Riverdale‘s Dark and Twisted Second Season Could See a Batman-Like Evolution for Archie

Riverdale was an instantaneous hit for The CW. Based on the Archie Comics characters, the first season drew a large fanbase of teens and young adults who loved the absurd plot combining clandestine love affairs with a feudal murder mystery that all exist to show Riverdale is not the quaint town depicted in the comic series.

The season ended with a major cliffhanger, pointing to the start of a town-wide war between good and evil with Archie (AJ Kappa) in the middle of it. In the season’s final moments, Archie’s best friend Jughead (Cole Sprouse) joins the Southside Serpents gang, while Archie watches as his father Fred (Luke Perry) is gunned down over Milkshakes.

In an interview with Vulture, Riverdale showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa divulged what the finale will trigger moving into season two.

The showrunner alludes to another famous comic book character whose parents were killed in front of him. “What happened to Fred is like Bruce Wayne seeing his parents gunned down in Crime Alley in Gotham City. It completely changes him and it galvanizes him and gives him purpose.”

While Aguirre-Sacasa did not confirm whether Luke dies or not, saying fans “have to tune into the premiere,” he did elaborate on the division of good and evil growing more stark. “The idea that the heart of Riverdale was corrupted and what has been a safe place has fallen into crime and darkness hints at the theme of season two. It’s a civil war in Riverdale between the South Side, where the criminal elements reside, and the rest of the town. That’s what we’re exploring for season two.”

Aguirre-Sacasa did confirm that Fred will appear in the initial episode of season two, titled “A Kiss Before Dying.” However, the friction mentioned by Aguirre-Sacasa may affect Archie and Jughead’s friendship, now that they belong to opposite sides of Riverdale.

Camila Mendes (who plays Veronica) and Sprouse have both said the show moves into a grittier, darker place in season two. In addition to Fred’s possible death, other plotlines fans are waiting to see unfold include: the arrival of Veronica’s father, who despises Archie in the comic series; the continuation of Veronica and Archie’s relationship; Cheryl Blossom’s reaction to the news that her father murdered her beloved brother (she already burned their mansion down) and possibly the birth of baby twins from incest.

Find the rest of our Riverdale coverage here, and see where the show fell on our lists of the year’s best shows so far here and here.

Here we go. Season Two of #Riverdale is officially underway! Are you ready? pic.twitter.com/tPvMcRzv8t

— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) May 23, 2017