WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Riverdale Season 6, Episode 6, “Chapter One Hundred and One: Unbelievable,” which aired Sunday, March 20 on The CW.
Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has confirmed the fate of Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) following the Archie Comics-based drama’s latest episode, “Chapter One Hundred and One: Unbelievable.”
In “Unbelievable,” Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) put a bounty on Hiram’s head after she discovered that he was the one responsible for bombing Archie Andrews’ (KJ Apa) house, nearly killing Archie and Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) in the process. Veronica’s attempt on her father’s life appeared to be successful, though we never actually saw a body.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Aguirre-Sacasa was asked if Hiram was really dead. “What can I say? I think he’s as dead as characters are on Riverdale,” he replied. “That’s to say he is pretty dead. Yeah, he’s dead. He wasn’t in Riverdale when he died. Usually, it’s people who are in Riverdale, who die in Riverdale, who come back. He seems pretty dead.”
Notably, it does not seem as though Hiram is due for a return anytime soon, as Consuelos departed Riverdale following the show’s fifth season. In the Season 5 finale — “Chapter Ninety-Five: Riverdale: RIP (?)” — Hiram quite literally departed the town of Riverdale, though left a parting gift in the form of a bomb placed underneath Archie’s bed.
Riverdale did not immediately resolve this cliffhanger when it returned for Season 6, instead pivoting into a horror-tinged pocket universe for the five-episode “Rivervale” event and subsequently going on hiatus. When Riverdale Season 6 returned with “Unbelievable,” it was revealed that Archie and Betty had not only survived the explosion, but gained special abilities in the process. Meanwhile, Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) — who was in Archie’s garage when the bomb went off — lost his hearing as a result of the loud blast.
“I will say that Jughead’s journey is just beginning, and it does seem like, unlike Archie and Betty, Jughead wasn’t granted a special ability,” Aguirre-Sacasa recently told TV Guide. “That said, he was a little further away from the nexus of the blast. So stay tuned and see what happens with Jughead. This is only the beginning of his journey, not the endpoint of his journey.” The showrunner went on to compare Jughead to Daredevil, a Marvel Comics superhero who gained heightened senses after losing his sight.
New episodes of Riverdale Season 6 air Sundays on The CW. The show has been renewed for Season 7.
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