spa treatment for Betty.
  • Unlimited Wardrobe: Lampshaded many times, including on one occasion that she had a shop that sells her hand-me-downs.
  • Uptown Girl: Veronica is an extremely rich girl while Archie is a working class boy and the two of them are often involved in a romantic relationship.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds:
    • With Betty. The two started out the series back in the 1940s as bitter rivals, but some time around the 1950s were morphed into best friends/rivals in love. They still viciously fight each other over Archie, and occasionally play oneupsmanship, but for the most part (and Depending on the Writer) they're completely believable as close friends who just happen to share everything together, including character flaws and boyfriends.
    • Jughead is a platonic example. They regularly have Snark-to-Snark Combat, but they regularly have each other's backs.
  • Walking the Earth: Technically speaking, her mini-series "Veronica's Passport".

    Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III 

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jughead_jones_2745.jpg

Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, commonly known as Jughead, is the best friend of Archie. Jughead debuted in December 1941 alongside Archie and Betty. Jughead was a noted woman-hater at first, famous for being the Big Eater of Big Eaters. An overall weirdo, he tends to be a loner who follows his own path, avoiding the girl-crazy antics of his male co-stars. He becomes more disinterested in romance as much as anything, though he still makes friends with girls like Betty. Some stories in the early 90s played with romance for Jug, but were ultimately short-lived, and as of 2016 he's stated to be asexual in the reboot continuity. He becomes an older brother in the 1990s, gaining a sister in Jellybean (aka "Forsythia").


  • Aborted Arc: Jughead's Love Triangle with Joani and Debbie didn't last more than a year, despite how well-known it is amongst adult Archie fans. The fans at the time obviously didn't take to it. His "Punk" phase with the mohawk was even shorter.
  • Accidental Hero: A comic had Jughead failing as a security guard until he tripped and fell on a guy who turned out to be a shoplifter.
  • Actually, I Am Him: One issue reveals the origin of Col. Pickens, whom Pickens Park in Riverdale is named after: an older version of Jughead who time-traveled back to the Civil War.
  • All Drummers Are Animals: He's not exactly a wild child, but he's certainly the weirdest member of The Archies music group.
  • Alliterative Name: Jughead Jones.
  • Art Evolution: His mother underwent a shift in the mid-90s (around her pregnancy), changing from basically "Jughead in a wig" to a normal-looking woman. Lately, she seems to have shifted back a bit.
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: With Veronica, of course. Jughead and Veronica may constantly fight, argue and snark at each other, but underneath all that bickering, they both care about each other and have a genuine bond of friendship.
  • Backup Bluff: In one comic where secret agents kidnap Archie and Dilton and threaten to kill them for refusing to give up the formula for rocket fuel that Jughead souped-up by accident (they wanted to steal the formula so they could extort other countries into paying a fortune to obtain it), Jughead, knowing that they could easily dispatch him if he charged headlong into battle, lights up some fireworks and yells at nonexistent allies to open fire. The agents mistake the fireworks' pops for gunfire and surrender to him, believing themselves to be outnumbered.
  • Badass Boast: "Soon, the whole world will know of my love for Mama Leoni's!" While Archie has no idea what Jughead meant by that since he was simply switching brands of canned pasta, the ending reveals that the old brand's stock began to tank while the new one's skyrocketed because he just eats that much and knows it.
  • Berserk Button: Any time food is threatened, Jughead gains superhuman strength. Reggie and assorted minor bullies and robbers have all fallen victim to this.
  • Big Eater: Among the most iconic examples in all of fiction, especially in the West. Often eats things that are literally impossible in real-life, such as burgers over ten feet in diameter, or fifty burgers in one sitting.
  • Black Hole Sue: Played for Laughs In-Universe in one story where Prof. Flutesnoot tries to learn the secret to his being able to accurately forecast the weather 100% of the time: using a dartboard.
  • Breakout Character: 2nd most popular character in the franchise (after Archie himself), and has generated more spinoff comics than any other character other than Archie. Plus his own series also has the largest amount of issues besides Archie.
  • Brilliant, but Lazy: He is second only to Dilton in intelligence. Sometimes he is not even lazy, as he wins awards for his great marks. Several stories have played with the idea that his intelligence is fueled by all of the food he eats.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He is sometimes portrayed as this, though it Depends On The Writer. One issue even had Mr. Weatherbee and Ms. Grundy furious at the revelation that Jughead was getting straight-As despite being such an oddball and slacker, and utterly refused to believe it was due to anything other than cheating until he aced a pop quiz.
    Mr. Weatherbee Let's just face facts. His mind is a steel trap. Whatever he hears he never forgets; he just files it away until it's needed. He's a sloppy, unkempt, irritating genius.
    • He even intentionally got himself sent to detention so he'd have a quiet place to study; it never occurred to him to just ask if he could stay after class.
  • Canine Companion: Has one named Hot Dog (who actually appears in teen-era stories, unlike Archie's dog Spotty).
  • Celibate Hero: Jughead was initially seen as misogynistic. However, the CBR pop culture website posits that Jughead was ahead of his time: “they just didn’t have a label for it (asexuality), so they called him a misogynist. But he’s not a misogynist". He is now usually uninterested in pursuing romance, preferring the simpler (and less painful) world of food. Many stories have played with this, trying to figure him out. The answer reached in the 1990s was that he liked some girls, but love was so complicated (his first crush broke his heart by moving away when they were kids) that he ultimately returned to the simple joys of eating. As of 2016, confirmed as asexual, a fair difference from celibate (being an orientation versus a choice), though his confirmed asexuality only applies to the reboot stories.
  • Cerebus Retcon: The Mark Waid/Fiona Staples run establishes that the Joneses were the richest family in Riverdale back when Jughead was a kid, only to go broke when his dad made a bad investment, which puts his oddball name, tendency to mooch and run up a tab at Pop's, and dislike of Veronica in a new light.
  • Character Development:
    • Jug was normally a cynical woman-hater at first (even going to near-impossible lengths by today's standards), slowly warming to Betty over the years as a friend, but by the 1990s, writers frequently toyed with giving him girlfriends (he even had his own Love Triangle for a while!). He's still a non-dater, but he clearly has female friends now, and no longer freaks out and runs if they touch him accidentally.
    • One story in the 70s featured him going bowling with Betty and having an epiphany that he could just be friends with a girl without any of that mushy romantic stuff.
  • Cheated Angle: No matter which direction Jug is facing, his beanie will always be tilted, and its side will always be decorated with a red circle and a white stripe.
  • Chick Magnet: Despite his dislike of the opposite sex, Jughead has no issue with attracting many girls. Too bad that he doesn't show any romantic interest in any of them.
  • Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Archie's girl-craziness, crazy schemes and clumsiness would land him in even more trouble if Jughead wasn't always watching his back and trying to keep him out of trouble. He's practically Archie's keeper. He also sometimes played this role to Betty during her pre-Character Development years when she was kind of a ditz.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Jughead specializes in using sarcasm and making snarky comments. It's one of the defining traits of his character and is what makes him so iconic in the first place.
  • Depending on the Writer: Jughead's woman-hating can vary, as some arcs actually show him with a genuine romantic interest in some girls. Also, he's either a lazy, poor student (in spite of his intellect), or one of the best students in school.
  • Embarrassing First Name: Forsythe. Even his parents call him Jughead, as do the teachers.
