The Best Fan Theories on the Latest Riverdale Death

Let us break it to you real quick: Last night, the Riverdale writers pulled a real Game of Thrones move and killed off… Archie Andrews. After fleeing to Canada, getting attacked by a grizzly bear and playing a hallucination-fueled game of Gryphons and Gargoyles, Archie eventually dies. And with his death comes a lot of confusion and questions. Can a show that essentially revolves around him still exist if he doesn’t? Is he *actually* dead? Redditors, of course, have lots of theories. Here are the five best ones related to this bananas plot twist.

Theory 1: Archie is not actually dead

Several Reddit threads claim that KJ Apa, who plays Archie, is way too much of a draw to kill off. Also, in case you forgot, he’s the freaking lead. Thus, they think we can expect an opener for next week’s episode that involves a paramedic shouting “clear!” and reviving our red-headed hero with a defibrillator. Or, he’ll be alive but in a coma, only to miraculously wake up a few episodes later.

This outcome would also be in keeping with the show’s past plot tricks—remember back in season 2, when Jughead looked *super* dead after a Ghoulie-beating? (And Cole Sprouse tweeted “Thanks for everything”?) Still mad about that, to be honest.

Theory 2: Archie is about to become a zombie

This didn’t come up in the most recent Reddit threads about the show, but there is a persistent theory that the Riverdale writers are working on something based on Afterlife With Archie, one of the lesser-known comic books from the Archie series about a zombie apocalypse hitting Riverdale.

Although Jughead is the one who becomes a zombie in that story, and Archie manages to escape, there’s no reason why they’d follow the plot word-for-word… especially if the current series is any indication.

Theory 3: Sabrina will save Archie

This one is based both on the aforementioned zombie apocalypse, and the fact that there’s rumours of a future crossover episode in which the worlds of Chilling Adventures of Sabrinaand Riverdale collide. In Afterlife With Archie, Sabrina brings Jughead’s beloved pup Hot Dog back to life, and in Chilling Adventures, she revives Harvey’s brother. So that could mean there’s a similar revival for Archie in either a crossover episode, or a whole new series.

Theory 4: Archie has a twin

Another beloved soap trope. This is sort of two theories in one, in that either Archie’s twin is the one who died, or his twin emerges now that Archie is dead and heads back to Riverdale in his place.

Theory 5: Archie is dead

A bear definitely attacked Archie, and he definitely bled out before those Parks Canada peeps could save him. The KJ Apa ab train isn’t pulling into the station, and it’s all down hill for Riverdale from there. Dry your tears, though, because Elite is a much better show anyway.

Filed under: Riverdale