As Season 4 of Riverdale kicks off, all eyes are on one troubled teen in particular. The Season 3 finale that aired back in May delivered about a million cliffhangers and twists, but the biggest question on every fan's mind is about Jughead. While many fans think that unexpected scene in last season's finale means Jughead will die in Season 4, there is another prominent theory brewing in the fandom. Now, people are wondering does Jughead kill someone in Riverdale Season 4? Let's dive into this dark theory about the new season.
The reason Jughead is at the forefront of every Riverdale fan's mind right now is because of that shocking flash-forward scene at the end of Season 3's finale. After the season-ending episode revealed the truth about the Gargoyle King and The Farm, it hit viewers with a brief time-jump to spring break of the Core Four's senior year. The short scene showed Archie, Veronica, and Betty gathered around a fire in the woods. The three friends are all in their underwear and covered in blood as Betty throws the notably-absent Jughead's beanie into the fire and instructs the others to never speak of whatever had just happened. Obviously, the ominous scene left pretty much every fan totally shook.
So, now the big question is what was going on in that scene. It definitely looks like the truth will not come out until at least the midseason finale of Season 4, but fans already have their guesses. Since the flash-forward is clearly set up to make viewers think Jughead was killed, that is the predominant worry among the fandom at the beginning of Season 4. But would Riverdale really kill off one of its lead characters? Honestly, that just does not feel likely at all.
More likely, the flash-forward was a fake-out, and Jughead is still alive somewhere off-screen. But then, why would Archie, Betty, and Veronica be covered in blood, burning Jughead's hat, and swearing each other to secrecy? It definitely does seem like they are covering up a murder... but maybe instead of Jughead being the victim, he was actually the killer. Right now, this feels like the most plausible reading of the scene, and fans know Jughead's friends would totally be down to help cover up his crime.
Then that begs the next big question: Who would Jughead kill? The show's major villains going into Season 4 are Hiram Lodge, Penelope Blossom, and Edgar Evernever. Since showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that The Farm storyline is wrapping up early in the third episode of Season 4, Edgar can probably be removed from the possibilities list. And honestly, it kind of feels like Hiram and Penelope are both going to be around for the long haul as constant threats.
I think the most likely victim of Jughead's possible murder is his own half-brother, Charles Smith. Charles is still a super new character that fans don't really know anything about, which makes him expendable in the grand scheme of the show, while his death would still feel super shocking since he is related to both Betty and Jughead. Plus, the last time a character claimed to be Charles Smith, he turned out to be a really bad dude, so this new Charles can't totally be trusted just yet...
Another very possible option for how to read this scene is that it will involve a new character from Stonewall Prep, the posh boarding school Jughead will attend in Season 4. It is easy to imagine Jughead not exactly fitting in among his pretentious new classmates, so fans can assume he will be making new enemies very quickly once he begins his new school.
Hopefully, viewers will start to get a better idea of what was really going on in that flash-forward scene as Season 4 progresses, but it looks like fans will have to wait to get the full story. Until then, be sure to keep up with Riverdale Season 4 as it airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.