    • He was so much used to this, that, in one story, when Mr. Weatherbee decreed that Jughead be addressed by his first name, Juggie couldn't even respond to anyone calling him.
  • Edible Theme Naming: Jughead himself is a subtle case, but then there's little sister Jellybean, cousin Souphead and pet Hot Dog.
  • Everyone Has Standards: When some girls hear an insensitive remark Archie makes about Betty (that Archie wants to fill a dating quota for the summer and that Betty is the farthest option from his mind), they all conspire to teach him a lesson by taking Archie out and giving him a hard time. Jughead eventually confronts the conspiracy and comes to an agreement that they'll give up on Archie's punishments if Jughead talks him out of the whole dating quota. But when Jughead tells Archie about the whole deal and Archie nevertheless insists on keeping the quota, Jug throws in the towel and decides that Archie really needs to be taught a lesson. He lets the girls resume their conspiracy, but this time, Jughead doesn't look out for Archie until he finally gives up his quota.
  • Eyes Always Shut: Famously his default expression. He'll open them if shocked or surprised, and spends a good deal of the 1990s with them consistently as open as everyone else's, but usually it's his trademark along with the hat and sweater. Other characters often point this trait out, and it's usually seen as him being too lazy to open them all the way. One older comic even displays his eye state as backwards, where keeping his eyes open renders him blind, but upon shutting them again he is able to weave his way past obstacles as if they weren't even there .
  • Famed In-Story: in the "Jughead Time Police" series, he has gained a reputation for being one of the world's greatest crimefighters, to the point that the local museum has dedicated a whole wing to showcasing his life story.
  • Flat Character: His girlfriend Joani was a case of this- having few characteristics besides an obsessive love for Jughead. The other half of the Love Triangle, Debbie, was more of a rocker chick with her own attitude, but often fell into this trope as well.
  • Food as Bribe: This is the only surefire way to get Jughead to do anything.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Phlegmatic.
  • Gag Nose: Jughead has this type of probocsis, as does the vast majority of the Jones family, suggesting that this snout shape (elongated and skinny) is a genetic trait. However, his little sister Jellybean appears to be an exception, as she doesn't have this kind of nose like her other family members. So in that sense, she's genetically blessed.
  • Guile Hero: Jughead is very good at getting his way with strategy and manipulations. He likes to use his gift for words to repeatedly outsmart Reggie.
  • Hat of Power: Jughead's hat grants him special abilities in two different comic book incarnations:
    • In Super Teens, Jughead can become Captain Hero, gaining a caped costume and muscular physique (varying from story to story), but retaining his crown-shaped cap. Captain Hero appears when Jughead recites the magic incantation:
    Teeny weeny magic beanie pointing towards the sky; give me muscle, power, strength - form a super guy!
    • In Jughead's Time Police, his beanie is a device that allows him to travel in time.
  • He-Man Woman Hater: For his first forty years or so, Jughead often claimed girls were despicable, and even as late as the 1990s still made the occasional misogynist remark. Values Dissonance has caused later writers to try different ways of explaining this, such as past heartbreak from childhood romance, bad impressions from Veronica and Ethel, and most recently in the 2015 reboot, asexuality carried to extremes. They usually point out that Jughead is friends with Betty to discount his woman hating, though Jughead has said more than once that Betty is Not Like Other Girls—a statement that has actually encouraged some fans to ship them.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners:
    • With Archie, though ol' Arch tends to ditch Jug at the nearest possible moment, in search of tail, so this is more from Jughead's end.
    • In Little Archie, this extends to their pets Spotty and Hot Dog.
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: Most of the time, he's implied to be a lot smarter and sensible than Archie. He usually knows when Archie's plans aren't going to work, but gets roped into them anyway.
  • Iconic Item: He wouldn't be Jughead without his beanie.
  • Intellectual Animal: Hot Dog's a lot smarter than he lets on, much like his owner.
  • Irony: Despite disliking women, he has many admirers over the years.
    • Hot Dog is a ladies' dog whose Romeo antics rival that of Archie.
  • The Lancer: To Archie.
  • Love Triangle: Jughead develops a crush on a new girl named Debbie in the early 90s, and right around that same point, Joanie Jummp (a childhood girlfriend) comes back into his life. The resulting mess follows many similar Archie storylines, including the girls being best friends with each other (often hanging off of Jug simultaneously).
  • Mistaken for Gay: For years, Wild Mass Guessing and Alternative Character Interpretations placed Jughead as this, which makes a joke in the first Kevin Keller adventure so funny. Veronica, not knowing Kevin is gay, gives him a giant heart-shaped box of chocolates. Kevin wants to turn Veronica down (and doesn't like chocolates anyway), so he gives the box to Jughead, who of course will eat anything. Veronica sees this and, having just found out before that Kevin is gay, starts yelling that even Jughead is stealing boys away from her now.
  • Muscles Are Meaningless: One storyline shows that, despite his lithe build, Jughead is incredibly strong. In Pop Tate's Chok'lit Shop, he claims that eating is his exercise, and proceeds to demonstrate various feats of strength, including carrying several cases of glass soda bottles all at once to the back room, and rips a diner chair from the floor without tools to keep as a souvenir since Pop is getting new ones.
  • Never Gets Fat: He eats staggering amounts of food that should make him an obese blob, but he is always portrayed as very thin.
  • No Guy Wants to Be Chased: Big Ethel is typically always after Jughead, who continually runs away from her.
  • Obsessed with Food: Jughead will often become distracted if the subject of food comes up in the middle of him talking about something else.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Always goes by Jughead (he despises "Forsythe", his real name). Trula Twyst calls him "Juggers" as a mock-name.
  • Preppy Name: Although he's commonly known as Jughead, that's just his nickname. His full birth name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, most definitely a name that sounds like it belongs to a privileged, spoiled rich kid.
  • The Rival: Several. Trula Twyst, a psychiatry-obsessed student who frequently butts heads with Jug, manipulating him and trying to figure out what makes him tick. She founds the "J.U.S.T. Cause", devoted to curing his girl-hating. Also Veronica, who steals his best friend Archie away from him. And then Reggie, who is locked in an eternal prank war with Jug.
  • Shipper on Deck: He supports Archie and Betty and becomes visibly annoyed whenever Archie chooses Veronica instead. While addressing the readers, Jug pointed out that he sees Betty as the lesser of two evils, since "Nobody shares with Veronica Lodge".
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: To Veronica.
  • Smarter Than You Look: He may appear to be slow and uninterested, but Jug is actually pretty intellectually gifted and astute.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Both of Jughead's parents look like him.
  • Supreme Chef: Once he started to learn how to cook his own food, he got really good at it. One story also revealed that he's Archie's main teacher.
  • Through His Stomach: A frequent victim, this trick nearly always works.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Hamburgers. So much so that one story had his blood replaced by hamburger juice!
  • Two-Timer Date: Once accidentally did this with Joanie and Debbie, thanks to a magic genie. The irony is not lost on him.
  • Uncanny Family Resemblance: Has a cousin that looks exactly like him — Nathan. Problems arise for Jug when Nathan shows up in Riverdale, and starts unintentionally ruining Jughead's reputation; for the unaware, Nathan is The Casanova. Yeah. Then there's Jug's other, more often recurring cousin, Souphead, who's basically a Mini-Jughead.
  • The Unreveal: Jughead often wears a shirt with a large "S" imprinted on it. In one story, Jug and his family are going to move to a new city. He's on the verge of revealing to Archie the meaning behind the "S," but once its determined that the Jones family wasn't moving after all, he decides to save the secret for another time.

    Reginald "Reggie" Mantle 

Reginald "Reggie" Mantle

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reggie.jpg

Reginald "Reggie" Mantle is a romantic rival with Archie for Veronica's affections, and has an even less pleasant rivalry with "Spindle-snoot", aka Jughead. Usually, Veronica is not that interested in him, but if he has the money and the car to get where Archie can't, it's "see you, Archiekins!" Occasionally delves into being a good person deep-down, depending on the story. Reggie debuted in the summer of 1942, completing the five-man ensemble at the heart of the series.


  • The Ace: Reggie is rich, handsome, intelligent and athletic. He's got everything going for him.
  • And I Must Scream: Veronica has a "Human Fly" game set up in the Lodges' rec room, and (inevitably) Reggie and Archie compete in it. Reggie turns out the victor, pulling off a double somersault that lands him upside-down on the wall. Unfortunately for Reggie, he can't get down on his own, and the gang, tired of his incessant bragging, just leave him there.
  • The Big Guy: He's very well built, athletic and muscular.
  • Big Jerk on Campus: Outside his group of Vitriolic Best Buds, he’s typically shown to be quite popular at school, being handsome, charismatic and The Ace. On the other hand, he’s still a huge Jerkass and Narcissist with an ego bigger than Riverdale itself. Not to mention he’s so vain and entitled, he makes Veronica look humble by comparison.
  • The Bully: Downplayed. Reggie isn't a full blown bully but he does show bullying characteristics especially towards Archie and Jughead. He constantly tries to prank Archie and Jughead in a sometimes malicious manner.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Any time Reggie tries to play a joke on Moose or date Midge without Moose knowing, you just know things won't end well for Reg.
  • Casanova Wannabe: Reggie plays himself off as someone who's magically good with the ladies but many girls, particularly the girl that he's the most interested in (Veronica), shun him in favor of Archie.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes. At other times, he's a "Hyuk! Hyuk!" type of over-acting Ham. Either way, he's the first one with a derogatory gag.
  • Depending on the Writer: How much of a jerk is Reggie, anyways? He's either a conniving, scheming prankster who actively hates Archie and Jughead, or he's actually just their sarcastic friend.
  • Dumb Jock: Subverted. Reggie comes across as a meathead jock, but he's actually very smart, manipulative and cunning.
  • Entitled Bastard: Considering that he comes from a rich, privileged background, it's really not a shock to see that Reggie can be incredibly spoiled and entitled. When he doesn't get his way, he can (and will) react pretty negatively.
  • Everyone Has Standards:
    • Used to distinguish Reggie from even worse antagonists. For example, when Reggie loses the class president nomination to Kevin Keller and David Perkins, David proposes a team up between he and Reggie, and subtly suggests smearing Kevin with anti-gay propaganda. Reggie, a man who just a few panels before explicitly lies by promising everyone no homework and free iPads if he wins, angrily asserts that he might be rotten, but even he's not rotten enough for homophobia.
    • Much like Lex Luthor and his tradition to NOT be a dick on Albert Einstein's Birthday, Reggie is also like this on Christmas.
    • In an old storyline, one of Veronica's cousins has set an elaborate scheme against Archie, because Archie once foiled a shady scheme of his when they were children. The villain asks for Reggie's cooperation in the scheme. Reggie initially plays along when the scheme only means embarrassment for Archie and inconvenience to some of their friends, but when he figures out that the scheme will culminate in Archie being framed for serious crimes, it is Reggie who foils the plan and gets the real villain arrested.
  • Freudian Excuse: Featured most prominently in the Freshmen Year prequel series. Unlike his friends who all have really close, tight-knit families, Reggie often comes home to an empty house. One particularly effective page has then 14-year-old Reggie sitting alone in the kitchen for hours, hoping in vain that his cool, upperclassmen friends will contact him. Nobody calls.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: His arrogant, sometimes antagonistic nature obviously gets on his friends' nerves, but they still allow him in the circle.
  • Hopeless Suitor: Sometimes appears this way in regards to Veronica. Reggie always tries so hard to get with Veronica, but she is usually too hung up on Archie to even notice Reggie. The only time Ronnie even gives Reggie the time of day is when she asks him to go out on dates with her for the express purpose of making Archie jealous and getting him to react.
  • Iconic Sequel Character: Reggie is considered the fifth major character of the main Archie cast; however, he doesn't formally appear until one year after the series begins.
  • Indispensable Scoundrel: Reggie is a Spoiled Brat Jerkass prankster, snarking at others and glorifying himself. He is a talented musician, though, so the Archies keep him in the band. Once, when Archie needed to learn square dancing, Betty suggested consulting Reggie.
    Archie: That hip character knows square dancing?
    Betty: He's basically a rotten person, but when it comes to the social graces, he keeps up.
  • Jerk Jock: Great athlete and obvious jerk.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: How close he is to one or the other depends on the story- he's often an enormous prick to everybody, playing pranks all the time, but some stories either have him temporarily warm up Grinch-like, or establish him as someone who hangs out with the gang regularly. Some stories have the rest of the gang defend him as "our jerk!", and often times he's seen palling around with Jughead, his arch-enemy in other stories.
  • Large Ham: Reggie is extremely extravagant and bombastic in his behavior and actions.
  • Lonely Rich Kid: Reggie is wealthy and has everything going for him, but he was a lonely kid growing up and didn't have a lot of friends. That changes when he befriends Archie, Jughead and the rest of the gang.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Reggie is very scheming and will plot against Jughead and Archie to get his way. Unfortunately for him, Jughead and Archie normally outwit him.
  • Nobody Loves the Bassist: Plays bass guitar in the garage band, and gets the least fan mail out of all the members of 'the Archies' quintet.
  • Not Me This Time: Is sometimes suspected of things he actually didn't do. One story ("Bubble Trouble") has Mr. Weatherbee ready to punish Archie for putting bubbles in the school pool. Archie's friends immediately blame Reggie, until they remember he's been out sick that week. The true culprit is the janitor, who mistook detergent for chlorine and poured it in the pool.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Shows that he's similar to his pals, Archie and Jughead. Once Archie, Reggie, and Jughead attended a party hosted by a group of wealthy Riverdale youth who were recruiting new members for their club. Archie is initially given a pass because he dates Veronica but Jughead is immediately dismissed as a boor. Offended on Jug's behalf, Archie leaves too. Reggie is allowed to stay, however all the rich boys refer to him as Reginald and mock the lower class for using an Affectionate Nickname. Reggie realizes that prefers his friends' casual attitude and chooses to hang out with Archie and Jughead instead.
  • Pair the Spares: According to Life With Archie: The Married Life, he ends up with whichever girl Archie doesn't choose.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Reggie is known to have a very good sense of humor and he often provides much humor in the comics.
  • Preppy Name: His full name is Reginald Mantle, a name that sounds like it belongs to a spoiled, rich and privileged kid which Reggie most certainly is.
  • The Proud Elite: He comes from a well-to-do family, gets high grades, is captain of whatever sports team is the focus of the story, tends to have women swooning over him, and boy does he know it.
  • The Rival: A romantic one for Archie (Reggie likewise chases Veronica), a prank-based one for Jughead.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Archie's Sensitive Guy.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Thinks really highly of himself, despite evidence on the contrary.
  • Spoiled Brat: Reggie is rich, wealthy, and a privileged teenage boy with status. Is it any wonder why he can come across as spoiled and entitled? He's very similar to Veronica in this regard. No wonder he's so drawn to her.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Reggie is physically attractive and appealing to the opposite sex. Too bad that his good looks don't always impress the main object of his affection, Veronica.
  • Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Reggie is dark haired and is the most sarcastic character next to Jughead and Veronica.
  • Tempting Fate: Every time he tries to date Midge.
  • Tsundere: Type A. Aloof and rude to people in general, beneath that a fun-loving prankster Jerkass to his circle of friends, and beneath that has a genuine heart and sincerely cares deeply about Archie, Jughead and the rest.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Archie. Despite his antagonism towards him, Reggie's bragging, and penchant for mean practical jokes (to the point where a run of bad luck gets pinned on him at one point,) they're still friends and hang out together. Pretty much the same with Jughead as well. One story that involves Reggie getting Stage Fright during his first attempt at stand-up comedy leads to Jughead heckling him, which (as Jughead intended) gets Reggie mad enough to reply and then complete the rest of his routine.

Secondary Characters

    "Big" Ethel Muggs 

"Big" Ethel Muggs

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ethel_muggs_6176.jpeg
Ethel, before and after the makeover.

Ethel is (traditionally) a tall, skinny, buck-toothed ugly girl, primarily shown as psychotically chasing after Jughead to play off of his girl-hating nature for cheap gags. This was played so cruelly at first that Jughead even made fun of her appearance on a frequent basis! By later decades, she was developed into a Nice Girl with a crush, and even had other male interests for a while. She debuted in May, 1962, and underwent a visual evolution in the early 2000s, becoming more on the plain side rather than hideous.


  • Abhorrent Admirer:
    • As originally envisioned, Ethel was a homely, lanky girl hopelessly attracted to Jughead, who of course is notoriously uninterested in anything but food. As Jughead would have zero interest in her even if she were actually attractive, the writers perhaps figured they might as make her "ugly" just to underscore it, or perhaps they deliberately went with an ungainly girl because it's one thing for Jughead to say he's not interested in women (no other girl tries to so much as ask him out except under extraordinary circumstances), but if he turns down a hot one routinely he must be gay.
    • Subverted in the Live-Action Adaptation Return To Riverdale. Set at and around the cast's 15th high school reunion, it reveals that Ethel was actually Beautiful All Along and is now a world-famous supermodel.
    • Archie Comics have also downplayed this aspect of Ethel in later years. While she was as ugly as they come in her first appearances and used solely to torture Jughead, Ethel has since had some of her more distorted features toned down. She's still really tall with buck teeth and a big nose, but she's drawn much more normally — even pretty — and given trendier clothing. As well, she's more of a regular character now (being good friends with Betty), instead of a one-dimensional plot device.
    • Subverted again in that Archie took her out on a casual date to a comedy club and museum and ended up preferring the fact that unlike Betty and Veronica, Ethel made no demands of him. He asked her out again after taking her home.
    • Inverted in an issue where Cheryl Blossom tries to seduce Jughead, just to prove she can. She fails, but then sees Jughead trying to impress Ethel (who unbeknownst to Cheryl had a picnic basket full of food). Later on another character decides to practice some lines for a play, and Cheryl walks in on him apparently declaring his love for Ethel. The issue ends with Cheryl taking a photo of Ethel into a beauty parlor and demanding to be made to look "like this exotic creature".
  • Ascended Extra: Ethel got a major boost in the Christian-themed Spire-produced comics of the 1960s, being featured as a main character alongside Archie, learning about the Christian faith.
  • Character Development: She was originally stupid (complete with Moose-ish "d-uh"s) in addition to ugly.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Jeffrey, a blind boy, was introduced into the strip in the mid-90s as a love interest for Ethel. It didn't pan out (largely because it screwed with the popular dynamic, and because Ethel herself was virtually the tenth-most-necessary character, so there was no room for a Satellite Character of her very own).
  • Demoted to Extra: This was her fate when Jughead had his own Love Triangle with Joani and Debbie. Years of chasing Jughead, and now he hooks up with two new hotties? Poor Ethel had a couple strips dealing with this (once helping Jug out when he accidentally offended Joani), but it was too depressing to really focus on, so it was mostly dropped until that storyline was done.
  • Depending on the Artist: Just how gawky and ugly she is can change between artists, not to mention her current case of...
  • Gonk: In an aversion to Only Six Faces, Ethel was given a skinny and flat-chested body, a single buck tooth and a hairstyle that was absurdly old-fashioned even for the 1960s.
  • Huge School Girl: Her height earned her nickname.
  • Love Triangle: With Jughead and Jeffrey (a blind boy) for a brief period in the 1990s. Jeffrey was nice to her and liked her, and Jughead even seemed to be jealous and wanted some attention. It didn't last.
  • Only Six Faces: An exception, much to her chagrin. She is literally the only unattractive teenage girl in Riverdale.
  • Progressively Prettier: Ethel's Gonkishness has faded a bit over time, giving her a more normal-looking face, to the point where some issues make her look honest-to-God attractive. Most of the time, though, she's still gawky and a bit too thin.
    • To demonstrate Ethel's evolution in character design, compare this (a cover for issue #124 of Jughead), this (a page from The Jughead Zone in Jughead #178), and finally this (from Veronica #199). You can see her shift from a gigantic and scrawny Gonk of a girl to a lady who's maybe on the homely side but is still shapely with more appealing clothes/hair to becoming flat-out cute even with her nose/height.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: When Archie goes out with her in a Not a Date story, he was actually stunned by her change in appearance.
  • Single-Target Sexuality: Almost entirely focused on Jughead, to the point of insanity. A few stories have shown her with interests in other boys, who even returned the favor (Dilton, Jeffrey, even Archie), but most of these were either one-shot stories or short-lived escapades. Conversely Jughead turns into a Crazy Jealous Guy in stories where he seems to be losing Ethel.
  • Through His Stomach: A common way for her to con Jughead into dates. Either by cooking food herself, or promising to pay for his meals, she'll get him one way or another.

    Dilton Doiley 

Dilton Doiley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dilton.jpg

Dilton is the pint-sized, bespectacled super-genius of the Archie Universe. He features heavily in nearly every story requiring heightened brainpower, robots, science fiction or wacky inventions. If a story featuring him doesn't center on his smarts, it usually focuses on his shyness around girls. Dilton, named as such, debuts in the Archie daily comic strip in 1948 and moves to the comic books in 1950. Interestingly, various "bookworm" characters introduced before him in the comic books have many of his traits (including his visual appearance), making a strong case for him being the Trope Codifier.


  • Alliterative Name: Dilton Doiley.
  • Brains and Brawn: Brains to Moose's Brawn.
  • Breakout Character: He is mostly a background character just beneath the main cast, but he has had a starring role in several stories, and even had his own series once- Dilton's Strange Science, featuring his sci-fi adventures with girlfriend Danni.
    • In the early 1990's Jughead storylines, Jughead received some character development and a supporting cast of his own. When it was revealed he had genius-level intellect (even above Dilton's) and managed to date female genius Anita Chavita (who Dilton was also attracted to), Dilton started being depicted for a while as Jughead's jealous and rather bitchy rival. This gave him more regular screen time than before.
  • Canon Discontinuity: Poor Dilton has hooked up with Danni Malloy and blazing hottie Cheryl Blossom in continuity, but both were ignored alarmingly quickly — Cheryl went right into a fan-voting contest to see who her next boyfriend was going to be. Who knows where his relationship with Brigitte will go?
    • He even got to date Veronica in one story, after she becomes so fed up with Archie and Reggie fighting over her that she resolves to go to the dance with the next boy who comes by...who just happens to be Dilton.
  • Expy: At one point he is replaced (in the cartoon spin-off The New Archies) for Eugene, a black kid with most of the same personality traits, adding an additional Token Minority to the cast that isn't Chuck.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: He is depicted as an inventor, having created functioning time machines and teleportation devices.
  • Guile Hero: That brain of his isn't just for science. He can also use it to completely outwit anyone, sometimes even including fellow Guile Hero Jughead.
  • Has a Type: Perhaps a coincidence, but the most prominent love interests Dilton has ever had are Danni Malloy and Cheryl Blossom (in the few times he steps into the spotlight). Both girls are redheads.
  • "Home Alone" Antics: While doing maintenance on the Lodge mansion's electronics systems, he overhears Veronica and Reggie planning a smear campaign against Betty. Dilton angrily soups up all the machines in the manor to attack Reggie until he gives up the list of lies about Betty. Reggie winds up becoming quite technophobic afterwards, and neither he nor Veronica ever manage to figure out who's responsible.
  • Informed Attribute: He and Moose are often said to be the best of friends in some stories (Wikipedia even mentions it) — this relationship dynamic is rarely reflected in the actual events of the series.
  • Kid-Appeal Character: Type IV (see Teen Genius)
  • Magic Feather: When Archie and Jughead come to him for advice on passing an upcoming exam, they brush off his simple solution (just study) and insist that Dilt is using a lucky charm. Dilton eventually decides to humor them and pretend that he does have one: a green hanky. Archie and Jughead emulate his example and when the exam's results are out they really do ace it.
  • Nerds Love Tough Schoolwork: Has been shown to enjoy his time at school, with one comic having him treat the weekend like other students treat Monday. Though another story took a darker turn, showing that the reason he likes school so much is that his parents work long hours and are never at home.
  • Pair the Spares: With Brigitte, as both were background characters (her more so than him) with no one else in their lives.
  • Phrase Catcher: The "Explorers of the Unknown" series inverts this; when someone starts thinking up a smart plan, another character would immediately say, "I thought Gizmo (Dilton's character) is the genius!".
  • The Short Guy with Glasses: The shortest member of the main group, and bespectacled.
  • Shorter Means Smarter: Dilton is the shortest male in the comics but he is also (probably) the most intelligent.
  • Slobs Versus Snobs: When he debuts in the daily strip, Dilton has the vaguely effeminate dress and snooty manners of a stereotypical early 1900s snob—thus his surname Doiley (i. e. a lace doily, cliched effeminate-snob gear).
  • Smart People Play Chess: Dilton is incredibly intelligent and he also has a love of playing chess.
  • Teen Genius: Leads to the most out-there stories in Archie comics, frequently defying reality beyond mere "cartoonish" conventions. Robots, aliens, super-computers and the like are mundane things to him.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: His relationships with Danni Malloy and Cheryl Blossom vanish without a trace, along with a few other supporting characters introduced in his own series.

    Chuck Clayton and Nancy Woods 

Chuck Clayton and Nancy Woods

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chuck_clayton_and_nancy_woods_7863.jpg

During the 1970s, Archie Comics added a black friend to the main cast. Chuck was initially a jock, and shown equally as friendly as the rest of the cast, but in later years he morphs into the official "artist" of the group, and many stories involve him and girlfriend Nancy (added a few years after him), and her frequent annoyance with him ignoring her in favor of art. Chuck debuts in 1971, Nancy in 1976.


  • The Ace: Name a sport, any sport. Chuck will always be one of the best athletes. Though justified in-universe. Chuck's father is Coach Clayton, and he is at times depicted as pressuring Chuck to improve his athletic skills. Played for laughs in one story. Archie notices that the Coach goes easy on most of the boys in gym class, but keeps pushing Chuck to his limits. Archie complains about unfair treatment. The Coach agrees...and starts treating the entire class as harshly as he did Chuck. Most of the boys are pissed off with Archie.
  • Alliterative Name: Chuck Clayton.
  • Black and Nerdy: Chuck, from the 1990s onward. Less nerdy in terms of being a loser than simply an over-committed comics geek and artist.
  • Character Development: Chuck was initially a pretty generic guy until they start focusing on his artistic career. A bit egotistical and snarky, even, but he eventually becomes just obsessive and dorky.
  • Flat Character: Nancy has very few unique character traits, being one of the least-used recurring female characters (the teachers and mothers of the cast, plus Betty, Ron, Midge and Ethel). She is pretty much "Generic Nice Girl" unless she is getting angry at Chuck for ignoring her for his art career. For a while they tried to spice up the character by having her join a goth club and dressing the part, but she ended up as a rather Perky Goth.
  • The '90s: Chuck starts to sport a fade or a flat-top.
  • The Obstructive Love Interest: On occassion Nancy is depicted as sabotaging Chuck's art career with unreasonable demands or last-minute ultimatums concerning their relationship. One story has a major game of the girls' basketball team having too few spectators. Some of the girls are frustrated, and convince their boyfriends to attend the game and bring some friends to support them. Nancy notices that Chuck is not there at all. She angrily calls him and tells him to come there with whoever else he can bring, or else she is breaking up with him. Chuck is actually at a convention for professional artists, where he is apparently the youngest artist in attendance. Out of desperation, he half-pleads with, half-drags along a group of adult artists to the basketball game, to cheer for a girl most of them have never met before.
  • Official Couple: One of the very few in the comics.
  • Satellite Character: Nancy was originally one for Chuck, and later became one for Betty (in scenes where Ronnie wasn't necessary to be a talking post). In some cases, she played Betty's advisor. When Adam was introduced as a new love interest for Betty, it was Nancy who explained to Betty how obvious his attraction to her was and that she should give him a chance.
  • School Newspaper News Hound: Nancy was often this in later years to give her something more to do than being Chuck's girlfriend.
  • Sequential Artist: Chuck makes comics.
  • The '70s: Chuck's decade of origin can be pretty obvious in stories from that era, thanks to his big afro.
  • Token Black Friend: Both of them, for Archie and Betty, respectively. Neither are actually the best friends of the pair, but it still fits.
  • Token Minority: One of the first in Archie Comics, coming in a bit later than Valerie of the Pussycats.
  • Token Trio: Chuck was often grouped with Archie and Betty this way in the 1970s.
  • Why Don't You Marry It?: Nancy sometimes feels like she is playing second-fiddle to Chuck's artist pastime, and she calls him out on it in this manner.

    Marmaduke "Big Moose" Mason and Midge Klump 

Marmaduke "Big Moose" Mason and Midge Klump

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moose.jpg
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/midge_klump_2_8337_9.jpg

A veritable hulk of a young man, Moose is (apparently) dumb to the point of semi-retardation at times, yet has a good heart. Nevertheless, God help you if you mess with "his Gurl". Midge is basically a Flat Character and either someone for boys (usually Reggie) to covet, or as a token "third friend" to Betty and Ronnie.


  • Alliterative Name: Marmaduke "Moose" Mason.
  • Animal Motifs: In English comics, he is nicknamed Big Moose. In Spanish translations, he is nicknamed Big Gorilla. Both names are self-explanatory.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Moose is a pretty Nice Guy most of the time, right up until someone pushes his Berserk Button.
    • A number of stories give this trait to Midge as well, with the rather short girl having a nasty temper and a heck of a punch. Although in a few cases this is played for laughs. In one story, Veronica intentionally tries to get sick, because she wants to share a sick room with Archie and Betty (who both got an infectious illness on the same day). Veronica ends up sharing a room with the equally ill Moose instead. Midge gets the impression that Ron is trying to steal her boyfriend, and spends the last page or so yelling at Veronica and threatening her with a clenched fist.
  • Book Dumb: Even if he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, Moose often displays more common sense than people give him credit for. He can discern out when people are lying to him, and he refuses to take the easy way out when it comes to coasting through college on his athletic skills. As Dilton's Gym tutor, Moose figures out how to inspire Dilton to pass his physical exam. When Archie tries to get Midge appear on a game show with him, Moose ensures that he gets the better end of the deal he makes with Archie, so that he and Midge use Archie's invitation instead. They agree to divide the prizes, which turn out to be a new refrigerator and a trip to Las Vegas. Moose and Midge get the trip to Vegas...while Archie is stuck with the fridge.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Midge. Her hairstyle varies over the decades, but she tends to have the shortest hair among the girls, barely reaching her ears or sometimes slightly below them.
  • Brains and Brawn: Moose is the Brawn to Dilton's Brains.
    • A word-scramble game in the digests lists Midge as the third-best student in school (after Betty and Dilton), meaning that she could also fill the brains half of the trope if the game's facts are canon.
  • Bruiser with a Soft Center: Moose, despite being prone to anger and violence, is kind and gentle deep down, especially with children. In some cases, he is simply trying to protect his friends from danger (or perceived danger), in others he is helpful even to strangers.
  • Bully Hunter: While often depicted as a bully himself, the gang can always count on Moose to handle other, less benevolent giants in the district who victimize his friends. This especially goes for Dilton; anyone he catches pushing his "Little Buddy" around is begging to be demolished!
  • But Not Too Foreign: Moose is eventually revealed to have Russian ancestry.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Not quite to the level of her boyfriend (see below), but Midge goes crazy whenever another girl hits (or even appears to hit) on Moose.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy:
    • Do not hit on Midge. Do not talk to Midge. Do not accidentally bump into Midge. Do not breathe near Midge. If you do, then Moose will kill you. Even Jughead isn't immune to this, and he is the last guy who would hit on Midge (except for a certain fantasy-future storyline).
    • Despite Word of God designating him as Moose's "close friend," Dilton isn't immune to this, either. One story (featuring the gang as summer camp counselors and a magic-powered younger camper playing magical pranks on the gang; oddly, Sabrina isn't involved in this story) has Moose tricked into thinking that Dilton left flowers and a note to Midge. Moose angrily tells Dilton to "prepare to fly back to Riverdale!" Cue Dilton sent flying into the air (with a "POW!" sound effect) in the next panel.
    • With Jughead it is more of a Depending on the Writer. He sometimes "trusts" Jughead, but sometimes he still goes berserk all the same.
    • Note that Moose has pretty much the same reaction to anyone who intentionally or unintentionally hurts Midge as well. A minor accident that causes her some pain, and the other party has an angry gorilla going after him.
  • Cutting the Knot: Moose was actually able to solve a Rubik's Cube, stumping his friends (including Dilton!) in the process, by simply taking the puzzle apart and then putting the same-colored parts together.
  • Depending on the Artist: Moose will either be depicted as ripped like a comic book superhero (with six-pack abs and everything), or like a giant gorilla of a man. Either way, he is still huge.
    • Midge's height has also varied over the years. In some stories, she has the same approximate height as Betty and Veronica. In others, Veronica has to crouch a bit in order to stand face to face with the considerably shorter Midge.
  • Depending on the Writer: Midge is either the unwilling victim of Reggie's come-ons, or actually excited to steal away with him while Moose is distracted (it leans more towards the former in older stories). In one story, Betty and Veronica are cheerily gossiping about their love interests and acquaintances (while unaware that their conversation is broadcast on the school radio). When it comes to Reggie's skills in kissing, they mention that the only person who really appreciates them is Midge.
    • How loyal Midge and Moose are to each other also varies a lot. Moose has at times tried to claim Betty, Veronica, or both of them as new love interests, and he can be as possessive of them as he is with Midge. Midge is happy to date both Moose and Reggie, but she has also been depicted sharing kisses with Archie (or someone else) behind their backs. Conversely, she is at times depicted as angry, disgusted, or even horrified when seeing Moose assaulting Reggie or other boys she likes. This is also goes as per her resentment (or lack thereof) at being treated in general as a object of fear because of Moose's jealousy.
    • How "dumb" Moose is also varies. A story has him needing tutoring from both Betty and Midge to improve his grades, but the girls find out that he already has passing grades in most of his classes. At one point Moose is ironically failing physical education, but as it turns out, this was solely due to him missing a field examination to tend to an emergency. Another has him receiving offers of football scholarships from various colleges, but he notices that several involve working towards practically useless degrees in exchange for winning games for them. He sees right through these, and tries to seek offers which actually provide solid education and working skills. Other stories have him catching on quickly when people try to lie to him.
  • Dumb Muscle: The huge and powerful Moose is commonly depicted as being REALLY dumb. As in, not knowing where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located, or what 2 + 2 is.
    • Heart Is an Awesome Power: In one instance his dimness proves key to stopping a "super"-salesman. The salesman sells his wares by putting ideas in people's heads, and Moose just happens to grasp ideas at a very slow rate.
    • Calling Me a Logarithm: Moose's vocabulary is VERY LIMITED to the point of confusing words that are unknown to him with words of a completely different meaning.
    Moose: "Duhhh hey! Who are you calling an idiom!?"
  • Ear Worm: Dilton once composed a rap song with lyrics containing historical facts to help Moose in the subject; because the song was so catchy, Moose managed to memorize it and pass his oral History test.
  • Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Moose had an overly cartoony design in his earliest appearances.
  • Flat Character: Midge is either annoyed at Moose' protectiveness, or a token female friend to the other girls. Then again, there is the fact that she gets just as insanely jealous whenever another girl shows interest in Moose. One of the main problems is that Midge rarely gets A Day in the Limelight, and her perspective in a number of stories in never explored. In some cases she is practically an extra. A two-parter story has most of the main cast seeking Archie, who apparently left Riverdale for a few days and neglected to notify them. Midge only appears in two panels during their search, and has a single speaking line.
  • Gentle Giant: Moose, a tall, muscle-bound guy with an overall good nature.
  • Hidden Depths: a Christmas special makes Dilton realize that Moose has the potential to be a poet.
  • High-School Sweethearts: Despite their long-standing relationship, after university, Midge realizes that she doesn't actually want to live with Moose's insane jealousy and breaks up with him in both the "Archie Marries Betty" and "Archie Marries Veronica" timelines.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Even more so in early years, when Midge had a more petite build than Betty or Veronica.
  • Informed Attractiveness: Midge looks the same as all the other girls in town, but is seen as particularly attractive to boys, likely due to the "forbidden fruit" aspect.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: Moose sometimes does this when he's not getting jealous of anyone ogling Midge. In one story, he once went after Reggie for startling Midge so bad that she fell off the curb and could've seriously hurt herself. In another story Archie and Jughead trick a couple of bullies who previously beat them up into going after Moose, with predictable results. In yet another story, Moose puts the fear of God into a Babysitter from Hell who's criminally neglecting the little boy he's responsible for.
  • "L" Is for "Dyslexia": This was given as the explanation for Moose's near mental-retardation in one story- it hasn't really been followed up on (as "stupid jock" jokes are much easier to come by than "legitimate learning disability" jokes), but it explains how he is still actually in the same classes as everybody else after all these years.
  • Literal-Minded: Moose. One time he was asked to put a can of tomatoes in soup (guess what he did put in). answer 
    • Moose occasionally did this to the point of excluding reason or logic. Told to put peat moss in Veronica's garden, Moose promptly went out and found someone named "Pete Morse". Hilarity ensued.
    • One infamous strip had the gang propose a "carpool" to save up on gas whenever they go to the beach, and they all voted on Moose's car. What does he do to his car? Fill it up with water.
    • Selected to run for office? He shows up to the meeting in a track outfit.
  • Load-Bearing Hero: When the gang take a vacation to Italy, they hear Moose crying for help, and find him trying to push a certain building into place. Jughead snarks about who should be telling Moose it was supposed to be that way. If you haven't guessed, it was the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
  • Nice Guy: Moose is a gentle guy most of the time.
  • Official Couple: One of the very few in the comics.
  • Only Six Faces: Like most women, Midge looks just like Betty and Ronnie, but with short black hair.
  • Stupidly Long Filler Sound: If not saying "Duh...", Moose does this frequently if he gets dumbfounded by simple questions or, in one strip, rhetorical questions.
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Midge has Boyish Short Hair and plays for the school's softball team, but unlike Betty, she isn't known for her domestic talents. However, she does enjoy wearing pretty dresses and shopping with her friends.
  • Tomboyness Upgrade: Midge was originally just a generically feminine character, but like Betty, later years gave her a few tomboyish interests such as softball.
  • Too Dumb to Fool: In one comic, there was a charismatic Con Man who could convince people to buy anything he wanted them to by putting ideas in their heads. He tries this on Moose, but it doesn't work as he doesn't process ideas very well. He does know when he is being insulted, however, and promptly decks the guy for calling him a stupid lard bucket, depriving him of his charming voice.
  • Town Girls: Midge is the "butch" to Veronica's "femme" and Betty's "neither". She's got the shortest hair of the girls, plays softball, can be as tough and short-tempered as her boyfriend when she wants to be, and is implied to have Moose under control.
  • Verbal Tic: Moose often starts his speaking lines with "D-uh...", but this is inconsistent, and Moose often appears more eloquent. In one story, Riverdale High declares a "No Violence Day" to prevent the students from physically fighting each other (as usual). Reggie points out to Moose that he can not punch him throughout this day. Moose gives him a predatory grin and replies "Yeah! But there's always tomorrow!" No verbal tics whatsoever.
  • The Worf Effect: Various stories have Moose defeated by either a regular character displaying new physical skills, or a new character trying to be tough. In both cases this is to establish how dangerous the other character is. In one episode, Moose gets into a fight with a much shorter (but athletic) young man, nicknamed "Angel". The guy easily evades all of Moose's attacks through feats of agility, and punches Moose in the face with relative ease. After Moose concedes the fight, Dilton realizes that "Angel" is the son of Tony Angelino, a retired professional boxer. The implication being that he had been trained by his dad and was using professional techniques rather than brute strength (unlike Moose).

    Cheryl and Jason Blossom 

Cheryl Blossom

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cheryl_blossom.jpg

The Pembrooke-born snob who debuted in 1982 as kind of a "third choice" seductress that took Riverdale by storm. She was short-lived, but made a surprise return at the end of "The Love Showdown", becoming a major recurring character. She spent most of the 1990s in various Limited Series and her own book, but eventually most of that was dropped and she became a minor supporting character.


  • All for Nothing: Cheryl at one point entered a cooking competition hosted by Pop Tate's with the outrageous claim that she knows the "best recipe" in the world, yak stew. She deserves a little credit, as she really did pull out all the stops to get this recipe, without breaking any rules, that is until the day of the competition. She couldn't kill a yak for the stew, so she substituted with hamburger meat. She wins the competition, but gets disqualified anyway because of the subsitution.
  • Alpha Bitch: Cheryl is extremely bitchy and catty. She shows how manipulative she can be when she always plots and schemes to steal Archie away from both Veronica and Betty.
  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The Redhead to Betty's Blonde and Veronica's Brunette.
  • Character Development: She became nicer as her own series moved forward, replacing her Rich Bitch persona with that of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. Also revealed some actual skills at managing a hotel, working as an editor for a magazine, and even starring in a short-lived reality show. She also developed some actual friendships with Betty and Dilton. Her pet dog Sugar was introduced in part to give her some genuine "Pet the Dog" moments not involving her beauty.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She was written out twice before ending up as a permanent, though sporadic, character.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Displays this at times. There was an instance in Kevin Keller's ongoing series where one of her Pembrooke classmates expressed homophobic feelings and she called him out on it.
  • Evil Redhead: Downplayed. Cheryl isn't completely bad but she can be very scheming and manipulative at times. At one point, she agreed to help three of her female friends improve their style and their appeal to boys. They find out that Cheryl had the "lessons" videotaped without their permission, and was planning to sell the video as a self-help guide. In another story Cheryl finds out what costume Veronica would wear for a Halloween party, has an identical costume prepared for her, and uses the costume and some acting skills to impersonate Veronica within the party.
  • Give Geeks a Chance: One story had her intertwined with Dilton, of all people, when they were paired by a dating service. She and the nerdy genius actually hit it off quite well, although Negative Continuity would eventually lead to this relationship being dropped.
  • Jaded Washout: In Life With Archie: The Married Life, Cheryl is working as a waitress in Los Angeles, having failed to make it as an actress. Her parents disinherit her as they don't approve of her career choices.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The personality (sometimes) used in her own series. She becomes much less conniving, but is still a glory-hound.
  • Manipulative Bitch: She can be selfish and manipulative, sometimes plotting to lure Archie away from Betty and Veronica. Also various other schemes to gain fame and (her own) fortune.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Dan DeCarlo gave her a Pamela Anderson clone body, with even larger breasts and buttocks than was normal for Riverdale girls, and she was frequently seen in skimpier clothes than all the others. In one beach storyline, she tried to go topless.
  • Only Six Faces: A notable aversion, as not only was her body type depicted differently than the famously-similar other Archieverse girls (decidedly more buxom), but her face was as well — she had thicker lips and lashes than everybody else.
  • Punny Name: Her name is a play on the word "cherry blossom".
  • Put on a Bus: She was actually written out in the late 90s as actually moving away for a while.
    • The Bus Came Back: This lasted a few years, and she returned (without her own series this time) as a minor character.
  • Replacement Flat Character: Was this to Veronica, being a hotter, snobbier, richer girl who won Archie over with sex appeal, once Veronica had become a nicer individual. Cheryl actually needed her own replacement once her own series moved forward and revealed her nicer side as well.
  • Rich Bitch: She is very proud of her wealth and occasionally squabbles with Veronica over who leads the more extravagant lifestyle. Subverted in one of her returns to the series. The Blossoms were depicted as having lost much of their wealth in bad investments and were forced for a while to adopt a typical middle-class lifestyle. Cheryl was also forced to transfer from Pembroke Academy (an exclusive private school) to Riverdale High. Some of her stories depicted Cheryl's problems to adjust, but the dramatic tone was soon dropped.
  • Third-Option Love Interest: The former Trope Namer. Famously came in as a "third choice", and temporarily had a legit shot at taking over. In the "Love Showdown" storyline, for example, Betty and Veronica escalate their competition for Archie, which ends in Archie choosing Cheryl Blossom instead (although the Status Quo is restored in a follow-up special). This being Archie Comics, for a while Archie dated all three girls. Some stories even had all three of them angry because Archie was cheating on them with someone else (usually minor, one-shot characters), or hitting on other women during their dates.
  • Villain Protagonist: A few of the stories in her own series were this.
  • Wolverine Publicity: Cheryl exploded onto the Archie scene on her 1990s return, quickly getting one limited series after another. Finally, she got her own series and was a constant feature. Eventually, backlash set in, and she was actually written out of the books again before the decade was over, and is now just a recurring character.
  • Workout Fanservice: The cover of one of her mini-series issues had her thanking Archie for being patient while she exercised dressed in sexy workout gear. Archie's Wingding Eyes showed that he didn't mind waiting.

Jason Blossom

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jason_blossom.jpg

Cheryl's twin brother, who was introduced at the same time as she was and shared her rise and fall in the limelight — though he never quite managed to become much more than a supporting character to his sister. Jason is just as rich, good-looking, arrogant and snobbish as Cheryl, but not as popular. Despite his disdain for "townies" and repeated claims that he only dates rich girls, he does carry a bit of a torch for Betty.

  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Jason and Cheryl don't get along that well. They are always bickering, sniping, and insulting each other, and at times they come across as perfectly willing to sell each other out for personal gain. However, when the chips are down, they are always there for each other.
  • Even Evil Has Standards:
    • It is rare, but Jason will occasionally show that he does have some morals. For instance, he was quite angry at his friend Cedric after he found out that Cedric had sabotaged Dilton in a televised quiz program in order to win a bet.
    • One particular comic had Cheryl's teddy bear go missing. Jason initially mocked her for still needing a teddy bear to go to sleep, but did make it clear afterwards that stealing a childhood toy is too spiteful and petty for him.
  • Hopeless Suitor: To Betty. Even when they do spend time together, there is no real romance between them. In one story, he agrees to follow Betty and Cheryl to Pop's shop, pays for their food and drink, and sits listening to their conversation, just to spend some time with Betty. The story was devoted to a stronger bonding between Betty and Cheryl, and Jason was clearly the third wheel. The two girls either ignored him or gently teased him.
  • Jerkass: For the most part. He does have a Hidden Heart of Gold, but it is very hidden.
  • Prince Charming Wannabe: Despite her different social status, Jason would love to sweep Betty off her feet...Depending on the Writer she either doesn't like him at all, or she simply has no romantic interest in him. On the few occasions she did agree to date him, it was usually to make Archie jealous.
    • Jason tried to date Veronica in at least one story, but wasn't any more successful than he was with Betty. Notably, Veronica was originally attracted to his Cool Car, but the fact that he Drives Like Crazy (which was not played for laughs, as he nearly kills himself and Veronica speeding past an oncoming train to avoid getting caught by the police) makes her go right back to Archie.
      Archie: When I see his face, I'm going to push it in for him!
      Veronica: He won't be too hard to find, Archie. Just look for a snob on a skateboard. (as they pass by Jason, who's been pulled over by the cops and is about to lose his driver's licence)
  • Satellite Character: To Cheryl. Jason gets far less attention than his twin sister, and it is rare to see him in a story where he doesn't play second banana to her — and the number of stories where Jason appears but Cheryl doesn't are almost non-existent. By contrast, Cheryl appears without Jason quite often.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: He will occasionally try to pull this off, but it never really succeeds.
  • Sibling Seniority Squabble: Jason is two minutes older than Cheryl, a fact he is immensely proud of...even though she does not respect his "seniority" at all.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Jason is in no way as witty, sophisticated or clever as he thinks he is.

    Kevin Keller 

Kevin Keller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kevin_keller_2811.jpg

One of the newest characters added into the series. Kevin's the new kid in town who's quickly become good friends with Jughead and Veronica. He's also interested in becoming a journalist, and the local news paper publishes his articles now and then. He was introduced in 2010 as one of the first positive portrayals of an openly gay character in a series aimed for children — to put it mildly, it was huge. Kevin's introduction and accompanying mini-series sold out faster than any previous Archie comic, and spawned his own graphic novel within two years. Now he has his own permanent series, which already had a staggering number of pre-orders before it even hit shelves.


  • Alliterative Name: Kevin Keller.
  • Big Eater: Kevin shares Jughead's voracious appetite.
  • Cat Smile: His face seems to be permanently stuck in this expression, even when frowning.
  • Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In his first appearance Kevin had Black Bead Eyes like most characters. Afterwards he was given baby blue eyes.
  • Foil: To Jughead. Jug and Kevin bonded instantly over their mutual love of food, but in other ways they're total opposites. Jug is straight but can't stand women (revealed in 2016 to be canonically asexual), Kevin is gay but loves all the girls in town. And while Jughead hates Veronica (or at least "frenemies" hates her), Kevin and Veronica have fast become best friends.
  • Gay Best Friend: To Veronica (after she gave up on seducing him) and to Jughead (when they discovered that they both enjoy food).
  • Incompatible Orientation: Veronica never stood a chance.
  • New Transfer Student: How he's introduced in the comic.
  • Straight Gay: Despite being explicitly created to be a gay teen in the Archie universe, Kevin is pretty mundane. His first storyline had to deal with him turning down Veronica, who had a crush on him. A later mini-series went over the rest of his life, and showed him as an army brat with a goal of joining the armed forces himself.
  • Token Minority: He's the only (out) gay recurring character. All his dates so far have been with one-shot walk-ons.
  • Wolverine Publicity: Not only did Kevin's introduction issue and own mini-series sell out (enough to warrant a reprint of both under a variant cover), but just his presence on the cover is enough to sell out other series, as the Life with Archie issue that featured his wedding was practically sold out before it even went to print (the only places to get it now include the Archie Comics mobile app, and one of the Life With Archie paperback compilations).

    Trula Twyst 

Trula Twyst

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3341337_0964787702_trula.jpg

A psychiatrist's daughter, Trula becomes obsessed with manipulating the emotions of people, especially one Jughead Jones. It is never quite clear if she has romantic feelings towards "Juggers" or if she is just doing it for the sheer fun of it, but she has become a fairly important fixture of the Jughead books since her debut in the late 1990s.


  • The Chessmaster: Jughead is merely a lab rat; once the Riverdale High student body witnessed what she could do (turning Jughead into her willing slave), she became the most popular girl in school...her real object all along.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Most of her humorous lines.
  • Depending on the Writer: Usually it is a question of whether or not she likes Jughead, but a few times she outright stated it (and one writer had her kiss him!). One story had her telling Jughead that a certain amount of kisses with a woman would be enough to re-program him and to have him fall in love with said woman. Jughead impulsively kisses Trula and dares her to try her theory on him. Due to a number of misunderstandings, they keep kissing each other throughout the story, and think that the other person is the one initiating it. Before the final kiss to test her theory, they both back down and admit that they do not want a relationship caused by mental programming.
  • Femme Fatale: More or less. Doesn't use sex as much as her brainpower and manipulation, though.
  • Fiery Redhead: She has brown-red hair (color tone varies among depictions), and a feisty, combative personality.
  • More than Mind Control: Her unique powers of persuasion.
  • Only Six Faces: Slightly averted. Resembles the other girls, but her nose is usually depicted as a bit more triangular in shape.
  • Psycho Psychologist : A supreme one. She once convinced Jughead to not like hamburgers.
  • The Rival: To Jughead.
  • Smug Snake: Nearly everything she says is done with an evil smirk.

    The Riverdale High Faculty 

The Riverdale High Faculty

A rather large cast of characters, though only a handful are fairly prominent. Major cast members include Mr. Waldo Weatherbee (the somewhat obese school principal), Miss Geraldine Grundy (a token crabby teacher), Coach Kleats (an chubby old-school football coach), Coach Floyd Harry Clayton (Chuck's father, a more in-shape coach), Prof. Elmer Benjamin Flutesnoot (the Chem & Sciences teacher), Miss Bernice Beazley (the abrasive cafeteria worker) and Mr. Svenson (the gag-foreigner Swedish janitor). Lesser-known characters include Miss Haggly (another crone of a teacher), Miss Phlips (The Bee's secretary), Mr. Grimley (a long-suffering guidance counsellor prone to ulcers), Vice Principal Patton Howitzer (of the Drill Sergeant Nasty variety) and Superintendent Hassle (the school district superintendent).
  • Bait-and-Switch: One story has Superintendent Hassle insist on talking to Mr. Weatherbee about the Riverdale High newspaper, specifically the pictures which Jughead had taken featured therein. Weatherbee thinks Hassle is going to yell at him about the paper's "scandalous" photos (which include Midge in Reggie's arms, Miss Grundy scared onto her desk by a mouse and the students throwing out Miss Beazley's cooking) but which actually display the problems with the school's infrastructure (the photo of Midge only show her foot from where she trips on a sidewalk crack (but not of the rest of her or Reggie), how Grundy's scare shows how badly the vermin problem had gotten and Miss Beazley's measures in disposing of the rotten food (with the help of the students), due to the cafeteria oven being out of order, with Jughead's stories showing how badly things in the school have deteriorated.
  • Butt-Monkey: Mr. Weatherbee gets a lot of this due to the students (mostly Archie)'s antics.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Patton Howitzer and more than a few others have casually disappeared without a mention.
  • Cool Old Lady: Miss Grundy-or rather, Ms. Grundy-earned this reputation after advocating for the female students to have some of the rights previously reserved only for boys, such as wearing slacks and taking auto shop class.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: In one story, Archie and the gang find out the hard way that Coach Kleats was a monster on the sports field (and still is).
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: Patton Howitzer, who still dresses in military gear and demands that students march.
  • Everybody Is Single: Except Coach Clayton, who is married and has a teenaged son. A few stories also depict the dating lives of Weatherbee and some of the staff members, or their past romantic relationships, without resulting in any major changes. A story depicted Geraldine Grundy as dating Weatherbee's brother in her teenage years, but she reportedly broke up with him in their college years, because he kept cheating on her with Hermione (the future Hermione Lodge, Veronica's mother).
  • Funetik Aksent: Mr. Svenson never pronounces his "V"s.
  • I Need a Freaking Drink: Mr. Grimley's running joke essentially boils down to a G-Rated Drug reskin of this trope; with the silliness of the students' dreams and aspirations upsetting Grimley's ulcers and driving him to chug copious amounts of antacids in a way reminiscent of this trope.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: Used at times in stories depicting the younger days of the faculty members. The white-haired Geraldine Grundy used to be a cute, red-headed girl with an active love life of her own, with a number of stories mentioning Grundy as being a former cheerleader. Waldo Weatherbee has been depicted as a handsome boy, but reportedly started going prematurely bald while still in his teens and starts overeating in his college years. One story has a rather disturbed Archie finding a photo of teenage Waldo that looks similar to Archie, making him fear that he is going to grow up into a Weatherbee-clone. The obese Coach Kleats used to be a handsome jock and hoped that his active lifestyle would keep him youthful-looking. It does not work out. Averted in Flutesnoot's case. While depicted as having longer hair in his younger days, his long nose ruined his overall looks even then.
  • Not So Above It All: They often end up in detention, especially Flutesnoot.
    Betty: Hi, Jughead, how's detention?
    Jughead: Really weird. Superintendent Hassle gave detentions to me, Archie, Professor Flutesnoot and Mr. Weatherbee.
    • Jughead, Archie, Moose and Reggie try to have a rally with their RC cars after school, only to have their toys confiscated by Weatherbee, Grundy, Flutesnoot, and Haggly. After school, these selfsame faculty members decide to play with the RC cars themselves.
  • Punny Name: Professor Flutesnoot (his nose is big), Coach Kleats, Patton Howitzer (the drill sergeant), and a few of the background teachers like Greta Grappler (the female gym teacher) and Miss Hammly (the drama teacher). Also Geraldine Grundy's name is a reference to "Mrs Grundy", a famous theatrical character created in 1798 by Thomas Morton, "a personification of the tyranny of conventional propriety". References to the proverbial character (and the associated concept) kept appearing in literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. For example, Walter de la Mare described Mrs. Grundy as “High-coifed, broad-browed, aged, suave but grim, A large flat face, eyes keenly dim, staring at nothing...on each of those chairs has gloated in righteousness".
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Most of them, Depending on the Writer. But, if we are going to list one consistent example...if ever there is to be an argument between student and faculty, you can bet that Ms. Grundy would be neutral to the whole thing, willing to listen to the student's side of the argument. Older stories often depicted her as more manipulative and more perceptive than the other faculty.
  • Two-Teacher School: Hugely averted, though even with a full cast of teachers generally available, they will still use Miss Grundy for all after-school activities, plays, etc., rather than someone like an actual Drama teacher (Miss Hammly, a rarely-seen background character).
    • And yet most of them were also the gang's faculty in elementary school...
  • Tyrant Takes the Helm: One story has Weatherbee on leave, leaving Vice Principal Howitzer in charge. The students compare his reign to boot camp. This is a stock plot used in a number of stories where Weatherbee is either transferred to another school, or (temporarily) scheduled for mandatory retirement. The replacement is inevitably a tyrant, jerk, or both, so the students conspire to have Weatherbee restored.

    Mr. Hiram P. Lodge 

Mr. Hiram P. Lodge

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3341395_7260397491_hiram.jpg

Hiram is married to Hermione Lodge and he has a daughter, Veronica Lodge. He is a billionaire and the richest man in Riverdale (in fact, according to one story, the Lodge Family founded it).


  • Adaptational Villainy: In some continuities, Mr. Lodge can be a thorough Jerkass if not an outright Corrupt Corporate Executive. In the main series, he is mostly an honest, stressed out businessman with a nasty temper.
  • Catchphrase: "Egad!" usually in response to Archie or Veronica's antics.
  • The Chew Toy: He is one of the perennial victims of Archie's clumsiness, explaining why he hates his daughter's boyfriend so much. Many stories featuring the duo involve Hiram getting annoyed (if not outright injured), his valuables damaged, his employees harmed or otherwise annoyed, and his business deals undermined due to Archie. Although sometimes these instances turn out not to really be Archie's fault. In one story, Hiram asked Veronica to mail an important letter for him. He later finds out that she entrusted the task to Archie. Hiram asks: "Why did you do that? If I didn't want Bill to get the letter I wouldn't have written it!"
    • When Archie isn't the one driving him nuts, it's Veronica and her spending sprees.
  • Cool and Unusual Punishment: A couple of stories have him inflict these on Veronica. In one story, Veronica goes overboard buying new wardrobes for all the other Riverdale High students, as well as redecorating the school itself, all so they would match her new outfits. Mr. Lodge, who is understandably furious, forces her to return her outfits, so that she is the only student at Riverdale High with an out-of-style wardrobe. On occassion, he also punishes Archie, Betty, Jughead, or Reggie in creative ways, if they get on his bad side.
  • Depending on the Writer: His heartless businessman tendencies. Also his parenting skills and attitude. In some stories, he caves in to Veronica's every demand, in others he is being an overly strict or tyrannical father. For example forcing Veronica to attend social events and meetings with him where she is the only teenager present, because they have to keep up appearances. In some stories, he is an overprotective dad, in others he barely pays attention to Veronica's needs. In one story, he happily announces to Veronica that they are going to move out of Riverdale, sell their house and her beloved ponies, and that she will not see her friends again, after getting a great business offer by another businessman. He doesn't even pay attention to her depressed attitude. The situation is resolved when Betty manipulates the other businessman to cancel their deal.
  • Distressed Dude: One of the series' Strictly Formula plots involves Mr. Lodge being targeted by various criminals and CorruptCorporateExecutives. Archie and the gang are always the ones to stop them.
  • Good Is Not Nice: He's an honest businessman, a loving father to Veronica and a Cool Old Guy to the rest of the teens, but he has no problem laying down the law. He'll come up with CoolAndUnusualPunishments for Ronnie and her friends when they screw something up. In one story, he explodes when he realizes that a crooked business rival has been ripping him off. The story ends by implying that Mr. Lodge is going to take over his rival's entire conglomerate.
  • Helicopter Parents: Mr. Lodge isn't very fond of Archie dating Veronica, mostly because accident-prone Archie typically destroys something valuable whenever he visits Lodge Manor. Other stories avert this trope when Archie and his friends rescue Mr. Lodge from crooked thieves, blackmailers, or business rivals. Note that his overprotectiveness does not only extend to her romantic relationships. A story had Hiram agreeing to allow Veronica go on a solo vacation...only to then send one of his detectives covertly following her and supposedly shielding her from dangers. He does not trust her on her own. Veronica soon notices the guy because he has a habit to wear expensive sunglasses even when pretending to be a regular working stiff. She manages to escape from both his and Hiram's supervision and really goes on her first solo vacation. Hiram realizes too late that his "little girl" is more perceptive than he previously thought.
  • Honest Corporate Executive: In the main "continuity", Mr. Lodge is this. However, a few stories also make him a target of corrupt rivals.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mr. Lodge is actually a really nice guy – it is just that being one of the main victims of Archie's clumsiness has a tendency to drive him crazy. Some stories explain that his professional life causes him a lot of stress and he seeks to relax in his own home...only to have Archie there to ruin it for him.
  • Mistaken for an Imposter: There is a story in which Veronica has Archie masquerade as her dad at the school's father-daughter dance, since Mr. Lodge had to go on a business trip. She gets angry with Archie at some point and then he goes outside, where he finds Mr. Lodge, who cancelled said business trip so he could go to the dance. Mr. Lodge arrives at the dance, but Veronica, still angry with Archie, attempts to expose him and finds out the hard way that she is yelling at her father.
  • Nice to the Waiter: His butler Smithers is also one of his closest friends.
  • Not So Above It All: When Archie and Jughead are fooling around with a swivel chair in Mr. Lodge's home office, Veronica got mad at them since she thinks their shenanigans scratched Mr. Lodge's new desk. Lodge arrives and for once doesn't fault the boys for the scratch, since he was the culprit himself. When the teens leave, Lodge goes to work...and starts spinning on the swivel chair himself, doing exactly what Archie and Jughead were guilty of earlier.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Inverted as Veronica will often attempt to utilize her clout to get what she wants, and Mr. Lodge will chide her for doing so, although it does depend on how she conducts herself. He seems to have no problem with pressuring Weatherbee to give Ron some preferential treatment. But if he notices Veronica acting cruelly or selfishly, he is usually the first person to criticize her.
  • Self-Made Man: Sometimes Mr. Lodge is written as being born into a wealthy family, other times he is written as building his own wealth from a middle-class existence. And the trope is subverted in this comic.
  • Uncle Pennybags: He is depicted as this in some stories, namely on those occasions when he isn't throwing a fit over Veronica's spending sprees or Archie destroying yet another expensive possession.
  • Upper-Class Equestrian: Shown in some stories to own a horse ranch as an indicator of his wealth.
  • Workaholic: Whether in his office, his home, or on travel, Hiram is nearly always depicted working or preparing business deals. His family and his limited social life are often depicted as tools to whatever he is planning. Seeing him relax or share quality time with his wife and daughter is a rare situation.

     Forsythia "Jellybean" Joens 

Forsythia "Jellybean" Jones

Jughead's baby sister.
  • Baby Language: Comics focusing on her has her able to speak with other babies.
  • Embarrassing First Name: To Jughead at least, and he goes to extreme lengths to keep it secret.
  • Meaningful Name: Her nickname comes from the overturn jellybean truck that blocked Jughead's mom when she was on her way to give birth.
  • Shared Family Quirks: One story sees her favorite flavor of baby food, Strained Pizza, getting discontinued, and Jughead tries to recreate the flavor to no success. Jughead decides to ask the baby food producers if there's a secret ingredient, and they explain they use ground anchovies which was why it was so unpopular with other babies. Jughead takes it as a sign that Jellybean shares his taste in odd food combos.

     Hot Dog 

Hot Dog

Jughead's pet dog.
  • Big Eater: Just like his owner, he loves to eat.
  • Official Couple: He's in a relationship with Veronica's poodle Lucretia, which both of their owners don't like at all.

     Terry "Pop" Tate 
The owner of the Chocklit shop, the local hangout for the gang.

Other comics characters

    Josie James and The Pussycats 

Josie James And the Pussycats

See the Josie and the Pussycats page for more in-depth tropage.

    Sabrina Spellman, The Teenage Witch 

Sabrina Spellman, the Teenage Witch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sabrina_9.jpg

Originally introduced as a one-off character in the 1960s, Sabrina became one of Archie's major secondary characters over the years, often having her own comic book, several Animated Series and, most famously, her own Sitcom in the late 90s/early 2000s. Her shtick is Exactly What It Says on the Tin, a teenager who's secretly a witch and is being raised by her two spinster aunts (also witches, natch) to learn the use of her powers. Supporting characters include her (mortal) boyfriend Harvey, and Salem (a human turned into a cat as punishment for trying to conquer the world). Sabrina's stories, by their nature of involving magic, tend to be quite fanciful or outlandish, and she wasn't above hosting horror anthologies back when those were popular. While Sabrina's stories are usually set in her own hometown, she'll also occasionally appear in stories set in Riverdale (as a visiting friend of Archie, Jughead, and the gang).

For more on Sabrina, see her own page.

    Wendell the Busboy 

Wendell the Busboy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lwa_003.jpg

A mysterious individual who appears in the last quarter of the remaining issues of Life With Archie: The Married Life. Not much is known about him overall, except that he's taken in as a new busboy of the Chocklit Shoppe by Jughead. Lately, however, Wendell has been stalking Kevin Keller and his husband Clay Walker for a long time now and hates getting his pictures taken, giving the impression that there is something very shady about him. It is later revealed by the end of the series that he is a Heteronormative Crusader and a gunman who shoots Clay during one of his robberies in issue #22. He later goes on a rampage, gunning down gay employees in the Southport Mall in issue #30, and now seeks to end Kevin's life when his attempt to stop Kevin from becoming a senator on gun control fails. It will have to take a Heroic Sacrifice from Archie to save the day...


  • Beard of Evil: Starts growing a goatee as the story moves on to Issue #36.
  • Beneath Suspicion: Almost no one suspects that he is the shooter until issue #36.
  • Dramatic Drop: Lets go of the dishes when he fears that his cover may be blown in issue #36.
  • The Dreaded: Armed with a gun and filled with a strong hatred for homosexuality, he strikes fear in the hearts of the LGBT people. It's no surprise that Agent Mitchell and his team fear for Kevin's life.
  • Heteronormative Crusader: Wendell fits this trope to a T.
  • Hidden Agenda Villain: He baffles the police and Archie and his friends to the point when they're not sure if he has an agenda, or if the shooter can be found or revealed.
  • Mysterious Stranger: He is this to Jughead, Archie, and their friends.
  • Only One Name: He prefers to be secretive and mysterious with this trope.
  • The Reveal: In issue #36, when Agent Mitchell and his team learn that the suspect is among everyone in the after-party, Wendell fears that his cover may be blown and drops the dishes in an attempt to conceal his identity by hiding among the crowd. But from the time that Archie shouts out, "HE'S GOT A GUN!" and he pulls out his pistol to shoot Kevin, up to the time that Archie pulls out a Heroic Sacrifice, we all know who Wendell really is.
  • Scary Black Man: Kevin and Clay refer to him as this. They both turn out to be right when he makes an assassination attempt on Kevin.
  • Stalker without a Crush: He becomes totally obsessed over Kevin and Clay. So much that he wants to kill Kevin for his marriage to Clay and for becoming a gay senator advocating gun control.

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